Middletown, OH Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

03(l). 03(l)(1)-(2). 03(l)(3) then lists standards that apply to every EMC allowed in the chapter. District-wise, EMCs are flatly prohibited in the UC-C and UC-S Subdistricts, the City's urban-core overlay districts. In residential zoning districts an EMC is allowed only on lots used for public or institutional uses of five acres or more, and any such sign must sit back 75 feet from the nearest residential lot line. Operationally, the code requires every message change to be a static, instant swap rather than a scroll or fade, sets a minimum eight-second dwell time between message changes, and limits the transition itself to under one second so the screen cannot appear to animate.

Every EMC must carry a default mechanism that blanks the display to black if the sign malfunctions, and only LED or comparable technology qualifies. 23 lumens per square meter, or lux) above ambient brightness as measured with a foot candle meter at a preset distance, using the measurement procedure published in the International Sign Association's nighttime brightness guidance. The chapter was adopted by Ord. O2018-02 (2-20-2018) and amended by Ord. O2020-47 and Ord. O2021-73.