Coeur d'Alene, ID Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- New Billboards
- Prohibited in the City
- Grandfather date
- Billboards lawful on December 1, 2019
- Message hold
- Minimum eight seconds per message
- Message transition
- No more than one-half of one second
- Relocation zones
- C-17, M, or LM on private property
- Spacing
- One thousand feet between Billboards on the same street
- Buffer
- Five hundred feet from residential zones, parks, schools, churches, cemeteries
Summary
In the City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Billboards are prohibited except those lawful on December 1, 2019, which can stay or relocate through a City Council hearing. Any Electronic Message Display must hold each message eight seconds, transition in one-half of one second or less, and cannot flash, blink, or run video or animation (§ 15.50.400).
C. Billboards and other Off-premises signs. 1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, Billboards are prohibited in the City. 2. Billboards that were lawful on December 1, 2019, may remain in place. ... ... D. Illumination and Electronic Message Displays. ... ... 3. An Electronic Message Display must hold each displayed message a minimum of eight (8) seconds before displaying the next message. The transition between each displayed message shall be no more than one-half of one second (.5 seconds). 4. No sign which either actually or apparently flashes or blinks shall be allowed. 5. No videos or animations are allowed on an Electronic Message Display.
Full Breakdown
The Sign Code defines a Billboard as a Freestanding Sign leased or rented by its owner to a third party to carry a message about something not located or available on the property. An Electronic Message Display is a sign or portion of one that changes words, symbols, figures, or images electronically or mechanically by remote or automatic means (§ 15.50.210). Under § 15.50.400(C), Billboards are prohibited in the City except as the section provides, all other permanent off-premises signs are prohibited, and Billboards that were lawful on December 1, 2019 can remain in place.
A lawful Billboard can be relocated only through a City Council process. The owner files a sign application with the fee set by Council resolution, secures a demolition permit for the old structure before any advertisement goes on the new one, and moves to private, non-residential property zoned C-17, M, or LM with at least one hundred feet (100') of arterial street frontage. A relocated Billboard cannot move again within ten (10) years, the owner needs a written agreement acceptable to the City Attorney, and Council holds a public hearing after newspaper notice at least fifteen (15) days ahead and mailed notice to owners within three hundred feet (300'). One of Council's findings is that the Billboard meets the § 15.50.400(D) illumination and Electronic Message Display standards.
Those standards govern the digital face. Each message holds a minimum of eight (8) seconds, the transition takes no more than one-half of one second (.5 seconds), and nothing can flash or blink. No videos or animations are allowed. A rotating sign cannot exceed nine (9) rotations per minute. The display area of a relocated Billboard cannot grow, the number of sign faces or structures cannot increase, and an Electronic Message Display is subject to the Freestanding Sign and Attached Sign regulations and allowances. An applicant can ask Council for a variance from § 15.50.400(C) on a showing of undue hardship due to site characteristics.
Violations & Fines
A Billboard built or relocated outside § 15.50.400(C) violates the Sign Code and draws a civil citation with a penalty set by City Council resolution. If the penalty stays unpaid or the sign is not brought into compliance within thirty (30) days, a misdemeanor citation follows under § 1.28.010, and each day is a separate offense. The City can also seek an injunction or removal order in court, with the prevailing party awarded costs and reasonable attorney fees (§ 15.50.370).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone build a new digital billboard in Coeur d'Alene?
How fast can a digital sign change messages?
Where can a relocated billboard go?
Does the City Council decide billboard relocations?
Can a business use an electronic sign on its own building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coeur d'Alene
Compare Coeur d'Alene to another location·View the Idaho sign regulations overview
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