Valencia County, NM Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

166(D) lists the sign types Valencia County will not permit in any zone district, and the first item on that list, division (D)(1), targets exactly what an animated digital billboard does: moving signs, flashing signs or other signs likely to cause motorist distraction. Because the prohibition sits outside the permit table in division (A), a digital billboard operator cannot cure the problem by applying for a Type A sign permit; the ban applies regardless of size, illumination level or district, from the Rural Residential districts along the Rio Grande valley to the county's commercial and industrial zones.

The same subsection separately bans banners, pennants, festoons and searchlights unless a temporary use permit is obtained for a specific event, and prohibits signs that imitate official traffic or government signs, temporary posters attached to utility poles, and any sign that extends above the highest part of a building's roof. 166(A)(1)(b), and would remain subject to the county's setback and maintenance rules. 166(B)(3)(a).