Rockdale County, GA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition
- Ground sign, 401-672 sq ft, faces interstate traffic
- Location
- Nonresidential lots abutting the interstate only
- Use buffer
- 500 feet from homes, schools, parks, cemeteries
- Billboard-to-billboard buffer
- 500 feet on same side of interstate
- Max size
- 672 sq ft per face, 2 faces, 48 ft tall
- Penalty
- $25-$1,000 fine and/or up to 180 days
Summary
Billboards, ground signs of 401 to 672 square feet aimed at interstate traffic, are permitted only on lots abutting I-20 in nonresidential zoning districts in unincorporated Rockdale County, capped at 672 square feet per face, 48 feet tall, and set back 500 feet from homes, schools, and other billboards.
Billboard: A ground sign with a sign area of between 401 and 672 square feet intended for the public traveling on the interstate highway. Synonym of "oversized sign." ... Billboards shall be governed by the Georgia Advertising Act (O.C.G.A. § 32-6-70 et seq.).(b)Billboards are permitted on lots abutting the interstate in nonresidential zoning districts.(c)Billboards shall not be placed within 500 feet in any direction of a residential zoning district, place of worship, school, designated park or cemetery, unless the sign is not visible from those locations at any time.(d)No billboard shall be located closer than 500 feet from another billboard on the same side of the interstate, unless the signs are separated by buildings or other obstructions so that only one sign face located within the 500 foot zone is visible from the interstate at any time.( ... g)Maximum dimensions: 672 square feet in sign area per face (maximum two faces), 14 feet in height, and 48 feet in length. Maximum height including structure: 48 feet.
Full Breakdown
Sec. ' Sec. 230-21 then governs where and how billboards can be built. § 32-6-70 et seq. Placement is restricted by distance in several directions: a billboard cannot go within 500 feet of a residential zoning district, a place of worship, a school, a designated park, or a cemetery, unless the sign is not visible from those locations at any time, and it cannot be located closer than 500 feet to another billboard on the same side of the interstate unless buildings or other obstructions keep only one sign face in that 500-foot zone visible from the interstate at once.
Every billboard must stand completely independent of any other building or structure, sited entirely within the buildable area of the lot. The maximum size is 672 square feet of sign area per face, with no more than two faces, 14 feet in height for the sign itself, and 48 feet in length, while the maximum height including the supporting structure is capped at 48 feet. Multiple-message billboards face additional rules: each message must hold for at least ten seconds, with mechanical transitions completing within three seconds and electronic transitions within two, no multiple-message sign can sit closer than 5,000 feet to another one on the same side of the interstate, and none can flash, glare, or emit sound audible from the main traveled way.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a billboard outside a nonresidential lot abutting the interstate, inside the 500-foot buffer from homes, schools, parks or other billboards, or over the 672-square-foot, 48-foot-height limits, violates Sec. 230-21. Under Sec. 230-24, the director of planning and development can order removal and issue a citation, and a court can fine a violator $25.00 to $1,000.00, up to 180 days' confinement, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rockdale County
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