Building and permits · Permits by state
Billboard Permits in Michigan: Cap, Interim Permits and Fees
By Gabie Research · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Short answer
In Michigan, MDOT's Highway Advertising Program issues billboard permits, but it has issued no new ones since January 1, 2007. To build, you must surrender an old permit for an interim permit. A static face costs $100 to apply for and $50 or $80 a year to renew. Signs must be 1,000 feet apart on Interstates.
- The Highway Advertising Act caps permits. Since 2007, a new sign needs an interim permit from a sign that came down.
- An interim permit costs $80 a year. It can be used anywhere in Michigan and can be transferred.
- A static face is $100 to apply for and $50 or $80 a year to renew. A digital face is $200 and $200.
- Spacing is 1,000 feet on Interstates and freeways and 500 feet on other primary roads.
- Digital faces hold 8 seconds, change in 1, dim to 0.3 foot-candles and sit 1,750 feet apart.
MDOT issues billboard permits in Michigan, but it has a cap. Since January 1, 2007, it issues no new regular permit. To build, you take down a permitted sign and swap its permit for an interim permit. A static face costs $100 to apply for. Signs on Interstates must be 1,000 feet apart.
Who issues billboard permits in Michigan?
The Michigan Department of Transportation runs the Highway Advertising Program. The phone is 517-335-2209.
You apply and pay online through the MDOT Permit Gateway. You need a MiLogin account. MDOT says it processes a complete application in 30 days. If MDOT denies an application, you have 60 days to ask for a hearing.
The law is the Highway Advertising Act of 1972, Act 106, MCL 252.301 and after. MDOT's rules are R 247.701 to R 247.748.
How do the permit cap and interim permits work?
The cap is in MCL 252.307a. MDOT may not issue an annual permit for a new sign. Permits issued before 2007 stay valid. Here is the only normal way to a new site:
- Take down a sign that has a valid permit.
- Surrender the permit and tell MDOT in writing.
- MDOT checks the removal within 30 days. If it stays silent, the removal is deemed done.
- MDOT issues an interim permit.
- You use the interim permit to apply online for a new location.
- After you build, MDOT issues a regular annual permit.
An interim permit is not tied to a place. You can use it anywhere in Michigan. It never expires, but you pay $80 a year. It can be transferred to another owner. It can only be used to build. It can't be used where trees over 8 feet tall stand. It can't be used where trees were cut without leave.
Faces count. Two permits on a two-face sign give two interim permits for one two-face sign. You can't turn them into two single-face signs. A sign with more than two faces yields at most two interim permits. A single-face permit gives one.
Some permits are outside the cap. These include small service club and religious signs, directional signs and a few own-business signs. A sign whose road changes status also gets one.
Where can a billboard go?
A sign must sit in a business area. That means land zoned for commerce or industry, in a city, village or charter township. It also means land within 1 mile of those limits. Farther out, the site needs a permanent business building. The area runs 800 feet past each end of it. Unzoned land follows the same 800 foot test. The business must have run for 2 years.
The sign can't sit on state right-of-way or farther than 660 feet from it. It needs the landowner's consent. Michigan bars new signs along scenic byways.
Michigan billboard rules at a glance
| Rule | Michigan limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Spacing, Interstates and freeways | 1,000 ft, same side | MCL 252.317(1) |
| Spacing, other primary roads | 500 ft | MCL 252.317(2) |
| Interchanges, rest areas (outside towns) | No sign within 500 ft | MCL 252.317(6) |
| Unzoned area | 800 ft past each edge of the business | MCL 252.302 |
| Maximum face, counties under 425,000 people | 1,200 sq ft | MCL 252.315(1) |
| Maximum face, counties of 425,000 or more | Up to 6,500 sq ft if MDOT finds it customary | MCL 252.315(1) |
| Displays per side | Two; stacked signs banned since March 23, 1999 | MCL 252.315 |
| Overall height | No limit in the Act | MCL 252.315 |
| Digital hold time | One change per 8 seconds | MCL 252.318(h) |
| Digital change time | 1 second or less | MCL 252.318(h) |
| Digital spacing | 1,750 ft from another digital sign | MCL 252.317(3) |
| Digital brightness | 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light | MCL 252.318(h) |
| Decision time | 30 days for a complete application | MDOT permit page |
Old guides may say 500 feet on Interstates. That is the 1972 federal agreement. The state law is stricter, and it rules. A standard 14 x 48 foot bulletin is 672 square feet.
What are the digital billboard rules?
A digital face needs a digital billboard permit on top of the annual permit. The rules:
- A message changes no more than once every 8 seconds.
- The change takes 1 second or less.
- No animation, scrolling, flashing or moving light.
- The sign must dim itself to 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light. The test distance is 150 to 350 feet, by face size.
- It must freeze on a still message if it breaks.
- A digital sign must be 1,750 feet from any other digital sign.
- Nonconforming signs can't go digital.
- An owner of a nonstandard sign must surrender 3 interim permits to go digital.
MDOT can order a fix within 24 hours. A first violation costs $100 a day. A repeat costs $1,000 a day. An older rule limits "changing illumination" to cities over 35,000 people. Ask MDOT how it applies to digital faces. Michigan's 8 seconds matches the figure FHWA recommended in 2007.
What does a permit cost?
These fees are from MDOT's permit page, checked October 12, 2026. They match the Act.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application, static face (first year) | $100 |
| Application, digital face (first year) | $200 |
| Renewal, up to 300 sq ft | $50 |
| Renewal, over 300 sq ft | $80 |
| Renewal, digital face | $200 |
| Interim permit renewal | $80 |
| Late renewal | $50 extra |
| Transfer | $100 per permit, up to $500 |
| Service club or religious sign, 8 sq ft or less | No charge |
MDOT's page adds a $2 processing fee. It calls the $100 fee paper and the $200 fee digital. The Act ties them to the sign type, not how you file. Fees are not refunded. Each face needs its own permit. Put the permit number on the sign within 3 business days, or face a $250 penalty after notice.
If you miss renewal, MDOT can cancel the permit 60 days after it expires.
Do you need a license or bond?
No. Michigan asks for no operator license or bond. The old bond rule was repealed in 1976.
Can you trim trees in front of a sign?
Only with a billboard vegetation management permit, filed in the MDOT Permit Gateway. Cutting without one is a misdemeanor. The penalty is up to 30 days in jail. The fine is $10,000 or 5 times the trees' value, whichever is more. You also lose the right to a permit for 3 years.
- The Act set the application fee at $150 and the permit fee at $500. MDOT adjusts both each year. MDOT's page does not post the current amounts; ask.
- You also pay the value of the trees and meet MDOT's mitigation terms.
- MDOT must decide within 90 days.
- A permit gives at least 5 seconds of clear view at the posted speed.
- MDOT can deny a permit on a scenic route set before 2007. It can also deny one if the trees were over 8 feet when the sign was built.
- Regrowth within 5 years costs only the application fee.
What about nonconforming signs?
A nonconforming sign was legal when built but could not be built today. It may stay unless it is destroyed, abandoned or prohibited. Blank for more than a year means abandoned.
Yearly upkeep can't top 40% of the cost of a new structure. After a storm or fire, repairs can reach 60%. You may not enlarge, raise, move or electrify it. A "nonstandard" sign broke only the old spacing rule. It can stay, but it can't get taller, bigger or have more than 2 faces. The state must pay just compensation to remove a lawful sign.
Do you need a local permit too?
Often. Michigan lets counties, cities, villages and townships set their own rules on operation, size, lighting and spacing. A stricter local rule stands. A town can't allow a sign the Act bans. You still need the state permit. MDOT asks for a zoning certification (Form 3700).
Has anything changed since 2024?
We found no change. The Act's last amendment on the Legislature's site is 2014 Act 2. MDOT takes all applications and payments through its Permit Gateway.
How do you apply for a billboard permit in Michigan?
- Hold an interim permit. Get one by removing a permitted sign.
- Check the road on MDOT's billboard location map.
- Confirm the zoning, or find a business that meets the 800 foot test.
- Get the landowner's signed acknowledgment (Form 2495).
- Draw the Permit Sketch (Form UP-68) and get Form 3700 for zoning.
- File online in the MDOT Permit Gateway and pay.
- Put the permit number on the sign within 3 business days of building.
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 Michigan?
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) does, through its Highway Advertising Program. You apply online through the MDOT Permit Gateway. Questions go to 517-335-2209.
Can you still get a new billboard permit in Michigan?
Not a regular one. Since January 1, 2007, MDOT issues a new annual permit only for narrow cases. To build a sign, you surrender the permit from a sign that came down and get an interim permit.
How much does a Michigan billboard permit cost?
A static face costs $100 to apply for. Renewal is $50 up to 300 square feet and $80 above that. A digital face is $200 to apply and $200 a year. An interim permit renews for $80.
How far apart must billboards be in Michigan?
1,000 feet on Interstates and freeways and 500 feet on other primary roads. A digital sign must be 1,750 feet from any other digital sign.
What are Michigan's digital billboard rules?
A digital face needs its own permit. A message can change once every 8 seconds, and the change takes 1 second or less. Brightness can't top 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light.
Can I trim trees in front of my billboard in Michigan?
Only with an MDOT billboard vegetation management permit. Cutting without one is a misdemeanor with fines up to $10,000 or 5 times the trees' value.
Sources
- 01Highway Advertising (Billboards) · Michigan Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 02Commercial sign/billboard permit process · Michigan Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 03Billboard vegetation management · Michigan Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 04Highway Advertising Act of 1972, Act 106 of 1972 (MCL 252.301 to 252.324) · Michigan Legislature · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 05Michigan Federal/State Agreement on outdoor advertising (Mar. 30, 1972) · FHWA · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 0623 U.S.C. 131, Control of outdoor advertising · Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 07Guidance 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