Topeka, KS Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum dwell time
- 8 seconds per message
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candle above ambient
- EMC spacing
- 1,320 ft apart, same side
- Movement
- No flashing or scrolling
- Nonconforming billboards
- Cannot add EMC
Summary
Topeka requires electronic billboard displays to hold each message at least eight seconds with no flashing or scrolling, and to meet the city brightness cap, though the usual 50 percent sign-area illumination limit is waived for billboards.
(5) Electronic Message Center Signs. Each EMC sign located on a billboard or panel poster shall meet all of the following requirements: (i) The sign does not contain or display flashing, intermittent or moving lights, including animated or scrolling advertising. (ii) Messages shall have a minimum dwell time of eight seconds and a transition time between messages of two seconds or less. ... (v) The sign shall comply with the EMC standards in TMC 18.10.160, but the 50 percent sign area limitation in TMC 18.10.160 shall not apply.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 20671, passed July 14, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under TMC 18.10.180(b)(5), an electronic message center mounted on a billboard or panel poster cannot flash, strobe, or scroll, must hold each message at least eight seconds with a transition of two seconds or less, and cannot sit within 1,320 feet of another billboard EMC on the same side of the road. It must also meet the automatic-dimming brightness cap in TMC 18.10.160(a)(1), no more than 0.3 foot-candle above ambient light, measured with a meter calibrated within 36 months, though the 50 percent sign-area limit in that section does not apply. Only a legal conforming billboard may convert to an EMC.
Violations & Fines
Converting a nonconforming billboard to an EMC, or running one that flashes, scrolls, or exceeds the brightness cap, draws a TMC 18.10.060 notice, 30 days to cure, then a $50-per-day administrative fine plus possible criminal prosecution under TMC 1.10.070.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Topeka billboard have a digital or electronic display?
How far apart must electronic billboards be in Topeka?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Topeka
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