Chandler, AZ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

15 of the Chandler Sign Code sets technical standards for 'digital signs,' defined in Section 39-3 as permanent signs 'with an electrically activated changeable sign face whose variable message and/or graphic presentation capability can be electronically programmed by computer from a remote location,' also called Electronic Message Centers or EMCs. Subsection (A) requires 'a fully operational light sensor or other device that automatically adjusts the intensity of the sign according to ambient light conditions' on every unit. Subsection (B) fixes how compliance is measured: ambient light is read with the digital face off, and the display reading is taken 'while it is displaying a white image for a full color-capable digital sign, or a solid color for a single-color digital sign,' measured as close to perpendicular to the face as the Zoning Administrator determines.

3 footcandles at night', a specific, testable brightness limit rather than a subjective standard. Subsection (D) requires every digital sign to be able to freeze on one static image, go full black, or power off entirely if it malfunctions, so a glitching sign can be forced dark instead of flashing errors at drivers. Subsection (E) requires a sign permit for every digital sign, unlike small temporary signs, there is no permit-free tier for electronic message centers.