Tallahassee, FL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Citywide cap
- 6 tri-vision + 3 variable message signs
- To earn 1 tri-vision sign
- Remove at least 3 existing billboards
- To earn 1 variable message sign
- Remove at least 5 existing billboards
- Residential setback
- 200 ft, stricter than standard 100 ft
- Malfunction rule
- Must freeze on a default design
Summary
Tallahassee bans new digital billboards outright, except through a narrow trade-in program. Land Development Code § 7-64(f) allows only six tri-vision signs and three variable message signs citywide, each earned only by permanently removing several existing static billboards.
Incentives for tri-vision and variable message signs. This paragraph provides incentives for tri-vision and variable message signs in the city. No tri-vision or variable message signs shall be allowed in the city except as provided in this paragraph.(1)Citywide incentive for six tri-vision signs on pro rata basis. The city will permit up to six tri-vision signs in the zoning districts that permit off-site advertising signs on a pro rata basis... (2)Citywide incentive for three variable message signs on pro rata basis. The city will permit up to three variable message signs in the zoning districts that permit off-site advertising signs on a pro rata basis, as follows: An owner of off-site advertising signs shall be eligible to receive a building permit for one variable message sign under this paragraph after the permanent removal of at least five existing off-site advertising signs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
Section 7-64(f) opens by declaring "no tri-vision or variable message signs shall be allowed in the city except as provided in this paragraph," then sets up a pro rata allocation: § 7-64(f)(1) caps tri-vision signs at six citywide, available only to an owner who permanently removes at least three existing off-site advertising signs, and § 7-64(f)(2) caps variable message signs at three citywide, available only after removing at least five existing signs. A replacement digital sign's face can't exceed the combined square footage of the signs removed to earn it, and can't exceed the chapter's general 380-square-foot maximum.
Section 7-64(f)(3) offers a separate path: if the city commission asks an owner in writing to remove billboards for public health, safety, or welfare reasons and the owner agrees, that owner can earn the same tri-vision or variable message rights. Digital signs approved under this program face a stricter residential buffer than ordinary billboards, at least 200 feet from residentially zoned property under § 7-64(f)(5)(b) and (f)(6)(i), compared to the 100-foot buffer for standard off-site signs in § 7-64(e)(4). Every approved digital sign must also carry a default design that freezes the display in one position if it malfunctions.
Violations & Fines
A tri-vision or variable message sign built outside the six-plus-three citywide allocation, or without the required removal of existing signs on file with the growth management department, has no lawful path to a permit; under § 7-31(d) an unpermitted sign "may be ordered immediately removed by the growth management department." A sign moved without meeting all development standards and being properly repermitted also violates § 7-64(f)(7).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a company put up a new digital billboard in Tallahassee?
How many old billboards does a company have to take down to get one digital sign?
Are digital billboards allowed near homes in Tallahassee?
What happens if a digital billboard malfunctions in Tallahassee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
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