Arlington Heights, IL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Chapter 30, Article VII of the Arlington Heights Municipal Code confines electronic message signs to "designated major arterial commercial corridors" mapped in the Article, and every proposal must clear a conditional review: the Design Commission holds public meetings weighing traffic impact, compatibility with the area's character and whether the business demonstrates a valid need, then forwards a recommendation the Village Board of Trustees can grant, deny or modify (Sections 30-701 and 30-702). Applicants must notify property owners within 250 feet and post a public-meeting notice sign at least 15 days before the Design Commission hearing (Section 30-704).

Section 30-705 sets the physical standards: the electronic display can only be the lower portion of a conventional monument ground sign, capped at ten feet tall, and its area cannot exceed 33 percent of the allowable ground sign size, which itself is set by a table keyed to the width of the abutting right-of-way and its posted speed limit, ranging from 40 square feet (up to 66 feet wide, 35 mph or less) to 80 square feet (over 66 feet wide, over 35 mph). Only one electronic message sign is permitted per property, with a minimum 300-foot spacing from any other electronic message sign on the same side of the street and a 300-foot buffer from any residentially used property.

3 footcandles above ambient light, verified by manufacturer certification and footcandle meter testing. Off-premises advertising is prohibited, and the sign may only be illuminated during the hours the associated business is open.