1. If a sign requiring a permit under the provision of this Chapter is to be placed, constructed, erected, or modified on a lot either within the City limits or the City’s extraterritorial jurisdiction, the owner of the Lot shall secure a sign permit prior to the construction, placement, erection, or modification of such a sign in accordance with the requirements of § 6.1205F Permits to construct or Modify Signs, below.

2. No signs shall be erected in the public right-of-way except in accordance with § 6.1205 Permitted and Prohibited Signs.

3. No sign permit of any kind shall be issued for an existing or proposed sign unless such sign is consistent with the requirements of this Section (including those protecting existing signs) in every respect and with the Master or Common Signage Plan in effect for the property, if applicable. If a permit is administratively denied the property owner may appeal to a committee composed of the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and City Administrator.

4. Monument signage in the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts shall require a masonry (brick/stone) base and may use stucco, masonry (brick/stone), or decorative metal border around the remaining sides of the sign that is compatible with the development.

5. Monument sign structure and base shall be masonry (brick/stone) in the C-3 zoning district. The design and construction of monument signs shall be compatible with the architecture and style of the development of the project site. Monument signs in the C-3 zoning district shall contain a minimum one-foot masonry (brick/stone) border around all sides of the sign.

6. The street address shall be included on the sign and be a minimum of 8 inches in height, decorative metal, and of contrasting color with the monument. Multi-tenant monument signs may include the name of the development, as well as the address.

 

General Permits Procedures. 

1. Applications. All applications for sign permits of any kind and for approval of Master or Common Signage Plan shall be submitted to the City Administrator.

2. Fees. Each application for a sign permit or for approval of a Master or Common Signage Plan shall be accompanied by the applicable fees, which shall be established by the City Council from time to time by resolution.

3. Completeness. Within five days of receiving an application for a sign permit or for a Master or Common Signage Plan, the City Administrator shall review it for completeness. If the City Administrator finds that it is complete, the application shall then be processed. If the City Administrator finds that it is incomplete, the City Administrator shall, within such five-day period, send to the applicant a notice of the specific ways in which the application is deficient with appropriate references to the applicable sections of the Chapter.

4. Action on Permit. Within seven days of the submission of a complete application for a sign permit, the City Administrator shall either:

a. Issue the sign permit, if the sign(s) that is the object of the application conforms in every respect with the requirements of the Section and of the applicable Master or Common Signage Plan; or

b. Reject the sign permit if the sign(s) that is the subject of the application fails in any way to conform the requirements of the Section and the applicable Master or Common Signage Plan. In case of a rejection, the City Administrator shall specify in the rejection the sections of the Chapter or applicable plan with which the signs(s) is inconsistent.

5. Action on Plan. On any application for approval of a Master or Common Signage Plan, the City Administrator shall either approve the proposed plan if the sign(s) as shown on the plan and the plan itself conforms in every respect with requirements of this Section, or reject the proposed plan if the sign(s) as shown on the plan or the plan itself fails in any way to conform with the requirements for the Section. In case of rejection, the city Administrator shall specify in the rejection the section of the Section with which the plan is inconsistent. The City Administrator shall take action on or before the applicable one of the following dates:

a. Fourteen days after the submission of a complete application if the application is for existing buildings; or

b. On the date of final action on any related application for building permit, site plan, or development plan for signs involving new construction.
 

See § 6.12.05F Permits to construct or Modify Signs for details.

Signs in the Public Right-of-Way.

a. The responsible party must obtain a banner permit from TxDoT and provide the City Administrator with proof of the permit.
b. The permit applicant must submit a sign permit application including the dates during which the banner is to be hung. A banner may be hung for no more than thirty (30) days.
c. The sign permit application must be submitted to the City Administrator at least five (5) working days before, but no more than ninety (90) days before the date requested for the banner to be hung.
d. Banners to be erected over streets shall be removed by the City or its designee.
e. Once a banner has been removed, it must be picked up by the party responsible for it within ten (10) working days. If the responsible party fails to pick up a removed banner within the ten (10) days, the banner shall be deemed abandoned and the City Administrator shall dispose of it without accounting or liability to the owner for its damage or destruction.
 

Procedures.
A Master or Common Signage Plan shall be included in any development plan, site plan, planned unit development plan, or other official plan required by the City for the proposed development and shall be processed simultaneously. Where no official plan is required by the City, the City Administrator may review the Master Signage Plan and approve it provided it meets the full intent and standards of this Section, may approve it with conditions; or may deny the plan.

 

The owner of any premises on which there is displayed or maintained an abandoned sign or abandoned supporting structure shall comply with the following requirements:

1. Any sign that is deemed dilapidated by the City Administrator on or before the adoption date of this Section, the owner shall remove the sign within 30 days after receiving written notice from the City Administrator or the adoption of this Section, whichever is later.

2. Any sign that is deemed dilapidated by the City Administrator after the adoption date of this Section, the owner shall remove the sign within 30 days after receiving written notice from the City Administrator;

3. If a supporting structure used or designed to be used with a sign is deemed dilapidated by the City Administrator on or before the adoption date of this Section, the owner shall remove the supporting structure within 30 days after receiving written notice from the City Administrator.

4. If an abandoned supporting structure does not have a can, frame, or similar part of the supporting structure that would hold the sign or to which the sign would be attached, the supporting structure shall be removed or made to comply with the provisions of the this Section.

5. No sign or supporting structure that is altered under the provisions of this section shall be made more nonconforming.

Any dilapidated sign or dilapidated supporting structure not in compliance with this Section is an unlawful sign and may be removed by the City in compliance with Chapter 7 and the owner may be prosecuted or be enjoined from continuing such violation.

If any sign, which conforms to the regulations of the Section, is abandoned, the owner, user, and Persons who benefit from the sign and the owner, operator, and tenants of the property on which the sign is located shall remove it, paint out or cover the message portion of the sign, put a blank face on the sign, or otherwise bring it into compliance with this Section so as to leave the message portion and supporting structure neat and unobtrusive in appearance, within 90 days after receiving written notice from the City Administrator.

No Person shall alter an abandoned sign or supporting structure without first obtaining a permit to do so from the City Manager.

See § 6.12: Sign Regulations for more detailed information.
See Signs Page in the Procedures section of this database for Design requirements, Prohibited signs and Nonconforming Signs.
See Sign Guidelines for more information.
See Sign Permit Application for an application.