Lexington County, SC Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Change rate
- No faster than once every 6 seconds
- Daytime brightness cap
- 7,500 nits
- Dusk-to-dawn brightness cap
- 500 nits
- Digital face spacing
- 2,000 feet apart, same direction
- Compliance deadline for existing signs
- 90 days from June 25, 2024
Summary
Digital advertising signs in Lexington County can only change their static message once every 6 seconds and must sit at least 2,000 feet from another digital face visible in the same direction. Section 26.66 of the Zoning Ordinance also caps brightness at 7,500 nits by day and 500 nits from dusk to dawn, measured through a required automatic dimmer and photo cell sensor.
Advertising signs using digital technology which allows static images to be changed instantly must follow the following restrictions: a.Images displayed must be static messages and the content shall not include animated, flashing, scrolling, or full-motion video elements.b.The static images may be changed in succession at a rate no faster than once every 6 seconds.c.Spacing of digital faces of these signs which are visible from the same direction shall not be closer than 2,000 feet apart.d.All digital advertising signs shall have an automatic dimmer and a photo cell sensor to adjust the illumination intensity or brilliance of the sign so that it shall not cause glare or impair the vision of motorists. These signs shall not exceed a maximum illumination of 7,500 nits (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours and a maximum illumination of 500 nits between dusk to dawn as measured from the sign face.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
66 governs advertising signs, meaning off-premise billboards, that use digital technology to swap static images instantly. Four restrictions apply together. First, the displayed content must be static: no animation, flashing, scrolling, or full-motion video is allowed on the face. Second, the image can change no faster than once every 6 seconds, which keeps the display from becoming a distraction to passing drivers. 63. Fourth, every digital advertising sign needs an automatic dimmer and photo cell sensor that holds illumination to a maximum of 7,500 nits during daylight and 500 nits between dusk and dawn, measured at the sign face.
Digital advertising signs are also bound by the underlying siting rules for all advertising signs in this Article: a 10-foot setback from property lines and the road right-of-way, a maximum height of 110 feet along interstates or 45 feet along other roadways, and a prohibition on new signs within 500 feet of an interstate interchange or rest area. 66, and existing digital signs had 90 days from the June 25, 2024 adoption of Ord. No. 23-17 to come into compliance.
Violations & Fines
Operating a digital billboard that changes faster than every 6 seconds, exceeds the nit limits, or violates the 2,000-foot digital spacing rule is a violation under Sections 174.00 and 174.10 of the Zoning Ordinance, giving the Zoning Administrator authority to revoke the sign's Zoning Permit and pursue removal. Continued violation is a misdemeanor with penalties up to the maximum the magistrate's court can impose, and each day counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can a digital billboard change its message in Lexington County?
How bright can a digital billboard be at night in Lexington County?
How far apart do digital billboards have to be in Lexington County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington County
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