Avondale, AZ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Off-premise signs
- Prohibited unless explicitly allowed
- Variable message signs
- Prohibited unless explicitly allowed
- Static display change rate
- Max once per 8 seconds
- Brightness limit
- 0.3 foot-candles over ambient
- Malfunction repair window
- 48 hours
Summary
Avondale bans off-premise signs and variable message signs outright under zoning ordinance section 28-201(a)(4)-(5) unless another part of the sign article explicitly allows one. Where an electronic message display is authorized, section 28-197(d) locks it to static copy that changes no more than once every eight seconds and forbids video, scrolling or other animation.
(a)The following signs are prohibited:...(4)Off-premise signs, except where explicitly allowed by this ordinance.(5)Variable message signs, except where explicitly allowed by this ordinance...(d)Variable message signs.(1)Variable message signs using replaceable lettering shall have a secured, clear plastic cover, or equivalent.(2)Variable message signs shall have static displays. Video, animation, and special effects such as traveling, scrolling, fading, dissolving, and bursting shall not be permitted. Static message displays shall not change more than once every eight (8) seconds.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 28-201(a) lists prohibited signs, including subsection (4), off-premise signs, and subsection (5), variable message signs, each banned "except where explicitly allowed by this ordinance," which rules out standalone digital billboards advertising businesses elsewhere. Where an electronic display is otherwise permitted, section 28-197(d) sets the technical standard: replaceable-letter variable message signs need a secured clear plastic cover, and any electronic message display must show only static copy, since video, animation, traveling, scrolling, fading, dissolving and bursting effects are all prohibited, and the static image can change no more than once every eight seconds.
3 foot-candles, tested with a foot-candle meter at least thirty minutes after sunset from a distance keyed to sign size, ranging from 100 feet for signs up to 100 square feet to 350 feet for signs over 1,000 square feet. Every qualifying electronic display must carry an automatic dimmer to adjust for changing ambient light conditions under subsection (d)(4).
Violations & Fines
Subsection 28-197(d)(3)(C) states that a brightness difference of 0.30 foot-candles or greater between the ambient and lit readings puts the sign in violation, and "signs in violation of this ordinance shall be shut off until they are adjusted to meet the conditions herein." Subsection (d)(5) separately requires any malfunctioning display to be repaired or disconnected by its owner or operator within forty-eight hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in Avondale?
Can an electronic sign in Avondale show video or scrolling text?
How bright can an electronic message sign be at night?
What happens if an electronic sign malfunctions in Avondale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Avondale
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