Saint Paul, MN Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Sec. 405 of the Saint Paul Zoning Code governs every exterior sign with dynamic display visible from a public right-of-way, including converted digital billboards, plus interior window signs with dynamic display within three feet of a window facing the street. On location, business signs with dynamic display must sit at least 75 feet along the road, and 50 feet radially, from a residential district; a display meant to be read from a freeway must be at least 660 feet along the freeway from any other freeway-facing dynamic display sign reading the same direction, and placement can't interfere with traffic safety as determined by the city traffic engineer.

On area, an individual dynamic-display sign face is capped at 200 square feet, and dynamic display can occupy no more than 20 percent of a property's total allowable signage -- the remaining 80 percent cannot even have the capability to run a dynamic display, whether or not it is used; multi-tenant buildings prorate the allowance by each tenant's share of gross floor area. If a malfunction occurs, the sign must freeze in one position and be equipped to shut off immediately, with the owner required to turn the display off the moment the city gives notice of noncompliance.

On image behavior, signs oriented to the public right-of-way (other than at professional sports facilities) cannot show moving video; stable text or images may not change more than once every 12 seconds, and scrolling text or images cannot move faster than one word per second (figured at five characters per word). or after business hours, whichever is later. Text on business and identification dynamic displays must be monochromatic, though images may be full color, and effects beyond a sub-one-second fade or dissolve between static images are prohibited, as is any flashing mode.