Building and permits · Permits by state
Billboard Permits in Tennessee: Rules, Spacing and Fees
By Gabie Research · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Short answer
In Tennessee, TDOT's Right-of-Way Division issues billboard permits through its Outdoor Advertising Office in Nashville. A new permit costs $200 per face, and it renews each year. Signs must be 1,000 feet apart on Interstates and other controlled-access roads. Faces are capped at 775 square feet, or up to 1,200 in counties over 250,000 people.
- TDOT's Outdoor Advertising Office in Nashville issues one permit and metal tag per face.
- A new permit is $200 per face. Renewal is due each year, November 1 to December 31.
- Spacing is 1,000 feet on Interstates and controlled-access roads, and from interchanges outside cities.
- Faces top out at 775 square feet, or a county standard up to 1,200 in counties over 250,000 people.
- Digital messages hold 8 seconds, and digital signs sit 2,000 feet apart on controlled-access roads.
TDOT issues billboard permits in Tennessee. You need one permit and one metal tag for each sign face. A new permit costs $200, and you renew it each year. Signs on Interstates must be 1,000 feet apart.
Who issues billboard permits in Tennessee?
The state Department of Transportation runs the Outdoor Advertising Control Program. Its Right-of-Way Division has an Outdoor Advertising Office. The office is in the Tennessee Tower, 11th Floor, 312 Rosa L. Parks Ave., Nashville.
There is no online filing. You hand-deliver or mail the application. TDOT does not take faxed or emailed forms.
The law is the Outdoor Advertising Control Act of 2020. It replaced the 1972 act. The rules are in TDOT Rule Chapter 1680-06-03. They took this number in May 2024. Older guides cite them as 1680-02-03.
Which roads need a state permit?
The state controls signs along Interstates and primary roads. Primary roads include the National Highway System. They also include the federal-aid primary system as it stood on June 1, 1991. That list follows federal law, 23 U.S.C. 131.
The control zone is 660 feet from the edge of the right-of-way. Outside urban areas, control also reaches farther signs built to be read from the road. Those are limited to the types federal law allows, such as on-site and directional signs. TDOT counts a sign as visible if half or more of its face can be seen. Check your site on TDOT's regulated route map.
Some roads ban billboards outright:
- I-440 in Davidson County
- I-640 in Knox County
- Part of I-26 in Sullivan and Washington counties
- Part of State Route 840 in Williamson County
Scenic highways and parkways are also strict. Outside city limits, signs can't go within 2,000 feet of them.
Where can a billboard go?
A sign must sit in a zoned or unzoned business or industrial area. Zoned land counts if the local government has comprehensive zoning. Spot zoning, strip zoning and variances made for a sign don't count.
Unzoned land counts if it has one working business. The business needs a permanent building with utilities. It must run at least 5 days a week for 10 months a year. The area then runs 600 feet out from the edge of the business, in each direction. On Interstates and controlled-access roads, it does not reach across the road.
Tennessee billboard rules at a glance
| Rule | Tennessee limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Control zone | 660 ft from the right-of-way; farther outside urban areas | T.C.A. 54-21-102, 54-21-108 |
| Spacing, Interstates and controlled-access roads | 1,000 ft, same side of the road | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(f) |
| Interchanges (outside cities) | No sign within 1,000 ft | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(f) |
| Spacing, other primary roads outside cities | 500 ft | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(f) |
| Spacing, other primary roads inside cities | 100 ft | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(f) |
| Scenic highways and parkways | No sign within 2,000 ft, outside cities | T.C.A. 54-17-108, 54-17-205 |
| Unzoned business area | 600 ft from the edge of a business, each direction | Rule 1680-06-03-.02(36) |
| Maximum face area | 775 sq ft; a 60 x 30 ft face is not allowed | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(d) |
| Counties over 250,000 people | County standard size, up to 1,200 sq ft | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(d) |
| Face height or length | 30 ft high or 60 ft long | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(d) |
| Stacked faces | No new ones since July 1, 2001 | Rule 1680-06-03-.03(1)(d) |
| Setback | Not on the right-of-way; no set distance published | Rule 1680-06-03-.04(4) |
| Digital hold time | At least 8 seconds | T.C.A. 54-21-119(b) |
| Digital change time | 2 seconds or less | T.C.A. 54-21-119(b) |
| Digital spacing | 2,000 ft, same side and direction, controlled-access roads | T.C.A. 54-21-119(b) |
| Digital brightness | 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light | T.C.A. 54-21-119(h) |
| New permit and tag | $200 per face | T.C.A. 54-21-104(b) |
| Annual renewal | Due each year on TDOT's renewal form | T.C.A. 54-21-104(c) |
| Late renewal | $200 total | T.C.A. 54-21-104(c) |
| Build deadline | 180 days after the permit is issued | Rule 1680-06-03-.04(4)(a) |
A standard 14 x 48 foot bulletin is 672 square feet. It fits under the 775 square foot cap.
What are the digital billboard rules?
The 2020 act wrote the digital rules into law:
- Each message holds at least 8 seconds.
- The change takes 2 seconds or less.
- No video, scrolling or animation.
- Digital signs sit 2,000 feet apart on the same side of a controlled-access road.
- Brightness can't top 0.3 foot-candles over the light around it.
- Signs put up since July 1, 2014, must dim on their own.
The brightness test distance depends on face size. It runs from 150 feet for small faces to 350 feet for the largest.
To make a sign digital, file the digital display addendum. Confirm the addendum fee with TDOT before you file. You then have 12 months to build. Nonconforming signs and sites may not qualify. Confirm with TDOT.
Tennessee's 8 seconds matches the figure FHWA recommended in 2007.
What does a permit cost?
A new permit and tag cost $200 per face. That also pays for the first year. TDOT keeps the fee if it denies the permit. It refunds the fee if it returns an incomplete application.
Renewal is due each year on TDOT's renewal form. Renew between November 1 and December 31. Miss it and the permit can be voided. A late renewal costs $200 in total, paid within 120 days of the notice.
Other fees: $25 for a new tag and $10 to transfer a permit. Breaking the sign law can bring fines of $500 a day, up to $5,000 a year.
Can you cut trees in front of a sign?
Yes, with a permit from TDOT's vegetation control program. You can't cut first and ask later.
- The fee is $100 per face to apply and $150 per face for supervision.
- A yearly maintenance permit costs $50.
- You need a bond of $5,000 per permit and liability insurance.
- The rule caps the cut area at 500 feet. The law speaks of up to 500 yards of view. Check with the agency.
- Trees that blocked the view when the sign went up can't be cut.
- You must submit a replanting plan.
- TDOT aims to decide within 30 days. The work must be done within a year.
Cutting without a permit can cost you new permits or your current ones.
What about nonconforming signs?
A nonconforming sign was legal when built but fails today's rules. You may replace the face and stringers in like materials. You may replace up to half the poles, once in 24 months. You may not move it, raise it, make it bigger or add lights.
The sign is destroyed if 60% of wood uprights are damaged. For metal, the test is 30% of each support's height. A destroyed nonconforming sign must come down. Vandalism is the exception. Signs that were legal under older rules may stay until the state pays to remove them.
Do you need a local permit too?
Check with your city or county. State law does not make you get local approval first. TDOT's form asks only for the current zoning. The state's federal agreement lets local governments set stricter rules.
How do you apply for a billboard permit in Tennessee?
- Check the road on TDOT's regulated route map.
- Confirm the zoning, or find a qualifying business for unzoned land.
- Get the landowner to sign TDOT's notarized property owner affidavit.
- Get a recent property record from the county assessor.
- Draw a map showing property lines, the right-of-way and access that avoids state land.
- Mark the site with a stake at least 4 feet tall that names you.
- File Form DT-0266, one per face, with the $200 fee.
- TDOT tells you within 15 days if anything is missing. You get 15 days to fix it.
- TDOT aims to decide within 60 days. It then inspects the site.
- Build within 180 days and put the metal tag where drivers can see it.
Read how to start a billboard business for the steps before a permit. See billboard lease rates for what landowners get paid.
Other state billboard permit guides
- Billboard permits: the national overview
- Texas
- Florida
- Georgia
- California
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- New York
This is a summary, not legal advice. Check with the agency before you build or sign.
Questions people ask
Who issues billboard permits in Tennessee?
The Tennessee Department of Transportation does, through the Outdoor Advertising Office in its Right-of-Way Division. The office is in the Tennessee Tower in Nashville.
How much does a Tennessee billboard permit cost?
$200 per sign face for a new permit and tag, which covers the first year. Renewal is due each year on TDOT's renewal form. A late renewal costs $200 in total.
How far apart must billboards be in Tennessee?
1,000 feet on the same side of an Interstate or other controlled-access road. On other primary roads it is 500 feet outside cities and 100 feet inside.
How big can a billboard be in Tennessee?
775 square feet, up to 30 feet high or 60 feet long. Counties with more than 250,000 people can use their own standard size, up to 1,200 square feet.
What are Tennessee's digital billboard rules?
Each message must hold at least 8 seconds and change in 2 seconds or less. Brightness can't exceed 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light, and digital signs sit 2,000 feet apart on controlled-access roads.
Can I cut trees in front of my billboard in Tennessee?
Only with a TDOT vegetation control permit. It costs $100 per face to apply plus a $150 supervision fee, with a bond and insurance.
Sources
- 01Outdoor Advertising Control Program · Tennessee Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 02Rules of the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Chapter 1680-06-03, Outdoor Advertising (eff. May 14, 2024) · Tennessee Secretary of State · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 03Public Chapter 706 (2020), Outdoor Advertising Control Act of 2020 · Tennessee Secretary of State · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 04Form DT-0266, Outdoor Advertising New Device Permit Application (Dec. 2025) · Tennessee Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 05Form DT-1744, Addendum Application for Digital Display (Dec. 2025) · Tennessee Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 06Vegetation Control Program · Tennessee Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 07Outdoor Advertising Regulated Route Map · Tennessee Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 0823 U.S.C. 131, Control of outdoor advertising · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 8, 2026
- 09Guidance on Off-Premise Changeable Message Signs (Sept. 25, 2007) · FHWA · accessed Oct 8, 2026
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Published Oct 8, 2026 · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · How we check facts