Jackson County, MO Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governs
- Off-premise signs and billboards
- Lighting rule
- Hooded, shielded, or diffused
- Banned
- Moving, flashing, or rotating lights
- Applies in
- Unincorporated Jackson County only
- Enforcement
- Permit revocation, forced removal
Summary
Off-premise sign and billboard lighting in unincorporated Jackson County must be hooded, shielded, or diffused so no beam hits the roadway or glares at drivers.
Any lighting arrangements, facilities, or fixtures, which are intended to
illuminate any sign or billboard, shall be hooded, shielded, or diffused in such a
manner as to prevent any beams or rays of light from being directed into any
portion of pavement of a highway. All such lighting shall be arranged or
designed in such a manner that the lighting is not of such intensity as to cause
glare, impair the vision of the driver of a motor vehicle, or otherwise interfere
with a driver's operation of a motor vehicle.
9. No sign or billboard shall be permitted with moving, flashing, or pulsating
lighting arrangements, or which give the visual illusion of such arrangements;
nor any revolving or rotating signs or billboards or signs or billboards with other
moving mechanical parts of promotional advertising devices which rely upon
wind currents to create movement or the illusion of movement.
10. Every sign or billboard and its supporting structure shall be maintained in good repair. All structural members and all advertising copy shall be kept painted and clean so as to prevent deterioration, oxidation, paint fading, paint peeling or other unsightly conditions. Owners of signs or billboards found to be improperly maintained shall be given formal notice to correct the condition with thirty (30)
Full Breakdown
Jackson County's Unified Development Code requires that any lighting used to illuminate an off-premise sign or billboard be hooded, shielded, or diffused so no beams are directed onto the pavement of a highway, and be designed so it never causes glare or impairs a driver's vision. Moving, flashing, pulsating, revolving, or rotating lights on signs or billboards are barred outright. This applies only in unincorporated Jackson County under the Director of Planning's sign permit program (UDC § 24003.9); Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Raytown, and Grandview enforce their own separate sign codes and are not covered by this chapter.
Violations & Fines
Non-compliant lighting is grounds for permit revocation by the Director under UDC § 24003.9; the sign or billboard must then be removed at the owner's expense, and the County can remove it and bill the owner if the owner fails to act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this cover billboards inside Kansas City?
Can a billboard use flashing lights for ads?
What happens if a billboard's lighting glares onto the road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson County
Compare Jackson County to another location·View the Missouri outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.