Sedgwick County, KS Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 6-346(j)(1)a.4, county Sign Code
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated Sedgwick County only, not Wichita
- Setback from homes
- 75 feet from any residential structure
- Max billboard height
- 35 feet
- Spacing between billboards
- 500 feet minimum separation
- Violation class
- Class G, fine up to $500
- Permit authority
- MABCD director issues sign permits
Summary
Every billboard erected in unincorporated Sedgwick County must have its lighting shielded so it does not throw intensive or excessive glare onto adjacent property or roadways, under Sec. 6-346(j) of the county Sign Code. The rule binds the RR rural residential district and the LC, GC, OW, IP, IP-A, LI and GI commercial and industrial districts, the only zones where billboards are permitted outside Wichita's city limits.
a.All billboard signs shall conform to the following requirements:1.Billboard signs shall be located a minimum of seventy-five (75) feet from a residential structure.2.Billboard signs shall be erected so that all elements of the sign and its structure remain on or over the lot where the sign is constructed. No portion of any billboard sign shall encroach upon, or project over any public right-of-way.3.Billboard signs shall have a maximum height of thirty-five (35) feet.4.All lighting of billboard signs shall be so shielded as not to produce intensive or excessive light or glare on adjacent property or roadways.5.All billboard signs shall be freestanding structures and shall be no more than two (2) pole structures only.6.All billboard signs shall be limited to one (1) advertising face per direction.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 22 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sedgwick County's Sign Code, Sec. 6-341 through 6-347 of the county code, governs billboards on unincorporated land outside Wichita and any other city in the county; Sec. ' Billboards are a defined sign type under Sec. , limited to the RR district and the LC, GC, OW, IP, IP-A, LI and GI commercial and industrial districts under Sec. 6-346. Wherever a billboard is allowed, Sec. 4 requires that 'all lighting of billboard signs shall be so shielded as not to produce intensive or excessive light or glare on adjacent property or roadways,' and the same shielding duty is repeated for billboards in the RR district at Sec.
6-346(j)(2)d. That lighting rule sits alongside the other standards a billboard permit applicant must meet: a 75-foot setback from any residential structure, a 35-foot maximum height, freestanding construction on no more than two poles, one advertising face per direction, and a minimum 500-foot separation from the next billboard. In the LC, GC, OW, IP, IP-A, LI and GI districts, no more than five billboards may face a direction of travel per mile of right-of-way; in the RR district the cap drops to three per mile and the lot must be at least twenty acres.
A sign permit from the MABCD director under Sec. 6-344 is required before any billboard, including its lighting, is erected, altered or relocated, and the director may order removal of a nonconforming or improperly shielded sign after notice under Sec. 6-344(e).
Violations & Fines
Operating a billboard with unshielded or glaring lights violates the general sign requirements of Sec. 6-343(b) and the billboard-specific duty in Sec. 6-346(j). Under Sec. 6-341(f)(3), a district court conviction carries a fine set by the court up to $500.00 per K.S.A. 19-4716, and 'each and every violation of this article shall be a class G violation.' Each day the violation continues after notice to comply is a separate offense, and the director may order the sign shielded, altered or removed under Sec. 6-344(d) and (e).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this billboard lighting rule apply inside Wichita?
How bright can a billboard's lights be?
What happens if a billboard owner ignores a shielding order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sedgwick County
Compare Sedgwick County to another location·View the Kansas outdoor lighting overview
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