Marietta, GA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Brightness cap
- 0.20 foot-candles above ambient light
- Measurement distance
- 150-250 ft depending on sign size
- Light sensor
- Required on every digital billboard
- Malfunction deadline
- Repair within 60 days or remove
- Allowed zones
- LI, HI, CRC, RRC, PCD, OHR only
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Development Services
Summary
Marietta caps how bright digital billboards can glow. Under the city's sign ordinance, an electronic billboard face cannot exceed 0.20 foot-candles above ambient light, measured 150 to 250 feet away depending on sign size, and every digital billboard must carry a light sensor that dims the display as daylight fades. Owners must give the city a 24-hour contact who can shut down a malfunctioning sign immediately.
c.Digital billboards may not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.20 foot candles above ambient light levels as measured at the following distances: ... e.Each digital billboard must have a light sensing device that will adjust the brightness of the display as the natural ambient light conditions change. ... h.The owner of said digital billboard shall provide to the City of Marietta information for a 24-hour contact able to turn off the electronic sign promptly after a malfunction occurs. If, at any time more than 50% of the digital display lights malfunction or are no longer working, the owner of said digital billboard shall make repairs to the sign within 60 days or the sign will require removal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
Marietta's sign ordinance, Code of Ordinances Division 714, treats digital billboards as a strictly regulated subset of the city's billboard rules. Billboards themselves are confined to the area within 100 feet of the Interstate 75 right-of-way and only six zoning districts (LI, HI, CRC, RRC, PCD and OHR) allow them at all; every other district bans them outright. 14, a digital billboard face must display only static messages, with every line of copy and graphics at least 15 inches tall, and cannot scroll, fade or flash.
20 foot-candles above ambient light, measured at 150 feet for faces under 300 square feet, 200 feet for 301 to 400 square feet, and 250 feet for 401 to 672 square feet, the maximum size a Marietta billboard may carry. Every digital billboard must have a light-sensing device that automatically dims the display as ambient light changes, and the owner must arrange an annual brightness certification by an independent contractor and give the city a 24-hour contact who can shut the sign off. If more than half of a digital display's lights malfunction, the owner has 60 days to repair it or the sign must come down.
Digital billboards cannot sit within 5,000 feet of another digital billboard on the same side of the road. S. 41. The Department of Development Services administers permits and enforcement under this division.
Violations & Fines
Operating an out-of-compliance digital billboard is enforced under the sign ordinance's general penalty, Section 714.07.H: a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail per violation, with each day a violation continues counted separately after 30 days. Repeat violations carry escalating minimum fines of $100, $500 and $1,000. If staff finds a sign exceeding the brightness cap, the owner has 24 hours to reduce the intensity and certify compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can a digital billboard be in Marietta?
What happens if a digital billboard malfunctions in Marietta?
Are digital billboards allowed anywhere in Marietta?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marietta
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