Sacramento County, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Conditional Use Permit, Board of Supervisors
- Digital-sign spacing
- 2,500 feet minimum
- Residential/ag buffer
- 500 feet minimum
- Message hold time
- minimum 8 seconds static
Summary
Digital billboards in unincorporated Sacramento County need a Conditional Use Permit from the Board of Supervisors and must sit at least 2,500 feet from any other digital sign and 500 feet from residential or agricultural land.
Digital billboard signs may be located in any commercial, mixed-use or industrial zoning district, subject to a Conditional Use Permit, or an amendment to an existing Conditional Use Permit in the case of the conversion of a static billboard sign, approved by the Board of Supervisors, after a recommendation from the Planning Commission.
Illumination. Digital billboards may be internally or externally lit; the light cast through reflection or glare onto surrounding objects, or illuminance, is measured in foot-candles. Signs shall not be illuminated at more than 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light, as measured using a foot candle meter at a distance of 250 feet from the sign face. Each display must have a light sensing device that will adjust the illuminance of the sign as ambient light conditions change.
Luminance. Through LED technology, digital billboards directly emit light, or luminance, the intensity of which is measured in nits. Luminance levels shall not exceed 7,500 nits during daylight hours and 300 nits at night. Each display must have a light sensing device that will adjust the luminance of the sign from dawn to dusk.
Location. No digital billboard shall be located within 2,500 feet of any other digital billboard or on-site digital sign with over 200 square feet of digital display. Digital billboards shall be located at least 500 feet from a parcel located within any Agricultural, Agricultural Residential, or Residential zone.
Full Breakdown
The Zoning Code's Billboard Signs section sets separate development standards for digital billboards on top of the general off-site sign rules. Digital billboards are allowed in commercial, mixed-use, or industrial zones only with a Conditional Use Permit (or an amendment converting an existing static billboard's permit) from the Board of Supervisors. No digital billboard may sit within 2,500 feet of another digital billboard or a large on-site digital sign, or within 500 feet of Agricultural, Agricultural-Residential, or Residential zoned land. Displays must show static messages held at least eight seconds, with no flashing or motion.
Violations & Fines
Installing or operating a digital billboard without the required Conditional Use Permit, or placing one closer than the 2,500-foot or 500-foot separation standards, is a Zoning Code violation subject to county enforcement and permit revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in unincorporated Sacramento County?
Can a digital billboard flash or scroll its message?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento County
California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento County to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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