Wichita, KS Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Nighttime brightness cap
- 3,000 nits maximum
- Dimming required above cap
- Photocell or programmable controls
- Adjustment ceiling
- Up to 4,000 nits via Planning Director
- Illumination curfew near homes
- Off 11 p.m.-7 a.m. within 200 ft
- Motion effects
- Banned in residential and 5 other districts
- Maximum penalty
- $500 fine or 6 months, or both
Summary
Digital billboards and other electronic message signs in Wichita can run as bright as they want by day, but Sec. 24.04.220(p) caps nighttime brightness at 3,000 nits and requires automatic dimming controls, such as photocells, on any sign above that threshold. Property owners who want a brighter sign at night can apply for a Sign Code Adjustment raising the ceiling to 4,000 nits.
(p)Electronic Message Signs. No Electronic Message Sign shall be erected or installed without dimming controls to ensure the sign is appropriately dimmed at night. Acceptable dimming controls include automated light sensing devices (photocells) and/or programmable controls that are set by the user to automatically dim the sign at night. Generally, the maximum nighttime brightness and/or light intensity shall not exceed 3,000 Nits (or equivalent). For Electronic Message Signs that have a maximum brightness and/or light intensity of 3,000 Nits or less (or equivalent), dimming controls shall not be required.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35).
Full Breakdown
Wichita's sign code defines an Electronic Message Sign at Sec. 045(18) as 'a Variable Message Sign that utilizes computer-generated messages or some other electronic means of changing copy,' including 'displays using incandescent lamps, LEDs, LCDs or a flipper matrix,' and the same section fixes a 'Nit' as 'a unit of luminance equal to one candela (one candle) per square meter,' the metric used to set the brightness cap. Sec. 220(p) requires 'dimming controls to ensure the sign is appropriately dimmed at night,' accepting either photocell light sensors or programmable controls the operator sets to dim automatically after dark; only signs whose maximum brightness never exceeds 3,000 nits are excused from installing dimming hardware, because they can never breach the cap regardless of ambient light.
(subsection (o)), and Sec. 220(q) bans Flashing, Rotating, Moving or Animated Signs outright in every Residential Zoning District plus the NO, GO, NR, OW and IP Districts, so an electronic billboard in those areas cannot use motion effects no matter how it is dimmed. A sign operator who wants to exceed the 3,000-nit ceiling does not need a variance hearing: Sec. ' Violating the brightness or dimming requirement is enforced under Sec. 260, the sign code's general penalty.
Violations & Fines
Operating an Electronic Message Sign that exceeds 3,000 nits at night without dimming controls, or without an approved Sign Code Adjustment raising the cap to 4,000 nits, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 24.04.260: a fine of not more than $500 or up to six months' imprisonment, or both, and issuance of a sign permit does not excuse noncompliance. Adding flashing or animated effects in a residential or listed office/retail district violates Sec. 24.04.220(q) separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can a digital billboard be at night in Wichita?
Can a business get a brighter sign approved?
Are flashing or moving digital signs allowed?
What is the penalty for an over-bright or non-dimming sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wichita
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