Volusia County, FL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Electronic area cap
- 34 sq ft or 40% of sign area
- Zoning limit
- Commercial/industrial classifications only
- Residential buffer
- 1,000 ft from single-family home
- Content hold time
- 8+ seconds, no scroll/flash
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candle change limit
- Prohibited area
- Sea turtle lighting ordinance boundary
Summary
Digital signs are tightly restricted in Volusia County. Sec. 72-298(8)b.6 confines electronic message centers to commercial and industrial zoning, caps the electronic face at 34 square feet or 40 percent of the allowed sign area, and keeps them 1,000 feet from any single-family home.
6.Electronic message centers.i.An electronic message center shall only be located on parcels zoned P, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-8, B-9, I-1, I-2, I-3, I-4, OCV, OTC or the following subcategories of PUD, BPUD, IPUD, and MPUD...iii.The maximum sign area of the electronic portion of an electronic message center shall not exceed 40 percent of the total sign area allowed for ground signs, or 34 square feet, whichever is less.iv.An electronic message center may only be constructed on a parcel of land having a minimum of 100 feet of roadway footage...v.An electronic message center must be set back at least five feet from the right-of-way, and shall be part of a ground-mounted monument style sign no greater than eight feet above grade...vi.An electronic message center shall not be installed within 1,000 linear feet of a conforming single-family residence...viii.The copy content of an electronic message center may change at intervals of no less than eight seconds. The content image must remain stable; continuous scrolling or flashing of the image is prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 108 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 6 governs 'electronic message centers', digital or LED sign faces, and limits them to parcels zoned P, B-1 through B-9, I-1 through I-4, OCV, OTC, or specified commercial subcategories of PUD, BPUD, IPUD and MPUD. The electronic portion of any qualifying sign can't exceed 40 percent of the total sign area otherwise allowed for ground signs, or 34 square feet, whichever is smaller, and it must sit on a parcel with at least 100 feet of roadway frontage, set back at least five feet from the right-of-way, and mounted on a ground monument sign no taller than eight feet.
No electronic message center may go up within 1,000 linear feet of a conforming single-family residence, measured along the right-of-way, and converting an existing sign into one requires a new county sign permit under Sec. 72-298(13). Content can't scroll or flash, copy must hold stable for at least eight seconds between changes, and no effects may mimic a traffic signal or emergency-vehicle strobe. 3 foot-candles measured with a calibrated illuminance meter. A malfunctioning sign must be programmed to go dark automatically, and the ordinance separately bans electronic message centers anywhere inside the county's sea turtle lighting ordinance boundary.
Violations & Fines
Operating a noncompliant electronic message center, oversized, too close to a home, too bright, or without a permit, makes the sign subject to the removal requirements for nonconforming signs under Sec. 72-298(15) and to code enforcement action; existing nonconforming units that couldn't be brought into dimming compliance were required to be removed by October 1, 2021, and any operator who fails the illumination standards faces immediate code enforcement board proceedings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a digital sign at my business in Volusia County?
How close can an electronic sign be to a house?
How fast can the message change on a digital sign?
What happens to a digital sign that's too bright at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Volusia County
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