Miami‑Dade amends sign code to ease removal of nonconforming billboards, adds local limits

Miami‑Dade County’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee on Oct. 27 approved an ordinance amending Miami‑Dade County Code sections 33‑84 and 33‑107 to ease removal of legally nonconforming billboards and to revise the definition and placement rules for replacement poster boards.

The ordinance changes the poster board height in the county code from 10 feet to 12 feet — the industry standard for the smaller poster‑style signs — and removes a strict 600‑foot limitation that had required replacement poster boards to be sited within 600 feet of the nonconforming billboard being removed when no permissible zoning existed within that distance. The vote passed 3–2.

The change applies only to Class C sign structures and is framed as a one‑for‑one replacement policy: owners may replace a legally nonconforming billboard with a smaller poster board located in a conforming zoning district when the 600‑foot rule prevents finding an acceptable replacement site closer to the original. The ordinance keeps public‑hearing requirements and other county siting and height limits in place.

Clear Channel Outdoor representative Michelle Vilvall told the committee the 10‑by‑24 foot poster board size in the existing code appears to have been an oversight when the ordinance was adopted in 2022 and that 12 by 24 feet is the industry standard for the smaller poster boards now in use. “The proposed ordinance…revises the definition of a poster board to increase the height from 10 feet to 12 feet. 12 feet is the industry standard,” Vilvall said during the presentation.

Sponsor Commissioner Bermudez said the amendment is intended as a corrective measure, not a proliferation measure, and described it as a cleanup item that will help the county effectuate the policy of removing certain grandfathered billboards. “This is about trying… to make these nonconforming, conforming,” Bermudez said, adding the replacement location must be conforming and that municipalities will still retain discretion for properties within their boundaries.

Several members raised concerns about unintended consequences. Commissioner Steinberg said she supported the cleanup intent but was not comfortable yet because of remaining uncertainties about enforcement and how many applications might follow. Vice Chairwoman Higgins cautioned that digital poster boards can cause light and noise impacts in residential areas and said she preferred limiting changes that could increase impacts near housing.

Committee members adopted several friendly amendments before the final vote. The amendments, restated for the record, require that replacement poster boards be sited within the same county commission district as the billboard being removed, establish a 60‑day timeline for removing the original nonconforming billboard after the replacement poster board receives a permit, and require that any replacement located outside the originating commission district be subject to a public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners (or an equivalent variance/appeal process). The committee also directed staff to draft language to limit applications during the redistricting period so a replacement application cannot land in a new district mid‑process.

Committee members emphasized that the ordinance still requires replacement poster boards be placed in conforming zoning districts and that municipalities retain authority for properties within their jurisdictions. The sponsor and industry representatives said the change is necessary because, under the 600‑foot rule, they had not been able to find conforming replacement sites for some grandfathered structures.

Outcome: Ordinance passed by committee, 3–2. The measure will proceed to the Board of County Commissioners for further consideration consistent with county legislative procedure.

Context: The committee’s discussion referenced an earlier county sign ordinance adopted in November 2022 that allowed replacement of legally nonconforming billboards with smaller poster boards but — according to presenters and the sponsor — did not yield any successful replacements because of the strict 600‑foot placement constraint and the mis‑specified poster height in the code.

What to watch next: The Board of County Commissioners will consider the ordinance and the committee’s amendments. If approved, applicants seeking replacement poster board permits will be required to comply with the new district and teardown timelines and with existing county siting, spacing and illumination rules.