Building and permits · Permits by state
Billboard Permits in Arkansas: Rules, Spacing and Fees
By Gabie Research · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Short answer
In Arkansas, ARDOT's Beautification Section issues billboard permits. A permit costs $40 to apply for and $20 or $30 to renew every two years. Signs must be 500 feet apart on Interstates and freeways. A face can be up to 1,200 square feet. Digital faces must hold each message 8 seconds.
- ARDOT's Beautification Section in Little Rock issues permits. You apply on paper by mail.
- A permit is $40 to apply for. Renewal is $20 for a Class A permit or $30 for Class B, every two years.
- Spacing is 500 feet on Interstates and freeways. Faces top out at 1,200 square feet, 25 feet high and 60 feet long.
- Digital faces hold 8 seconds, change in 2 or less, and sit 1,500 feet apart on Interstates.
- ARDOT has no operator license or bond for billboards. Tree cutting needs a $160 permit and a $1,000 bond.
ARDOT issues billboard permits in Arkansas. A permit costs $40 to apply for. Renewal is $20 or $30 every two years. Signs must be 500 feet apart on Interstates and freeways. A face can be up to 1,200 square feet. Arkansas asks for no operator license or bond.
Who issues billboard permits in Arkansas?
The state Department of Transportation runs the Beautification Section in its Right of Way Division. The section handles billboards, junkyards, logo signs and tree cutting near billboards. Call 501-569-2088, or toll-free 877-569-0120.
You file on paper. Mail the form to the Beautification Section, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, AR 72203. ARDOT's page lists no online filing. It posts a billboard application revised in 2025. ARDOT does not post a review time; ask.
The law is the Highway Beautification Act, Ark. Code Ann. 27-74-101 to 27-74-502. ARDOT's rules are in its Regulations for Control of Outdoor Advertising. They rest on Act 640 of 1967 and a 1972 federal agreement.
Which roads need a state permit?
The state controls Interstates and federal-aid primary highways. That follows federal law, 23 U.S.C. 131. The control zone is 660 feet from the edge of the right-of-way. Act 999 of 1975 also covers farther-out signs read from the road, outside urban areas.
ARDOT posts a county route map book, updated in 2024. It also posts a map of scenic byways where new billboards are barred.
Where can a billboard go?
A sign must sit in a zoned or unzoned commercial or industrial area. Residential zoning does not qualify. In 2011, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a denial for a site zoned as a planned residential district.
- Zoned land needs a letter from the zoning authority naming the zoning.
- Unzoned land must lie within 600 feet of a real business. The area is the business's land plus 600 feet each way.
The unzoned area does not cross to the far side of an Interstate or freeway. It can't be mostly homes. Farms, ad signs, short-term uses and homes do not count as businesses.
Arkansas billboard rules at a glance
| Rule | Arkansas limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Control zone | 660 ft; farther outside urban areas if read from the road | FSA; Act 999 of 1975 |
| Unzoned area | The business's land plus 600 ft each way | FSA, definitions |
| Spacing, Interstates and freeways | 500 ft | FSA, spacing |
| Interchanges (outside cities) | No sign within 500 ft of the start of the exit or entrance widening | FSA, spacing |
| Spacing, other primary roads outside cities | 300 ft | FSA, spacing |
| Spacing, other primary roads inside cities | 100 ft | FSA, spacing |
| Maximum face, one sign on a facing | 1,200 sq ft, 25 ft high, 60 ft long | FSA, size |
| Two signs on a facing | 550 sq ft each; 35 ft high and 70 ft long together | FSA, size |
| Signs per structure | Two facings and no more than four signs | FSA, size |
| Overall height | No overall cap posted | ARDOT does not post this |
| Digital hold time | At least 8 seconds | ARDOT regulations, Section 7 |
| Digital change time | 2 seconds or less, no fade | ARDOT regulations, Section 7 |
| Digital spacing | 1,500 ft on Interstates; 1,000 ft on other state highways | ARDOT regulations, Section 7 |
| Digital brightness | No number; cut it within 24 hours if ARDOT asks | ARDOT regulations, Section 7 |
| Build deadline | 120 days after the permit is issued | ARDOT regulations |
A standard 14 x 48 foot bulletin is 672 square feet. It fits every limit above. FSA means the 1972 federal-state agreement.
What are the digital billboard rules?
ARDOT calls them electronic message devices. The rules in Section 7 are:
- Each message holds at least 8 seconds.
- The change takes 2 seconds or less.
- No fade, dissolve, flashing, scrolling or animation.
- Only one digital display per facing, and it is the only sign on that facing.
- The sign must freeze if it breaks, and ARDOT needs an on-call contact.
- If ARDOT says a sign is too bright, you have 24 hours to dim it.
- Digital signs facing the same way sit 1,500 feet apart on Interstates.
- On other state highways, they sit 1,000 feet apart.
- To convert a legal sign, you need ARDOT's approval first.
Arkansas's 8 seconds matches the figure FHWA recommended in 2007.
What does a permit cost?
These are the fees on ARDOT's pricing sheet, checked October 12, 2026. The sheet has no date. The file was last saved May 31, 2024.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application, per sign | $40 |
| Renewal, Class A tag (odd-numbered years) | $20 |
| Renewal, Class B tag (even-numbered years) | $30 |
Class A is for conforming signs. Class B is for nonconforming signs. Renewals are due by December 31. ARDOT sends a notice by December 1. If you miss December 31, it sends a second notice and allows until January 31. Then it sends a certified notice, and you get 30 more days. After that the sign must come down. Keep your mailing address current. Late fees are not posted; ask.
Do you need a license or bond?
ARDOT's program page and application list no operator license and no bond for a billboard permit. The application asks for a W-9. Only the tree permit needs a bond.
Can you cut trees in front of a sign?
Yes, with a permit from ARDOT's Restore Property Visibility Policy. It is issued by the district permit officer.
- It covers legal off-premise signs, conforming or not. It does not cover illegal signs.
- The fee is $160 per site, and it is not refunded.
- You need $1 million in liability insurance.
- You need a $1,000 performance bond per site. A standing bond can run up to $50,000.
- Allowed work is mowing, trimming, pruning and selective removal.
- The goal is to match the height of the nearby landscape.
- ARDOT can add $250 a day for an inspector if a safety plan is needed.
ARDOT's page sets no length limit. Ask.
What about nonconforming signs?
A nonconforming sign was legal when built but fails today's rules. It gets a Class B permit.
Normal upkeep is fine. You can change the ad, replace trim and repair broken parts. You may shrink the face. You may not raise or lower the sign, or enlarge it past its permitted size. You may not add lights unless you sign a written promise. It gives up payment for the lights if the sign is ever removed. ARDOT will not let you rebuild a wrecked nonconforming sign built after Act 640 took effect in 1967. ARDOT can pull a permit for disrepair or false answers on the form. The state must pay just compensation when law forces a lawful sign to come down.
Do you need a local permit too?
Often. ARDOT's form asks for a city building or sign permit if one is needed. It must be dated within 30 days. You also certify that the sign meets all city, county and state rules.
One point is unclear. ARDOT's booklet says no state permit is needed for signs in areas with comprehensive zoning. The Arkansas Supreme Court held that this applies only where ARDOT has certified the local zoning to FHWA. Ask ARDOT before you skip a permit.
Has anything changed since 2024?
ARDOT posted new county route maps in 2024. It revised its billboard application in 2025. We found no change in fees, spacing or size in the rules ARDOT posts. Those rules are a PDF dated January 2022.
How do you apply for a billboard permit in Arkansas?
- Check the route on ARDOT's county map book, and check the scenic byway map.
- Confirm the zoning, or find a business within 600 feet.
- Get the landowner's written permission.
- Mark the site with a stake or flag. ARDOT sends an inspector.
- Draw a diagram or save a satellite image with distances to nearby routes.
- Get a zoning letter if the land is zoned, and a city permit if one is needed.
- Mail the application, a W-9 and a $40 check or money order.
- Build within 120 days. ARDOT then inspects and puts a decal on the sign.
Read how to start a billboard business for the steps before a permit.
Other state billboard permit guides
This is a summary, not legal advice. Check with the agency before you build or sign.
Questions people ask
Who issues billboard permits in Arkansas?
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) does, through the Beautification Section of its Right of Way Division in Little Rock. The phone is 501-569-2088.
How much does an Arkansas billboard permit cost?
$40 to apply. Renewal every two years is $20 for a Class A permit and $30 for Class B, which is for nonconforming signs.
How far apart must billboards be in Arkansas?
500 feet on Interstates and freeways. On other primary roads it is 300 feet outside cities and 100 feet inside.
How big can a billboard be in Arkansas?
One sign on a facing can be up to 1,200 square feet, 25 feet high and 60 feet long. Two signs on one facing can be 550 square feet each.
What are Arkansas's digital billboard rules?
Each message must hold at least 8 seconds, and the change takes 2 seconds or less with no fading. Digital signs must be 1,500 feet apart on Interstates and 1,000 feet apart on other state highways.
Can I cut trees in front of my billboard in Arkansas?
Only with an ARDOT Restore Property Visibility Policy permit. It costs $160 per site and needs $1 million in insurance and a $1,000 bond.
Sources
- 01Beautification Section · Arkansas Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 02Regulations for Control of Outdoor Advertising (PDF posted by ARDOT, file dated Jan. 2022) · Arkansas Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 03Beautification Pricing Information (undated; file saved May 31, 2024) · Arkansas Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 04Billboard Sign Permit Application (rev. 2025) · Arkansas Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 05Statewide Scenic Byways: Prohibited Routes for Billboard Construction · Arkansas Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 06Restore Property Visibility Policy (RPVP) Permit · Arkansas Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 07Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department v. Lamar Advantage Holding Co., 2011 Ark. 195 (quotes Ark. Code Ann. 27-74-101 to -502) · Arkansas Supreme Court, via Justia · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 08Arkansas Federal/State Agreement on outdoor advertising (Jan. 24, 1972) · FHWA · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 0923 U.S.C. 131, Control of outdoor advertising · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 10Guidance on Off-Premise Changeable Message Signs (Sept. 25, 2007) · FHWA · accessed Oct 12, 2026
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Published Oct 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · How we check facts