Portland, OR Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Citywide size cap
- 20 sq ft combined per site
- Single sign limit
- 10 sq ft unless under 60% of face
- Restricted zones
- Barred in RX, CI1, CM1 zones
- Sports field exception
- 1 hr before/after event only
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,000 per violation
Summary
Portland caps changing image sign features, its term for digital displays, at 20 square feet total per site under Title 32, with brightness limits, a narrow sports-field exception, and looser rules inside the Rose Quarter Entertainment Sign District.
D. Changing image sign features.
1. Size. Where allowed under this Title, changing image sign features are limited to a total combined area of 20 square feet per site. No single sign may have more than 10 square feet of changing image sign features unless those features cover less than 60 percent of the face of the sign. Each area of changing image feature on each sign face is included in the total for the site. Section 32.24.010 B., Backed Signs, may not be applied to changing image sign features.
2. Brightness. Changing image sign features are subject to the glare standards of Chapter 33.262, Off-site impacts.
3. Signs subject to the standards of the CI1, or CM1 zone. If the sign is subject to the standards of the CI1, or CM1 zone, changing image sign features are allowed if the sign meets the standards of a. and b., below. All other changing image sign features are prohibited.
a. Location. The sign must be in, or adjacent to and facing, a sports field.
b. Duration. The changing image sign features may be turned on no sooner than one hour before scheduled events and must be turned off no later than one hour after scheduled events.
4. Modifications or adjustments to the size standard. Modifications through design review or historic resource review or adjustments to this regulation are prohibited, except as stated in paragraphs 4.b. through 4.d., below:
Full Breakdown
City Code § 32.32.030(D) governs what Portland calls 'changing image sign features': its term for digital or LED billboard displays. Citywide, they are capped at 20 square feet combined per site, with no single sign exceeding 10 square feet unless the changing portion covers under 60% of the face, and must meet the glare standards of Chapter 33.262. In the RX, CI1, and CM1 zones they are barred outright unless the sign faces a sports field, where it may run only from one hour before to one hour after a scheduled event. The Rose Quarter Entertainment Sign District is exempt and permits larger animated displays under its own standards.
Violations & Fines
Sign code violations, including unauthorized changing image features, draw civil penalties up to $1,000 per incident under § 32.66.020, and each day of non-compliance counts as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in Portland?
What's the size limit for a digital sign in Portland?
Does the Rose Quarter have different digital sign rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Oregon sign regulations overview
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Multnomah County handle digital billboards.