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Cass County, MO Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Significant Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Highway placement zone: Within 660 ft of State highway right-of-way, § 400.800(C)(3)
Spacing between billboards: 1,400 ft minimum, same side of road
State permit required: Missouri DOT sign permit, plus county Special Use Permit
Max sign area: 800 sq ft per face, § 400.800(C)(7)
Height cap: 50 ft above right-of-way grade, § 400.800(C)(8)(b)
Enforcement: Zoning Officer, up to $1,000/day fine

Summary

Along state-maintained highways in unincorporated Cass County, a billboard may only stand within 660 feet of the highway right-of-way and needs its own sign permit from the Missouri Department of Transportation, on top of the county's Special Use Permit. Cass County Code § 400.800(C)(3) sets that placement zone, and § 400.800(C)(2) keeps billboards on the same side of the road at least 1,400 feet apart.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Cass County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

A billboard shall not be located closer than one thousand four hundred (1,400) feet from any other billboard on the same side of the road. ... Billboards shall be permitted only within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the nearest edge of the rights-of-way of any State maintained highway or street that is controlled by the State of Missouri Department of Transportation and shall require a sign permit from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

View official code

Full Breakdown

800(B). 800(C)(2) bars a new billboard from sitting closer than 1,400 feet to another billboard on the same side of the road, and if two applications for the same stretch of highway conflict, the County processes them in the order received, holding the second application pending until the first is resolved or denied. 800(C)(8)(b). 800(C)(5). Every billboard application in this corridor must include a drawing showing every other billboard and principal freestanding sign within 2,640 feet in each direction along both sides of the highway.

Violations & Fines

A billboard placed outside the 660-foot highway corridor, sited closer than 1,400 feet to another billboard, or built without both the county Special Use Permit and the MoDOT sign permit is a Zoning Order violation under Section 400.030(22): the Zoning Officer issues notice, the owner has 10 days to cure it, and an uncorrected violation can bring a misdemeanor conviction and Commission-set fines up to $1,000 for every day the violation continues.

Frequently Asked Questions

How close to a Cass County highway can a billboard be built?

Only within 660 feet of the road right-of-way. Section 400.800(C)(3) permits billboards 'only within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the nearest edge of the rights-of-way of any State maintained highway,' and the applicant also needs 'a sign permit from the Missouri Department of Transportation' before the county will issue its own Special Use Permit for the sign.

How far apart do billboards have to be along the same highway?

At least 1,400 feet on the same side of the road. Section 400.800(C)(2) states 'a billboard shall not be located closer than one thousand four hundred (1,400) feet from any other billboard on the same side of the road,' and where two applications conflict for the same stretch, the county processes whichever application it received first.

Does a highway billboard in Cass County need state approval too?

Yes. Section 400.800(C)(3) requires the billboard operator to obtain 'a sign permit from the Missouri Department of Transportation' in addition to the county's Special Use Permit under Section 400.800(B), because the corridor these rules cover runs along roads 'under the maintenance and jurisdiction of the Missouri Department of Transportation.'

Sources & Official References

[1]Cass County Code (eCode360)

Other rules in Cass County

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All Cass County rules

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