Canton, OH Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Canton Codified Ordinances Section 1185.02(n), part of the outdoor illumination chapter, requires that externally illuminated signs be down-lighted rather than lit from below or the side. The sign chapter builds on that in Section 1187.09(i), Billboards: off-premise signs cannot exceed 700 square feet in size or 50 feet in height, must sit at least 25 feet from any property line and the nearest edge of roadway, and must be at least 500 feet from any other billboard or off-premise sign, from a residential structure, a place of religious worship, an accredited school or college, or an institution for human care.

Off-premise signs may use electronic message unit devices, but those illuminated displays are permitted subject to the general sign regulations in Section 1187.07 with specific carve-outs: words, numbers and pictures may be displayed, a given display may be kept on-screen for eight seconds, there is no maximum height set for the numbers and lettering themselves, and there are no color restrictions. A billboard is a permanent sign under Chapter 1187 and requires a zoning permit under Section 1194.02 before erection. Both provisions were adopted by Ordinance 147-2018, and the sign standards were most recently amended by Ordinance 25-2019, passed February 25, 2019.