Walton County, GA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Walton County Code § 14-102(d)
- Billboard definition
- LDO § 2-1-100, refers to highway oriented sign
- Blinking/flashing
- Prohibited except time/temperature/date
- Colored light restriction
- Cannot mimic traffic control devices
- Illumination type allowed
- Permanent signs only
Summary
Billboards, defined in the county's land development ordinance as highway-oriented signs, may only be illuminated as permanent signs and cannot blink, flash, change color or shine colored light that could be mistaken for a traffic signal under Walton County's sign ordinance.
(d)Illumination of signs. Only permanent signs shall be allowed to be illuminated provided that:(1)No sign shall have blinking, flashing, or fluctuating lights or other illuminating devices which have a changing light intensity, brightness or color except those depicting only time, temperature or date.(2)No colored lights shall be used at any location or in any manner so as to be confused with or construed as traffic control devices. Neither direct nor reflected light from primary light sources shall create a hazard to operators of motor vehicles.(3)Signs located within any residential district may only be indirectly illuminated.
Full Breakdown
The Walton County Land Development Ordinance § 2-1-100 defines a billboard by reference to the sign ordinance's highway-oriented sign, so a billboard is subject to the illumination standard the county applies to all signs. Walton County Code § 14-102(d) allows only permanent signs to be illuminated at all, which rules out illuminated temporary billboard-style displays outright. Illuminated signs, including a lit highway-oriented sign, cannot have blinking, flashing or fluctuating lights or any device that changes light intensity, brightness or color, with a narrow exception for displays that show only time, temperature or date.
or interstate route under § 14-93. Billboards standing near a residential or agricultural district, which § 14-93(e) already requires to be at least 500 feet away, would also fall under § 14-102(d)(3)'s requirement that signs located within any residential district be only indirectly illuminated.
Violations & Fines
An illuminated billboard that blinks, flashes, changes color outside the time/temperature/date exception, or casts glare that endangers highway drivers violates § 14-102(d) and can be ordered corrected or removed under § 14-106, with fines under § 14-108 and O.C.G.A. § 17-10-3 for the sign owner or permit holder who fails to comply after written notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Walton County regulate billboard lighting?
Can a billboard have flashing or color-changing lights?
Can a billboard use colored lighting?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walton County
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