Cameron County, TX Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- CEVMS defined as
- LED/digital sign varying in intensity or color
- Non-electrified sign permit
- exempt under Subsection I.6
- Electrified sign (CEVMS) permit
- required, $75.00 per sign
- Off-premises/billboard sign
- separately defined, Subsection I.1(q)
- Enforcement
- County Building Official
Summary
Cameron County treats any electrified sign, including an LED or digital 'CEVMS' display, as outside the permit exemptions its sign order grants to non-electrified signs, so a digital billboard needs the $75.00 sign permit before it goes up. The county's sign order also defines and separately tracks off-premises signs such as billboards.
Changeable electronic variable message sign or CEVMS means an electric sign which permits light to be turned on or off intermittently or which is operated in a way whereby light is turned on or off intermittently, including any illuminated sign on which such illumination is not kept stationary or constant in intensity and color at all times when such sign is in use, including an LED (light emitting diode) or digital sign, and which varies in intensity or color.
Full Breakdown
including an LED (light emitting diode) or digital sign, and which varies in intensity or color,' excluding only traffic-control devices covered by the federal MUTCD. 1(q) separately defines an 'off-premises sign' as one 'advertising an establishment, merchandise, service or entertainment which is not sold, produced, manufactured or furnished at the premises,' giving billboards and outdoor advertising as its own examples. 6 lists the sign types exempt from permits, but only 'provided such signs are not electrified'; because a CEVMS is by definition an electric sign, it falls outside every exemption on that list, from agricultural and construction signs to identification and window signs. 00 per sign. 3 sets the order's goals as regulating sign location, spacing, setbacks and lighting to protect public safety and property values.
Violations & Fines
Erecting, installing or servicing an electrified sign such as a CEVMS without the $75.00 permit required by Subsection I.5 violates the sign order, and Subsection I.4 makes it 'unlawful for any person to erect, place or maintain a sign in the count except in accordance with the provisions of this order.' The County Building Official enforces the order and can inspect the premises to confirm compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cameron County require a permit for a digital sign?
What is a CEVMS under Cameron County's sign order?
Are billboards regulated separately from other signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cameron County
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Cameron County to another location·View the Texas sign regulations overview
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