Gaithersburg, MD Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

The prohibition sits in Article 8, Signage Standards (Ord. No. O-5-24, July 15, 2024). 3(E) lists billboard signs among the elements banned citywide, alongside balloon signs, flashing signs, roof signs and freestanding permanent signs generally. 17. They cannot stand alone: an electronic display must be integrated into a permanent building sign, monument sign or geographic area sign, and cannot be used as part of any temporary sign. 17-1 sets the numeric limits: electronic message displays are prohibited outright on properties with single-family uses and on any property in the RB zone; other standard residential zones cap multifamily developments at one sign per ten acres or portion thereof, and standard non-residential zones and floating zones generally allow one per ten acres, or one per fifteen acres in the CB zone.

The display must hold each message static for at least six seconds with no fade transitions, sit at least 300 feet from any controlled-access highway or interchange ramp, use letters at least five inches tall, go dark automatically if it malfunctions, and if within 100 feet of a single-family use, must be oriented or screened so no part of the display is visible from the residential structure. Brightness is capped at 5,000 nits during daylight and 500 nits between dusk and dawn, with automatic dimming keyed to ambient light.