Acworth, GA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Billboards in general are governed by Sec. 74-44, which allows them only within the Highway 41 corridor district and the Highway 92 corridor district, and only on parcels zoned C-2 that already carry a primary use; a state DOT permit must accompany every application. Standard billboards are capped at 400 square feet, 40 feet in height, must sit at least 250 feet from residentially zoned property, 1,000 feet from any other billboard, and are inspected initially and then every five years. Where the billboard incorporates an LED display, Sec.

74-44(14) layers on a distinct set of digital-specific rules. The display may show only static text or images, with no movement, flashing, or varying light intensity during a single message, and no video content of any kind. 20 foot-candles above ambient light levels, measured at 150 feet for displays under 300 square feet and 200 feet for displays between 301 and 400 square feet, and each sign needs a light-sensing dimmer plus an annual independent lumen certification filed with the city. LED billboards must sit at least 5,000 feet from any other LED billboard on either side of the road, and the owner must give the city a contact who can shut the display off at any time.

If more than five percent of the LED display malfunctions, the owner has 60 days to repair it or the sign must come down. A separate rule under the reader-board section, Sec. 74-74(15), bars ordinary LED message-board signs from being mounted on a billboard at all, keeping the two sign types distinct.