Fargo, ND Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candles over ambient
- Applies to
- digital billboards, GI/LI/GC/LC zones
- Static hold time
- at least 7 seconds
- Enforcement
- Building Official foot-candle meter test
Summary
Fargo caps digital billboard brightness at 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light and requires automatic dimming under the Sign Code.
Digital billboards shall come equipped with automatic dimming technology that automatically adjusts the display's brightness based on ambient light conditions. a. The brightness level for digital billboards shall not increase by more than 0.3 foot-candles over ambient levels.
Full Breakdown
Under Fargo Municipal Code § 20-1308.D, digital billboards in the GI, LI, GC, and LC zoning districts must run automatic dimming technology that adjusts brightness to ambient light. The Building Official measures compliance with a foot-candle meter at a preset distance (150 to 350 feet, based on sign size) 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise, then compares that reading to the sign off or showing black copy; the difference cannot exceed 0.3 foot-candles. Static messages must also hold for at least seven seconds with instant, animation-free transitions between images.
Violations & Fines
The Building Official can order noncompliant digital billboards dimmed or shut off as a sign-code violation; the sign owner or agent is contacted to schedule the ambient-light comparison reading, and continued excess brightness or failure to meet the seven-second static-message rule is enforced as a Land Development Code sign violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Fargo test billboard brightness?
Can a digital billboard flash or animate images?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fargo
Compare Fargo to another location·View the North Dakota outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.