Reading, PA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Message-change rate
- 6-10 seconds minimum
- Scrolling
- Banned over 20 sq ft
- Billboard curfew
- Off 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
- Light output cap
- 500 lumens/sq ft
Summary
Reading limits how fast electronic message signs can change (once every six to ten seconds), bans scrolling text on larger signs, and curfews illuminated off-premises signs near homes after 11 p.m.
An electronic sign shall not change its message more than once every six seconds, except a changeable message sign of more than 100 square feet shall not change more than once every 10 seconds. ... If a sign has a sign area of more than 20 square feet, it shall not have a scrolling message. ... Off-premises signs with LED or other internally illuminated sign faces that are within 300 feet from a residential district and that face onto that residential district shall not be internally illuminated between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-8: Current through August 10, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The zoning code's illumination standards single out electronically changing message signs: content can't refresh more than once every six seconds, or once every ten seconds for changeable-message signs over 100 square feet, and any sign larger than 20 square feet can't scroll its message at all. Flashing, blinking or animated sign lighting is banned outright. For off-premises signs, billboards, with LED or other internally lit faces within 300 feet of a residential district and facing it, illumination must shut off between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Light output is also capped at 500 initial lumens per square foot of sign face.
Violations & Fines
The Zoning Administrator can deny or revoke a sign permit for a noncompliant message-change rate, scrolling text, or a billboard left illuminated past curfew near a residential district.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a digital billboard run all night near a house?
How fast can an electronic sign's message change?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Reading
Compare Reading to another location·View the Pennsylvania sign regulations overview
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