Arapahoe County, CO Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboards
- Prohibited in all districts
- EMB brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candles above ambient
- Min. dwell time
- 1 minute between changes
- EMB size cap
- 50% freestanding/25% wall, max 48 sq ft
- Allowed zoning
- B-3, B-4, B-5, I-1, I-2 only
Summary
Billboards are banned outright in every zoning district of unincorporated Arapahoe County, and that ban extends to digital versions: the Land Development Code specifically bars Electronic Message Boards from being used as billboards. Smaller electronic message signs are allowed only on other permitted sign types in commercial and industrial districts.
iii. No electronic message board may exceed a brightness level of 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light... iv. Electronic Message Boards are not permitted for Billboards. v. The area of a permitted sign face that may be an Electronic Message Board shall not exceed: 1. Up to 50 percent or each permitted sign face on a Freestanding Sign; and 2. Up to 25 percent of each permitted sign face on a Wall Sign or Window Sign; up to a maximum of 48 square feet.
Full Breakdown
5). 3 foot-candles above ambient light. Size is capped too, up to 50 percent of a permitted freestanding sign face, or 25 percent of a wall or window sign face up to a maximum of 48 square feet, and EMBs can't be added to Top of Façade or Canopy signs. They're allowed only on otherwise-permitted signs in the B-3, B-4, B-5, I-1 and I-2 zoning districts, or in commercial/industrial PUD areas that don't separately prohibit them, and a legally nonconforming sign can never be converted into one.
Violations & Fines
A proposed billboard, digital or static, is automatically denied a sign permit anywhere in unincorporated Arapahoe County under §4-1.7.D.7. An Electronic Message Board installed outside the B-3/B-4/B-5/I-1/I-2 districts, exceeding the 0.3 foot-candle brightness cap, lacking the required dimming sensor, or converted from a nonconforming sign faces permit denial or removal by the County Building Inspector, with the same 30-day written-notice process that applies to other sign violations under §4-1.7.B.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a digital billboard in unincorporated Arapahoe County?
What are the rules for a smaller electronic sign, like a gas station price display?
Where are electronic message boards allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arapahoe County
Compare Arapahoe County to another location·View the Colorado sign regulations overview
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