Jackson County, MO Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- No moving/flashing/pulsating billboard lighting
- Applies to
- Off-premise signs, unincorporated county
- Enforcement
- Director of Public Works
- Penalty
- Permit revocation, forced removal
- Not covered
- Kansas City (own code)
Summary
Off-premise billboards in unincorporated Jackson County cannot use moving, flashing, or pulsating lighting, which bars animated or video-style digital displays outright.
No sign or billboard shall be permitted with moving, flashing, or pulsating
lighting arrangements, or which give the visual illusion of such arrangements;
nor any revolving or rotating signs or billboards or signs or billboards with other
moving mechanical parts of promotional advertising devices which rely upon
wind currents to create movement or the illusion of movement.
10. Every sign or billboard and its supporting structure shall be maintained in good repair. All structural members and all advertising copy shall be kept painted and clean so as to prevent deterioration, oxidation, paint fading, paint peeling or other unsightly conditions. Owners of signs or billboards found to be improperly maintained shall be given formal notice to correct the condition with thirty (30) days. Failure to comply will result in immediate revocation of the sign permit and subsequent removal of the sign or billboard.
11. Each sign or billboard shall be assigned an identifying number, which shall be the special permit number. A placard of identification shall be affixed to the side of the sign or billboard, or its supporting structure, nearest the pavement. The
#20238 Effective June 1, 1995 placard shall be made of durable material and shall contain the name of the sign
Full Breakdown
The Unified Development Code's off-premise sign standards prohibit any billboard with moving, flashing, or pulsating lighting, or lighting that gives the visual illusion of such movement, plus revolving, rotating, or mechanically moving billboards. This applies wherever off-premise (billboard) signs are otherwise allowed under the county's highway and roadway sign standards. Static-message digital faces that don't flash or simulate motion may be permissible, but true animated digital billboards are not. This governs only unincorporated Jackson County land. Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Raytown, and Grandview each enforce their own municipal sign codes.
Violations & Fines
The Director of Public Works can revoke a sign's special permit for non-compliance and order removal at the owner's expense; unremoved signs may be taken down by the County and billed to the owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a digital billboard in unincorporated Jackson County?
Does this rule apply inside Kansas City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson County
Compare Jackson County to another location·View the Missouri sign regulations overview
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