Wausau, WI Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Signs per site
- 1 electronic message sign maximum
- Land use
- Nonresidential land uses only
- Operating hours
- 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Residential buffer
- Not visible within 100 ft of residential
- Message change rate
- No more than once per 10 seconds
- Governing code
- Municipal Code Section 23.09.08
Summary
Wausau allows one electronic message sign per site, but only on nonresidential land, under City of Wausau Municipal Code Section 23.09.08. Displays must run static content for at least ten seconds, use photosensitive dimming, and stay dark or unreadable within 100 feet of any residential zoning district outside 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Electronic message sign. A type of sign that displays words, lines, logos, graphic images, or symbols, which may be changed electronically to provide different information, and which includes computer signs, electronic reader boards, video screens, LCD signs, electronic time and temperature signs, and other signs with electronically-controlled changing or moving displays. ... (a)Electronic message signs shall be permitted only with a nonresidential land use.1.No more than one electronic message sign shall be permitted per site.(b)In addition to the setback requirements of this title, no electronic message sign shall have a message that is visible from any residential zoning district within 100 feet of the sign and it shall only be illuminated between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ... (d)Messages and non-text images shall not change appearance more than once every ten seconds, and transitions between messages shall be via instantaneous change.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
08. The technology is permitted only on nonresidential land uses, and a site may have no more than one electronic message sign regardless of how many other signs it carries. , on top of the ordinary setback rules that apply to every sign type. Electronic message technology can only be built into three sign types: monument signs, order board signs, and institutional information signs. On a monument or order board sign, the electronic display cannot cover more than 50 percent of the sign's actual area; on an institutional information sign, it can cover up to 75 percent.
Any electronic message area counts toward the site's overall maximum permitted sign area, except for City information signs, which are exempt from that cap. 05(5)(g). 20. True off-premises billboards remain banned outright citywide, so this on-site technology is the only lawful path to a digital display.
Violations & Fines
An electronic message sign that changes more than once every 10 seconds, uses a scrolling or fading transition, runs outside the 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. window, or is visible from a residential district within 100 feet is a zoning violation subject to correction, permit revocation, and removal by the Zoning Administrator under Sections 23.09.27(8) and 23.10.60.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business in Wausau put up a digital LED sign?
How fast can an electronic sign in Wausau change its message?
Can a digital sign run all night in Wausau?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
Compare Wausau to another location·View the Wisconsin sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Marathon County handle digital billboards.