Phoenix, AZ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Use permit under Section 307
- Minimum hold time
- 8 seconds per message
- Brightness cap
- 300 nits, dusk to dawn
- Residential curfew
- Off 11 p.m.-sunrise within 150 ft
- Allowed zones
- Commercial/Industrial + nonresidential uses
Summary
Electronic message displays in Phoenix need a use permit and must hold each image at least 8 seconds with no scrolling or flashing.
Electronic message displays shall be permitted in the Commercial/ Industrial land use designations and for nonresidential uses in Residential Districts... subject to obtaining a use permit in accordance with the provisions of Section 307... The sign copy shall be displayed for a minimum of eight (8) seconds... The intensity of the lighting shall not exceed three hundred (300) nits from dusk until dawn... The sign shall not be illuminated between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise when (1) located within one hundred fifty (150) feet of Single Family Residential zoned property.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-7524, passed June 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Phoenix allows electronic message displays only in Commercial/Industrial areas and for nonresidential uses in residential districts, and only with a use permit under Zoning Ordinance Section 307. The sign copy must change through an instant transition with no moving or flashing appearance, must display for a minimum of 8 seconds, and must use photocell dimming capped at 300 nits from dusk to dawn. Displays within 150 feet of single-family residential zoning must go dark from 11 p.m. to sunrise.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required Section 307 use permit, exceeding 300 nits after dusk, running scrolling/flashing copy, or failing to display each message for the full 8-second minimum near residential zoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a digital billboard on residential-zoned property in Phoenix?
How bright can a digital sign be at night in Phoenix?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Phoenix
Compare Phoenix to another location·View the Arizona sign regulations overview
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How other cities in Maricopa County handle digital billboards.