McLean County, IL Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Density cap
- 5 billboards per linear mile
- Spacing between signs
- 1,000 feet minimum
- Freeway-facing signs
- Must also meet Highway Advertising Act of 1972
- Max face area
- 400 sq ft per side
- Max height
- 35 feet
- Max fine if violated
- $500 per week, § 350-22
Summary
McLean County caps advertising signs (billboards) along roads at five per linear mile with at least 1,000 feet between signs, and any billboard bordering an interstate, freeway, or primary highway must also comply with the state Highway Advertising Act of 1972.
Not more than five advertising signs may be located per linear mile of street or highway regardless of the fact that such advertising signs may be located on different sides of the subject street or highway. ... No advertising sign shall be located within 1,000 feet of another advertising sign abutting either side of the same street or highway. ... An advertising sign established within a business, commercial, or industrial area, as defined in the Highway Advertising Act of 1972 (1972 P.A. 106, as amended) bordering interstate highways, freeways or primary highways as defined in said Act shall, in addition to complying with the above conditions, also comply with all applicable provisions of the Act and the regulations provided thereunder, as such may from time to time be amended.
Full Breakdown
McLean County Zoning Code § 350-83C(7) sets the density and spacing rules for advertising signs (billboards) in the C Commercial District. Subsection (a) caps the count at not more than five advertising signs per linear mile of street or highway, counting both sides of the road together, and subsection (b) bars any advertising sign from sitting within 1,000 feet of another advertising sign abutting either side of the same street or highway. For billboards along the county's higher-classification roads, subsection (j) layers state law on top of the local standards: an advertising sign established within a business, commercial, or industrial area, as defined in the Highway Advertising Act of 1972, bordering interstate highways, freeways or primary highways as defined in said Act shall, in addition to complying with the above conditions, also comply with all applicable provisions of the Act and the regulations provided thereunder.
That means a sign owner facing I-55, I-39, or a state primary route through unincorporated McLean County has to clear both the county's five-per-mile and 1,000-foot spacing rules and the separate state permitting and size standards under the Highway Advertising Act before erecting a freeway-facing billboard. The same subsection (7) package also limits every C District billboard to a 400-square-foot face per side and a 35-foot height. This local layer applies only outside Bloomington and Normal, which run their own sign codes.
Violations & Fines
A billboard erected over the five-per-mile cap, closer than 1,000 feet to another billboard, or facing an interstate or primary highway without the separate Highway Advertising Act approval violates § 350-83C(7) and is enforceable under § 350-22: a petty offense punishable by a fine up to $500, with each week of noncompliance a separate offense, plus possible Circuit Court action to remove the sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many billboards can go up along one mile of road in McLean County?
Does a billboard facing I-55 or I-39 need anything beyond the county sign permit?
How far apart do billboards have to be from each other?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McLean County
Compare McLean County to another location·View the Illinois sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.