Cass County, MO Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Foot-candle cap
- 20 foot-candles at the sign face, § 400.800(C)(6)(c)
- Shielding required
- Light directed only onto the billboard face
- Glare ban
- No glare into the highway travel lane or driver's vision
- Flashing/rotating lights
- Banned unless the Special Use Permit allows it
- Traffic device interference
- Cannot obscure any official traffic sign or signal
- Review path
- Checked as part of the billboard's Special Use Permit
Summary
Billboard illumination in unincorporated Cass County is capped at 20 foot-candles measured at the sign face. Section 400.800(C)(6)(c) requires external light sources to be shielded and aimed at the billboard only, and bars any glare that could reach the highway travel lane, spill onto adjacent property, or impair a driver's vision.
Billboards may be lighted by external lighting, provided the light source is directed upon the face of the billboard and is effectively shielded so as to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed into any portion of the main traveled way of the highway or into any portion of adjacent properties, the lights are limited to twenty (20) foot-candles at the face of the sign, and not of an intensity or position so as to cause glare, impair the vision of the driver of a motor vehicle, or otherwise interfere with a driver's operation of a motor vehicle.
Full Breakdown
800(C)(6) sets four separate lighting rules for billboards along Cass County's state-maintained highway corridors. Paragraph a bars 'any revolving or rotating beam or beacon of light that simulates any emergency lighting or device,' and paragraph b bars 'any flashing, intermittent, or moving lighting or lights, unless specifically accepted by the County in the Special Use Permit' every billboard must already hold. ' Paragraph d closes the loop by prohibiting illumination that obscures or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic sign, device, or signal near the billboard. m. 800(B), not approved separately.
Violations & Fines
A billboard lit above the 20 foot-candle limit, with an unshielded fixture, or with glare that reaches the highway travel lane is a Zoning Order violation under Section 400.030(22): the Zoning Officer notifies the permit holder, allows 10 days to correct the lighting, and an uncorrected violation can be referred to court where a misdemeanor conviction carries Commission-set fines up to $1,000 per day the violation continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a brightness limit on billboard lighting in Cass County?
Can a billboard's lights shine onto neighboring property?
Can a billboard use flashing or rotating lights?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cass County
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