Miami, FL Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Max brightness
- 500 nits, sunset to sunrise
- Operating hours
- 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Spillover cap
- 0.3 foot-candles at 250 ft
- New billboards
- Banned citywide since 2012
- Applies to
- 3 city-owned venue signs only
Summary
Miami caps outdoor advertising sign brightness at 500 nits after sunset, limits operating hours to 6 a.m.-11 p.m., and bans flashing or glare-producing illumination under City Code Sec. 2-779.
(h)Restrictions on signs.(1)Hours of operation. The sign face may operate only during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an event is taking place in Downtown Miami, the sign face may operate only during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. When the sign face is not in operation, the screen shall be black but an unobtrusive logo listing the name of the venue located at the site can be present.(2)Modulation and ambient lighting.a.From sunset to sunrise, sign face shall be modulated so that the brightness does not exceed 500 nits.b.The time of sunset to sunrise shall be established by the Miami Office of the National Weather Service.c.The sign face must have ambient light monitors to automatically adjust the brightness level of the sign face based upon the ambient lighting conditions.d.The maximum increase to ambient lighting shall be less than 0.3 foot-candles at 250 feet from the sign face. (Ord. No. 13321, § 2, 5-24-12; Ord. No. 13536, § 2, 7-23-15; Ord. No. 14128, § 2, 1-12-23; Ord. No. 14140, § 2, 2-9-23; Ord. No. 14284, § 2, 5-23-24)
Editor's note— Prior to the reenactment of section 2-779 by Ord. No. 13321, § 2, adopted May 24, 2012, Ord. No. 12623, § 4, adopted December 9, 2004, repealed section 2-779 in its entirety, which pertained to the property and asset review committee and derived from Ord. No. 11130, § 7, adopted March 24, 1994; the Code of 1980, § 2-364, and Ord. No. 11564, § 4, adopted October 28, 1997.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 | Ordinance 11000 (Previous Zoning Code): Supplement 22 | Miami 21 (Zoning Code): ?).
Full Breakdown
Since 2012 Miami has banned new freestanding billboards citywide (City Code Sec. 62-618.3), so the only lawful outdoor advertising signs are the three city-owned venues authorized under Sec. 2-779: the James L. Knight Center, the Olympia Theater/Gusman Center, and the Miami Children's Museum. Those signs may run only 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (midnight during Downtown events), must go dark to a plain logo when off, and from sunset to sunrise must be modulated by ambient-light monitors so brightness never exceeds 500 nits and spillover stays under 0.3 foot-candles at 250 feet from the sign face. Flashing, intermittent, rotating or glare-producing lighting is prohibited outright, and the planning and zoning directors enforce compliance as a condition of the permit.
Violations & Fines
Operating outside the 6 a.m.-11 p.m. window, exceeding 500 nits after sunset, or running flashing or glare-producing lighting violates the permit and can trigger sign removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an outdoor advertising sign in Miami flash or rotate?
Are new billboards allowed anywhere in Miami?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami to another location·View the Florida outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle billboard lighting.