Longmont, CO Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed only as
- part of a freestanding monument sign
- Eligible zones
- MU-N, MU-C, MU-E, MU-R, N-PE, N-PF
- Max digital area
- 50% of monument sign area
- Message hold time
- 15 seconds minimum
- Code section
- § 15.06.050.L
Summary
Longmont allows digital/electronic message signs only as part of a freestanding monument sign in specific mixed-use and industrial zoning districts, capped at half the sign area, static messages only, held at least 15 seconds.
Electronic message signs are allowed pursuant to the following:1.Shall only be allowed as part of a freestanding monument sign and only in the MU-N, MU-C, MU-E, MU-R, N-PE and N-PF zoning districts;2.The electronic message portion shall not exceed 50 percent of the allowed monument sign area;3.Only static electronic messages are allowed; and4.Each electronic message shall remain on the screen for a minimum of 15 seconds. Messages will change only through a fade or dissolve transition and the transition shall not exceed 0.3 seconds between messages.M.Historical signs. Signs that are individually or as part of a building designated by the city as a historic landmark are allowed to be retained, provided that:1.The sign is kept in good repair;2.The sign does not constitute a hazard to public safety; and3.The original design of the sign does not change. (Code 2009, § 15.06.050)
Full Breakdown
Electronic message signs -- digital billboards, LED reader boards -- are tightly boxed in under Longmont's sign code. They're allowed only as the electronic component of a freestanding monument sign, and only in the MU-N, MU-C, MU-E, MU-R, N-PE, and N-PF zoning districts; nowhere else. The digital portion can't exceed 50 percent of the allowed monument sign area, animation isn't allowed -- only static messages -- and each message must hold for at least 15 seconds before transitioning, with the fade/dissolve transition itself capped at three-tenths of a second.
Violations & Fines
A sign exceeding these limits or displaying scrolling or animated content isn't an allowed electronic message sign; installing one anyway is a sign code violation subject to removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a digital billboard anywhere in Longmont?
Can the digital message scroll or animate?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Longmont
Compare Longmont to another location·View the Colorado sign regulations overview
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Boulder County handle digital billboards.