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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
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SEC. 51A-7.404.   ATTACHED SIGNS.
   (a)   Attached signs are permitted for multifamily premises, non-residential premises, and non-residential occupancies in non-business zoning districts, subject to the following restrictions:
      (1)   Except as otherwise permitted under Section 51-4.213 in Chapter 51, or under Section 51A-4.206 in this chapter, all attached signs must be premise signs or convey a noncommercial message.
      (2)   All signs erected pursuant to this section shall be limited to one per facade per occupant of premise.
      (3)   Words consisting of characters all of which are less than four inches in height may be used without limit as to number, and shall not be considered in computing the effective area.
      (4)   Reserved.
      (5)   No attached sign erected pursuant to this section shall be permitted to have more than eight words consisting of characters in excess of four inches in height and such sign shall not exceed 40 square feet in effective area. As an exception to this rule a building in an LO(A), MO(A), GO(A), or O-2 zoning district may be permitted to have additional attached signs with larger effective areas above the first two stories of the building when the following conditions are met:
         (A)   If an election is made to erect a sign greater than 40 square feet only one sign on that facade will be permitted above the first two stories of the building. Nothing herein shall prohibit each occupant or premise otherwise authorized an attached sign pursuant to this section to have such a sign below the third story of the building.
         (B)   Only two attached signs per building may have an effective area larger than 40 square feet and each shall be on a separate facade.
         (C)   Each attached sign erected pursuant to this exception may have an additional 40 square feet of effective area for each additional story above the first two stories of the building.
      (6)   All signs and their words shall be mounted parallel to the building surface to which they are attached and shall project no more than 18 inches from the surface to which they are attached except as provided in Paragraph (7) below. Signs shall not be mounted on roofs and shall not project above roofs.
      (7)   A non-residential premise may erect one attached sign that projects no further than 4 feet from the vertical building surface provided that the sign may not be illuminated, exceed 20 square feet in effective area, extend above the roof or over any public right-of-way, be located within the space 10 feet above the grade, or be on a premise with a detached sign.
   (b)   A single family or duplex residential premise may not display an attached sign except a protective sign. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 19786; 19879; 21978; 24232; 29611)
Division 51A-7.500. Special Provision Sign Districts.
SEC. 51A-7.501.   PURPOSE OF SPECIAL PROVISION SIGN DISTRICTS.
   For the purpose of establishing, enhancing, preserving, or developing the character, quality, and property values of areas of unique character and special development potential, and to protect public welfare, districts whose signs are regulated by special provisions may be established from time to time, as provided below. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 24232)
SEC. 51A-7.502.   CREATION OF A SPECIAL PROVISION SIGN DISTRICT.
   By amendment to this article, the city council may designate an area as a special provision sign district subject to the following conditions:
   (1)   The district must include frontage on a street, either for an entire blockface or for not less than 500 feet measured along the way or continuous set of intersecting ways.
   (2)   A special provision sign district is an overlay zoning district that must be created or amended in accordance with Section 51A-4.701.
   (3)   As a prerequisite to the establishment of such a special provision sign district, the council must determine that the modified rules established for said districts shall:
      (A)   establish, preserve, enhance, or develop the character of a particular area;
      (B)   cause no disturbance to neighboring property lying outside the proposed district;
      (C)   create no hazard or annoyance to motorists or pedestrians; and
      (D)   not contravene the intent of this chapter. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 24232; 30932)
SEC. 51A-7.502.1.   NON-PREMISE SIGNS IN SPECIAL PROVISION SIGN DISTRICTS.
   (a)   The city council may expressly authorize one or more non-premise signs in:
      (1)   all special provision sign districts created on or before October 14, 1999; and
      (2)   any special provision sign district created after that date if:
         (A)   the district has an area of at least 50 acres; and
         (B)   the signs are located in or within one mile of the central business district.
   (b)   The city council may expressly authorize one or more non-premise athletic field signs in any special provision sign district, regardless of the size or location of the district.
   (c)   A minimum of 30 percent of the effective area of a detached HBA sign that exceeds 100 square feet in effective area must identify activities conducted or premises located in the special provision sign district. (Ord. 24232)
SEC. 51A-7.503.   MODIFICATIONS ALLOWED IN SPECIAL PROVISION SIGN DISTRICTS.
   Without changing the definition of this article, or altering its basic structure, the modified rules for special provision sign districts may:
   (1)   impose sign restrictions which are in addition to, or more stringent than those provided for elsewhere in this article; and
   (2)   waive certain restrictions, or establish restrictions more lenient than those provided for elsewhere in this article. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 24232)
SEC. 51A-7.504.   SPECIAL SIGN DISTRICT ADVISORY COMMITTEE CREATED.
   (a)   There is hereby created a committee to be known as the special sign district advisory committee, hereinafter called the “committee”, composed of five members appointed by the city plan commission. The committee shall be appointed within 15 days following the effective date of the establishment of the first special provision sign district created pursuant to the provisions of Division 51A-7.500 of this article. The members of the committee shall include one architect, one graphic designer, and one businessman associated with the sign industry. The city plan commission is authorized to solicit a list of nominees from any trade or professional association the membership of which has special knowledge of or interest in the design, construction, and placement of signs or urban planning and design. Appointments to the committee shall be for a term of two years ending on September 1 of each odd-numbered year and the members shall serve without compensation. The commission shall designate a chairman and vice-chairman from the members. The commission may appoint up to three alternate members to the committee who serve in the absence of one or more regular members when requested to do so by the chairperson or by the city manager. The alternate members serve for the same period and are subject to removal the same as regular members. The commission shall fill vacancies occurring in the alternate membership the same as in the regular membership.
   (b)   The committee shall meet at least once each month with additional meetings upon call by the committee chairman or a simple majority of the committee members. A simple majority of members present shall constitute a quorum and issues shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the members present. The department shall furnish staff support to the committee.
   (c)   The function of the committee shall be to familiarize itself thoroughly with the character, special conditions, and economics of all special provision sign districts as provided in Section 51A-7.503 of this article. In addition, the committee shall, upon request, provide guidance, advice and assistance to any applicant for a sign permit in a special provision sign district.
   (d)   Nothing in this article shall be construed to affect or modify the authority of any committee or commission whose duty it is to review permits for changes to the exterior of buildings in a special purpose district. Such committee or commission shall continue to review said permits using the standards and procedures established for that special purpose district.
   (e)   Nothing in this section shall be construed as preventing the city council from creating a separate procedure for allowing a separate committee to function as or in lieu of the sign district advisory committee for a particular special provision sign district. Any such separate procedure or separate committee must be established as part of the ordinance creating the special provision sign district or as part of an amendment thereto. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20345; 20927; 24232; 25047; 28073)
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