Kendall County, IL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum message hold
- 2 seconds per display
- Residential buffer
- 100 ft, no line-of-sight
- Curfew near homes
- off 11pm-6am within 500 ft
- Brightness at residential line
- 0.05 footcandle max
- Off-premises billboards
- special use, M-2/M-3 only
Summary
Kendall County allows electronic message board displays only in business and manufacturing districts along an arterial or collector road, with a 2-second minimum hold, a 100-foot ban near homes, evening curfews near residences, and a dimming feature tied to ambient light.
Electronic message board display. Electronic message board displays are permitted in all business and manufacturing districts, subject to the following standards:a.The electronic message board must be located along an arterial or major collector roadway.b.Any individual letter scrolling or otherwise displayed on the electronic message board shall remain illuminated and visible for at least two (2) seconds.c.The message shall not flash or pulsate. Any message that remains visible for less than two (2) seconds shall be considered flashing.d.Electronic message board signs are prohibited within one hundred (100) feet of a principal residential structure if any part of the sign face could be visible from the principal residential structure.e.The hours of illumination shall be limited to between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. for signs located less than five hundred (500) feet from any principal residence.f.When adjacent to residential properties, light levels shall not exceed five-hundredths (0.05) footcandle as measured along the residential property line.
Full Breakdown
" Content must hold: "Any individual letter scrolling or otherwise displayed on the electronic message board shall remain illuminated and visible for at least two (2) seconds," and "the message shall not flash or pulsate," with anything visible for less than two seconds deemed flashing. " Location must also comply with the general sign siting rules of § 36-1053, including the 40-foot sight-triangle setback and ten-foot right-of-way setback. Off-premises commercial billboards remain separately barred: § 36-1059 confines any off-premises advertising structure to a special use in the M-2 Heavy Industrial or M-3 Aggregate Materials Extraction districts, so a true third-party digital billboard cannot be sited in ordinary business or manufacturing zones even though on-premises electronic message boards can.
Violations & Fines
Operating an electronic message board within 100 feet of a principal residence when visible from it, holding a message under 2 seconds, exceeding 0.05 footcandle at a residential property line, or displaying content for anyone other than the property's own tenants or community events violates § 36-1057(c)(8); enforcement runs through the PBZ Department under Chapter 36 Article II, with unpermitted off-premises boards separately barred outside M-2/M-3 special uses under § 36-1059.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in unincorporated Kendall County?
How close can an electronic message sign be to a house?
How fast can content change on an electronic message board?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kendall County
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