Elkhart County regulates electronic signs
Just approved by the county plan commission and headed to the commissioners for approval is a new county ordinance here in Elkhart County, Indiana, regulating outdoor electronic (and digital) signs. Here are the major stipulations:
- there are three zoning districts where the use of electronic signs and message boards will be permitted: business districts, or “B” zones; manufacturing districts, or “M” zones; and development park districts, or “E” zones
- the illumination of the sign must be reduced significantly during nighttime hours, or one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise, at which time the brightness can be increased back to full intensity
- a minimum separation of at least 300 feet between the sign and any nearby residences
- a moratorium on any type of flashing light that could serve as a hindrance to passing motorists
More and more of these regulations are popping up around the country (see these blog entries), some of them regulating the amount of time that a poster has to appear on screen, limiting motion graphics, etc. Our County’s appears to be just regulating the electronic variety (LED displays), not large digital billboards (we don’t have any) or other large LCD displays.
YouTube user pcjournal posted this video of a new electronic display (LED-based) on a busy commercial strip just outside Goshen:
