Springfield, MO Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Max brightness
- 0.3 footcandle above ambient
- Flashing
- prohibited in all locations
- Auto-dimming tech
- required
- Jurisdiction
- City of Springfield, Greene County, MO
Summary
Springfield requires illuminated signs, including electronic message center billboards, to be designed to eliminate or significantly reduce glare, and caps digital sign brightness at 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light.
(8)Sign illumination. Illuminated signs shall be designed, located, and constructed to eliminate or significantly reduce glare....d.No such signs shall exceed a brightness level of 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light as measured using a foot-candle meter at a preset distance depending on sign size....e.The electronic message center portion of the detached sign shall not exceed 40 percent of the proposed sign copy area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2 | Land Development Code: Supplement 9 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
The Land Development Code's sign illumination provisions require all illuminated signs be designed, located, and constructed to eliminate or significantly reduce glare. Electronic message center signs, the digital billboard format defined elsewhere in the code, carry added conditions: automatic dimming technology that tracks ambient light, a brightness ceiling of 0.3 foot-candles above ambient measured at a distance keyed to sign size, a ban on flashing in all locations, and a cap limiting the electronic portion to 40 percent of the sign's total copy area.
Violations & Fines
A sign that's nonconforming solely because of its illumination must be brought into compliance within 60 days of the article's effective date under Sec. 36-454(10)(a)(6); exceeding the brightness cap or lacking auto-dimming is a code violation enforced by building development services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can an electronic billboard sign be in Springfield?
Can an electronic message center sign flash or animate in Springfield?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
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