Bellingham, WA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboard minimum size
- 140 square feet, changeable-copy sign
- Motion/hologram ban
- Signage may not appear to move
- Max billboard height
- 35 feet
- Residential buffer
- 300 feet, absent visual-impact finding
- Density cap
- 4 billboards per 1,320 street feet
Summary
Bellingham allows billboards only in designated overlay zones, and its performance standards bar any billboard face from appearing to move, flash, blink, or use holograms: effectively prohibiting true digital or video billboard displays citywide.
Signage shall not be a hologram or appear to move. Three-dimensional extensions from billboard faces are allowed if they do not appear to be three-dimensional from the front. Lighting shall be indirect and glare shielded from traffic and nearby residences. Lighting shall not be within the billboard graphic, move, flash, or blink.
d. A billboard shall not be located within 300 feet of a residential zone unless it can be demonstrated the structure will not have a significant negative visual impact on adjacent residences. This determination shall be made by the director at least 10 days after written notice is mailed to residential property owners within 300 feet of the proposed structure.
e. Billboards in planned designations under development may remain only if included in the new planned contract. The billboard must be compatible in terms of scale, use and location. A planned contract is required if a billboard is proposed on a vacant planned site. Conditions of the planned contract shall only address the impacts created by the billboard.
f. The minimum spacing between billboards on the same side of the street facing traffic in commercial and planned designations is 300 feet and in heavy and light industrial designations is 150 feet.
g. All billboards are subject to the technical approval of the public works department.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Bellingham's sign code confines billboards, off-premises advertising signs of at least 140 square feet, to designated billboard overlay zones. Within those zones, the billboard performance standards prohibit any digital or animated display: signage 'shall not be a hologram or appear to move,' three-dimensional extensions can't look three-dimensional from the front, and lighting can't be built into the graphic itself or move, flash, or blink. Billboards are also capped at 35 feet in height, must sit at least 300 feet from residential zones absent a city visual-impact finding, and are limited to four structures per 1,320 feet of street frontage per side.
Violations & Fines
Violating any sign standard in BMC Title 20 is a civil infraction: up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second, and a misdemeanor (up to $1,000 fine or 90 days jail) for a third offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in Bellingham show a video or scrolling ad?
Where can billboards be built in Bellingham at all?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
Compare Bellingham to another location·View the Washington sign regulations overview
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