Charles County, MD Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

The ban sits in § 297-321H, the 'Prohibited signs' section of Article XIX, and it is written broadly: the erection or construction of new outdoor advertising signs and billboards of any size are prohibited, with no carve-out for digital or electronic message boards, so an LED or changeable-message billboard is barred exactly the same as a static one. The only outdoor advertising the County tolerates is what already existed before this prohibition and what is separately listed as an exempt event sign under § 297-325.

Even legally nonconforming billboards lose their protected status if they are damaged or destroyed beyond 50% of the estimated cost of reconstruction; at that point § 297-321H(2) requires proper removal rather than repair or rebuilding. Removal of outdoor advertising along the federal-aid primary highway system in the County is handled separately, under the Transportation Article of the Maryland Annotated Code and Title 23 of the United States Code. The broader prohibited-signs list in § 297-321A also bars any sign that revolves, flashes, chases or scrolls its message more than once every 10 seconds, which independently rules out most digital billboard displays even on the rare sign the ban doesn't otherwise reach.

Illegally placed commercial signs within a public right-of-way draw a $25 administrative fine per sign under § 297-321A(11), and any illegal sign the owner doesn't remove within 10 days of a Zoning Officer notice under § 297-319F can be removed by the County at the owner's expense or pursued through legal action.