Dayton, OH Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Setback from ROW
- 660 feet
- Enforcing official
- Superintendent of Building Inspection
- Permit required
- Yes, under § 150.371
- Default penalty
- 1st-degree misdemeanor
Summary
Dayton bars new advertising devices within 660 feet of interstate and primary highway rights-of-way, with narrow exceptions and a city permit requirement.
The Superintendent of Building Inspection shall promulgate and enforce regulations consistent with customary use in outdoor advertising and national policy governing any or all aspects of the advertising devices to be erected or maintained within 660 feet of the edge of the right-of-way of a highway on the interstate or primary systems, and coming within the exceptions contained in §§ 110.21 and 110.22. These regulations shall include, but not be limited to, size, lighting, spacing, and such other conditions as may be necessary to affect the national policy. The superintendent shall furnish a copy of such regulations to any person making a request therefor.(B)The Superintendent of Building Inspection may adopt such amendments to such regulations as are necessary and consistent with customary use in outdoor advertising and the national policy.(C)Such regulations shall be in addition to the provisions of any city ordinance regulating advertising devices. (Ord. 24301, passed 6-14-72; Ord. 24308, passed 6-28-72)
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
Dayton's general code bans advertising devices within 660 feet of the right-of-way edge of an interstate or primary-system highway, carrying forward Ohio's federal-highway beautification framework into city law. Exceptions cover official/directional signs, on-premises signs about the property's own sale, lease or business, and utility/pipeline markers. The Superintendent of Building Inspection writes and enforces the size, lighting and spacing regulations for devices that do qualify, and any qualifying or nonconforming device still needs a permit under the zoning code before it can go up or stay up.
Violations & Fines
Erecting an unpermitted advertising device within 660 feet of an interstate or primary highway, or one outside the listed exceptions, violates §§ 110.21-110.23; violating most of Chapter 110 is a first-degree misdemeanor under § 110.99, with a lesser minor-misdemeanor tier for a few specific sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a billboard next to I-75 in Dayton?
Who regulates size and lighting for permitted highway signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dayton
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