Coeur d'Alene, ID Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Section 15.50.400(D) sets the lighting rules for every illuminated sign in the City of Coeur d'Alene, and relocated Billboards face an added lighting rule in § 15.50.400(C)(4)(o). Illumination cannot create an unsafe or hazardous distraction to a motorist, a pedestrian, or the general public. An illuminated Sign, including an Electronic Message Display, needs technology that dims automatically according to ambient light conditions, and the display cannot run at more than 0.3 foot candles above ambient light. The foot-candle meter reading is taken at a distance set by Sign Area: 100 feet for 0-100 square feet, 150 feet for 101-350 square feet, 200 feet for 351-650 square feet, and 250 feet for 651-672 square feet.

For a relocated Billboard, any lighting must be directed toward the display surface and, if necessary, shielded to prevent light from interfering with the quiet enjoyment of nearby properties. Council's approval findings for a relocation include that the Billboard complies with the City's illumination and Electronic Message Display standards (§ 15.50.400(C)(3)(i)(8)).

Electronic displays carry timing limits that work alongside the brightness cap. Messages hold at least eight (8) seconds, transitions run no more than one-half of one second, no sign can flash or blink, and no videos or animations are allowed. A rotating sign is capped at nine (9) rotations per minute. On the hardware side, a sign in an area accessible to vehicles or pedestrians must meet the Idaho electrical code for height and clearance. A sign that uses electricity carries, in plain view and in letters at least one inch (1") high, its permit number and power consumption, including voltage and amperage, and the Underwriters Laboratory label must be plainly visible. A State electrical permit is required when the adopted electrical code calls for one (§ 15.50.360). Utilities for a relocated Billboard go underground when power is on the property or within seventy-five feet (75').