Frisco, TX Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Section 70-28 sets a single luminance ceiling for every illuminated sign in the city, whether the light source is internal or external: no more than 750 candelas per square meter, expressed in the code as 'cd/m2 or Nits,' regardless of how the sign is lit. Signs that use external illumination, meaning fixtures mounted above or below the sign face rather than lit from within, must use lighting fixtures or luminaires that are fully shielded as that term is defined in the Lighting and Glare Standards of the city's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, so light spills toward the sign face rather than into the sky or onto neighboring properties.

The luminance cap does not just apply at some arbitrary nighttime hour; Section 70-28(3) requires compliance starting at least one-half hour before apparent sunset and continuing through the entire night until apparent sunrise, at which point the sign can return to daytime brightness levels. Frisco ties 'apparent' sunrise and sunset to the specific dates and location determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, so the compliance window shifts with the calendar rather than using a fixed clock time. This illumination standard applies on top of, not instead of, the message-display rules in Section 70-27 for changeable copy signs, and any sign, illuminated or not, is still subject to the general prohibitions in Section 70-18, including a ban on searchlights and skylights.