Highlands County, FL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Lake Placid Regional Plan Overlay District only
- Digital signs per site
- One maximum, one-third of sign face
- Copy change frequency
- Once per 24 hours, static image only
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light
- Billboards
- Prohibited outright, off- or on-premises
Summary
Within the Lake Placid Regional Plan Overlay District portion of unincorporated Highlands County, on-premise digital changeable-copy signs are capped at one per site, limited to one-third of the sign face, restricted to static images changed once every 24 hours, and capped at 0.3 foot-candles of brightness above ambient light. True off-premises billboards, digital or not, are banned outright in that district.
i.Changeable copy sign (digital). On-premise, freestanding, changeable copy signs (digital) shall only be allowed in the general district and the United States Highway 27 Sign Districts subject to compliance with all applicable requirements contained in this sign code and the following standards:(a)No more than one changeable copy sign (digital) shall be allowed per site.(b)No more than one-third of the sign area may be composed of changeable copy signage. ... (d)Changeable copy signs (digital) shall display static images only and the copy may be changed or represented only once every 24 hours. The change of copy must be completed instantly. Other than change of copy, the changeable copy sign (digital) shall not flicker, vary in light intensity or color.(e)Continuous scrolling and/or traveling, flashing, spinning, rotating and similar moving effects are prohibited. ... (k)No changeable copy sign (digital) shall exceed a brightness level of 0.3 foot candles above ambient light, as measured perpendicular to the face of a sign using a foot candle (Lux) meter at a preset distance in relation to sign area as follows:
Full Breakdown
S. 27 Sign District and the General Sign District. 501(3)(h)(i), an on-premise, freestanding changeable copy sign (digital) is allowed only in those two districts, limited to one per site, and the digital portion cannot exceed one-third of the sign's face area. The display must show static images that change no more than once every 24 hours, with the change completed instantly; continuous scrolling, traveling, flashing, spinning or similar moving effects are banned outright. 1, for example 32 feet for a 10-square-foot sign and 84 feet for a 70-square-foot sign, with a square-root formula for other sizes.
Every digital sign must include automatic shut-off technology that goes dark on malfunction and automatic dimming that adjusts brightness to ambient light, and none may obscure or interfere with a traffic control device. 501(3)(h)(viii)(d) prohibits billboards outright within the LPRP district, whether off-premises or on-premises, so a true digital billboard, as opposed to an on-premise changeable copy sign meeting the standards above, cannot be permitted anywhere in that overlay.
Violations & Fines
A digital sign that exceeds the one-third face-area cap, changes copy more than once a day, uses scrolling or flashing effects, or exceeds the 0.3 foot-candle brightness limit is a prohibited sign under § 12.05.501, as is any billboard erected in the LPRP district. Development Services code enforcement can order removal, and the county's special magistrate can fine the sign owner or property owner up to $500 per violation under § 2-382, with each day the sign stays up counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in unincorporated Highlands County?
How bright can an on-premise digital sign be?
How often can a digital sign's message change?
Does this LPRP digital sign rule apply county-wide?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida sign regulations overview
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