Sauk County, WI Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Sec. 7.121(9) starts by prohibiting electronic message signs outright, then Sec. 7.127 carves out the only exception the county allows: an on-premises ground sign. Sec. 7.127(1) says on-premises ground signs are the only sign type that may incorporate electronic message components into their copy area, which by omission rules out any off-premises sign, including the highway and county-road billboards regulated under Sec. 7.130. A billboard erected under Sec. 7.130 is limited to the ground and wall sign types listed there, none of which is authorized to add an electronic display, so a digital or LED billboard face is not a permitted use anywhere in unincorporated Sauk County regardless of zoning district.

For the on-premises electronic signs the county does allow, Sec. 7.127(2) limits the message change interval to no faster than once every six seconds, preventing the flashing, rapidly cycling displays common on some commercial strips. Sec. 7.127(3) requires the whole sign to be shut off upon notification of a malfunction and to stay off until the malfunction is corrected. Sec. 7.128(3) adds a brightness cap that would apply to any electronic message sign the county does permit: no more than 5,000 nits in daylight and 500 nits between dusk and dawn.

Sec. 7.117 still requires a sign permit application, including a diagram of anchoring and a site plan, before any qualifying on-premises electronic sign goes up.