Roanoke, VA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

2-675. The section requires that when any sign is illuminated, the lights must either be enclosed within the sign itself or, if external, the external light source must be located, shielded, or directed so the illumination concentrates on the sign face and the point source of the light is not visible from any adjacent street or lot. That rule folds billboard lighting into the general sign-illumination standard rather than carving out a separate rule for outdoor advertising signs, so a floodlit billboard face must have its light fixtures aimed and shielded so a driver or neighbor cannot see the bare bulb or fixture itself, only the illuminated sign face.

The section adds a second requirement specifically for ground-mounted lighting used to illuminate a sign: if the ground fixture's point source is not equipped with shielding that prevents it from being visible from any adjacent street or lot, the ground lighting itself must be fully screened from view using landscaping material. 2-666 supplies its own illumination standard for signage. 2-664 must also disclose the source of illumination as part of the permit application.