Waukesha, WI Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Section 27.05 restricts where a Billboard Sign, defined as any off-premise sign within City limits, can be located. Billboards are only permitted in the M-1, M-2, M-3, MM-1, and B-5 zoning districts to begin with, and even there, no Billboard Sign may be placed on a street having a speed limit of less than 45 miles per hour, which channels billboards toward the higher-speed arterials and freeway-facing corridors that run through those industrial and heavy-commercial districts rather than neighborhood streets. Intersection spacing depends on the sign type: an electronically-illuminated billboard must stay at least 500 feet from the nearest intersection, while a static billboard needs only 400 feet.

The code also spaces billboards from each other: no Billboard Sign may be located within 800 feet of another Billboard Sign on the same side of any one street, which limits how many can line a single highway-facing corridor. Sign Area and height are separately capped at 336 square feet and 24 feet, and every billboard must sit at least 25 feet back from a property boundary. A Billboard Sign Permit from the City Planner is required regardless of location, and the Planner can deny an application that would be aesthetically incompatible with the surrounding area or obstruct a scenic or historic view.