Nash County, NC Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Min dwell time, roads 55 mph or faster
- 1 second per message
- Min dwell time, roads under 55 mph
- 2 seconds per message
- ECM sign vs. flashing sign
- ECM signs are exempt from the flashing-sign ban
- Unpermitted/violating sign compliance window
- 30 days after notice, or removal
Summary
Nash County's sign ordinance allows electronic message signs, but only if the display holds each message still for at least one second on roads posted 55 mph or faster, or two seconds on slower roads. A sign that changes faster, or scrolls continuously, is reclassified as a prohibited 'flashing sign' under the Unified Development Ordinance.
(I)Electronically Controlled Message Sign. A sign on which the copy changes automatically on a lampbank, such that the message or display does not run continuously in the travel mode, and any message or display remains stationary for a minimum of one second on roads where the speed limit is fifty-five miles per hour or greater, or two seconds on roads where the speed limit is less than fifty-five miles per hour. ... (J)Flashing Sign. A type of animated sign which contains an intermittent, blinking, scintillating, or flashing light source, or which includes the illusion of intermittent or flashing light, or an externally mounted intermittent light source. An electronic changeable copy sign is not a flashing sign.
Full Breakdown
1(I) defines an 'Electronically Controlled Message Sign' as a sign whose copy changes automatically on a lampbank, without running continuously in travel mode, so long as each message or display stays stationary for at least one second on roads with a speed limit of 55 miles per hour or greater, or at least two seconds on slower roads. Any sign that instead runs continuously in travel mode, or that cannot hold a message still for those minimum times, is defined by the same section as a 'flashing sign' rather than a lawful electronic message sign.
4(A) bans signs with moving, revolving, or rotating parts and mechanical or electronic movement countywide, except for time, temperature, and date signs, traditional barber poles, and electronically controlled message signs. 1(I) is a lawful electronically controlled message sign; one that scrolls or changes copy faster than the standard allows is treated as a flashing sign and falls under the county's general prohibition.
Violations & Fines
A digital sign that changes copy faster than the one- or two-second dwell-time standard is reclassified as a flashing sign and is a prohibited sign under § 11-1.4(A). Under § 11-1.2(G), any sign erected without proper permits or in violation of the Ordinance must be brought into compliance within 30 days of notification by the Zoning Administrator or be removed immediately, and noncompliant signs also remain subject to the county's general $100-per-day civil penalty under § 5-5.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital or electronic message signs allowed in unincorporated Nash County?
What makes a digital sign an illegal 'flashing sign' in Nash County?
Does the county's ban on flashing signs cover digital message boards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nash County
Compare Nash County to another location·View the North Carolina sign regulations overview
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