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Floyd County, GA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Electronic message change limit
12 times per minute
Rotating sign limit
5 revolutions per minute
Billboard max face area
400 square feet
Billboard max height
40 feet
Billboard spacing
1,000 ft from another billboard
Billboard highway distance
within 660 ft of state/US highway

Summary

Digital and electronic message signage in unincorporated Floyd County is regulated through the general sign prohibitions, not a standalone billboard chapter. Section 5.2.2(i)(1) of the Unified Land Development Code bans animated signs outright but carves out electronic message boards, letting them change their displayed message no more than 12 times per minute.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Floyd County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

(1)Animated Sign: A sign with action, motion, changing colors, flashing lights, or moving characters. Such signs may require electrical energy, but shall also include wind-activated devices including, but not limited to, spinners, aerial devices, and other attention-getting devices. This prohibition does not include rotating signs that revolve no faster than 5 revolutions per minute or electronic message boards that change messages no more often that 12 times per minute.

Full Breakdown

2, bars any 'Animated Sign,' defined broadly as a sign with action, motion, changing colors, flashing lights, or moving characters, and the definition sweeps in electrically powered displays as well as wind-activated devices like spinners and aerial attention-getters. Subsection (i)(1) then draws the digital-sign exception directly into that same ban: an electronic message board is allowed to change its message, but only up to 12 times per minute, and a rotating sign is allowed only if it revolves no faster than 5 revolutions per minute.

numbered highway, capped at 400 square feet of face area and 40 feet in height, spaced at least 1,000 feet from any other billboard. 2 apply to all signs viewed from a public right-of-way, a billboard that incorporates a digital message component still has to fit within the 12-changes-per-minute limit for electronic message boards; the code does not carve out a separate, looser digital standard for billboards specifically. 1(a)(3).

Violations & Fines

A sign, including a billboard, that changes its displayed message faster than 12 times per minute or otherwise functions as a prohibited animated sign under Section 5.2.2(i)(1) is a code violation the Rome-Floyd County Building Inspections Department enforces, and it can order the display reprogrammed to comply or the sign removed. Operating an electronic sign without the required UL label is a separate violation under Section 5.3.1(a)(3).

Frequently Asked Questions

Are digital billboards allowed in unincorporated Floyd County?
A billboard can be built in the A-R, C-C, H-C, L-I, or H-I districts within 660 feet of a state or U.S. numbered highway, capped at 400 square feet and 40 feet tall under Section 5.4.2(e). If it carries an electronic message display, that display still has to stay within the 12-changes-per-minute limit in Section 5.2.2(i)(1).
How often can an electronic message board change its display?
No more than 12 times per minute. Section 5.2.2(i)(1) of the Unified Land Development Code otherwise bans animated signs entirely, including flashing lights and moving characters, but it specifically exempts electronic message boards that stay within that 12-change-per-minute rate and rotating signs that turn no faster than 5 revolutions per minute.
How far apart do billboards have to be?
At least 1,000 feet from any other billboard, and at least 200 feet from a zoning district where billboards are not allowed, under Section 5.4.2(e). Distances are measured horizontally from the nearest edge of the sign structure, and a billboard also cannot sit within 1,000 feet of a major river corridor.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Floyd County

All Floyd County rules

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