Concord, NC Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

CDO Section 12.5.2 sets the outdoor advertising (billboard) sign standards for Concord, and its size cap is the only provision in Article 12 that treats Interstate 85 differently from the rest of the street network. Off-premise billboards are permitted only in the I-1 and I-2 industrial districts, and only with an approved Conditional Use Permit from the City. Within those districts, a billboard facing I-85 may be built up to 378 square feet in area; a billboard along any other street or road in Concord is capped at 150 square feet, less than half the I-85 allowance.

The larger I-85 size comes bundled with the same siting rules that apply to every off-premise billboard in the city. Signs must sit back at least 50 feet from the public right-of-way or any legal private access road, cannot exceed 30 feet in height, and are limited to one face per side, with double-decker and side-by-side sign structures prohibited outright. Every billboard, regardless of size, must also keep at least 1,000 feet of separation from any residential zoning district or residentially developed property, and at least 1,000 feet from any other off-premise billboard on either side of the street. A 100-foot separation from the nearest building, parking area or other structure also applies, and no billboard may sit inside a required front yard setback.