Remove the DarkRP /advert Billboard

In DarkRP, a player who types /advert followed by some text places a billboard holding that advertisement. Some servers like the billboards, and others find them clutter. DarkRP gives you two ways to switch them off, and both are small edits in the darkrpmodification addon. Checked against DarkRP 2.7.0 (GitHub source, July 2026), October 2026.

If the addon is not on your server yet, install it first with Install DarkRP modifications on GMod. You do the edits below in the File Manager, under garrysmod/addons/darkrpmodification/lua/.

Option 1: set the billboard limit to zero

DarkRP caps how many billboards one player can have placed at once. The cap is a setting, and its default is 3.

1. Open darkrp_config/settings.lua in the File Manager.

2. Find this line:

   GM.Config.maxadvertbillboards           = 3

3. Change the number to 0, press Save, then restart the server. DarkRP reads its settings as it starts.

With the limit at 0, /advert places nothing, and the player sees "You have reached the /advert limit!" instead. Set it to 1 if you want to keep billboards but stop players from filling a street with them.

Option 2: block /advert with your own message

DarkRP asks a hook called canAdvert before it places a billboard. If a hook returns false and a message, the player sees that message and no billboard appears. That lets you say why.

1. In darkrp_modules, make a folder called noadvert. The folder name should be lowercase with no spaces.

2. Inside it, make a file called sv_noadvert.lua. The sv_ prefix makes DarkRP run the file on the server only.

3. Put this in the file:

   hook.Add("canAdvert", "noadvert", function(ply, args)
       return false, "Advert billboards are turned off on this server."
   end)

4. Restart the server so DarkRP loads the new module.

Make the noadvert folder with New folder in the File Manager, open it, then create sv_noadvert.lua in any text editor on your computer and add it with Upload files.

Which one should you use?

Option 1 is one number in one file, and it is the simplest. Option 2 lets you write your own message and add conditions later. You can use both, but the hook runs first, so with both in place players see the hook's message.

Common problems

1. Billboards still appear. The server was not restarted after the edit, or you edited a copy of the file outside darkrpmodification.
2. The error "Addon detected in the darkrp_modules folder". Something that belongs in garrysmod/addons was placed inside darkrp_modules. Move it out.
3. Nothing happens in Option 2. Check the file name starts with sv_ and sits in its own folder inside darkrp_modules.