El Paso County, CO Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- New EMD approval
- BoCC special use permit
- Static-to-EMD conversion
- May be administrative
- Restricted corridor conversion
- Requires Board approval
- Animated/video messages
- Board authorization only, never administrative
Summary
New electronic message display billboards in unincorporated El Paso County need a Board of County Commissioners-approved special use permit; animated or video messages require the same Board authorization and can't be approved administratively.
Special Use Required. Any use of EMD shall require approval of a special use permit. Conversion of existing static display to EMD may be approved administratively, Conversion of existing static displays within any restricted corridor are not eligible for administrative approval. New billboards proposing EMD shall require Board approval.
(ii) Animated with Special Use Approval. Animated or other video messages require Board of County Commissioners authorization through the standard special use process. Animation shall not be authorized administratively.
(iii) Message hold time. Each message on an electronic message display shall be displayed for at least 4 to 8 seconds.
(iv) Transition methods. The transition between messages display shall be instantaneous. Transitional effects shall be limited to instant (slideshow), fade, dissolve, circle out, diamond out, jaws, zoom, wipe left, wipe right, scroll, and travel.
(v) Transition duration. The interval between messages shall be instantaneous.
(vi) Brightness (to include auto dimming). Unless otherwise varied by the special use, all electronic message displays shall be equipped with technology that automatically dims the electronic message displays according to ambient light conditions to a luminance, or nighttime brightness level of up to 500 NIT, which will result in a reduction of display brightness between 5% and 25% depending on the resolution of the sign.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 3 | Drainage Criteria Manual: Publication | Engineering Criteria Manual: Supplement 3 | Ordinances: Reformat).
Full Breakdown
Off-premise electronic message display billboards in unincorporated El Paso County are governed by LDC §6.2.9(B)(3)(c). Any new EMD use requires Board of County Commissioners approval through the special use process; converting an existing static billboard face to EMD can be approved administratively unless the sign sits within a restricted highway corridor, in which case Board approval is required. Animated or video messages are never eligible for administrative approval: they require the Board of County Commissioners to authorize them through the standard special use process.
Violations & Fines
Erecting or converting to an EMD billboard without Board of County Commissioners special use approval, or running animated content without Board authorization, violates LDC §6.2.9(B)(3)(c) and can void the sign permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a digital billboard in unincorporated El Paso County?
Are animated or video billboard messages allowed?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso County
Compare El Paso County to another location·View the Colorado sign regulations overview
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