Stamford, CT Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Off-site advertising signs
- Prohibited citywide
- Flashing or strobe lighting
- Banned on all signs
- Glare toward homes
- Prohibited
- Governing instrument
- Zoning Regulations, not the Code
Summary
Stamford's Zoning Regulations flatly prohibit all off-site advertising signs, billboards, anywhere in the city, and any sign that is lawfully installed still can't use glare-causing spot lighting or exposed bulbs.
No Sign shall be illuminated by exposed tubes, bulbs or similar exposed light surfaces, or by exterior spot lighting or other illumination that would cause glare observable to a Residence District or hazards to vehicular traffic.
3. No Sign shall include any visible moving parts.
4. No Sign shall simulate emergency lights on emergency vehicles or traffic control signals or
devices, or hide from view any traffic control device, signal or Sign.
5. No Sign shall obstruct Road or highway visibility, interfere with the safe and orderly movement
of traffic, or otherwise pose a hazard to traffic.
6. All Off-Site Advertising Signs are prohibited.
7. All Roof Signs are prohibited except as expressly permitted under subsections G, H and L of
this Section. (214-30)
8. No Pole Sign or Ground Sign, including its base, may exceed twenty-one (21) feet in height.
(226-03)
9. No Sign or sign Structure above a height of three (3) feet shall be erected or maintained within fifteen (15) feet of the intersection of the right-of-way lines of two (2) Streets, or of a street intersection with a railroad right-of-way (the "Corner Visibility Area"). However, a Sign support Structure not more than ten (10) inches in diameter may be located within the Corner Visibility Area if all other requirements of this Section are met and the lowest elevation of the sign surface is at least twelve (12) feet above the ground level.
Full Breakdown
Section 11 of the Zoning Regulations, Stamford's sign code (currently in effect through amendments to May 31, 2026), bans off-site advertising signs outright under § 11.D.6, meaning traditional billboards cannot be erected anywhere in the city, regardless of district. For any sign that is otherwise permitted, § 11.D.1–2 separately bars flashing, beacon or strobe illumination and any exposed tube, bulb, or exterior spot lighting that causes glare toward a residential district or hazards to traffic. These are zoning provisions, enforced by the Zoning Enforcement Officer, not the City Code of Ordinances.
Violations & Fines
Erecting or maintaining an off-site advertising sign, or illuminating any sign with glare-causing or flashing lighting, is a zoning violation subject to civil citation and removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a billboard advertising another company in Stamford?
Are illuminated on-site signs allowed at all?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stamford
Compare Stamford to another location·View the Connecticut outdoor lighting overview
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Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle billboard lighting.