Madison County, IL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

119(C) governs electronic message centers, EMCs, incorporated into signs in Business Zone Districts. Only one sign with an EMC component is allowed per street frontage, and the EMC has to read as part of a permanent sign that also carries separate text or graphics; it cannot be the sign's predominant element. If the EMC sits at the top of the sign, the sign needs a substantial cap feature above it matching the sign face's material, form, color, and texture. An EMC cannot occupy more than 50% of the sign's total permitted area.

Operationally, the displayed message cannot change more often than once every 60 seconds, and the content itself has to be static: dissolve, fade, and other animated transitions are barred. Dimming software and sensors must automatically adjust brightness for nighttime viewing and changing ambient light, and the light intensity can never create glare that amounts to a traffic hazard or otherwise threatens public health, safety, or welfare. 116(B), including the ban on blinking or flashing effects. 161 before installing an EMC.