Eagan, MN Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum static display time
- 1 minute per image
- Letter height
- 7-15 inches, scaled to road speed limit
- Where allowed
- Monument and pylon signs only
- Dynamic area limit
- One contiguous area per sign
- Governing section
- Eagan City Code § 11.70, Subd. 28.K
- Enforcement
- Community Development Department
Summary
In the City of Eagan, digital and dynamic display signs are allowed only on monument and pylon signs under City Code § 11.70, Subd. 28.K, and only as a subordinate feature next to a business, off-premises, or pylon message. Each image must hold static for at least one minute, switch instantly with no fades, and use letters sized to the posted speed limit of the adjacent road.
K.Dynamic display signs. ... 2.Dynamic display sign means any sign, except governmental signs, with dynamic display characteristics that appear to have movement or that appear to change, caused by any method other than physically removing and replacing the sign or its components, whether the apparent movement or change is in the display, the sign structure itself, or any other component of the sign. ... 3.Dynamic display signs are allowed subject to the following conditions:(a)Dynamic display signs are subordinate to off-premises signs, monument and pylon signs, and business signs. Dynamic displays must not be the predominant feature of the sign surface. ... Only one, contiguous dynamic display area is allowed on a sign surface;(b)A dynamic display may not change or move more often than once every one minute; ... (e)Every line of copy and graphics in a dynamic display must be at least seven inches in height on a road with a speed limit of 25 to 34 miles per hour, nine inches on a road with a speed limit of 35 to 44 miles per hour, 12 inches on a road with a speed limit of 45 to 54 miles per hour, and 15 inches on a road with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or more.
Full Breakdown
Subdivision 28.K of the zoning chapter opens with the city council's findings that changing message signs distract drivers, especially when a message does not tell its full story in one glance, so the council allows dynamic displays only with tight controls. A dynamic display sign is defined broadly to cover LED message centers, rotating panels, digital ink, and any technology that changes the sign face without physically swapping components; governmental signs are excluded entirely. Under Subd. 28.K.3, a dynamic display must stay subordinate to the rest of the sign, meaning it cannot be the predominant feature of a monument, pylon, off-premises, or business sign, and only one contiguous dynamic display area is allowed per sign surface.
The display cannot change more than once every minute, and every transition between static images must be instant, with no fades, dissolves or other special effects. Letter height scales with the speed limit of the road the sign faces: a minimum of seven inches on a 25 to 34 mph street, nine inches at 35 to 44 mph, 12 inches at 45 to 54 mph, and 15 inches on any road posted 55 mph or faster. If there is not enough sign area for that minimum letter size, no dynamic display is permitted at all.
Displays must be built to freeze in place if they malfunction, and owners must shut them off immediately when the city notifies them of a malfunction or a brightness violation. Two incentive options let an off-premises sign owner earn a faster-changing, full-face dynamic display, changing every eight seconds, by permanently removing another off-premises sign surface in the city or by donating community message time. Existing dynamic displays from before October 6, 2007 keep legal nonconforming status for structural elements they cannot meet.
Violations & Fines
Community Development staff review sign permit applications and can order an owner to fix or shut off a display that changes faster than once a minute, uses undersized letters for the road's speed limit, or fails a brightness inspection. Under City Code § 1.03, any violation of the sign code is punishable as a misdemeanor or a petty misdemeanor, and the code defines a petty misdemeanor as carrying a fine of not more than $200.00. Owners who dispute a brightness non-compliance notice can request a three-member appeal panel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business in Eagan install a digital billboard?
Are older digital signs in Eagan grandfathered in?
Can a digital sign in Eagan change more often than once a minute?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eagan
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