Hamilton County, TN Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Article V, § 203(J) (Illuminated Signs) provides that off-premise signs shall have stationary illumination only, that no sign shall have flashing, intermittent or moving lights, and that no off-premise sign shall be so illuminated that it interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures an official traffic sign, device, or signal. This lighting rule works alongside § 203(I) (Motorist Safety), which separately bars illumination that varies in intensity or flashes and forbids signs that resemble a regulatory or warning traffic control device from the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, reinforcing that a billboard's lighting cannot compete with or mimic roadway signals.

Any new or remodeled sign structure, lighting included, must conform to adopted national, state and local engineering standards under § 203(C), with supporting documentation provided to the Director of Building Inspection. An off-premise sign permit under § 203(A) is required before a billboard or its lighting is installed, and off-premise signs are only permitted in the C-1, C-2, C-3, M-1, M-2, M-3 and M-4 districts to begin with. A billboard that was legally lit before these Regulations took effect but does not conform is treated as a legal nonconforming sign under § 203(K), which may continue but must be brought into compliance with current lighting standards if it is later removed and replaced.