Wayne County, NC Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Section 58-23(9)b of the Wayne County outdoor advertising sign standards addresses electronic and changeable billboard faces directly: no animation signs shall be permitted, but automatic changeable facing signs shall be permitted. Section 58-30 defines an automatic changeable facing sign as a sign display or device which changes the message or copy on the sign facing electronically by movement or rotation of panels or slats, and separately defines electronic digital as a sign using an electronic digital surface that is changeable no more frequently than every eight seconds.

Animation itself is defined broadly in section 58-30 to include the movement or optical illusion of movement of any part of the sign, any flashing or varying of light intensity, the automatic changing of all or part of a sign's facing, and chasing action from moving rows of lights, all of which remain barred even on an automatic changeable facing sign. A digital billboard is still bound by the rest of section 58-23: a 400-square-foot maximum face, 50-foot height cap, 750-foot spacing from the next outdoor advertising sign, a 15-foot right-of-way setback, and location within 660 feet of a qualifying commercial or industrial activity along the highway.

It must also carry a sign permit from the building inspections department, with the applicant's submittal describing the sign's illumination, colors and materials under section 58-24(2)b. Any conflict in interpreting the digital-sign standard is resolved using section 58-19's roadside-appearance purpose as the guide, with the most restrictive reading controlling.