Sarasota County, FL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Signs per lot
- One Electronic Message Center maximum
- Area cap
- 50% of the allowable ground sign area
- Minimum hold time
- 8 seconds between message changes
- Brightness limit
- 0.3 foot-candles above ambient, photocell controlled
- Barrier island ban
- Prohibited on Siesta/Casey/Manasota Key areas
- Height cap
- 8 feet for the display portion
Summary
Sarasota County allows only one digital Electronic Message Center per lot, limits it to half the area of the property's ground sign, requires an 8-second minimum hold between messages with no scrolling or flashing, and bans them within 100 feet of a shoreline or anywhere on the barrier islands.
(l)Electronic Message Center Signs.... An Electronic Message Center is not allowed as part of an On-Site Ground Sign unless consistent with this section. The following standards shall apply:(1)The entire property must be brought into compliance with this Article.... (2)Only one Electronic Message Center sign is permitted per lot. The changeable copy area shall not exceed 50 percent of the allowable area of the ground sign.(3)The message or copy shall not change or move more often than every 8 seconds. It shall change instantaneously, without rolling, fading, or the illusion of movement, and shall not flash or vary in brightness except to change at sunrise or sunset.... (8)To protect the special character, beauty, and ambiance of the waterfront areas and the barrier islands, Electronic Message Centers are prohibited: 1) within 100 feet of any shoreline to which a Waterfront yard requirement would apply under Articles 6 or 7, and 2) anywhere designated as Barrier Islands on the Future Land Use Map in the Comprehensive Plan.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 98).
Full Breakdown
Section 124-213(l) of the Unified Development Code sets the county's standards for Electronic Message Center signs, the digital displays sometimes called changeable-copy or LED billboards. A property owner seeking one must first bring the entire site into full sign compliance, removing every unlawful or nonconforming sign, and the Sign Permit application must clearly flag that it is for an Electronic Message Center. Only one Electronic Message Center is allowed per lot, and its changeable-copy area cannot exceed 50 percent of the property's allowable ground-sign area.
The display shall not change or move more often than every 8 seconds, switching instantly with no rolling, fading, or illusion of movement, and it cannot flash or vary brightness except at sunrise and sunset. 3 foot-candles above ambient light, verified by a foot-candle meter reading taken at least 30 minutes past sunset and again from 100 feet away. These signs are restricted to properties fronting collector or arterial roads in nonresidential districts such as Commercial General, Commercial Intensive, and Industrial Light Warehouse, or on qualifying nonresidential uses within Open Use and Residential Districts; off-site signs may never use them.
To protect the county's waterfront and barrier islands, Electronic Message Centers are banned within 100 feet of any shoreline carrying a Waterfront yard requirement and anywhere the Future Land Use Map designates as Barrier Islands, which rules them out on Siesta Key, Casey Key, and Manasota Key. The display portion is capped at eight feet in height, and it must default to a dark screen whenever it is not actively showing a message.
Violations & Fines
Installing an Electronic Message Center without first bringing the whole property into sign compliance, exceeding the 50 percent ground-sign area cap, changing copy faster than every 8 seconds, or operating one on a barrier island or within 100 feet of a protected shoreline is an unlawful sign under Section 124-210(a)(8). The county issues a compliance notice, and after ten days may remove the sign at the owner's expense; a civil citation up to $500 can follow under Section 2-354.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a digital billboard on Siesta Key?
How fast can a Sarasota County digital sign change its message?
How many electronic signs can one property have?
Can an off-site billboard use a digital display in Sarasota County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sarasota County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Sarasota County to another location·View the Florida sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.