On October 15, 2026 the Wheat Ridge Planning Commission recommended approval of an ordinance (ZOA-26-1)to allow 4 of the city’s 15 billboards to be converted to digital displays.  The recommendation now goes to the Wheat Ridge City Council. Some details of the ordinance.

• Only existing billboards can be converted.  No new billboards are permitted.
• Light mitigation technology is required.  During the session the planning staff showed the commission a video of how the light mitigation technology works and a staff member described the louver system to the commission: “We did add that language into the code…like a louver design…if you can imagine a window and the and the mini blinds sort of, you can you can see out of them if they’re at a certain angle, but you cannot if they’re not… If you’re not at that right angle. So it’s similar to that and that is written into the provisions.”
• There is 2,500 foot spacing between digital billboards.
• The new digital permits will be awarded by a 30 day negotiation process and if no agreement can be reached there will be a lottery.

Billboard Insider’s take:  Sounds like this was a cooperative process between the city and the out of home companies.  A Lamar Advertising representative at the hearing stressed how digital billboards can be used for public safety (e.g. wildfires and amber alerts).  There was plenty of discussion about light mitigation.  Expect light issues to come up when you submit your next digital billboard for approval.   Make sure you get light mitigation answers and a light study from your digital billboard company before you submit a request for a digital conversion.

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