Chicago, IL Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Daytime max
- 7,000 nits
- Nighttime max (expressway corridor)
- 300 nits
- Nighttime max (elsewhere)
- 250 nits
- Curfew
- Off midnight-5 a.m.
- Fine per offense
- $10,000-$15,000/day
Summary
Chicago caps digital billboard and dynamic sign brightness at 7,000 nits by day, dropping to 250-300 nits after sunset, and bars illumination from midnight to 5 a.m. for most signs.
(1) For signs located within a designated expressway corridor, the maximum luminance for any such sign shall not be greater than: (A) 7,000 nits between 5 a.m. and sunset; and (B) 300 nits between sunset and midnight. ... (3) No sign shall be illuminated between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.; provided that an entity may keep its on-premise sign illuminated to no greater than 250 nits between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m., when the entity is open for business.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-74: Current through Council Journal of June 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code of Chicago § 13-20-675 sets luminance ceilings for every dynamic image display sign, including digital billboards permitted on or after April 2, 2014. Daytime luminance tops out at 7,000 nits; after sunset it must drop to 300 nits in designated expressway corridors (within 660 feet of an expressway or toll road right-of-way) or 250 nits elsewhere. Signs must go dark entirely between midnight and 5 a.m., with a narrow exception letting an open business keep its own on-premise sign lit at up to 250 nits during those hours. Every sign needs an automatic dimmer that enforces these caps and shuts the display off or blanks it on malfunction.
Violations & Fines
Fines run $10,000-$15,000 per offense for a dynamic image display sign violation, and each day of continued violation is a separate offense under § 13-20-520(a)(1).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a digital billboard in Chicago stay lit all night?
What's the maximum brightness for a Chicago digital sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chicago
Compare Chicago to another location·View the Illinois outdoor lighting overview
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Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle billboard lighting.