Sioux City Council Advances Billboard Ordinance
The council approved first reading of a measure that would tighten rules on off-premise signs after a months-long moratorium.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in City Hall
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The Sioux City Council approved first reading of a billboard ordinance by a 3 to 2 vote on November 2. Councilmen Craig Berenstein and Rick Bertrand voted against the proposal.
Why it matters
The ordinance would repeal the current moratorium on off-premise signage, which is set to expire December 19, and would change how new billboards can be permitted in the city. City staff said Sioux City has 27% to 55% more billboards per capita than other cities in the region.
The first-reading vote was 3 to 2, with the mayor and two others in favor, and the moratorium on off-premise signage was extended by six months on March 9. Sioux City has one billboard per 618 residents and 45% more per capita than Sioux Falls, but the total number of parcels that would become eligible under the ordinance has not been finalized.
The players
Sioux City Council
The seven-member governing body of Sioux City, Iowa, which sets municipal zoning and sign regulations.
Mayor Bob Scott
The mayor of Sioux City who moved to reconsider the previously rejected billboard ordinance and said he is willing to revisit the matter in a year.
The details
Under the proposal, a permit for a new billboard would require removal of an existing sign of equal or greater size, and the separation between billboards would increase from 600 feet to 1,000 feet, and to 5,000 feet from digital display off-premise signs. An estimated 1,100 parcels could be eligible for an off-premise advertising sign under the ordinance.
Timeline
September 15, 2025: Moratorium on off-premise signage placed.
October 5: Council rejected the proposed ordinance on third reading.
October 19: Council voted 4 to 1 to reconsider the ordinance.
November 2: Council approved first reading 3 to 2.
December 19: Moratorium set to expire.
City Hall Context
The proposal builds on a moratorium first placed September 15, 2025 and extended on March 9, and would make permanent new spacing rules of 1,000 feet between billboards and 5,000 feet from digital off-premise signs. City staff developed the moratorium after a number of new signs were built in the city.
If approved, the ordinance would limit where new billboards can be placed and require older signs to be removed when new permits are issued. Residents and businesses near the roughly 1,100 eligible parcels could see new off-premise signs only under the stricter spacing rules.
The takeaway
Local billboard rules are being tightened after a months-long pause, and the council's second-reading vote will determine whether the stricter spacing and replacement requirements take effect in Sioux City.
What happens next
The council is expected to consider second reading Monday, after which the ordinance would take effect if approved.
Further reading
For more on how local officials weigh zoning decisions, see City Hall coverage in Sioux City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sioux City Journal.
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