Sacramento County, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Illuminance cap
- 0.3 foot-candles above ambient
- Daytime luminance cap
- 7,500 nits
- Nighttime luminance cap
- 300 nits
- Dimming
- automatic light-sensing device required
Summary
Digital billboards in unincorporated Sacramento County cannot exceed 0.3 foot-candles of illuminance above ambient light, or 7,500 nits of luminance by day and 300 nits at night, and must dim automatically.
Signs shall not be illuminated at more than 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light, as measured using a foot candle meter at a distance of 250 feet from the sign face. Each display must have a light sensing device that will adjust the illuminance of the sign as ambient light conditions change.
Luminance. Through LED technology, digital billboards directly emit light, or luminance, the intensity of which is measured in nits. Luminance levels shall not exceed 7,500 nits during daylight hours and 300 nits at night. Each display must have a light sensing device that will adjust the luminance of the sign from dawn to dusk.
Location. No digital billboard shall be located within 2,500 feet of any other digital billboard or on-site digital sign with over 200 square feet of digital display. Digital billboards shall be located at least 500 feet from a parcel located within any Agricultural, Agricultural Residential, or Residential zone.
Operational Limitations. Digital displays shall contain static messages only, and shall not have movement, or the appearance or optical illusion of movement during the static display period, of any part of the sign structure, design, or pictorial segment of the sign, including the movement or appearance of movement. Each static message shall not include flashing lighting or the varying of light intensity.
Full Breakdown
The Zoning Code's Digital Billboards development standards set both an illuminance and a luminance ceiling. Illuminance, the glare cast onto surroundings, is capped at 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light measured 250 feet from the sign face. Luminance, the light the LED display directly emits, is capped at 7,500 nits during the day and drops to 300 nits at night. Every display must carry a light-sensing device that automatically adjusts both illuminance and luminance as ambient light changes from dawn to dusk, so the sign cannot be manually left at daytime brightness after dark.
Violations & Fines
Operating a digital billboard above the 0.3 foot-candle illuminance limit or the 7,500/300-nit luminance limits, or without a functioning automatic light-sensing dimmer, is a Zoning Code violation subject to county enforcement and Conditional Use Permit revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can a digital billboard be in Sacramento County?
Do digital billboards have to dim automatically at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento County
California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento County to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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