South Fulton, GA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Section 706.04(c) of the South Fulton Zoning Ordinance sets construction standards for sign illumination that govern billboards as freestanding signs. Externally illuminated signs cannot exceed 55 foot-candles, and freestanding signs with external illumination must have their light directed downward. For electronic changeable copy technology, the ordinance singles out billboards by name in its LED spacing rule: freestanding signs, including billboards, cannot have more than 16 millimeters between pixels measured center-to-center, and each sign must use at least a tri-color LED array (one red, green, and blue diode or equivalent per pixel), certified by an OSHA-recognized testing laboratory under 29 C.F.R.

1910.7. Brightness is separately capped: the sign must include a light-sensing device that adjusts brightness as ambient light changes, and it cannot operate more than 0.30 foot-candles above ambient light measured at 100 feet from the sign (150 feet for faces over 100 square feet). A fail-safe device must drop the sign to its lowest allowed nighttime brightness if the light sensor fails. Applicants must submit a written installer statement certifying compliance with the city's brightness rules as part of the sign permit application, and certify actual compliance within 30 days of installation.

Separately, Section 706.07 requires billboards be located along state or national highways, at least 500 feet from residential or AG-1 districts, and comply with the Georgia Outdoor Advertising Act, O.C.G.A. § 32-6-70 et seq., where the two conflict the more restrictive rule controls.