Elgin, IL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Section
- Elgin Municipal Code § 19.50.090.I
- Off-premises digital billboards
- Prohibited (I.5.f)
- Minimum hold time per image
- 10 seconds (I.5.b)
- Daytime brightness cap
- 5,000 nits (I.5.d)
- Dusk-to-dawn brightness cap
- 500 nits (I.5.d)
- Max panel size (standalone monument)
- 40 sq ft (I.3.b)
Summary
Elgin bans off-premises digital billboards outright: electronic changeable copy graphics may only be on-premise monument signs, must show static messages with no scrolling or animation, and are capped at 40 to 100 square feet and 5,000 nits by day.
I.Electronic changeable copy graphic. An electronic changeable copy graphic may be located only in compliance with the provisions of this section and the other provisions of this chapter.1.Type. All electronic changeable copy graphics shall be part of a monument graphic....5.Restrictions. An electronic changeable copy graphic shall be operated in compliance with the following standards:a.Electronic changeable copy graphics shall display static messages only with no animation, effects simulating animation or video. No continuous traveling, scrolling, flashing, spinning, revolving, or shaking, or any other type of movement or motion of an image shall be allowed.b.The rate of change for any image shall be a minimum of ten (10) seconds....d.Maximum brightness levels for electronic changeable copy graphics shall not exceed five thousand (5,000) nits when measured from the sign's face at its maximum brightness, during daylight hours, and five hundred (500) nits when measured from the sign's face at its maximum brightness between dusk and dawn....f.An electronic changeable copy graphic shall not be operated, in whole or in part, as an off-premises street graphic.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7).
Full Breakdown
f states the panel 'shall not be operated, in whole or in part, as an off-premises street graphic,' meaning an electronic message board advertising a business at another location is prohibited citywide. 2). 3). d). e). 4: they may run at a faster rate of change than the 10-second floor because they respond to live customer interaction, but they still cannot exceed the size or district limits.
Violations & Fines
An electronic changeable copy graphic installed as an off-premises billboard, on a nonconforming sign structure, or in a district not listed in 19.50.090.I.2 is a street-graphics code violation enforced under Chapter 19.50's permit and violation provisions; the sign permit for an electronic panel is denied or revoked if the animation, brightness, or 10-second hold-time standards in I.5 are not met, and a malfunctioning panel that fails to freeze or shut off as required is likewise out of compliance until repaired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a digital billboard in Elgin?
Where can an Elgin business put an electronic message sign?
Can an Elgin digital sign scroll or show video?
How bright can an Elgin electronic sign be at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elgin
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle digital billboards.