Berkeley County, SC Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing overlay
- Arterial Road Development Standards Overlay
- Message hold time
- Minimum 8 seconds per cycle
- Transition rule
- Instantaneous, no flashing/animation
- Brightness control
- Automatic adjustment device or photocell required
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine / 30 days jail
Summary
Berkeley County lets LED and electronic message boards operate along its arterial road overlay corridors only if brightness adjusts automatically and copy holds for at least eight seconds. Instant, non-flashing transitions are mandatory under County Code of Ordinances § 10.3.3(D).
(D)Sign illumination. Externally lighted signs will be illuminated by "white," steady, stationary lights and will not have light-reflecting backgrounds, but may have light-reflecting lettering. LED and/or electronic message boards are permitted provided:(1)Automatic sign brightness adjustment devices or photocells are installed so that the sign will not negatively impact adjacent property uses or create a traffic hazard, and(2)The material displayed must cycle at a rate of not less than eight seconds, and(3)Transition of displayed material must be instantaneous without creating the appearance of flashing, movement or animation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
2. Externally lighted signs in that overlay must use "white," steady, stationary lights on non-reflecting backgrounds. " Displayed content must hold for a minimum of eight seconds per cycle, and every transition between messages has to be instantaneous, with the code expressly barring any appearance of "flashing, movement or animation" during the changeover. 3's opening conditions. Because the section is part of the overlay subchapter adopted under Ordinance No. 09-11-55 (2009) and amended by Ordinance No. 10-10-34 (2010), it binds parcels fronting the listed arterials rather than every unincorporated lot countywide; a digital sign proposal on a non-arterial parcel is reviewed under the district's separate freestanding sign standards instead.
Violations & Fines
No stand-alone penalty is written into § 10.3.3, so an unpermitted or noncompliant LED sign falls under the county's general penalty at § 1-8: a fine up to $500.00, imprisonment up to 30 days, or both, with each day the sign remains out of compliance charged as a separate offense. The zoning administrator handles building-permit and sign-permit enforcement for the overlay district.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install a digital billboard anywhere in Berkeley County?
How fast can the message change on an electronic sign?
Does the sign need a brightness sensor?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Berkeley County
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