Murfreesboro, TN Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- No direct glare into another building
- Citation
- Code § 25.2-24(A)(2)
- Applies to
- All signs, including off-site billboards
- Billboard-specific section
- § 25.2-27 sets no lighting rule
Summary
Murfreesboro's sign code bars any illuminated sign, including off-site billboards, from casting direct glare into another building; the city's dedicated billboard section sets no separate lighting rule, so this citywide ban is what governs.
A sign or illumination that causes any direct glare into any building other than the building to which the sign may be accessory.(3)Flashing signs in commercial, industrial, and multifamily zones and or/uses. Flashing signs which are visible at any public street or sidewalk in the Central Business District or Historic District are prohibited.(4)Roof signs and signs painted on a roof.(5)Signs placed on or affixed to vehicles and/or trailers which are parked on a right-of-way, public property or private property so as to be visible from a public right-of-way where the apparent purpose is to advertise a message. However, this is not in any way intended to prohibit signs placed on or affixed to motorized vehicles where the sign is incidental to the primary use of the motorized vehicle or trailer. It shall be unlawful to use a vehicle or a trailer sign as a sign in circumvention of this chapter. (Editor's Note: This provision is superceded by Code § 25.2-25(D)(19).)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 18 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Off-site permanent signs, Murfreesboro's term for billboards, are regulated under Code § 25.2-27 with location, height, size, setback and spacing limits in CH, H-I and L-I zoning districts, but that section sets no illumination standard of its own. Instead, the citywide prohibition in Code § 25.2-24(A)(2) bars "a sign or illumination that causes any direct glare into any building other than the building to which the sign may be accessory", a rule that applies to every sign type in the chapter, including off-site billboards. Enforcement runs through the Chief Building Official under the same maintenance and removal authority that applies to all sign violations.
Violations & Fines
Chief Building Official may order removal of a noncompliant sign; owners, permittees and property owners are jointly and severally liable for compliance costs under the sign chapter's maintenance provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Murfreesboro limit billboard brightness or hours of illumination?
What zoning districts allow off-site permanent signs (billboards)?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Murfreesboro
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