Nashville, TN Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Spacing
- 2,000 ft between digital billboards
- Allowed districts
- CL, CS, CF, IWD, IR, IG
- Minimum static hold
- 8 seconds before message change
- Enforcement
- Zoning administrator, 3-day removal notice
Summary
Digital billboards in Metro Nashville must sit at least 2,000 feet apart along the roadway, are confined to CL, CS, CF, IWD, IR and IG zoning districts, and each message must hold static for eight seconds before changing.
Free-standing and wall-mounted digital display billboards, including the conversion of existing billboards to digital billboards, less than two thousand feet apart. The spacing distance shall be measured along the roadway that the billboard is located and shall be measured from billboard to billboard regardless of the side of the roadway on which the billboard is located, the billboard's orientation on that roadway or the public street classification.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Metro's sign code treats digital and electronic message signs as prohibited unless they meet strict conditions. Freestanding and wall-mounted digital display billboards, including any billboard converted to digital, must be spaced at least 2,000 feet apart measured along the roadway, regardless of which side of the street they sit on. Changeable-message signs generally are barred from CA, CS, CF, SCR, IWD, IR and IG districts unless set back at least 100 feet from residential or agricultural property (plus 25 feet per foot of sign height over four feet), and every digital sign must hold a fixed image for eight seconds before the message can change. LED message boards are banned outright in residential, office and most mixed-use zoning districts.
Violations & Fines
Prohibited signs may be removed by the zoning administrator after three days' notice to the property owner; noncompliant spacing, missing hold time, or wrong-district placement makes a digital billboard illegal on discovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards legal in Nashville?
How fast can a digital billboard message change in Nashville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.