Medford, MA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

The Medford zoning ordinance addresses billboard lighting by eliminating the billboard itself. Section 94-6.2.12, item 14 lists billboards among the signs 'not permitted in commercial, office, industrial, and multi-use zones,' alongside inflatable, off-premises commercial, and roof signs; section 94-6.2.11, item 11 imposes the same ban on any property used primarily for residence. Because no billboard may lawfully be erected anywhere in the city, section 94-6.2.12's illumination standard, item 7, functions as the ceiling for any other sign that is lit: illumination must be continuous, cannot run between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless the premises is open for business (with a half-hour grace period on each side of that window), and outdoor floodlighting must be installed so no direct light shines onto a street or adjacent property.

Exposed-neon illumination is allowed only as separately directed within that section. A sign owner who wants to erect any illuminated sign must first get a permit through the building department under sections 94-6.2.4 through 94-6.2.6, and the building commissioner enforces both the illumination limits and the billboard ban under section 94-6.2.7, which requires written notice and a 30-day correction period before a permit is revoked and the sign ordered removed within 15 days.