Lubbock, TX Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit
- Specific Use Permit required
- Where allowed
- LI and GI districts only
- Max size
- 750 sq ft, 35 ft tall
- Spacing
- 700 ft (1,500 ft expressways)
- Digital
- Must meet EMD operational rules
Summary
Off-premise billboards in Lubbock are allowed only in the LI and GI industrial zoning districts, and only with a Specific Use Permit. Digital electronic-message-display billboards are permitted but must meet the city's EMD operational standards on top of every billboard limit.
Billboards require a Specific Use Permit and are only permitted in the LI and GI zoning districts... The maximum area of any billboard shall be 750 square feet. There shall be a minimum separation of 700 feet between all billboards on the same side of the street, provided, however, this shall be increased to 1,500 feet on expressways... Billboards shall have a maximum height of 35 feet... Billboards with electronic message displays shall be subject to all operational requirements for electronic message display signs.
Full Breakdown
Lubbock's Unified Development Code (Section 39.03.023) confines billboards to the Light Industrial (LI) and General Industrial (GI) zoning districts, and each requires a Specific Use Permit. No permit issues unless an existing LI or GI land use sits within 500 feet of the request. A billboard maxes out at 750 square feet and 35 feet tall, with a 43-foot front setback and 700 feet of separation from the next billboard on the same side of the street (1,500 feet along expressways). Billboards are banned in the Canyon Lakes Policy Zone and within 1,500 feet of the Memorial Civic Center. Billboards with electronic message displays must also meet all EMD operational requirements.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a billboard without a Specific Use Permit, or outside the LI and GI districts, violates the sign code; the Building Official enforces permitting and can deny, cite, or require removal of a noncompliant sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lubbock
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