Washington County, MN Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboard status
- Classified as an 'Outdoor Light Fixture'
- Search lights
- Banned between 11:00 PM and sunrise
- Flashing lights
- Prohibited outright, no billboard exception
- Intensity limit
- 0.4 foot candle at adjacent property line
- Enforcement
- Misdemeanor; separate offense each day
Summary
Washington County treats billboard illumination as an 'outdoor light fixture' under its Development Code, meaning billboard lights are subject to the same shielding, intensity and prohibition rules as any other outdoor lighting. Search lights and flashing lights, including on illuminated billboards, are banned outright.
Outdoor Light Fixture: Outdoor electrically powered illuminating devices, outdoor lighting or reflective surfaces, lamps and similar devices, permanently installed or portable, used for illumination or advertisement... Such devices include, but are not limited to search, spot, and flood lights for: buildings and structures; recreational areas; parking lot lighting; landscape lighting; billboards and other signs (advertising or other); street lighting; product display area lighting; building overhangs and open canopies. ... (5) Prohibitions. The following outdoor light fixtures are prohibited: (A) Search Lights used between 11:00 PM and sunrise. (B) Flashing Lights.
Full Breakdown
Section 1.8's definitions section names 'billboards and other signs (advertising or other)' among the uses an 'Outdoor Light Fixture' can illuminate, alongside buildings, parking lots, and landscaping. That definition pulls billboard lighting directly into Section 1.8's regulatory scope: a lit billboard must meet the same shielding standard as any other fixture, hooded or controlled so it does not exceed the intensity limits in Section 1.8(4)(A)2 (0.4 foot candle at an adjacent property line, 1.0 foot candle at a public street centerline), and bare bulbs visible from adjacent property or the right-of-way are prohibited.
Section 1.8(5) then bars two specific fixture types outright, with no exception carved out for billboards: search lights used between 11:00 PM and sunrise, and flashing lights, defined as a light source that is not constant in intensity or color while in use. Because 'Sign, Flashing' elsewhere in the code covers an illuminated sign with a light source that is not constant in intensity, an illuminated billboard using strobing or chase-style lighting would run afoul of both the sign code and Section 1.8(5)'s flashing-light ban. Anyone seeking a permit for illuminated billboard fixtures must submit the plans, fixture descriptions and photometric data required under Section 1.8(6) before installation.
Violations & Fines
Operating a billboard's search-light-style or flashing illumination, or a fixture that exceeds the 0.4 foot-candle property-line limit, violates Section 1.8(5) and Section 1.8(4)(A)2. As part of Chapter Two, the violation is a misdemeanor under Section 9.1, with each day of continued operation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Washington County regulate billboard lighting differently from other outdoor lights?
Can a billboard use flashing or strobing lights in Washington County?
Is there a curfew on search-light-style billboard illumination?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Minnesota outdoor lighting overview
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