Lake County, IL Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- UDO § 151.173(k)
- Max face share (freestanding)
- 60% of sign area
- Brightness cap
- 5,000 nits day / 1,000 night
- Residential buffer
- 100 feet, if visible
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
Electronic message board signs are allowed on unincorporated Lake County land but capped in size, dimmed at night, and barred near homes.
Electronic message boards are allowed, subject to the following standards. 1. The electronic message board component of a freestanding sign may comprise no more than 60% of the sign's total allowed sign face area... 6. The message shall not flash. Any message that remains visible for less than two seconds shall be considered as flashing. 8. Electronic message board signs are prohibited within 100 feet of a principal residential structure if any part of the sign face would be visible from the principal residential structure.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-15: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 26-0618, passed 6-9-2026 | State legislation current through ILCS Pamphlet 2025 #5).
Full Breakdown
Unincorporated Lake County permits electronic message boards under UDO § 151.173(k), but caps the display at 60% of a freestanding sign's face (48 sq ft on nonresidential buildings, 36 sq ft on institutional buildings), requires an automatic dimmer certified by the manufacturer not to exceed 5,000 nits by day and 1,000 nits by night, bans flashing or scrolling messages that change faster than every two seconds, limits a zoning lot to one message board on a collector or arterial street only, and forbids the sign within 100 feet of a home if visible from it. Waukegan, Highland Park, Gurnee, Libertyville and the county's other incorporated cities and villages regulate signs under their own separate codes.
Violations & Fines
Planning, Building and Development Department enforcement; a permit application must include manufacturer certification that brightness is factory-locked to the code limits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards banned in unincorporated Lake County?
Do these rules apply inside Waukegan or Highland Park?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
Compare Lake County to another location·View the Illinois sign regulations overview
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