Springfield, IL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Chapter 155's sign article defines an electronic message sign as a permanent sign with electronically changeable letters, words or numerals, internally illuminated by electronic bulbs and controlled electronically, Sec. 300(a)(14), and separately defines billboard as any freestanding sign over 300 square feet, a distinct land use from ordinary signage, Sec. 300(a)(8). Neither definition creates a special digital track; instead, any billboard that flashes or changes brightness runs into the citywide prohibited-sign list in Sec. 300(c)(7), which bars flashing signs exceeding 14 watts per bulb, carving out only illuminated signs limited to time, temperature or weather information on a face no larger than 16 square feet.

Because billboards are off-premises advertising signs, they're also boxed in by Division 4's siting rules: Sec. 340 confines off-premises signs to the B-1, B-2, I-1 and I-2 districts, requires 500 feet of separation between signs on the same street, a 500-foot buffer from any residentially zoned or used lot, and caps new permits at the number issued when the ordinance took effect, replacements only at a four-surrendered-for-one-new ratio. Sec. 341 then sets the size and height ceiling for those off-premises signs at 150 to 175 square feet and 35 feet of height depending on district, with an extra 15 feet available only through a conditional-permitted-use hearing.

In practice, an operator wanting an electronic message board on a billboard-scale sign in Springfield has to fit within an already-shrinking permit pool, keep the display under the wattage cap, and stay inside the size and setback limits applying to any off-premises sign.