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Harnett County, NC Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Governing section
§ 153.159(I)(4)
Shielding requirement
No light directed into homes or traffic
Prohibited fixtures
Rotating, revolving, flashing, intermittent lights
General lighting exemption
§ 153.156 does not apply to billboards
Enforcing office
Harnett County Planning Department

Summary

Harnett County exempts billboard lighting from the general outdoor lighting standards of § 153.156 but regulates it directly under § 153.159(I)(4): display lighting must be shielded away from nearby homes and roadway traffic, and no rotating, flashing, or intermittent lighting devices are allowed on an outdoor advertising sign.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Harnett County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(4) Lighting. Display lighting of signs shall be shielded so as to prevent the direction of such light into any structure used primarily for residential purposes and into vehicles traveling on nearby roadways. No rotating, revolving, flashing, or intermittent lighting devices shall be attached to or made a part of any outdoor advertising sign.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-7: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through 11-18-2024; and State Legislation current through 2024 Legislative Service #2).

Full Breakdown

shall be exempt from the requirements of this section," so the wall-pack cutoff, uplighting ban, and 35-foot mounting-height caps that apply to parking lots and site plans do not reach billboard fixtures. 159(I), the outdoor advertising signs subsection of the county's sign requirements. 159(I)(4) Lighting, "[d]isplay lighting of signs shall be shielded so as to prevent the direction of such light into any structure used primarily for residential purposes and into vehicles traveling on nearby roadways," and the code bars "rotating, revolving, flashing, or intermittent lighting devices" on the sign.

159(I)(7): any electronic display component must hold a static image for a minimum duration and cannot flash, scroll, or twirl. These lighting limits sit alongside the rest of the outdoor advertising package, capping display area at 500 square feet along interstate highways and 300 square feet elsewhere, requiring a 50-foot right-of-way setback, and requiring 1,500 feet of spacing between billboards. The Planning Department reviews sign plans for compliance with the shielding and no-flash requirements before a permit issues.

Violations & Fines

The Planning Department enforces § 153.159 sign standards through the permitting process; a billboard built with unshielded lighting or prohibited rotating/flashing fixtures is a code violation subject to the county's general UDO enforcement remedies, including permit denial, a compliance order, or civil penalties under Chapter 153's enforcement provisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Harnett County's general outdoor lighting rules apply to billboards?
No. Section 153.156, which sets cutoff-fixture and mounting-height standards for site lighting, expressly exempts "lighting for outdoor advertising signs" from its requirements, so billboards are regulated separately under the sign ordinance instead.
What lighting is required on a Harnett County billboard?
Under § 153.159(I)(4), display lighting must be shielded so it does not shine into residential structures or into vehicles on nearby roads, and the sign cannot use rotating, revolving, flashing, or intermittent lighting devices.
Can a billboard have a scrolling electronic message in Harnett County?
Only within limits: § 153.159(I)(7) requires any electronic display portion of a billboard to hold a static image for a set minimum duration, and no part of the image may flash, scroll, twirl, or change color during that period.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Harnett County

All Harnett County rules

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