Meriden, CT Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Digital billboards are defined in Section 213-56E(2)(b) as billboards using digital technology to change a static message electronically, without any movement, flashing or scintillating effect during the display itself, distinguishing them from conventional static or tri-vision billboards. That definition sits inside the City's billboard chapter, which restricts every billboard, conventional or digital, to the Billboard Overlay District along a limited access highway. Timing rules unique to digital displays appear in Section 213-56E(2)(f): each message or image must hold static for a minimum of 7 seconds, and the transition from one message to the next must be direct and immediate, without special effects, taking no more than 1 second.

Before a permit issues, Section 213-56E(2)(h) requires the owner to obtain a certificate of approval from the Planning Commission, and that same certificate is required to convert an existing conventional billboard into a digital one, with the converted sign then required to meet every current standard in the chapter. Nonconforming billboards that predate the chapter cannot be enlarged, relocated or converted to digital format except in compliance with these rules. Sign violations generally, including unauthorized digital billboard operation or an unapproved conversion, are cited under Section 213-71 at a flat 75 dollars per day, separate from the 150-dollar daily rate applied to most other zoning violations, with each day of continued noncompliance a separate offense.