Walworth County, WI Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Walworth County Code §§ 74-78(d), 74-86(a)-(b)
- Billboard illumination
- No allowance granted; effectively banned
- On-premise signs
- May be illuminated in B and M districts
- Rustic road buffer
- Billboards barred within 2,000 feet
- Curfew for lit signs
- Off by 11:00 p.m. near residential zones
- Penalty
- $100-$1,000 forfeiture per day, Sec. 74-47
Summary
In the towns under Walworth County zoning, Sec. 74-78(d) bars illuminating any sign except where sections 74-82, 74-85 or 74-86 specifically allow it. Sec. 74-86(a) grants illumination only to on-premise business signs; its billboard subsection, 74-86(b), lists no such allowance, so off-premise billboards cannot be lit.
(d)All signs are prohibited from being illuminated except those specifically provided for in sections 74-82, 74-85 and 74-86. ... (a)The following illuminated and changeable copy on-premise signs may be erected, placed or posted in all B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, M-1, M-2, M-3, M-4, P-1 and P-2 districts with a permit and subject to the conditions herein specified, unless reviewed and modified by the Committee through the conditional use process: ... (b)The following off-premise/billboard signs may be erected, placed or posted in all B-1, B-2, B-4, M-1 and M-2 districts, with a permit, and subject to the conditions specified herein. No billboard shall:
Full Breakdown
Walworth County's sign code treats illumination as the exception, not the rule. Sec. 74-78(d) prohibits illuminating any sign anywhere in the towns under Walworth County zoning unless the specific district's sign section says otherwise, and the only sections carrying that permission are 74-82, 74-85 and 74-86. Sec. 74-86 splits business-district signage into two subsections: (a) covers on-premise wall, projecting and freestanding signs in the B and M districts and expressly allows them to be illuminated and changeable copy; (b) covers off-premise billboard signs in the B-1, B-2, B-4, M-1 and M-2 districts and lists only siting restrictions, spacing at least 50 feet from a right-of-way, no closer than 2,000 feet to another off-premise sign, an airport, a rustic road, or a district boundary, and height and area caps, with no mention of illumination.
Because Sec. 74-78(d) only exempts what 74-86 specifically provides for, and 74-86(b) never provides for lighting a billboard, an off-premise billboard in unincorporated Walworth County stays dark. Billboards also carry their own blanket ban within 2,000 feet of any state-designated rustic road under Sec. 74-78(k). or at close of business, whichever comes first, under Sec. 74-78(f).
Violations & Fines
The Zoning Administrator can order the painting, repair, alteration or removal of any sign, illuminated or not, that becomes a physical hazard or falls into disrepair under Sec. 74-87, and may abate a hazardous sign immediately at the owner's expense. An illegally illuminated billboard is also a zoning-ordinance violation under Sec. 74-46, carrying the Sec. 74-47 forfeiture of $100 to $1,000 plus costs per violation, with each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard be lit up at night in unincorporated Walworth County?
Are on-premise business signs allowed to be illuminated?
How close to a rustic road can a billboard go?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walworth County
Compare Walworth County to another location·View the Wisconsin outdoor lighting overview
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