Davis County, UT Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit
- Required from Enforcement Officer
- Billboard max height
- 25 feet, one panel (Class 4)
- Animated sign covers
- Flashing or intermittent lights
- Nuisance/hazard test
- Bars signs harming adjacent owners
- Nonconforming billboard
- Only owner may rebuild it
- Penalty
- Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months
Summary
Unincorporated Davis County has no separate digital-billboard category. Davis County Code Sec. 15.44.930 requires an Enforcement Officer permit before any sign is erected or relocated, and bars any 'lighted sign or animated sign', defined to include flashing or intermittent lights, from being installed where it creates a nuisance or hazard to adjacent property owners. Billboards top out at 25 feet, one panel, under the Class 4 schedule.
No sign, of whatever class, shall be erected, replaced or reconstructed, maintained, enlarged or moved to a new location unless it complies with all of the following conditions.
Permits. No sign shall be erected, relocated, reconstructed or enlarged without approval and a permit issued by the Enforcement Officer, except real estate, rent, lease and political signs. Site Plan. All applications for sign permits shall be accompanied by a site plan drawn to scale showing the exact size, location, and ownership of record, the exact size of existing signs and the proposed sign, and the proposed location of the new sign with relation to buildings and property lines. Lighted Signs. No lighted sign or animated sign shall be installed or located in such a way that it constitutes a nuisance or hazard to adjacent property owners. Projection of Signs. No part of any sign shall be attached to any building or other structure or otherwise located in such a way as to project across any property line.
Full Breakdown
Davis County's zoning code treats an electronic or LED billboard the same as any other sign carrying 'motion or rotation of any part by mechanical or artificial means or displays flashing or intermittent lights,' the code's definition of an 'animated sign' under Sec. 920. That definition folds digital message boards into the same bucket as spinning or strobing displays, and Sec. 930 then subjects every animated or lighted sign to the county's general nuisance-and-hazard test: no such sign may be installed or located in a way that constitutes a nuisance or hazard to adjacent property owners.
Before a billboard owner can install, relocate, enlarge, or reconstruct a sign, the owner must first obtain a permit from the Enforcement Officer and submit a scaled site plan showing the sign's size, ownership, and placement relative to property lines; real estate, rent, lease and political signs are the only signs exempt from that permit. Structurally, a billboard falls into the county's Class 4 sign schedule, which caps height at twenty-five feet and limits a billboard to a single panel in height, per Sec. 940.
Separately, Sec. 610 lets the county force termination of a billboard through gift, purchase, agreement, or exchange, or without the owner's consent through eminent domain under Utah Code Sec. 17-27a-512, and bars anyone but the billboard's own owner (or the owner's contractor) from rebuilding a nonconforming billboard once it is removed.
Violations & Fines
Erecting, relocating, or enlarging any sign, including a digital billboard, without an Enforcement Officer permit, or operating a lighted or animated sign that becomes a nuisance or traffic hazard, violates Davis County Code Sec. 15.44.930 and is enforceable as a Class B misdemeanor under the county's general penalty, Sec. 1.08.010: up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both, with each additional day of noncompliance charged as a separate offense. Rebuilding a nonconforming billboard through anyone but its owner is likewise barred under Sec. 15.20.610.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Davis County allow digital or LED billboards in the unincorporated area?
How tall can a billboard be in unincorporated Davis County?
Can Davis County remove an existing billboard without the owner's permission?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Davis County
Compare Davis County to another location·View the Utah sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.