Virginia Beach, VA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Interchange setback
- 500 feet from interstate/expressway interchange
- Expressway ROW setback
- 660 feet from right-of-way line
- Residential buffer
- 200 feet from residential/apartment districts
- Minimum lot
- 200 ft frontage, 10,000 sq ft
- Property line setback
- 50 feet from any property line
Summary
Billboards and other outdoor advertising signs must sit at least 500 feet from any interstate or expressway interchange and 660 feet back from the interstate or expressway right-of-way line under Virginia Beach's zoning ordinance.
No outdoor advertising sign shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of an interchange, or intersection at grade, on any highway, interstate or city council designated expressway (measured along the highway, interstate or expressway to the nearest point of the beginning or ending of pavement widening at the exit from or entrance to the main traveled way). On all other streets, no billboard shall be located within two hundred (200) feet of any right-of-way of any underpass, overpass, bridge or tunnel or a plaza serving such facility.(c)No outdoor advertising sign shall be located within: (i) fifty (50) feet of any property line; (ii) six hundred sixty (660) feet of the right-of-way line of any interstate or expressway designated by city council; (iii) twenty-five (25) feet of the right-of-way of any other street; or (iv) two hundred (200) feet of any residential or apartment zoning district. No billboard shall be located upon any lot having a street frontage of less than two hundred (200) feet and an area of less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet. (Ord. No. 3442, 4-19-16; Ord. No. 3665, 6-15-21)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 170 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Virginia Beach's City Zoning Ordinance Section 216 sets the freeway buffer for outdoor advertising structures, billboards, signboards and poster panels. No such sign is allowed within 500 feet of an interstate or city-council-designated expressway interchange or at-grade intersection, measured along the highway to the nearest point of pavement widening. Separately, outdoor advertising signs are barred within 660 feet of the right-of-way line of any interstate or expressway the city council has designated, within 50 feet of any property line, and within 200 feet of a residential or apartment zoning district. Billboards also need at least 200 feet of street frontage and 10,000 square feet of lot area. The Planning Department enforces these standards through the sign permitting process.
Violations & Fines
Zoning violations are enforced by the Planning Department; the zoning administrator can order noncompliant signs removed and building permits can be withheld until an outdoor advertising sign meets the setback requirements of Section 216.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close can a billboard be to an interstate or expressway interchange in Virginia Beach?
Does Virginia Beach limit billboards near neighborhoods?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Virginia Beach
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