Waco, TX Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Waco's digital off-premises sign standards sit in Division 2 of the sign regulations, chapter 28, article V, at Sec. 28-1077, adopted by Ordinance No. 2009-364 on July 7, 2009. A digital billboard may face only one direction of travel per sign face, and each advertising message must be displayed for a minimum of eight seconds, with the transition to the next message completed within two seconds and occurring simultaneously across the entire sign face, so drivers never see a partial or scrolling change. Two safety-driven lighting requirements apply to every digital off-premises sign: it must contain a default mechanism that freezes the display in one position if it malfunctions, and it must automatically adjust its brightness according to natural ambient light conditions, so the sign dims at night and brightens by day rather than running at a fixed intensity.

Sign owners also carry ongoing duties tied to illumination: they must give the Inspection Services Department a contact person reachable at any time who can shut the sign off promptly after a malfunction, and they must coordinate with local authorities to display emergency information such as Amber Alerts when appropriate. If Inspection Services determines a digital sign is causing glare, impairing a driver's vision, or otherwise interfering with vehicle operation, the owner has just 12 hours from the department's request to reduce the sign's intensity to an acceptable level.

Beyond brightness controls, the ordinance bans certain lighting effects outright: a digital off-premises sign cannot flash, use intermittent or moving lights, display animated or scrolling video, project a static image onto a stationary object, or operate as a mobile sign mounted on a truck or trailer. These rules apply citywide and within Waco's extraterritorial jurisdiction under Sec. 28-1070.