Wyandotte County, KS Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Curfew near residential (250 ft)
- 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Curfew inside residential zone
- 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 footcandles above ambient at 250 ft
- Nit cap
- 7,000 nits, factory pre-set
- Cross-reference
- Sec. 27-734(g)(2) applies 27-726(d) to billboards
Summary
Illuminated and digital billboards in Wyandotte County must go dark on a curfew and stay under a strict brightness cap. Sec. 27-726(d) shuts off signs within 250 feet of a residential district between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (10 p.m. inside a residential zone), and Sec. 27-726(e)(3) limits digital brightness to 0.3 footcandles above ambient light, factory-capped at 7,000 nits.
(d)Generally. The following lighting requirements apply to all new signs:...(5)Illuminated signs or digital signs within 250 feet of a residential zoning district shall shut off between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.(6)Illuminated signs or digital signs within a residentially zoned area shall shut off between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The sign shall include an automatic shut off mechanism to ensure that the signs are not illuminated during the time provided above.(e)Digital signs. Digital signs shall conform to the following standards:...(3)Brightness.a.Digital signs shall not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 footcandles above ambient light as measured using a footcandle meter at a distance of 250 feet from the sign.b.Prior to the issuance of a sign permit, the applicant shall provide written certification from the sign manufacturer that the light intensity has been factory pre-set not to exceed (7,000) nits and that the intensity level is protected from end-user manipulation by password-protected software or other method as deemed appropriate by the director.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 27-734(g)(2) expressly ties digital billboards to the general sign lighting rules: 'Digital billboards shall comply with subsection 27-726(d).' That subsection requires 'illuminated signs or digital signs within 250 feet of a residential zoning district' to shut off between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and any illuminated or digital sign 'within a residentially zoned area' to shut off even earlier, between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., with 'an automatic shut off mechanism' built in so the curfew isn't left to manual compliance. On brightness, Sec.
27-726(e)(3) caps digital signs, a category that by definition includes digital billboards, at 'no more than 0.3 footcandles above ambient light as measured using a footcandle meter at a distance of 250 feet from the sign,' and before a sign permit issues, the sign manufacturer must certify in writing that the light intensity is factory pre-set not to exceed 7,000 nits and is protected from end-user tampering by password-protected software. The same section requires digital signs and billboards to include safety failsafes: going to full black or a frozen static image on a malfunction, automatically adjusting brightness to ambient light, and giving the planning director round-the-clock contact information for someone able to shut the sign off promptly if it malfunctions.
Violations & Fines
A billboard that stays lit past curfew, exceeds the 0.3-footcandle or 7,000-nit brightness cap, or lacks a working malfunction shutoff violates Sec. 27-726(d)-(e); it is enforced through the sign division's notice-of-violation process in Sec. 27-737, which gives the owner or permit holder ten days from written notice to correct the problem before further penalty applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do digital billboards have to turn off at night in Wyandotte County?
How bright can a digital billboard be?
What must happen if a digital billboard malfunctions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wyandotte County
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