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Provisions for Non-Business Zoning Districts.

Dallas City Code ch. 51A, art. VII, div. 51A-7.400
in effect

Dallas City Code § 51A-7.401 APPLICATION OF DIVISION.

SEC. 51A-7.401. APPLICATION OF DIVISION. The provisions of this division apply to all signs located: (1) in any non-business zoning district; (2) within 100 feet of private property in a non-business zoning district; or (3) within 100 feet of a public park of more than one acre. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20007; 20379)

Dallas City Code § 51A-7.402 GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO SIGNS IN NON-BUSINESS ZONING DISTRICTS.

SEC. 51A-7.402. GENERAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO SIGNS IN NON-BUSINESS ZONING DISTRICTS. (a) No portion of an illuminated sign shall have a luminance greater than 200 foot lamberts. (b) Except for wind devices, no sign nor part of any sign in a non-business zoning district shall move, flash, rotate, or change its illumination more than once an hour. (c) Except as otherwise permitted under Sections 51-4.213(25) or (26), 51-4.217(b)(5), 51A-4.206(1) or (3), and 51A-4.217(b)(9), an occupant in non-business zoning districts may erect only signs that convey a noncommercial message, special purpose signs, and premise signs, which include movement control signs and protective signs. (d) Subdivision signs are subject to the following restrictions: (1) Subdivision signs are exempt from compliance with the provisions of Section 51A-7.403, “Detached Signs,” of this article. (2) The maximum effective area of each subdivision sign may not exceed 40 square feet. (3) The maximum number of subdivision signs permitted is two signs per street entrance into the residential neighborhood. (4) Subdivision signs may not project more than three inches from the surface of the structure. (5) Subdivision signs may not be internally illuminated. (6) The highest part of a subdivision sign may not exceed six feet in height. (7) Subdivision signs must be landscape signs or monument signs. For purposes of this subsection, “landscape sign” means a sign that is part of a single landscape design that creates a base for the sign in conjunction with a retaining wall or an open space created with the use of water or planting material, and “monument sign” means a detached sign applied directly onto a ground-level support structure (instead of a pole support) with no separation between the sign and the ground. (8) Subdivision signs may be located within the public right-of-way if a license for use of the public right-of-way is obtained pursuant to the requirements of the Dallas City Code. (9) Subdivision signs may only contain the name of the single family, duplex, or townhouse residential neighborhood. (10) The application for a subdivision sign permit must be submitted by a homeowners association. (11) The application for a subdivision sign permit must be supported by the owner of property abutting the proposed subdivision sign, if any, and two-thirds of the property owners within 300 feet of the proposed subdivision sign. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 24232; 24270; 25455; 29024)

Dallas City Code § 51A-7.403 DETACHED SIGNS.

SEC. 51A-7.403. DETACHED SIGNS. (a) A multifamily or non-residential premise may display detached signs subject to the following restrictions: (1) TYPE OF SIGNS: A sign permitted by this subsection must: (A) be a premise sign; or (B) convey a noncommercial message. (2) NUMBER OF SIGNS: Each premise may have one detached sign for each 600 feet, or fraction thereof, of frontage along a public way, other than an alley. (3) SETBACK: A sign permitted by this subsection must comply with the following setback requirements: (A) A minimum setback of five feet is required of all detached signs. (B) A minimum setback of 10 feet is required for signs exceeding 10 square feet in effective area or 15 feet in height. (C) A minimum setback of 20 feet is required for all signs exceeding 20 square feet in effective area or 20 feet in height. (D) A minimum setback of 15 feet is required if any part of the sign, other than supports that do not exceed a total cross-sectional area of one square foot, occupies the space between two feet and 10 feet above grade. (4) EFFECTIVE AREA AND HEIGHT: A detached sign may not exceed 50 square feet in effective area or 25 feet in height. (b) A single family or duplex residential premise may display detached signs subject to the following restrictions: (1) TYPE OF SIGNS: A sign permitted by this subsection must: (A) refer to the sale or lease of the premises; (B) refer to an occasional sale authorized in Section 51A-4.217(b)(5) of this code; or (C) convey a noncommercial message. (2) NUMBER OF SIGNS: Each premise may have one detached sign for each 600 feet, or fraction thereof, of frontage along a public way, other than an alley. (3) SETBACK: A sign permitted by this subsection must comply with the following setback requirements: (A) A minimum setback of five feet is required for all detached signs unless the premise has a yard that is less than five feet, in which case the sign must be set back the maximum possible distance. (B) A minimum setback of 10 feet is required for signs exceeding 10 square feet in effective area. (C) A minimum setback of 15 feet is required if any part of the effective area of the sign occupies the space above two feet above grade. (4) EFFECTIVE AREA AND HEIGHT: A detached sign may not exceed 20 square feet in effective area or eight feet in height. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 20962; 21798)

Dallas City Code § 51A-7.404 ATTACHED SIGNS.

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)
Source: City of Dallas, Dallas City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-86223Fetched: 10/26/2026

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