New Britain, CT Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

New Britain's Zoning Ordinance addresses digital and electronic billboard displays under its general sign-illumination rule at Section 250-80-20, "Illuminated and Moving Signs," rather than a standalone digital-sign chapter. Under Section 250-80-20.10, a sign may only be illuminated if the light source is confined to the sign's own surface, and no flashing or rotating light is permitted anywhere in the city. The single carve-out is for signs that show time and/or temperature using white, intermittent lighting, and even that exception is capped: the sign's longest dimension cannot exceed five feet.

Section 250-80-20.20 caps any permitted rotation at eight revolutions per minute, so a spinning digital panel that runs faster is nonconforming regardless of size or district. Because true billboards (freestanding advertising signs) are separately governed at Section 250-50, a digital billboard proposal in New Britain must clear two hurdles: it can only sit in the B-1, B-2, B-3, TP, I-2 or I-3 zones as a special exception use under Section 250-50-10, and its display technology must still satisfy the no-flashing, no-rotation rule of Section 250-80-20.

Every sign application, digital or static, requires a permit from the Department of Buildings under Section 250-90-10, with triplicate exhibits showing location and design; the Director of Planning has fifteen days to weigh in on aesthetics before the sign is deemed approved. Violating the illumination or rotation limits exposes the sign owner to the flat penalty set at Section 250-90-40: up to $100 for each sign displayed contrary to the ordinance, assessed per sign rather than per day.