Phoenix illuminated and electronic message sign rules

Last checked: October 2026. Part of our Phoenix sign rules guide. Every statement below is quoted or summarized from a saved official city source; the numbered markers open the Sources list at the bottom.

Confirm with the city before you build or bid. This page is a plain-English summary for planning only. It is not legal advice and not the official code. The City Clerk's Office has the official version of the Phoenix Zoning Ordinance [1]. Planning & Development Sign Section: 602-495-0301, pdd.signservices@phoenix.gov [2]. If anything here disagrees with the code or city staff, the city is right.

Electronic message displays

Rule	Requirement	Source
Where permitted	Permitted in Commercial/Industrial land use designations and for nonresidential uses in Residential Districts, with a use permit.	[1]
Copy changes	Copy changes only by immediate transition, with no moving text or images and no flashing (a).	[1]
Message display	Each message displays for a minimum of eight (8) seconds (b).	[1]
Dimming	Photocell dimming required; no more than three hundred (300) nits from dusk until dawn (c).	[1]
Single Family Residential property	Off from 11:00 p.m. to sunrise when within one hundred fifty (150) feet of, and visible from, Single Family Residential zoned property (d).	[1]
Adjacent streets	Only on property adjacent to a freeway, major arterial, arterial or collector street, and at least one hundred (100) feet from flashing warning signs (g).	[1]
Traffic signal	On a ground sign within fifty (50) feet of a traffic signal, the display's maximum height is eight (8) feet, increasing one (1) foot for every twelve (12) feet of additional setback (h).	[1]
Animated and rotating signs	Animated signs are allowed only in commercial land use designations with a use permit (§705.C.1); rotating signs need a use permit (§705.C.12).	[1]

Illumination

Rule	Requirement	Source
Indirect light sources	Indirect light sources must be oriented or shielded so they are not visible from any residential use or public thoroughfare (a).	[1]
Incandescent illumination	Direct incandescent illumination: no more than eleven watts per bulb without a dimming device or sunscreen, and no single bulb over forty watts (b).	[1]
Illumination until sunrise	Directly lit signs with more than 150 watts of light sources on a face: no illumination from 11:00 p.m. until sunrise (c).	[1]
Single-family residential use	No illuminated sign closer than sixty feet to single-family residential use or undeveloped single-family zoned property, unless it does not face that property or a use permit is obtained (d).	[1]
Not permitted	Not permitted: flashing, blinking or rotating lights; metal halide over seventy-five watts; high or low pressure sodium; mercury vapor for direct or internal illumination (e).	[1]
Dark Sky and exposed neon	Must satisfy the Phoenix Dark Sky Ordinance, City Code Section 23-100 (f). Exposed neon is permitted as an integral part of a sign (g).	[1]

Electrical fees and tags

Item	Details	Source
Electric signs (plan review)	add $195 per hour	[3]
Electric component inspection	$195 per sign, charged to applications that do not include a UL Listing and warrant staff review of electrical components	[3][4]

Rule	Requirement	Source
Permit tag	Tag the sign with the city's permit tag; electric signs also need an electrical component tag or an approved testing-laboratory tag (§705.B.1.j).	[1]

Confirm with the City of Phoenix Sign Section (602-495-0301, pdd.signservices@phoenix.gov) before you fabricate or submit. [2] Codes and fees change. Last checked October 2026.

Section numbers (§) refer to the city's zoning ordinance unless noted. Each statement on this page is checked against a saved copy of an official city source, and where official sources disagree we show both. Spotted an error or an outdated fee? Report an error.

Phoenix illuminated and electronic message sign rules

Electronic message displays

Illumination

Electrical fees and tags

Sources (4)

Related pages

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