Benton County, WA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- BCC Chapter 11.38, Highway Scenic District (HS)
- Permit needed
- Yes, from the county's authorized official, BCC 11.38.020
- Intersection setback
- 300 feet from a highway/highway or highway/railway junction
- Clear-view distance
- 500 feet of unobstructed sightline along the highway
- Park buffer
- 1,000 feet of a public park or playground
- First violation penalty
- Civil penalty up to $500, BCC 11.43.170
Summary
In unincorporated Benton County, outdoor advertising signs near highways fall under the Highway Scenic District ordinance, BCC Chapter 11.38. A designated highway scenic district bars new billboards outright, and every outdoor advertising structure along a highway corridor needs a permit from the county's authorized official, subject to strict placement limits near intersections, curves and parks.
11.38.010 DESIGNATION. Highway scenic districts may be designated and established on one or both sides of any highway in combination with any other zoning district where roadside scenic vistas are available to a passing motorist. Within the considered highway scenic district, no outdoor advertising structure or signs shall be permitted... 11.38.050 AREAS PROHIBITED. Signs and advertising structures shall be prohibited within the following areas: (a) Within a distance of three hundred (300) feet of the intersection or junction of a state highway or county F.A.S. secondary with another state or county F.A.S. secondary highway, or with a railway at a point where it would obstruct or interfere with the view of a vehicle, train or other moving object on the intersecting or joining highway or railway. (b) If placed along any highway in such a manner as to prevent a clear view of vehicles approaching within a distance of five hundred feet (500) along the said highway... (d) If placed within one thousand (1,000) feet of any public park or public playground and in public view therefrom.
Full Breakdown
010. Inside a designated scenic district, no outdoor advertising structure or sign is permitted at all; the only exception is where the scenic overlay sits on top of a residential, suburban or agricultural district, in which case signs are limited to what that underlying district already allows. 020, and pay a non-refundable application fee set by the Board of County Commissioners. secondary road with another such highway or a railway crossing where it would block sightlines, none that blocks a driver's clear view of oncoming traffic within 500 feet, none closer than the residential front-yard setback, and none within 1,000 feet of a public park or playground if visible from it.
060 separately bars any sign that imitates a highway warning sign, such as the words "stop" or "slow down", and any structure erected on private land without the landowner's written consent. 070.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the sign permit or placement rules is an infraction, punishable by a civil penalty of up to $500 plus court costs and restitution for any damage, under BCC 11.43.170. A second violation of the same provision, once the court finds it, becomes a misdemeanor. The county may also seek an injunction under BCC 11.43.030 to force removal of a noncompliant sign and recover the cost of that action from the violator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a billboard on my rural Benton County property?
Does this apply inside Kennewick or Richland?
What happens if I put up a sign without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Benton County
Compare Benton County to another location·View the Washington sign regulations overview
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