Winnebago County, WI Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum static time
- 2 minutes between messages
- Max brightness (day)
- 5,000 nits
- Max brightness (night)
- 500 nits
- Transitions
- No scrolling, fading, or dissolving
- Where allowed
- Commercial/industrial districts only
Summary
Winnebago County limits electronic message signs to static displays lasting at least two minutes, bans scrolling or fading transitions, and caps brightness at 5,000 nits by day and 500 nits at night.
When allowed by this article, an electronic message display shall comply with the following specific standards: (1) Except for time and temperature displays, the message shall remain static at least 2 minutes before the next message appears. (2) No part of the message shall give the appearance of movement. (3) There shall be no transition between messages (i.e., no traveling, scrolling, dissolving, or fading). (4) Lighting levels at the sign face shall not exceed 5,000 NITs from dawn to dusk (i.e., daytime hours) and 500 NITs from dusk to dawn (i.e., nighttime hours).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 23's sign article lets electronic message displays run only where county zoning allows electronic signage, mainly commercial, mixed-use and industrial districts under Tables 12-4 and 12-5; residential-district signs stay static-only. Any approved display must hold each message for at least two minutes (except time/temperature readouts), cannot scroll, fade, or dissolve between messages, and must dim from 5,000 nits in daylight to 500 nits after dusk. The Planning & Zoning Department enforces this through the zoning permit required for the sign. Because this is town/county zoning, it only governs towns that adopted the ordinance under Wis. Stat. § 59.69, not Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, or Fox Crossing.
Violations & Fines
A noncompliant electronic sign is a zoning code violation subject to Chapter 23's forfeiture schedule, $200 for an unpermitted sign, $300 for other violations, plus court costs, per Ch. 23 § 23.14-9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business in Winnebago County put an LED message sign in a residential district?
How fast can the message change on an electronic sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Winnebago County
Compare Winnebago County to another location·View the Wisconsin sign regulations overview
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