Boca Raton, FL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Section 24-101 sets four standards for any electronic sign installed in the city. First, an applicant must provide written manufacturer certification that the sign's light intensity is factory pre-set not to exceed the luminance standard in Sec. 24-51, must demonstrate the sign will stay under that luminance limit as ambient light changes throughout the day, and must show the brightness setting is protected from end-user manipulation by password-protected software or another method the city manager approves. Second, every electronic sign needs a default malfunction setting that turns the sign off or freezes it in a single position at no more than normal-operation brightness if something malfunctions, since a glaring malfunctioning sign is treated as a traffic hazard that must be shut off immediately until repaired.

Third, replacing an existing non-electronic sign with an electronic one counts as a structural alteration requiring full compliance with chapter 24 and applicable permits under chapter 19. Fourth, the display itself must be static: it cannot change more than three times in a single day, nor more than once every four hours, and any change in content must be instantaneous, with no scrolling, flashing, or transition effect, except that parking structure electronic signs permitted under Sec. 24-102 may update more frequently when showing space-availability information.

A parking structure is limited to one wall-mounted electronic sign of no more than 5 square feet per vehicular entrance, mounted below the second level and directly above or beside the entrance, and that sign is independently subject to the Sec. 24-101 brightness and dwell-time standards.