Spokane County, WA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboards
- Prohibited in all zones, SCC 14.804.050(10)
- Video boards
- Prohibited in all zones, SCC 14.804.050(9)
- Off-premises signs
- Also prohibited, SCC 14.804.050(11)
- Use-table status
- "N" in every zone's matrix
- Exceptions
- None; no overlay or permit path
- Violation penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 90 days jail
Summary
Spokane County's sign code flatly bans both billboards and video boards in every zoning district, unincorporated countywide. SCC 14.804.050 lists them alongside roof signs and off-premises signs as prohibited outright, with no zone, overlay, or permit path around the ban.
14.804.050 - Prohibited signs. The following signs are prohibited in all zones unless otherwise specifically permitted: 1.Signs, which by coloring, shape, wording or location resemble or conflict with traffic control signs or devices.2.Signs that create a safety hazard for pedestrian or vehicular traffic.3.Flashing signs.4.Portable signs exceeding nine square feet.5.All portable reader boards.6.All portable electric signs.7.Signs attached to or placed on a vehicle or trailer parked on public or private property...8.Roof signs.9.Video boards.10.Billboards.11.Off-premises signs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
100 describe a "Billboard" as a structure leasing advertising space to promote an interest other than one available on the premises where it sits, and a "Video board" as a large-format display showing active, moving, or animated images that are discernible from a moving vehicle on a public right-of-way. 100, "Sign") as explicit carve-outs: a "sign" under the code does not even include a billboard or video board, underscoring that the county treats them as a wholly separate, disallowed category rather than a regulated sign type.
This blanket ban is echoed in every zone-use matrix in Title 14: the entries for "Billboard/video board" read "N" (not permitted) across the Mixed-Use, Commercial, Industrial, Resource Lands and Rural zone tables, meaning there is no zone in unincorporated Spokane County where a property owner can apply for a digital billboard or video board, whether on-premises or off-premises.
Violations & Fines
Erecting or operating a billboard or video board violates SCC 14.804.050 and is enforced as a zoning code violation under SCC 14.408.040: a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, or, at the enforcement authority's discretion, a civil violation with a $200 Level I or $500 Level II monetary penalty plus $50 for each day the sign remains up, subject to appeal to the county hearing examiner within 14 days of the notice of violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a digital billboard along a highway in unincorporated Spokane County?
Does the county's sign code count billboards as regular signs?
What happens if someone builds a billboard anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
Compare Spokane County to another location·View the Washington sign regulations overview
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