Cedar Rapids, IA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Flashing lighting
- Prohibited
- Shielding required
- From adjacent premises and roadway
- Digital displays
- Additional criteria apply
- Governs
- All billboard signs citywide
Summary
Cedar Rapids allows billboard illumination only if the lighting is non-flashing and shielded so no beams or rays hit adjacent properties or the traveled way of any street or highway.
Illumination of billboard signs shall be permitted if the lighting is non-flashing, and is so shielded to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed at any adjacent premises or at any portion of the main traveled way of any street or highway. 9. Distance from Residential Districts No billboard sign shall be permitted within 200 feet of
Notes: [1] Amended by Ordinance 009-21 External Links Zoning Information www.cityofcr.com/zoning � Up to date zoning code � Zoning Map Viewer � Applications � Fact Sheets and other information EnvisionCR www.cityofcr.com/comprehensiveplan � EnvisionCR document � Future Land Use Map Viewer Full City Code library.municode.com/ia/cedar_rapids City of Cedar Rapids Website www.cityofcr.com 281
Cedar Rapids Zoning Ordinance
As of Ordinance #004-26
Notes: Document Navigation Table of Contents.......................... iv General Provisions.........................1 Zone Districts.................................5 Use-Specific Standards............... 70
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 24).
Full Breakdown
Under the Zoning Ordinance's sign standards, illuminated billboards are permitted, but the light source must be non-flashing and must be shielded to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed at any adjacent premises or at any portion of the main traveled way of a street or highway. Digital display billboards face additional criteria elsewhere in the same section, including a ban on animation, flashing, or video during or between messages.
Violations & Fines
Non-shielded or flashing billboard lighting is a sign-code violation enforceable under Chapter 32's Violations and Enforcement provisions (§ 32.07), which can require correction or removal of the offending fixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in Cedar Rapids flash or animate?
What must billboard lighting avoid?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cedar Rapids
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