Arvada, CO Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed districts
- MX, C, I sign district only
- Max EMCs
- One per property
- Face limit
- 40 percent of the permitted sign area
- Change rate
- Not more than once per 8 seconds
- Nighttime brightness cap
- 600 nits of luminance
- Billboards
- Not a recognized sign type in Arvada's code
Summary
Arvada has no separate billboard category: digital displays are regulated as electronic message centers under LDC Section 6-1-4-2.C, allowed only inside the Mixed-Use, Commercial, and Industrial sign district, capped at one EMC per property and 40 percent of the sign face. Messages cannot change more than once every eight seconds, and nighttime brightness is capped at 600 nits.
C.Digital Electronic Message Centers. Digital electronic message centers ("EMCs") may be incorporated into signs in the MX, C, I sign district (see Section 6-1-2-4, Sign Districts) and operated only as provided in this Subsection.1.Number, Design, and Dimensions.a.Not more than one sign per property may incorporate an EMC.b.EMCs shall appear to be incorporated into the face of a permanent sign that includes text or graphics that are not part of the EMC.c.EMCs shall not have a pixel pitch that is greater than 20 mm.d.Not more than 40 percent of a permitted sign may be occupied by digital electronic message centers.2.Operations.a.The displayed message shall not change more frequently than once per eight seconds.b.The sign shall contain static messages only, changed only through dissolve or fade transitions that do not exceed one second.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Council Policy Manual: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
" Design limits keep EMCs from taking over a sign: "Not more than one sign per property may incorporate an EMC," the EMC must "appear to be incorporated into the face of a permanent sign that includes text or graphics that are not part of the EMC," pixel pitch cannot exceed 20 mm, and the EMC cannot cover more than 40 percent of the permitted sign area. " Illumination limits from Section 6-1-4-1 apply on top of the message-center rules: internally lit signs, including EMCs, shall not exceed 600 nits of luminance between sunset and closing time, and external illumination is capped at 600 lux in the MX, C, I district, 500 lux in the OT district, and 400 lux in the RM and RS districts. A.
Violations & Fines
Operating an EMC outside the MX, C, I sign district, exceeding the 40-percent face limit or 20 mm pixel pitch, or changing messages faster than once every eight seconds violates Section 6-1-4-2.C and is enforceable under Section 10-1-2-2 as a misdemeanor, carrying a fine up to $2,650 or up to 180 days in jail under Section 1-5, with continued noncompliance charged day by day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business anywhere in Arvada put up a digital sign?
How fast can the message change on a digital sign?
Does Arvada regulate billboards separately from other signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arvada
Compare Arvada to another location·View the Colorado sign regulations overview
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jefferson County handle digital billboards.