Butte County, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum image hold
- 8 seconds, no motion
- Brightness (general)
- 0.3 fc above ambient at 250 ft
- Brightness (near residential)
- 0.1 fc above ambient
- Permit required
- Minor Use Permit, off-site digital
- Off-site sign size/height
- 672 sq ft, 55 ft (35 ft 2-lane)
- Signs per site
- 1 off-site sign
Summary
Digital billboards are tightly regulated in unincorporated Butte County. Section 24-106(E) requires each still image to hold for at least eight seconds with no motion or flashing, an automatic dimmer and photocell, and brightness capped at three-tenths of a footcandle above ambient light generally and one-tenth near residential zones. A Minor Use Permit is required for any off-site digital sign.
E.Digital Signs, Off-Site, Freestanding, and Monument. Off-site, freestanding, and monument digital signs shall be permitted only if all of the following criteria are met:1.All digital display faces must be oriented primarily for viewing from the adjacent roadway.2.The sign may only present a series of still images, each of which is displayed for at least eight (8) seconds. The still images may not move or present the appearance of motion and may not use flashing, scintillating, blinking, or traveling lights or any other means not providing constant illumination. ... a.The sign shall contain an automatic dimmer and a photo cell sensor to adjust the luminance intensity or brilliance in accordance with these standards.b.The sign shall not operate at an intensity or brilliance that will exceed three-tenths (0.3) footcandles above ambient light (as measured using a footcandle meter at a distance of two hundred fifty (250) feet from the sign face).c.The sign shall not operate at an intensity or brilliance that will exceed one-tenth (0.1) footcandles above ambient light as measured using a footcandle meter in any adjacent residential zone.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
Section 24-106(E) allows "off-site, freestanding, and monument digital signs" only if "all digital display faces must be oriented primarily for viewing from the adjacent roadway" and the sign "may only present a series of still images, each of which is displayed for at least eight (8) seconds," with images that "may not move or present the appearance of motion" or use "flashing, scintillating, blinking, or traveling lights," and no "interval of black or blank screen time" between images. 1) footcandles above ambient light" in any adjacent residential zone.
Section 24-102(D) requires a Minor Use Permit for "any off-site digital sign," on top of the base zone rules: Table 24-105-1 caps an off-site sign, digital or not, at one per site, 672 square feet, and 55 feet tall (35 feet on two-lane roads), restricted to the General Commercial zone, and spaced at least 500 feet from another off-site sign on a four-lane road or 300 feet on a two-lane road. Non-digital off-site signs may convert to digital only with a minor use permit under the nonconforming-sign provisions of Section 24-109(C)(3).
Violations & Fines
A digital sign that skips the eight-second still-image hold, uses flashing or moving images, or exceeds the 0.3/0.1 footcandle brightness limits of Section 24-106(E) falls outside the exemption Section 24-103(H) carves out for "approved digital signs" and becomes a prohibited flashing sign. Enforcement runs through Section 24-5(F) and Section 1-7: up to a $1,000 fine or six months' imprisonment, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long must a digital billboard hold each image in Butte County?
How bright can a digital sign be near a residential neighborhood?
What permit does a new digital billboard need?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Butte County
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