Huntsville, AL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- Zoning Ord. Art. 72.8.21
- Min. static hold (side street)
- 15 minutes
- Min. static hold (major arterial)
- 1 minute
- Residential shutoff hours
- 10 p.m.–7 a.m.
- Max electronic face
- 75% of sign area
Summary
Huntsville caps digital sign changes to once per 15 minutes on side streets, bans blinking and scrolling, and forces off-hours dimming in residential areas.
(b)No scrolling, flashing, blinking, rotating, pulsating, moving, intermittent, or animated displays are allowed.(d)Electronic display signs shall be static and shall not change more than once in any 15-minute period if the sign has frontage on a minor arterial or collector street or no more than once in any one-minute period if the sign has frontage on a major arterial street.(h)An electronic display sign shall not exceed 75 percent of the total allowed sign face area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Article 72.8.21 of the Huntsville Zoning Ordinance (Appendix A to the City Code) governs electronic display signs citywide. They're allowed as part of ground, monument, pylon, and some canopy signs in most districts, but banned in the research park and industrial districts and on major campus entrance signs. Content must stay static between changes, hold each image at least 15 minutes on minor arterials/collector streets (once a minute on major arterials), transition within one second, and auto-dim to ambient light. Residential-district units must power off between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and the electronic face can't exceed 75% of the total allowed sign area. No variances are permitted from these standards.
Violations & Fines
Zoning enforcement can order a nonconforming or unpermitted electronic display sign brought into compliance or removed; sign permits are required before installation and a rejected/expired permit blocks operation of the display.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a digital sign scroll or flash in Huntsville?
Are digital billboards allowed in every Huntsville zoning district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Huntsville
Compare Huntsville to another location·View the Alabama sign regulations overview
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