Jefferson County, MO Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed
- Steady electrical lighting of billboard face
- Banned
- Flashing, blinking or intermittent lighting
- Governing article
- Article XIII, Signs and Street Graphics
- Applies to
- Billboards in PC, PB, NPI, PI, PM districts
- Enforced under
- UDO general violations, § 400.140
Summary
Jefferson County lets billboards along its approved highway corridors light their faces electrically, but Section 400.4310(A)(7) bans any flashing, blinking or intermittent lighting on or of a billboard face, mirroring the flashing-light ban that applies to signs generally.
Billboards may be illuminated by electrical lighting of the billboard face. However, no flashing, blinking or intermittent lighting on or of billboard faces shall be allowed.
Full Breakdown
4310(A)(7), part of the Billboards section of Article XIII, Signs and Street Graphics, adopted April 2, 2008 and amended by Ordinance No. 16-0100 on January 4, 2016, permits billboard illumination only by 'electrical lighting of the billboard face,' meaning fixed floodlighting or internal panel lighting that keeps the sign face steadily lit is allowed. What the section forbids outright is any 'flashing, blinking or intermittent lighting on or of billboard faces,' language that reaches both the illumination source itself and any lighting effect applied to the message on the face.
4270(A)(2), a billboard cannot combine steady electronic pricing content with any blinking or flashing lighting effect. S. Highways 61 and 67, and State Highways 30, 141 and 231 in the 'PC', 'PB', 'NPI', 'PI' and 'PM' zone districts of unincorporated Jefferson County.
Violations & Fines
A billboard face lit with flashing, blinking or intermittent lighting violates Section 400.4310(A)(7) even if the structure otherwise meets the size, spacing and highway-corridor standards elsewhere in Section 400.4310. Lighting violations are enforced under the UDO's general enforcement provisions, Sections 400.4470 and 400.140, exposing the sign owner to a misdemeanor fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both, with each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard along I-55 in Jefferson County be lit at night?
Can a billboard have a blinking digital price display?
Does the lighting rule apply to every billboard in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson County
Compare Jefferson County to another location·View the Missouri outdoor lighting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.