Finding billboard locations looks complicated until you’ve gone through the process enough times. What feels slow in the beginning becomes instinctive: scanning a corridor, spotting workable zoning, and knowing immediately if a site stands a chance.
Start With the Rules That Matter
Each state has spacing, zoning, and size requirements for billboards. The documents are long, but you only need the essentials: how far signs must be apart, which non-residential zones qualify, and the setbacks around ramps or major highway points. These guidelines rarely change, so once you learn them, they stay useful.
Local Ordinances Become Predictable
City rules add another layer, but after reading a few, the patterns repeat. Setbacks, sign types, and zoning restrictions follow similar structures. With repetition, reviewing a new ordinance becomes quick instead of intimidating.
Know Where Billboards Are Actually Allowed
In most markets, billboards fit only within commercial, retail, or industrial zones. After some practice, you’ll recognize these areas on maps without second-guessing. Many operators highlight these zones to move through large areas efficiently.
Train Your Eye for Spacing
Spacing requirements — often 500 to 1,000 feet in 2025 — become easy to judge over time. Your car’s odometer, Google Maps distance tool, and on-site reference points all help, but eventually, you’ll simply “see” the distance when you look down a roadway.
Talking to Landowners Gets Easier
A clear, simple pitch is all you need: introduce yourself, explain you’d like to place a sign on their property, and offer ground rent for the space. After enough calls and visits, the conversation becomes routine rather than stressful.
Closing Thought
Billboard location work is a learned skill. The more you repeat the steps — rules, zoning, spacing, and owner contact — the more natural the entire process becomes.