Royal Oak, MI Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Added by Ordinance No. 2017-11 and amended by Ordinance No. 2018-01, § 607-6D allows an electronic message center as a permitted freestanding sign in Sign Area 2, provided it shows no visible moving or revolving parts and no mechanical or apparent movement beyond the electronic message itself. Only one continuous electronic message may run per sign face, and every image must be static: animation, video streaming, and any progression of frames that creates the illusion of motion are expressly prohibited. Transitions between messages must be instantaneous, with no fade, dissolve, scroll, or similar effect that makes the change look like movement.

Each message must hold for at least 30 seconds, except that time, date, or temperature updates count as their own message and are not folded into another message's timing. The sign must be built to freeze in place and shut off automatically if it malfunctions, and the owner must stop the display immediately if the City notifies them of a standards violation. Audio speakers are barred entirely, and the display must dim automatically to ambient light. Size is capped at half the area otherwise allowed for a freestanding sign in Sign Area 2, with the sign face limited to a 16:9 aspect ratio or less. Section 607-9A(2)(f) separately lets an institutional-use monument sign incorporate an electronic message center if it meets the same § 607-6D(1) through (9) conditions.