Marysville, WA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Copy-change limit
- Once per 20 seconds
- Electronic area cap
- 30% of sign area
- Animated signs
- Prohibited
- Per-frontage limit
- One sign, generally
Summary
Electronic message and changeable-copy signs are capped at 30 percent of sign area, one per street frontage, and can't change more than once every 20 seconds; fully animated signs are banned outright.
(2) Animated signs are prohibited.
(3) One electronic message or changeable copy sign is permitted per street frontage for single-occupancy complexes. Multi-occupancy complexes with only one access driveway shall be allowed one additional electronic message or changeable copy sign, as long as the signs are spaced at least 150 feet apart.
(4) Electronic message signs are permitted; provided, that the copy does not change more than once every 20 seconds.
(5) Electronic message and changeable copy signs shall not exceed 30 percent of the sign area.
(6) All electronic message and changeable copy signs shall be constructed as an integral part of a permanent sign constructed on site. "Integral" shall be considered to mean that the electronic message or changeable copy is incorporated into the framework and architectural design of the permanent sign.
(7) All electronic message signs are required to have automatic dimming capability that adjusts the brightness to the ambient light at all times of the day and night. (Ord. 3195 § 3 (Exh. A), 2021)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4922912; v1 updated 2026-06-08; through 06-08-2026).
Full Breakdown
Marysville allows electronic message and changeable-copy displays only as part of a permanent, on-site sign: one per street frontage for a single business, with a second allowed for multi-occupancy centers if spaced 150 feet apart. Copy can't change faster than once every 20 seconds, the electronic portion can't exceed 30 percent of total sign area, and auto-dimming is required. Freestanding off-premises billboards are treated separately as legal-nonconforming uses being phased out under the city's amortization schedule, not permitted as new construction.
Violations & Fines
Installing an animated sign, exceeding the 30 percent electronic-area cap, changing copy faster than once per 20 seconds, or building a new off-premises billboard is a violation under Marysville's sign enforcement provisions (MMC Ch. 4.02), enforced by the community development director.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business in Marysville install a digital LED sign?
Are new digital billboards allowed in Marysville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marysville
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle digital billboards.