Building and permits · Guide
Cost to Build a Billboard: Static, Poster, Digital (2026)
By Gabie Research · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · 10 min read
Short answer
Building a new 14' x 48' steel bulletin cost about $80,000 to $112,000 in 2025 reports. A 12' x 25' poster structure costs about $30,000 to $54,000. A new digital board costs about $260,000 to $351,000 with the screen. Steel is up 42% in a year, so new quotes may run higher. The land lease is rent, not a build cost.
- A 14' x 48' steel bulletin cost $80,000 to $112,000 in 2025 builder reports. North Carolina's tax guide prices the same steel and concrete at $72,670 to $145,130, by height.
- A 12' x 25' poster structure runs about $30,000 to $54,100. Six in ten Billboard Insider readers spent over $40,000.
- A new digital board costs $260,000 (OUTFRONT's average) to $351,000 (a Billboard Insider example). The screen alone was $250,000 in that example.
- Steel is 55% to 65% of a static build, and steel prices are up 42% in a year (Billboard Insider, August 2026).
- State permit fees are small: $225 to $625 per face in Ohio, $300 plus $71 a face in Florida. The land lease is yearly rent, about 17% of revenue at Lamar.
A new 14' x 48' steel bulletin cost about $80,000 to $112,000 to build in 2025. A poster structure costs less. A digital board costs far more. Most public numbers cover only part of the job. So this guide breaks each board into line items, and each figure names its source. Where sources disagree, we show the range and both sources.
How much does it cost to build a billboard?
Here is the short answer for one board. Each range comes from the tables below.
| Board | Published range | Where the range comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 12' x 25' poster structure | $30,000 to $54,100 | A reader estimate up to a tax-guide cost at 41 to 55 feet |
| 14' x 48' static bulletin | $72,670 to $112,000, and up to $145,130 over 80 feet | A tax-guide cost at 20 feet up to a builder report at 55 feet |
| 14' x 48' digital, new build | $260,000 to $351,000 | OUTFRONT's average and a Billboard Insider example |
| Digital conversion of a standing structure | About $200,000 | Lamar's CEO, Nov 2024 |
Sources: Billboard Insider, North Carolina Department of Revenue, OUTFRONT 10-K, Billboard Insider on Lamar.
Steel prices moved up in 2026. Billboard Insider reported in August that steel prices were up 42% over the past year. A 50% federal tariff on imported steel is still in place (Billboard Insider). Steel makes up 55% to 65% of a static build. Treat the 2025 figures below as a floor.
What does a static bulletin cost, line by line?
A bulletin is the large board on a highway. The common size is 14' x 48'. These are the public figures for the steel, the footing and the lights.
| Line item | Cost | What is in it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel, foundation, catwalk and lights, single face | $72,670 to $145,130 | Tax guide cost to replace a center-mount monopole; low end is 20 feet tall or less, high end over 80 feet | NC Dept. of Revenue, 2026 |
| Same, double face | $78,960 to $160,880 | Same guide, same heights | NC Dept. of Revenue, 2026 |
| Steel fabricator | $75,000 | Example build; 50% at order, 50% at delivery | Billboard Insider, Jan 2026 |
| Builder report, steel I-beams, 60 feet, two faces | $87,000 | Three-man crew, crane, welder, drilled footings, concrete, permits and survey | Billboard Insider, Mar 2025 |
| Builder report, monopole, 55 feet, two faces | $112,000 | Two cranes, a footing 5 feet wide and 33 feet deep, concrete, three LED lights per side, permits and survey; no land lease | Billboard Insider, Mar 2025 |
| Reader poll, steel monopole | $80,000 to $100,000 | One in three readers; the poll did not list what was included | Billboard Insider, Feb 2025 |
The figures look far apart, but height explains most of the gap. North Carolina's guide puts a double-face monopole at 41 to 55 feet at $109,310. The builder report for a 55-foot double-face monopole was $112,000. Those two agree. The $72,670 figure is for a board 20 feet tall or less.
Billboard Insider's own first estimate was $80,000. Its readers then said a third of them spend $80,000 to $100,000. About as many spend more as spend less.
North Carolina's guide is a tax tool. It prices what it would cost to rebuild a board, not what a builder will bid. It still gives a clean ladder by size and height.
What does a poster structure cost?
A poster is the smaller board in towns. The common steel size in these sources is 12' x 25', or 300 square feet.
| Structure | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Steel monopole, Billboard Insider's estimate | $30,000 | Billboard Insider, Feb 2025 |
| Steel monopole, reader poll | Six in ten spent over $40,000; one in three spent over $50,000 | Billboard Insider, Feb 2025 |
| Single-face steel monopole, tax guide | $35,580 at 20 feet or less, up to $54,100 at 41 to 55 feet | NC Dept. of Revenue, 2026 |
| Single-face steel A-frame, tax guide | $27,410 at 20 feet or less, up to $36,270 at 31 to 40 feet | NC Dept. of Revenue, 2026 |
| Single-face wood A-frame, tax guide | $10,640 at 20 feet or less, up to $15,480 at 41 to 55 feet | NC Dept. of Revenue, 2026 |
Here the sources disagree. The $30,000 estimate sits below what six in ten readers paid. The tax guide's monopole costs start at $35,580 and rise with height. A reader who spent $40,000 to $50,000 is in line with both.
Wood is cheap, but it does not last as long. North Carolina's guide uses a 25-year life for wood and a 50-year life for steel.
What does a digital billboard cost to build?
A new digital board needs a steel structure, a screen, power and a permit. Billboard Insider laid out one example in January 2026. It was a two-sided digital billboard on a steel structure. The amounts are the publication's own, not a poll.
| Line item | Cost | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Permit | $1,000 | Before the permit is issued |
| Steel structure | $75,000 | 50% at order, 50% at delivery |
| Digital display from the maker | $250,000 | 50% at order, 50% on arrival |
| Installer | $15,000 | When the work is done |
| Electrician and lighting | $10,000 | In steps, or at the end |
| Legal fees | Not given | Billed monthly |
| Total of the listed lines | $351,000 | Our sum |
Source: Billboard Insider. The article says you must fund this several months before the board earns cash.
Other public figures give a different number. They conflict, so here are all of them.
| Source | Figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| OUTFRONT 10-K, 2025 | About $260,000 | Average first investment per digital billboard |
| Lamar's CEO, Nov 2024 | A little over $200,000 | A digital unit that replaces a static one |
| Billboard Insider, Feb 2025 | $200,000 | Assumed cost in its 14' x 48' conversion example |
| Billboard Insider, Feb 2025 | $80,000 | Assumed extra cost in its small-market 10' x 30' example |
Sources: OUTFRONT 10-K, Billboard Insider, Lamar 10-K, Lamar Q4 call, Billboard Insider on conversions. Lamar's 10-K shows $90.9 million of digital spending in 2025. That is all of its digital work, not the cost of one board.
Why the gap? A conversion reuses steel that already stands. A new build pays for steel too. OUTFRONT's filing does not say what its $260,000 includes. Ask every maker for a quote that lists each part.
Screen makers do not post prices. Daktronics and Watchfire both ask you to request a quote. Pricing is on request. Daktronics lists four standard LED sizes:
- 11' x 22' poster
- 10'6" x 36' junior bulletin
- 14' x 48' bulletin
- 20' x 60' spectacular
Watchfire lists a five-year standard warranty and a ten-year parts promise. Ask what each quote includes for service after the warranty ends.
See digital billboard cost for running costs and revenue.
What drives the steel and foundation cost?
Site and wind matter more than most buyers expect. Builders who wrote to Billboard Insider in 2025 gave these rules of thumb (Billboard Insider).
- Wind. The usual code wind load is 115 mph. In south Florida it is 175 mph, and the same sign costs about twice as much.
- Soil. Poor soil can make the foundation three to four times costlier than a normal one.
- Height. "Do not build any taller than absolutely necessary."
- Shape. Build straight back to back, not in a V, when you can.
- Your own crew. One operator said its own crews save about $20,000 per structure.
We found no public source that prices stamped engineering plans alone. Builders fold them into the structure quote. Ask for engineering and survey as their own line.
What does the electrical work cost?
A static board needs lights and a power line. A digital board needs much more. The $112,000 builder report above includes three LED lights per side with conduit and wiring. Billboard Insider's digital example lists $10,000 for the electrician and lighting.
Running power is a yearly cost. Daktronics gave a power figure in 2022. A 14' x 48' digital board uses 24,000 to 28,000 kWh a year (Billboard Insider). Business power averaged 14.53 cents per kWh in July 2026 (EIA). By our math, that is about $3,490 to $4,070 a year. Daktronics says its 2025 urban model cuts yearly operating cost by 30% (Billboard Insider).
We found no public figure for a new utility line to a remote site. Ask the power company for a quote before you sign a lease.
What do permits cost?
State fees are small next to the steel. A digital face often costs more to permit. These are the fees in four states.
| State | Static face | Digital face | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | $225 to apply; $125 to renew every two years | $625 to apply; $325 to renew every two years | Ohio Admin. Code 5501:2-2-05 |
| Florida | $300 license a year, plus $71 a year for each face | No separate digital fee in the rule | Fla. Admin. Code 14-10.0043 |
| Georgia | $300 to apply; $85 a year to renew | $0 to revise a permit for a digital conversion | GDOT fee schedule |
| Illinois | $50, $100 or $200 by face size; the permit lasts as long as the structure | Listed by size only | IDOT application and compliance pages |
Sources: Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and its compliance page. Georgia's schedule is dated 2016 and is still the one on the agency's site.
Cities and counties add zoning, building and electrical fees. They set their own, so ask each one. See billboard permits for the rules by state. This is a summary, not legal advice. Check with the agency before you build or sign.
What does the land lease cost?
The lease is not a build cost. It is rent, and you pay it every year. Public operators show what that rent looks like.
| Operator | Yearly ground rent | Share of billboard revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Lamar | About $348.1 million on about 71,500 leased sites, or about $4,870 a site | About 17% |
| OUTFRONT | $446.6 million of billboard property lease expense | About 32%, by our math |
Sources: Lamar 10-K, OUTFRONT 10-K. Lamar also owns about 11,200 parcels under its boards. OUTFRONT's leases average 8 years.
Big-city sites cost more rent than small-town sites. See billboard lease rates for terms and what to check.
How should you read a builder's quote?
Two quotes for the same size board can differ by tens of thousands of dollars. They often cover different things. The two builder reports above are $25,000 apart. One total included permits and a survey. A tax guide includes the foundation. Before you compare, ask each builder to list these items.
- Steel, and who delivers it
- Foundation and the soil test behind it
- Stamped engineering plans and the survey
- Lights, wiring and the power hookup
- Crane time and the crew
- Permit fees and who files them
- For digital: the screen, the control box, the install and the warranty
Then add the land lease as its own line. That keeps a build price from hiding a yearly cost.
Example: what the build price does to payback
Here is a simple example for Riverbend Outdoor in Jackson, Tennessee. It is an example, not an average. Riverbend plans one new two-face bulletin. Our start-a-business guide has the math. Two faces rent for $1,200 per four weeks and sell 75% of the time. That leaves about $19,422 a year, after ground rent at Lamar's 17% share and before other costs.
| Build price | Source | Simple payback |
|---|---|---|
| $87,000 | Builder report, I-beam, 60 feet | About 4.5 years |
| $112,000 | Builder report, monopole, 55 feet | About 5.8 years |
The same board takes about 1.3 years longer to pay back at the higher build price. Insurance, repairs, power for lights and property tax come out of that $19,422. So real payback runs longer. See how much billboard owners make for a full profit and loss.
Should you build or buy?
Building takes a site, a permit and a wait. Buying an existing board gives you a permit and, often, income already in place. OUTFRONT says about 75% of its US structures could not be built under today's rules (OUTFRONT 10-K). See how to buy a billboard and how to start a billboard business. For digital, see static vs digital billboards.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to build a billboard?
A 14' x 48' steel bulletin cost about $80,000 to $112,000 in 2025 reports. A 12' x 25' poster structure costs about $30,000 to $54,000. A new digital board costs about $260,000 to $351,000.
What is the biggest cost of building a billboard?
For a static board, steel is 55% to 65% of the cost, by Billboard Insider. For a digital board, the screen is the biggest line. It was $250,000 of a $351,000 example.
How much do wind and soil change the price?
A lot. One builder said a board in a 175-mph wind zone costs about twice as much as one in the usual 115-mph zone. Another said bad soil can make the foundation three to four times costlier.
How much do billboard permits cost?
State fees are small. Ohio charges $225 per static face and $625 per digital face. Florida charges $300 for a license plus $71 per face each year. Georgia charges $300 to apply. Illinois charges $50 to $200 by face size.
Does the land lease count as a build cost?
No. It is rent that you pay each year. Lamar's ground rent was about 17% of its billboard revenue in 2025, or about $4,870 per leased site.
Can you build a billboard for less than these numbers?
Sometimes. One operator said doing the work with its own crews saves about $20,000 per structure. Another said not to build any taller than you must.
Sources
- 01Billboard Construction Costs (February 27, 2025) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 02Reader Tips on Managing Billboard Construction Costs (March 3, 2025) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 03Who Wants to Get Paid and When During New Billboard Construction (January 21, 2026) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 04Trump Tariffs Increase Billboard Costs (August 25, 2026) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 05Sean Reilly Talks Digital Billboard Economics (November 12, 2024) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 06Creating Value with Digital Billboard Conversions (February 14, 2025) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 07Daktronics on Digital Billboards, Electrical Usage and Overcoming Climate Objections (August 1, 2022) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 08Daktronics Unveils Next Generation of Energy-Efficient Urban Billboards (July 15, 2025) · Billboard Insider · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 092026 Billboard Structures Valuation Guide · North Carolina Department of Revenue · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 10Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · OUTFRONT Media (SEC filing) · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 11Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · Lamar Advertising Company (SEC filing) · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 12Lamar (LAMR) Q4 2025 earnings call transcript (February 20, 2026) · Motley Fool via Yahoo Finance · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 13Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers (released September 24, 2026) · U.S. Energy Information Administration · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 14Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5501:2-2-05, Permit applications, fees and renewals · State of Ohio · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 15Rule 14-10.0043, Outdoor Advertising License and Permit Fees · Florida Department of State (Florida Administrative Code) · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 16Outdoor Advertising Schedule of Fees (January 11, 2016) · Georgia Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 17Outdoor Advertising: Application · Illinois Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 18Outdoor Advertising: Permit Compliance · Illinois Department of Transportation · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 19Digital Billboards · Daktronics · accessed Oct 12, 2026
- 20OOH Digital Billboards · Watchfire · accessed Oct 12, 2026
Billboard operations and sales research
The Gabie team studies how billboard companies price, sell and run their boards. Every number we publish links to its source.
Published Oct 12, 2026 · Updated Oct 12, 2026 · How we check facts