Sterling Heights, MI Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboards
- Banned citywide (off-premises signs)
- Narrow exception cap
- 25 ft height, 150 sq ft
- EMB on business signs
- Max 1/3 of sign area
- EMB brightness cap
- 0.3 footcandles over ambient light
Summary
Billboards, digital or otherwise, are banned in Sterling Heights outright, with only a narrow carve-out for signs controlled by an outside governmental entity, capped at 25 feet tall and 150 square feet.
billboards are not permitted in the City of Sterling Heights, except as may be permitted by any governmental entity not subject to city regulation or control, in which instances all city regulations not otherwise preempted shall still apply, and if not preempted such billboards shall not exceed 25 feet in height or 150 square feet in area and shall be subject to the city's sign permitting process.
6. Nonconforming billboards in existence on the date this subsection was adopted may be maintained and repaired so as to continue the useful life of the sign. However, no features or characteristics of nonconforming billboards may be expanded, enlarged, or extended, and all of the regulations in this section and in other sections of the City Code and applicable technical codes shall apply to nonconforming and exempt billboards in order to minimize their negative secondary effects, preserve the character and repose of adjacent areas, protect property values, and reduce traffic and similar hazards caused by undue distractions.
C. Directional sign regulations and distinctions were recognized by Reed v Gilbert (2015) as protecting vehicular and pedestrian safety, and therefore they serve a compelling governmental interest.
1. Directional signs shall be considered incidental, shall be limited to one sign at each entrance, and shall not exceed four square feet and four feet in height. Directional signs set at an entrance point may be located
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-46: Local legislation current through Ord. 509, passed 5-19-26).
Full Breakdown
The zoning ordinance's sign article states plainly that billboards -- freestanding off-premises signs -- are not permitted in the city, citing driver-distraction studies and the U.S. Supreme Court's recognition that billboards are an aesthetic harm. The only exception is for billboards controlled by a governmental entity not subject to city regulation, and even then, where not preempted, the city still caps them at 25 feet in height and 150 square feet, subject to its sign permitting process. Electronic message boards on ordinary business signs are separately allowed but limited to a third of the sign's area.
Violations & Fines
An unauthorized billboard is a prohibited off-premises sign subject to removal by the city; the sign owner or responsible party can be charged removal, storage, and administrative processing fees under Section 28.13's enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in Sterling Heights?
Can a business have an electronic message sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sterling Heights
Compare Sterling Heights to another location·View the Michigan sign regulations overview
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How other cities in Macomb County handle digital billboards.