Skip to code content (skip section selection)
Compare to:
Dallas Overview
The Dallas City Code
CITY OF DALLAS, TEXAS CODE OF ORDINANCES
CHARTER of THE CITY OF DALLAS, TEXAS
VOLUME I
VOLUME II
VOLUME III
CHAPTER 51A DALLAS DEVELOPMENT CODE: ORDINANCE NO. 19455, AS AMENDED
ARTICLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
ARTICLE II. INTERPRETATIONS AND DEFINITIONS.
ARTICLE III. DECISIONMAKING AND ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES.
ARTICLE IV. ZONING REGULATIONS.
ARTICLE V. FLOODPLAIN AND ESCARPMENT ZONE REGULATIONS.
ARTICLE VI. ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.
ARTICLE VII. SIGN REGULATIONS.
Division 51A-7.100. Purposes and Definitions.
Division 51A-7.200. Provisions For All Zoning Districts.
Division 51A-7.300. Provisions For Business Zoning Districts.
Division 51A-7.400. Provisions for Non-Business Zoning Districts.
Division 51A-7.500. Special Provision Sign Districts.
Division 51A-7.600. Permit Procedures.
Division 51A-7.700. Non-Conformance and Enforcement Procedures.
Division 51A-7.800. Procedure For Changes and Amendments.
Division 51A-7.900. Downtown Special Provision Sign District.
SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR SIGNS WITHIN THE GENERAL CBD, MAIN STREET, CONVENTION CENTER, RETAIL, DISCOVERY, AND CHASE TOWER SUBDISTRICTS.
Division 51A-7.1000. West End Historic Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1100. Provisions for Uptown Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1200. Provisions for Arts District Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1300. Provisions for Deep Ellum/Near East Side Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1400. Jefferson Boulevard Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1500. Provisions for McKinney Avenue Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1600. Farmers Market Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1700. Provisions for Victory Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1800. Provisions for Southside Entertainment Sign District.
Division 51A-7.1900. Provisions for West Village Sign District.
Division 51A-7.2000. Provisions for the West Commerce Street/Fort Worth Avenue Sign District.
Division 51A-7.2100. Provisions for the Arts District Extension Area Sign District.
Division 51A-7.2200. Parkland Hospital Sign District.
Division 51A-7.2300. Southwestern Medical District Sign District.
ARTICLE VIII. PLAT REGULATIONS.
ARTICLE IX. THOROUGHFARES.
ARTICLE X. LANDSCAPE AND TREE CONSERVATION REGULATIONS.
ARTICLE XI. HISTORIC PRESERVATION TAX EXEMPTIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES FOR HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
ARTICLE XII. GAS DRILLING AND PRODUCTION.
ARTICLE XIII. FORM DISTRICTS.
CHAPTER 51 FORMER DALLAS DEVELOPMENT CODE
CODE COMPARATIVE TABLE
Loading...
SEC. 51A-7.206.   VEHICULAR SIGNS.
   Vehicular signs shall conform to the following restrictions:
   (a)   Vehicular signs shall contain no flashing or moving elements.
   (b)   Vehicular signs shall have no element with a luminance greater 200 footlamberts.
   (c)   Vehicular signs shall not project beyond the surface of a vehicle for a distance in excess of 8 inches.
   (d)   Vehicular signs shall not be attached to a vehicle so that the driver’s vision is obstructed from any angle.
   (e)   Signs, lights and signals used by authorized emergency vehicles shall not be restricted.
   (f)   Vehicular signs shall conform to all the regulations for detached signs if:
      (1)   the vehicular sign is so placed as to constitute a “sign” as defined in Section 51A-7.102; and
      (2)   the vehicle upon which the sign is located is parked on other than a temporary basis.
   (g)   The owner of the vehicle upon which a vehicular sign is placed is responsible for ensuring that the provisions of this section are adhered to and commits an offense if any vehicular sign on his vehicle violates this section. If such a vehicleis found unattended or unoccupied, the registered owner of the vehicle shall be presumed to be the actual owner. The records of the state highway department or the county highway license department showing the name of the registered owner of such vehicle shall constitute prima facie evidence of actual ownership by the named individual. (Ord. 19455)
SEC. 51A-7.207.   GOVERNMENT SIGNS.
   (a)   Except as provided by Subsection (b), nothing in this article shall be construed to regulate the display of a government sign.
   (b)   Safe school zone signs must satisfy the following requirements.
      (1)   Safe school zone signs must be erected within 600 feet of a school.
      (2)   Safe school zone signs may not exceed five square feet in effective area.
      (3)   No less than 80 percent of the effective area of a safe school zone sign must be devoted to a governmental message.
      (4)   No more than 20 percent of the effective area of a safe school zone sign may be devoted to the identification of a sponsor. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 22061; 22392)
SEC. 51A-7.208.   CREATION OF SITE.
   The building official shall not issue a permit for construction, erection, placement, or maintenance of a sign until a site is established in one of the following ways:
   (a)   A lot is part of a plat which is approved by the commission and filed in the plat records of the appropriate county. All platted lots must have frontage, through fee simple ownership, on a dedicated street.
   (b)   A lot was separately owned prior to September 11, 1929 or prior to annexation or consolidation, and the lot has frontage, through fee simple ownership, on a dedicated street.
   (c)   A lot is part of an industrial subdivision in which only streets, easements, and blocks are delineated. The industrial subdivision must be approved by the commission and filed in the plat records of the appropriate county. No specific lot delineation is required, but yard, lot and space requirements will be determined by property lines or lease lines.
   (d)   Tracts that are governed by a detached sign unity agreement in accordance with Section 51A-7.213. (Ord. Nos. 19455, 21797)
SEC. 51A-7.209.   SIGNS DISPLAYING NONCOMMERCIAL MESSAGES.
   (a)   Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, any sign that may display a commercial message may also display a noncommercial message, either in place of or in addition to the commercial message, so long as the sign complies with other requirements of this article or other ordinances that do not pertain to the content of the message displayed.
   (b)   Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, or other ordinance, any sign that may display one type of noncommercial message may also display any other type of noncommercial message, so long as the sign complies with other requirements of this article or other ordinances that do not pertain to the content of the message displayed.
   (c)   Nothing in this article shall be construed to regulate a sign that contains primarily a political message for which a permit is not required under Section 51A-7.602. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 25921)
SEC. 51A-7.210.   GENERAL MAINTENANCE.
   (a)   Sign and sign supports must be maintained in a state of good repair and neat appearance at all times.
   (b)   Revocation of permit.
      (1)   The building official shall revoke, in writing, the sign permit for a sign if it has for a period of one year:
         (A)   displayed obsolete advertising matter;
         (B)   been without advertising matter; or
         (C)   been damaged in excess of 50 percent of the cost of replacement of the sign.
      (2)   The owner of the sign is liable to the city for a civil penalty in the amount of $200 a day for each calendar day that the sign is maintained without a permit. The building official shall give written notice to the property owner of the amount owed to the city in civil penalties, and shall notify the city attorney of any unpaid civil penalty. The city attorney shall collect unpaid civil penalties in a suit on the city’s behalf.
      (3)   The civil penalty provided for in Paragraph (2) is in addition to any other enforcement remedy the city may have under city ordinances and state law. (Ord. Nos. 20359; 24232)
SEC. 51A-7.211.   SIGNS ATTACHED TO STRUCTURES LOCATED ON BUILDINGS.
   (a)   Except as provided in Paragraph (b), no sign may be attached to the following structures located on a building:
      (1)   Elevator penthouse or bulkhead.
      (2)   Mechanical equipment room.
      (3)   Cooling tower.
      (4)   Tank designed to hold liquid.
      (5)   Ornamental cupola or dome.
      (6)   Skylight.
      (7)   Clerestory.
      (8)   Visual screens which surround roof mounted mechanical equipment.
      (9)   Chimney and vent stacks.
      (10)   Amateur communications tower.
      (11)   Parapet wall over four feet.
      (12)   Storage facility.
   (b)   A sign may be attached to a structure located on a building if the sign refers exclusively to:
      (1)   the identification of the premise; or
      (2)   a tenant that occupies in excess of 50 percent of the floor area of the premise. (Ord. 20343)
SEC. 51A-7.212.   STREET CONSTRUCTION ALLEVIATION SIGNS.
   (a)   Definitions. In this section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
      (1)   CONSTRUCTION means major activity involving on-site excavation, fabrication, erection, alteration, repair, or demolition that materially alters or restricts access to a premise.
      (2)   DIRECTOR means the director of transportation of the city or the director's designated representative, including but not limited to the city's traffic engineer.
      (3)   ERECT means erect or maintain.
      (4)   OPERATOR means a person who causes a use or business to function or puts or keeps a use or business in operation. A person need not have an ownership interest in a use or business to be an “operator” of the use or business for purposes of this section.
      (5)   OWNER includes any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant, tenant by the entirety, or lessee.
      (6)   SIGN means a sign authorized to be erected or maintained under this section.
      (7)   STREET means a street more than 85 feet in width, including frontage roads, if applicable. “Frontage Road” means a frontage, access, or service road for a freeway or tollway.
   (b)   Purpose. The purpose of this section is to promote the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the city in order to lessen the congestion in the streets; to improve communications efficiency by allowing businesses to identify themselves and by helping customers to locate these businesses; to promote the safety of persons and property by reducing the confusion created by street construction; and to preserve landscape quality by imposing uniform standards. This section is not intended to apply to temporary minor repairs to streets.
   (c)   Authority to erect. In addition to any other signs permitted under this chapter, up to two detached premise signs may be erected on a premise if:
      (1)   the premise contains at least one main use other than a single family or duplex use;
      (2)   the premise has frontage along that portion of a street under construction as defined in Subsection (a); and
      (3)   the director has given written notice in accordance with Subsection (d).
   (d)   Notice required to be given by the director. Whenever the director determines that construction of a street, as defined in this section, is imminent, the director shall serve a written notice for the purpose of authorizing the erection of signs in accordance with this section. The written notice may be hand-delivered, sent by mail, or published in the official newspaper of the city. In order to validly authorize a sign under this section, the notice must:
      (1)   contain a reference to or copy of this section;
      (2)   describe with specificity the portion of the street that is or will be under construction;
      (3)   contain estimated commencement and completion dates for the construction; and
      (4)   contain a statement that no sign may be erected or maintained on a premise:
         (A)   more than five days before the estimated construction commencement date stated in the notice; or
         (B)   more than five days after the estimated construction completion date stated in the notice.
   (e)   Time period when sign authorized. This section only authorizes signs to be placed on property adjacent to that portion of a street described in the notice given pursuant to Subsection (d) during the time period beginning five days before the estimated construction commencement date stated in the notice and ending five days after the estimated construction completion date stated in the notice. No sign may be erected or maintained on a premise:
      (1)   more than five days before the estimated construction commencement date stated in the notice; or
      (2)   more than five days after the estimated construction completion date stated in the notice.
The director may change the time period for erecting and maintaining signs under this section at any time by giving a new notice in accordance with Subsection (d).
   (f)   Physical requirements for sign. All signs must comply with the following paragraphs:
      (1)   No more than two signs may be erected on a premise. No more than one sign may be erected at any motor vehicle entrance to a premise.
      (2)   No setback is required for a sign; however, no sign may be located in a public right-of-way. If a sign is placed in a visibility triangle as defined in Section 51A-4.602(d), it shall be a defense to prosecution under that section that the sign does not constitute a traffic hazard.
      (3)   The sign must be visible from and oriented towards the street under construction and have an arrow that directs motorists to a motor vehicle entrance to the premise.
      (4)   The sign must be a square, with dimensions of four feet by four feet. It must have a 3- inch border of white reflective sheeting or paint and a reflective blue background. The text of the sign must consist of reflective white characters. (Note: It is intended that the requirements of this paragraph be strictly and precisely complied with.)
      (5)   No sign may exceed eight feet in height.
      (6)   No sign may be a portable sign unless the director determines that the sign does not constitute a safety hazard.
   (g)   Criminal responsibility. If a sign violates this section and is not otherwise authorized under the Dallas City Code, a person is criminally responsible for a sign unlawfully erected or maintained if the person:
      (1)   erects or maintains the sign;
      (2)   is an owner or operator of a use or business to which the sign refers; or
      (3)   owns part or all of the land on which the sign is located.
   (h)   City may remove signs. The City of Dallas may remove any sign without liability if the director determines that the sign constitutes a safety hazard, or if the sign does not comply with this section; however, the City shall not be liable for failure to remove a sign. (Ord. Nos. 20728; 20927; 25047; 28424; 30239; 30654)
Loading...