Dane County, WI Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Sec. 802(4)(f), the illumination standard inside the county's sign ordinance, governs every externally illuminated sign in unincorporated Dane County, billboards included, since billboards are themselves defined as signs under Sec. 801(9). Paragraph 1 requires that external lights be directed at only the copy area from a downward angle attached to the top of the sign or sign structure, and expressly bars up-lighting or any light directed from the ground toward the copy, a design rule meant to keep fixtures from spilling glare skyward or outward.

Paragraph 2 is the operative glare control: light sources must be effectively shielded to prevent beams or rays from being directed at any portion of a road or right-of-way with enough intensity or brilliance to cause glare or impair a driver's vision, or otherwise interfere with vehicle operation. Paragraph 3 extends the shielding duty to both internal and external light sources, requiring shielding from adjacent buildings and rights-of-way and capping brightness so it does not create a glare hazard to the motoring public or neighboring structures.

Paragraph 4 locks illumination intensity in place by prohibiting flashing, moving, reflecting or changing light sources, illuminated signs and lighting devices must use only a light of constant intensity. Sec. 802(5)(b) backs the standard with a remedy: any sign found in violation of the section must be repaired or removed by its owner.