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Overland Park, KS Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Lighting type
Indirect or non-illuminated only
Permit required
Special Use Permit, Governing Body approval
Eligible zoning
M-1 or M-2 with interstate frontage
Max size
672 square feet
Max height
30 feet above right-of-way grade
Permit term
5 years, 60-day removal if lapsed

Summary

Billboards in Overland Park need a Special Use Permit and can only carry indirect or non-illuminated lighting under the sign code. Digital displays are barred entirely from standard billboards, and every lit sign must also meet the city's general outdoor lighting standards.

6. Lighting. Billboards shall be indirectly illuminated or non-illuminated and comply with all applicable City building codes and applicable lighting standards of this Chapter.

Full Breakdown

Overland Park confines billboards to a Special Use Permit approved by the Governing Body on recommendation of the Planning Commission, and that permit only reaches property zoned M-1 (Industrial Park) or M-2 (General Industrial) with frontage on I-35, I-435 or I-635. " That means no internally-lit or digital billboard faces; any illumination has to come from external fixtures aimed at the sign face, and the fixtures themselves must satisfy the sign chapter's own lighting rules along with the building code. C and is limited to highway monument signs on CP-2 or CP-3 zoned property with at least 400,000 square feet of floor area, so a conventional off-premise billboard cannot simply add a digital face to get around the indirect-lighting requirement.

The same subsection package caps billboard size at 672 square feet, height at 30 feet above the adjacent right-of-way grade, and requires 1,200 feet of spacing from any other billboard along the same interstate or frontage road. Special Use Permits for billboards are time-limited to five years, with a 60-day removal window if the permit lapses without renewal, so the lighting condition is revisited every renewal cycle rather than grandfathered permanently.

Violations & Fines

Planning & Development staff enforce sign standards through the Special Use Permit conditions attached to each billboard. A billboard lit with anything other than indirect or non-illuminated fixtures, or one converted to a digital face without qualifying as a permitted highway monument sign, is out of compliance with its permit and subject to code enforcement action, permit revocation proceedings before the Governing Body, and removal at the operator's expense; the code separately gives the city a 60-day removal deadline once any billboard permit is not renewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a billboard in Overland Park have an internally lit face?
No. Municipal Code 18.440.120.B.6 limits billboards to indirect illumination from external fixtures or no illumination at all; an internally lit or backlit panel does not meet this standard and would jeopardize the Special Use Permit.
Are digital billboards allowed in Overland Park?
Standard billboards cannot use digital displays. Digital display technology is only permitted as a highway monument sign under 18.440.120.C, restricted to CP-2 or CP-3 zoned property with at least 400,000 square feet of floor area, a far narrower path than a typical M-1 or M-2 billboard site.
Where can a lit billboard legally go in Overland Park?
Only on M-1 (Industrial Park) or M-2 (General Industrial) zoned property fronting I-35, I-435 or I-635, and only after the Governing Body approves a Special Use Permit on the Planning Commission's recommendation.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Overland Park

All Overland Park rules

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