Hampton, VA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned in
- FM and PH-1/2/3 districts
- Sign types barred
- Electronic message, changeable-copy signs
- Citywide default
- Electronic signs allowed where permitted
- Governing rule
- Secs. 10-17, 10-18
Summary
Hampton bans changeable electronic message signs outright in its FM zoning district (the city-zoned Fort Monroe land) and its PH-1/2/3 Phoebus historic districts, while allowing them elsewhere in the city where signs are otherwise permitted.
Sec. 10-17. - FM Districts sign regulations. (1)(b)Prohibited sign types include but are not limited to:(i)Freestanding signs.(ii)Changeable copy signs.(iii)Inflatable signs.(iv)Changeable electronic message signs. ... Sec. 10-18. - PH-1, PH-2 and PH-3 Districts sign regulations. (1)(b)(iv)Changeable electronic message signs, with the exception of those permitted in subsections 10-5(3)(a), (f), and (g).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Two of Hampton's special sign districts ban digital displays outright. The FM District, the city's zoning classification covering privately zoned Fort Monroe land, distinct from the National Park Service's Fort Monroe National Monument, prohibits changeable electronic message signs along with freestanding, changeable-copy, and inflatable signs, and bars internal illumination except neon. The PH-1, PH-2, and PH-3 Phoebus historic districts carry the same electronic-message ban, with a narrow carve-out for the small incidental signs already permitted under § 10-5(3)(a),(f),(g). Outside these two districts, the general sign chapter permits 'the changing copy on electronic signs where permitted,' so there is no citywide digital sign ban.
Violations & Fines
Installing a changeable electronic message sign, LED screen, or internally illuminated sign in the FM or PH-1/2/3 districts is a sign-code violation subject to permit denial and removal by the zoning administrator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards legal in Hampton?
Does the FM sign ban apply to the Fort Monroe National Monument?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hampton
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