Brookhaven, NY Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- New billboards
- Banned town-wide, § 57A-22B
- Existing billboard removal deadline
- December 31, 2004
- Hardship extension cap
- December 31, 2007
- Digital signs allowed only in
- Commercial Recreation District
- Location limit
- LIE (SR 495) / Sunrise Hwy (SR 27)
- Large electronic sign max
- 50 ft wide, 20 ft tall
Summary
Brookhaven bans new billboards outright under § 57A-22 and required every existing billboard dismantled by December 31, 2004, with hardship extensions capped at 2007. Digital or electronic message signs get a narrow carve-out instead: they're allowed only in the Commercial Recreation district, and even there, only along the Long Island Expressway or Sunrise Highway.
The construction of new billboards as defined in this chapter is hereby prohibited in all zoning districts. ... Electronic and electronic message signs shall be permitted only along the Long Island Expressway (SR 495) and Sunrise Highway (SR 27).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4966897; v79 updated 2026-05-28; through 05-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
" Section 57A-22, added in 2001, states its purpose is eliminating the "negative visual impacts" of billboards to preserve the Town's "rural, semi-rural, and suburban character," then bans construction of any new billboard in every zoning district. Every billboard standing when the law passed, authorized or not, had to be dismantled by December 31, 2004; the Board of Zoning Appeals could grant a hardship extension but never beyond December 31, 2007. 3G, they're permitted only in the Commercial Recreation (CR) District: one large electronic or electronic message sign per site, capped at 50 feet wide, 20 feet tall, with a maximum mounting height of 42 feet, plus up to three smaller electronic message signs per site at 25 feet wide, 10 feet tall, same 42-foot mounting cap.
" Elsewhere in the code electronic and flashing signs are barred outright, including in the Route 25A Hamlet Center and Transition Center Overlay Districts, which prohibit "blinking, flashing, rotating or electronic signs, or banners" apart from Chamber-of-Commerce street banners.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a new billboard, keeping one past its amortization deadline, or installing an electronic message sign outside the CR District's Long Island Expressway/Sunrise Highway corridor makes the sign illegal under § 57A-15. Chapter 57A's penalty under § 57A-24 is a fine of $100 to $500 or up to 15 days in jail, and the Building Inspector can suspend the sign permit or order the sign removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are billboards legal in Brookhaven?
Can a business install a digital or electronic message sign?
What counts as a "billboard" under Brookhaven's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brookhaven
New York rules heatmap·Compare Brookhaven to another location·View the New York sign regulations overview
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Suffolk County handle digital billboards.