Learn · 80 articles
How the billboard business works.
Plain answers on prices, permits, leases, selling and software. Every number links to its source.
Selling billboards
Finding advertisers, pitching, proposals and renewals.
- TemplateBillboard Proposal Template: What to Include (Free Outline)What a billboard proposal must include: faces, photos, a map, flight dates, rate per 4 weeks, production, terms and an expiration date. Copyable outline.
- How-toBillboard Renewals: When to Start and How to Raise RatesStart billboard renewals 60 to 90 days out. What to bring, how to raise the rate at renewal, and how to backfill a face fast when an advertiser leaves.
- TemplateBillboard Sales Email Templates: 10 Cold and Follow-Up Emails10 short billboard sales email templates: first touch, follow-ups, renewal, backfill, competitor, event, new business and more. Each under 75 words.
- How-toHow to Find Billboard Advertisers for an Open FaceWhere to find billboard advertisers near an open face: local businesses by category, new openings, rivals of current advertisers, events and travel routes.
- GuideHow to Sell Billboard Advertising: A 2026 Guide for RepsHow to sell billboard space: who buys local boards, how to find and pitch them, what not to claim, proposals, objections, closing and renewals.
Prices and rates
What billboards cost, rate cards and the numbers behind them.
- StatisticsBillboard Advertising Statistics 2026: 40 Sourced FactsUS out of home ad revenue hit $9.46 billion in 2025, and billboards earned $6.72 billion of it. 40 stats on revenue, digital, audience, counts and rules.
- StatisticsDigital Billboard Statistics 2026: 55+ Sourced NumbersAbout 25,000 US digital billboards. Digital was 36.3% of out of home revenue in 2025. Operator counts, loop times and state hold rules.
- GuideHow Much Does a Billboard Cost? (2026 Prices)Billboards cost $1,200 to $3,300 per four weeks at the median, by market size. Rural boards start near $250; top-market bulletins top $30,000.
- How-toHow to Build a Billboard Rate Card (With Example)Build a billboard rate card: a rate per face per 4 weeks, production and install, term and seasonal rules, digital spot prices, and how to set each rate.
Running the business
Leases, occupancy and what a face earns.
- GuideBillboard Lease Rates: What Landowners Get Paid (2026)Billboard companies pay landowners a flat rent, a share of ad revenue, or both. Lamar's ground rent was about 17% of billboard revenue in 2025.
- ExplainerBillboard Occupancy Rate: How to Calculate and Raise ItOccupancy is sold time divided by sellable time. Count face-days for printed boards and slot-days for digital. Formulas, examples and ways to raise it.
- GuideHow Much Do Billboard Owners Make? Revenue and Profit (2026)Lamar earned about $1,050 a month per billboard in 2025, by our math. Big operators keep 38% to 55% of billboard revenue before overhead, interest and tax.
- GuideHow to Value a Billboard or Billboard Company (2026)Buyers price billboards at 8 to 12 times billboard cash flow. Public firms trade at 13 to 17 times EBITDA. See what moves the multiple.
- GuideQuickBooks for Billboard Companies: Uses, Limits, Prices (2026)How billboard companies use QuickBooks: invoices, recurring bills and the books. What it can't do, how to pair it with billboard software, and 2026 prices.
- ComparisonStatic vs Digital Billboards: Revenue, Cost and Rules (2026)Digital earns 4 to 5 times more than static but costs 2 to 4 times more to run. Compare revenue, cost, permits, upkeep and sales side by side.
Building and permits
Sizes, permits by state and building new faces.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Alabama: Rules, Spacing and FeesALDOT permits billboards: $25 per location to apply, $10 a year to renew, 500 ft spacing, 672 sq ft faces on new signs, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Arkansas: Rules, Spacing and FeesARDOT permits billboards: $40 to apply, $20 or $30 every two years to renew, 500 ft spacing, 1,200 sq ft faces, 8-second digital, 1,500 ft digital spacing.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Florida: Rules, Spacing and FeesFDOT permits billboards: a $300 yearly license, $71 per face each year, 1,500 ft spacing on Interstates and a 950 sq ft limit per face.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Georgia: Rules, Spacing and FeesGDOT permits billboards online: $300 to apply, $85 a year to renew, 500 ft spacing on Interstates, 10-second digital messages 5,000 ft apart.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Illinois: Rules, Spacing and FeesIDOT permits billboards near Interstates and major roads. One-time fee of $50 to $200, 500 ft spacing, 10-second digital messages, no yearly renewal.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Kentucky: Rules, Spacing and FeesKYTC permits billboards: $150 to apply for a static sign, $250 for digital, $100 a year to renew, 1,250 sq ft faces, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Louisiana: Rules, Spacing and FeesDOTD permits billboards: $75 to $250 per face to apply, $7.50 to $25 a year to renew, 1,000 ft Interstate spacing, 1,200 sq ft faces, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Michigan: Cap, Interim Permits and FeesMDOT stopped issuing new billboard permits in 2007. Build only with an interim permit. Fees: $100 to apply, $50 to $80 a year, 1,000 ft Interstate spacing.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Mississippi: Rules, Spacing and FeesMDOT permits billboards: $85 to apply, $20 a year to renew, $1,000 bond, 500 ft spacing, 672 sq ft per direction, 8-second digital, 1,000 ft digital spacing.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Missouri: Rules, Spacing and FeesMoDOT permits billboards: $200 to apply, $100 every two years, 1,400 ft spacing, 800 sq ft faces, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in North Carolina: Rules, Spacing and FeesNCDOT permits billboards: $120 per structure, $60 a year to renew, 500 ft spacing on Interstates, and a 45-day decision under a 2026 law.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Ohio: Rules, Spacing and FeesODOT permits billboards near Interstates and federal routes: $225 per face to apply, $125 to renew every two years, 500 ft spacing, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Oklahoma: Rules, Spacing and FeesODOT permits billboards: $100 to apply, $20 every two years to renew, $400 license, 1,000 ft Interstate spacing, 1,200 sq ft faces, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in South Carolina: Rules, Spacing and FeesSCDOT permits billboards: $100 to apply, $20 to $30 a year to renew, 500 ft Interstate spacing, 672 sq ft faces, 6-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Tennessee: Rules, Spacing and FeesTDOT permits billboards: $200 per face to apply, renewal each year, 1,000 ft spacing on Interstates, 775 sq ft faces in most counties.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Texas: Rules, Spacing and FeesTxDOT licenses sign owners and permits billboards: $100 per permit, $75 a year per permit, 1,500 ft freeway spacing, 672 sq ft faces, 8-second digital.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Virginia: Rules, Spacing and FeesVDOT permits billboards: $15 to $165 per face by size, 500 ft Interstate spacing, 1,200 sq ft faces, digital changes no faster than every 4 seconds.
- GuideBillboard Permits: Federal Law and How the States CompareBillboards near Interstates and major highways need a state permit under the Highway Beautification Act. Compare spacing, size, digital rules and fees.
- GuideCost to Build a Billboard: Static, Poster, Digital (2026)A new 14' x 48' steel bulletin cost $80,000 to $112,000 in 2025. A digital board costs $260,000 or more. See each line item and its source.
- GuideDigital Billboard Cost: Build, Run and Revenue (2026)A digital billboard costs about $200,000 to $260,000 to build or convert. See power and upkeep costs, how loops are sold, and the revenue math.
- How-toHow to Buy a Billboard: Steps, Checks and Closing (2026)Find a seller, check the permit, lease and steel, price the board from cash flow, then close with a permit transfer. Here are the steps.
- GuideHow to Start a Billboard Business: Steps and Costs (2026)You need a legal site, a ground lease, permits, a structure and buyers. A 14' x 48' steel monopole cost about $80,000 to $112,000 to build in 2025.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in California: Rules, Spacing and FeesCaltrans permits billboards: a $250 to $500 yearly license, $300 to apply, $100 a year per display, 500 ft freeway spacing and a landscaped freeway ban.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in New York: Rules, Spacing and FeesNYSDOT permits billboards through regional offices: $20 to $100 a year per face, 500 ft spacing on Interstates, 8-second digital. NYC adds DOB rules.
- Permits by stateBillboard Permits in Pennsylvania: Rules, Spacing and FeesPennDOT permits billboards near Interstates and major roads. Signs sit 500 ft apart on limited-access roads, max 1,200 sq ft, $10 to $30 a year.
- ExplainerBillboard Sizes: Standard Dimensions Chart (2026)A standard bulletin is 14' x 48' (672 sq ft). Posters show 10'5" x 22'8" and junior posters 5' x 11'. Every format, pixel sizes and reading distance.
Software and tools
The tools billboard companies use, reviewed and compared.
- PricingAdQuick Pricing: What It Costs in 2026AdQuick posts no price we could find. How it quotes, the one public deal (OUTFRONT, $17.0M a year), what drives cost and what to ask. Oct. 2026.
- ReviewAdQuick Review (2026): For Billboard Owners, Pros and ConsOur AdQuick review from the owner's side: the marketplace, the operator platform and Sales Cloud. Features, pricing, who it suits and alternatives.
- ComparisonAdQuick vs Blip: Which Should Sell Your Billboards? (2026)AdQuick vs Blip for billboard owners: who buys, what you do, what each takes and which boards fit. Built from each vendor's own pages. Oct. 2026.
- GuideAI Sales Agents for Billboard Companies: What to Look ForWhat an AI SDR does for a billboard operator, what to look for, the risks, how Gabie Scout works, and where Apollo, Instantly, Clay and HubSpot fit.
- PricingApparatix Pricing: What It Costs in 2026Apparatix publishes no price for its core software. See how it quotes, what drives the cost and what to ask. A partner page lists tiers. Checked Oct. 2026.
- ReviewApparatix Review (2026): Features, Pricing, Pros and ConsOur Apparatix review: a full OOH back office for independent billboard owners. What's included, what's not, pricing, pros, cons and alternatives.
- ComparisonApparatix vs BillboardPlanet: Billboard Software Compared (2026)Apparatix vs BillboardPlanet for billboard owners: features, pricing, QuickBooks, digital and back office, side by side. Who should pick which.
- ComparisonApparatix vs Elevate OOH: Billboard Software Compared (2026)Apparatix vs Elevate OOH for independent billboard owners: features, pricing, back office and risk, side by side. Who should pick which.
- AlternativesBest Apparatix Alternatives for Billboard Owners (2026)The best Apparatix alternatives in 2026: BillboardPlanet, SignDash, AdQuick, Gabie, Broadsign and more. What each replaces, what it lacks, and prices.
- Best ofBest Billboard CRM Software for Operators (2026)A billboard CRM ties each deal to faces and dates. Compare billboard tools with HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive set up for billboards, with prices.
- Best ofBest Billboard Proposal Software for Operators (2026)The best way to build billboard proposals with photo sheets, maps, rates and live avails. Compare billboard tools, PandaDoc, Proposify and slides.
- Best ofBest Billboard Software for Operators (2026)The best billboard software in 2026, sorted by job: back office, selling and CRM, digital screens and marketplaces. Prices as published and who each suits.
- Best ofBest Billboard Software for Small Operators (2026)Best billboard software for operators with under 100 faces and one or two sellers: price, setup, seats and proposals. Real options, with a table.
- Best ofBest Digital Billboard Software for Operators (2026)Digital billboard software has three kinds: players, selling tools and marketplaces. The real options in each, prices as posted, and who should skip each.
- GuideBillboard Inventory Management Software: A 2026 GuideBillboard inventory means structures, faces, rates, holds, bookings and digital loops. What the software should do, which tools list it, and how to choose.
- Best ofBillboard Lease Management Software: Options (2026)What it takes to track billboard ground leases, and the tools operators use: back-office systems, spreadsheets and Gabie. Terms, rent and renewal dates.
- PricingBillboardPlanet Pricing: What It Costs in 2026BillboardPlanet posts no prices for Quantum or Equinox. See what its site lists, how to ask for a quote and how it compares. Checked Oct. 2026.
- ReviewBillboardPlanet Review (2026): Features, Pricing, Pros and ConsOur BillboardPlanet review: Quantum runs quotes, contracts, work orders and proof for billboard owners. Features, pricing as published, gaps and alternatives.
- ReviewBlip Billboards Review (2026): For Sign Owners, Pros and ConsOur Blip review from the sign owner's side: what listing a digital board means, how the self-serve marketplace sells it, fees, limits and alternatives.
- PricingBroadsign Pricing: What It Costs in 2026Broadsign posts no prices. Plans are Standard, Professional and Enterprise, and you request a quote. What drives cost and what to ask. Checked Oct. 2026.
- ReviewBroadsign Review (2026): For Billboard Owners, Pros and ConsOur Broadsign review for billboard owners: content, ad serving, static tools and a programmatic exchange. Plans, who it suits, gaps and alternatives.
- ReviewDOmedia Review (2026): For Billboard Owners, Pros and ConsOur DOmedia review from the owner's side: how agencies find your inventory, what listing means, the published seller tiers, BillboardsIn and limits.
- ReviewElevate OOH Review (2026): Features, Pricing, Pros and ConsOur Elevate OOH review: new CRM-led billboard software for independents, from $350 a month. What it lists, what is unknown and what to ask.
- PricingHow Much Does Billboard Software Cost? (2026 Prices)Few billboard software vendors post prices. See each tool's pricing model, posted price and source, plus costs at 50, 300 and 1,500 faces. Oct. 2026.
- ReviewLucit Review (2026): Dynamic Billboard Ads for OperatorsOur Lucit review for billboard operators: how its dynamic feed turns dealer and realtor inventory into digital ads, who it fits, pricing and limits.
- PricingSignDash Pricing: What It Costs in 2026SignDash sets a base fee at signup and charges $250 a year for each extra 100 faces, with unlimited users. Terms, what's included and how to get a quote.
- ReviewSignDash Review (2026): Features, Pricing, Pros and ConsOur SignDash review: simple billboard sales software for small US owners, with e-signed contracts and QuickBooks Online. Pricing, gaps and alternatives.
- ComparisonSignDash vs BillboardPlanet: Billboard Software Compared (2026)SignDash vs BillboardPlanet for billboard owners: features, pricing, QuickBooks, work orders and digital, side by side. Who should pick which.
- ComparisonSignDash vs Elevate OOH: Billboard Software Compared (2026)SignDash vs Elevate OOH for small independent billboard owners: features, pricing, websites and risk, side by side. Who should pick which.
- ComparisonSpreadsheets vs Billboard Software: When to Switch (2026)Excel or Sheets plus QuickBooks vs billboard software: what a spreadsheet does well, where it breaks, what software costs and when to switch.
- ReviewWatchfire Ignite OA and OAx Review (2026): Pros and ConsOur Watchfire Ignite review for billboard owners: OA scheduling, the OAx business tools, what comes with Watchfire boards, pricing and limits.
- ExplainerWhat Is Billboard Management Software? (2026 Guide)Billboard management software tracks faces, open dates, leases, proposals, contracts and billing in one place. What it should do and what to ask vendors.
- ExplainerWhat Is Gabie? The Operating System for Billboard CompaniesGabie is the operating system for billboard companies: inventory, an AI sales rep, CRM, proposals and creative. Free up to 100 faces.
- StatisticsWhat Software Do Billboard Companies Use? (2026 Poll Data)Billboard Insider reader polls from 2024 and August 2026 show which software billboard companies use. Apparatix led with 40%. Read the data and the caveats.
- ComparisonAdQuick vs DOmedia: Marketplaces Agencies Use (2026)AdQuick vs DOmedia for billboard owners: how agencies find you, what each takes and which tools you get. Built from vendor pages. Oct. 2026.
- ComparisonApparatix vs SignDash: Billboard Software Compared (2026)Apparatix vs SignDash for billboard owners: features, pricing, e-sign, QuickBooks and back office, side by side. Who should pick which, from vendor facts.
- PricingBlip Billboards Pricing: What It Costs in 2026Blip charges advertisers per 8-second play, from $0.01 or $0.02. Owners pay no upfront fee. See where Blip's own pages disagree. Checked Oct. 2026.
- GuideHubSpot for Billboard Companies: Setup and Limits (2026)How billboard companies set up HubSpot: faces as custom objects or products, new and renewal pipelines, sequences. What it can't know, plus 2026 prices.
- ComparisonHubSpot vs Salesforce for Billboard Companies (2026)HubSpot or Salesforce for a billboard company? Compare face records, deals tied to dates, renewals and per-seat prices, as posted in Oct. 2026.
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