Lincoln County, SD Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Lincoln County treats billboards as off-premises signs under County Code §§ 154.335 through 154.339, a separate subchapter from on-premises business signs, enforced by the Office of Planning and Zoning in unincorporated Lincoln County, South Dakota. The rules split sharply by district. In the A-1 Agricultural and RC Recreation/Conservation Districts, § 154.336(A)(5) bars illumination outright: a sign shall not be illuminated nor shall blinking or flashing lights be used, on top of a nine-square-foot size cap. In the C, I-1, and I-2 commercial and industrial districts, billboards up to 288 square feet and 40 feet tall are allowed, and § 154.336(B)(6) permits illumination but requires the light from any illuminated sign to be shielded, shaded, or directed so its intensity does not adversely affect surrounding or facing premises or the safe vision of drivers on public roads.

Larger billboards, up to 672 square feet with more than one sign face per direction, need a conditional use permit under § 154.337(A), and any off-premises sign within 500 feet of a park, school, church, or designated historic site needs a conditional use permit regardless of size under § 154.337(B). Off-premises signs must also meet the spacing rules in § 154.336(B)(5): no closer than 500 feet to another billboard read from the same right-of-way, or 300 feet if read from a different right-of-way. A billboard lit in violation of the shielding requirement, or illuminated at all in the A-1 or RC districts, is a zoning violation the county can pursue under § 154.999.