Clinton Township, MI Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Chapter 1488 governs every sign in Clinton Township, including the billboard signs defined at Section 1488.02(c) as permanent, off-premises signs permitted only on parcels in the I-2 General Industrial District that abut an interstate highway. Section 1488.04's permit requirement covers illuminated signs generally: an applicant must submit construction drawings showing the materials, design, dimensions, structural supports, electrical components, and method of illumination before the Building Official will issue a permit, and that review must be completed within thirty days of a complete application.

Once installed, Section 1488.04(f) controls how any sign, billboard included, may be lit, requiring illumination to be directed so it doesn't cause visual interference to drivers on adjacent roads or to adjacent property occupants. There's no separate illumination standard written just for billboards; this general aiming requirement is the operative rule because a billboard sign is a sign under the chapter's definitions. Sign permits are valid for 365 days from issuance and become void if the work isn't finished within that window, requiring a fresh permit to continue. The Building Department can revoke a sign permit for violating any provision of the chapter, including the illumination rule, and a denied or revoked applicant can appeal to the Township's Board of Appeals within thirty days, with the Board required to hold a hearing within sixty days and rule within thirty days after that.