Spokane County, WA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- New billboards
- Banned in all zones, SCC 14.804.050(10)
- Off-premises/video signs
- Also banned, items 9 and 11
- Existing billboards
- Allowed only as unaltered nonconforming signs
- Illumination standard
- Low intensity, shielded, confined to sign
Summary
Billboards are banned outright in every zone in unincorporated Spokane County under SCC 14.804.050(10), so there is no county standard written specifically for billboard lighting; any lit billboard would have to be a legal nonconforming sign, and even then it must meet the general low-intensity illumination rule in SCC 14.804.160.
The following signs are prohibited in all zones unless otherwise specifically permitted: ... 9.All portable electric signs. ... 10.Billboards.11.Off-premises signs. ... Externally illuminated signs shall have low intensity lighting, confined to the sign, and be positioned and shielded to minimize impacts to the surrounding area(s). Internally illuminated signs shall have low intensity lighting.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
050(10)). The same list also bans off-premises signs and video boards, items 9 and 11, closing off the usual workarounds of building a large off-site advertising sign or an electronic billboard. 140 lets it continue as a nonconforming sign, but only as long as it is 'continuously maintained, are not relocated, and are not structurally altered or made more nonconforming in any way'; adding new illumination to a previously unlit legal nonconforming billboard, or upgrading its lighting, would be a structural alteration that forfeits nonconforming status.
160: externally illuminated signs are limited to low-intensity lighting, confined to the sign face itself, and positioned and shielded so glare does not spill onto neighboring properties, and internally illuminated signs are held to the same low-intensity standard. Signs over forty years old that the county's historic preservation officer classifies as historically significant are carved out of the nonconforming-sign rules entirely.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a new billboard, converting a legal nonconforming sign into a billboard, or adding or upgrading illumination on a nonconforming billboard so that it becomes 'more nonconforming' violates SCC 14.804.050(10) and 14.804.140; Spokane County Building and Planning can deny or revoke the sign permit and order removal. High-intensity or unshielded lighting on any lawfully permitted sign violates SCC 14.804.160 and can trigger a code-compliance order to re-shield or dim the fixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a billboard in unincorporated Spokane County?
What about an old billboard that predates the current code?
Could I install an electronic or digital billboard instead?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
Compare Spokane County to another location·View the Washington outdoor lighting overview
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