Catoosa County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Catoosa County's Unified Development Code sets separate lighting and dimensional standards for interstate and non-interstate billboards in commercial and industrial zoning districts. Under UDC § 5.05.10(B), interstate billboards up to 14 feet high and 48 feet long may be illuminated only with base-mounted fixtures triggered by photo-electric cells; neon, animation, running lights, and materials such as 'Solaray' discs that simulate motion are barred outright. Section 5.05.10(C) further bars changeable copy, electronic faces, LED and LCD displays on interstate boards entirely, a stricter standard than the electronic-sign allowance given to ordinary commercial pole signs under § 5.05.07.

Non-interstate billboards face the identical lighting restriction under § 5.05.11(B) and (C), but are capped at 12 feet by 24 feet and 40 feet total height, versus 100 feet for interstate signs. Spacing rules keep interstate billboards at least 500 feet apart on the same side of a road, while non-interstate boards need a 1,000-foot radial separation. Any sign structure that falls out of repair is handled under § 5.05.05: the Zoning Administrator issues a written notice of violation describing the defect and a deadline to fix it, and failure to remedy the problem within that window becomes a UDC violation subject to citation.

Billboards not permitted or regulated by the Georgia Department of Transportation are separately prohibited under § 5.05.10(L) and § 5.05.11(K). Sign permits and enforcement run through the Planning and Zoning/Building Inspection office, and any legally erected sign made nonconforming by a UDC amendment may stay in place until GDOT or the county buys it out, provided a replacement sign matches the original's height and dimensions.