Where the rules live
The sign regulations are in Chapter 59 (the zoning code), Article XVI, of the Oklahoma City Municipal Code. They were rewritten by Ordinance No. 27,526, published February 14, 2024. Section numbers below come from that ordinance. This page is our plain-English reading, not legal advice. Confirm anything that matters with the city's Development Services before you buy or install.
Flashing and animated light
Section 59-16105.A.4: no flashing or intermittent lighting is allowed other than permitted electronic message displays (EMDs). The code also defines a strobe as lighting that flashes on and off more than once a second. For a dealership, that means chasing, strobing or color-cycling light facing the road is the risky part, and steady color is not.
Electronic message displays (digital signs)
The code sets three EMD levels (Table 59-16105.2):
| Level | Allows | Minimum display time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Static messages, dissolve and fade transitions | 8 seconds |
| 2 | Adds travel and scroll, text that moves | 8 seconds |
| 3 | Animation and full-motion video | None |
Which level is allowed depends on the zoning district and the sign type (Table 59-16105.3). Daytime brightness for all signs is capped at 7,500 nits, factory-set (§ 59-16105.A.8.c).
Glare and brightness
- All sign lighting has to be arranged so there's no glare directed or reflected toward adjacent properties (§ 59-16105.A.3).
- In nonresidential districts, light from a sign can add no more than 0.3 footcandles over ambient, measured 100 to 250 feet away depending on sign size; in residential districts, 0.2 footcandles at the nearest residential property line (§ 59-16105.A.8).
Balloons, flags and attention-getting devices
- Attention-getting devices are prohibited except where the article specifically allows them (§ 59-16104.E).
- One balloon sign is allowed per parcel for a maximum of 30 days a year, with a city sticker, and never in the street right-of-way (§ 59-16109.A).
- Flags, banners and pennants follow their own table and must be securely mounted in a frame, to a pole or to a wall (§ 59-16109.C).
- Portable signs are prohibited (§ 59-16104.D).
Is building outline lighting a sign?
The code defines an illuminated sign as a sign whose characters, designs or outlines are lit, so it starts from something being a sign. A steady architectural outline with no message isn't listed as a sign type, as we read it. Light that flashes, chases or exists mainly to grab attention is where it could be treated as a flashing sign or an attention-getting device. Our rule: steady light facing the road, motion only inside, and a written answer from the city before programming anything else.
Edmond, Yukon, Mustang and other cities
Each city has its own sign code, and they differ. Bethany's, for example, treats any moving illuminated sign other than a digital billboard as a flashing sign. We check the code for your city before designing, and with the city directly when the answer isn't clear.
What we do on every dealership job
- Read the sign code for your city and zoning before the design.
- Keep road-facing light steady and aimed at the building, not the street.
- Get written confirmation before any motion faces the road.
- Leave sign permits for actual signs to you or your sign company, and coordinate with them.
More: lighting controls and scenes.
