Surprise, AZ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Location
- Only within defined SR 303 corridor segment
- Approval required
- Conditional use permit under LDO Ch. 102-6.3
- Max height
- 45 feet
- Max sign area
- 672 sq ft (48 ft x 14 ft)
- EMC coverage on billboards
- Up to 100% of sign area
- EMC curfew
- Off between 11:00 p.m. and dawn
- Illumination limit
- 0.3 foot-candle off/on difference
Summary
Surprise permits digital billboards only inside a narrow stretch of the State Route 303 corridor, capped at 45 feet tall and 672 square feet, and requires a conditional use permit for each one. Electronic messaging on a billboard can fill 100 percent of the sign face but must switch off between 11 p.m. and dawn.
c.Design requirements. The following design requirements apply for all billboard signs:(1)Billboard signs may incorporate level 2 electronic messaging centers as outlined Section 109-1.11.6 herein, except that electronic messaging centers used in billboard applications may occupy up to 100 percent of the allowable sign area of the billboard, exclusive of architectural embellishments as may be permitted or required herein and provided such electronic messaging centers are turned off between 11:00 p.m. and dawn.
Full Breakdown
Billboard signs are addressed in Sec. 3. A billboard in that corridor must serve eastbound and/or westbound traffic, sit north of the freeway right-of-way, and include at least one sign face with an Electronic Messaging Center (EMC). The structure is capped at 45 feet in height and the sign panel at 48 feet wide by 14 feet high, for a maximum 672 square feet of sign area, exclusive of architectural embellishments. Billboards must sit within a planned area development's commercial, industrial, or employment land use area and in commercial or industrial zoning, no closer than 20 feet and no farther than 200 feet from the SR 303 right-of-way, at least 660 feet from any freeway monument sign, and at least 1,760 feet from any other billboard.
On the EMC itself, Sec. 9(C)(9)(c)(1) allows a level 2 electronic messaging center to occupy up to 100 percent of the billboard's allowable sign area (compared with the 50 percent cap that applies to ordinary EMC signs under Sec. and dawn. The general EMC nighttime illumination standard in Sec. 3 foot-candles, measured with a calibrated illuminance meter at a distance keyed to the sign's square footage, and the EMC must include an automatic dimming sensor tied to ambient light. Billboard applicants must obtain a construction permit and a certificate of completion within six months of conditional use permit approval, or the CUP becomes null and void absent a one-time six-month extension from the city manager or designee.
Violations & Fines
Operating a billboard EMC after 11:00 p.m. or before dawn, exceeding the 672-square-foot sign area or 45-foot height cap, or erecting a billboard outside the designated SR 303 corridor without an approved conditional use permit violates Chapter 109. Under Sec. 109-1.17(D), penalties run through Code Article VI: civil sanctions starting at $100 for a first violation and rising to $250 and $500 for repeat violations within 36 months, or class 1 misdemeanor prosecution, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a digital billboard be built anywhere in Surprise?
How much of a Surprise billboard can be a digital display?
Is there a brightness limit for digital billboards?
What size can a digital billboard be in the SR 303 corridor?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Surprise
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