Salt Lake City, UT Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candle above ambient
- Curfew
- Dark 12 AM-6 AM near residential zones
- Required hardware
- Automatic dimmer control
- Reporting
- Annual compliance report to city
- New electronic billboards
- Generally prohibited outright
Summary
Electronic billboards in Salt Lake City can't raise ambient light more than 0.3 foot-candle at set distances and must go dark overnight near homes.
The illumination of any electronic billboard shall not increase the ambient lighting level more than three-tenths (0.3) foot-candle when measured by a foot-candle meter perpendicular to the electronic billboard face at: (A) One hundred fifty feet (150') for an electronic billboard with a surface area of not more than two hundred forty two (242) square feet... Electronic billboards may not be illuminated or lit between the hours of twelve o'clock (12:00) midnight and six o'clock (6:00) A.M. if they are located in, or within six hundred feet (600') of a residential... zoning district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City code caps electronic billboard brightness at three-tenths of a foot-candle above ambient light, measured perpendicular to the sign face at a distance keyed to the sign's square footage (150 to 350 feet). Near residential, mixed-use, downtown, Sugar House business, gateway, neighborhood commercial, or shopping center zones, electronic billboards must go dark from midnight to 6:00 AM. Every electronic billboard needs an automatic dimmer control and a certified compliance test before a permit issues, plus an annual compliance report to the city.
Violations & Fines
Operating without required dimmer controls, exceeding the 0.3 foot-candle brightness limit, or illuminating between midnight and 6 AM in restricted zones violates the sign code, subjecting the billboard to code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can an electronic billboard be in Salt Lake City?
Do electronic billboards have to turn off at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle billboard lighting.