ENCROACHMENTS, TRAFFIC HAZARDS AND PROHIBITED SIGNS

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, art. IV

in effect

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.01.1 REQUIREMENTS.

4.01.1 REQUIREMENTS. (a) No person shall post, fasten, erect, display or locate any sign on any structure, tree, pole, curb or elsewhere within the right-of-way of any public street or upon any public property without the permission of the city council, with the exception of directional and warning signs installed in the public right-of-way by a government agency. Except as provided in subsection (d) below, no sign shall encroach into a public right-of-way until an encroachment agreement has been executed with the city and a policy of public liability insurance for such encroachment has been secured as provided in the building code. (b) No sign with a clearance of less than 11 feet (measured from the bottom of the sign) shall encroach over street right-of-way. A sign with a clearance of 11 feet or more may project a maximum of two feet over the street right-of-way if approved by the building official as provided in the building code. (c) No sign with a clearance of less than 16 feet shall project into a public alley. A sign with a clearance of 16 feet or more may project a maximum of six inches into a public alley if approved by the building official as provided in the building code. (d) The city council may authorize the city traffic engineer under specified guidelines to permit temporary public interest signs which encroach into the public right-of-way. Temporary cloth signs which extend over a public street shall have a minimum clearance of 20 feet. (e) Hospitals and hospital districts proposing to erect signs prohibited by subsections (b) and (c) of this section shall be permitted to erect same, provided that such signs are for the purpose of public instruction, traffic control and similar uses incidental to the public interest and are not business signs, and provided further that the city council has approved the location of such signs and that the hospital or hospital district has executed an encroachment agreement with the city and has secured a policy of public liability insurance for such encroachment as provided in the building code.

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.01.2 EXISTING SIGN ENCROACHMENTS.

4.01.2 EXISTING SIGN ENCROACHMENTS. The owner of any existing sign which encroaches into the public right-of-way shall apply for and execute an encroachment agreement with the city and furnish public liability insurance coverage within six months from the effective date of this code. The owner of any such encroaching sign who fails to comply with this section shall be deemed to be in violation of this code and shall be subject to the penalties contained herein. In addition, any such sign that is not subject to a valid encroachment agreement within the time stated above shall be deemed an illegal sign and shall be subject to removal at any time.

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.01.3 FEE.

4.01.3 FEE. In addition to those fees otherwise required by this chapter, an initial application fee and annual inspection fee shall be levied for all approved sign encroachments. Such fees shall be as provided in the building code.

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.01.4 REMOVAL OF ENCROACHMENT CONSTITUTING OBSTRUCTION.

4.01.4 REMOVAL OF ENCROACHMENT CONSTITUTING OBSTRUCTION. Any sign encroachment that does not meet the requirements of this code or the building code shall be deemed an obstruction into such right-of-way. The building official shall notify in writing the record owner of such sign or record owner of that property upon which such sign is located to correct the violation or to remove such obstruction within 30 days, after which time the city may abate such obstruction and affix a lien against the property for the cost involved.

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.02.1 TRAFFIC LOCATION RESTRICTIONS.

4.02.1 TRAFFIC LOCATION RESTRICTIONS. (a) (1) No sign with a ground clearance of less than 11 feet may be erected within 20 feet of a driveway or other ingress/egress to the property; nor shall any such sign be erected within any corner clip or public open space easement (P.O.S.E.). No sign pole shall be greater than ten inches in diameter within such a corner clip or P.O.S.E. See Figure 4.02.1. (2) Exception: In one- and two-family yards, a sign may be within 20 feet of a driveway. When the sign is within ten feet of the back of the curb, or street edge when without a curb, it must be in compliance with all of the following provisions. a. No sign shall be permitted in the right-of-way. b. When not in the right-of-way, no sign shall be permitted within three feet of the back of the curb, or street edge when without a curb. c. Signs that are not in the right-of-way may be more than three feet and within ten feet of the back of the curb, or street edge when without a curb, provided the maximum height is four feet and the size does not exceed eight square feet. (b) Hospitals and hospital districts proposing to erect signs prohibited by subsection (a) of this section shall be permitted to erect same, provided that such signs are for the purpose of public instruction, traffic control and similar uses incidental to the public interest, and are not business signs, and provided further that the city council has approved the location of such signs and, if applicable, that the hospital or hospital district has executed an encroachment agreement with the city and has secured a policy of public liability insurance for such encroachment as provided in the building code.

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.02.2 TRAFFIC LOCATION - PROHIBITED SIGNS.

4.02.2 TRAFFIC LOCATION - PROHIBITED SIGNS. Signs with the following characteristics shall not be erected within that cross-hatched area as indicated by Figure 4.02.2. (a) Revolving signs; (b) Signs obscuring or interfering with the operation of traffic-control devices; (c) Signs employing lights colored similarly to those used in traffic control and emergency devices. Such colors shall include by way of example but not limitation, red, amber, green and blue.

Fort Worth City Code ch. 29, § 4.03.1 PROHIBITED SIGNS.

4.03.1 PROHIBITED SIGNS. The following signs are prohibited: (a) Off-premise signs, unless provisions for such signs are contained within these regulations and the comprehensive zoning ordinance; (b) Signs erected in violation of the building code, electrical code, zoning code, this code or other applicable local regulations; (c) Signs erected in violation of federal or state law; (d) Pole signs; (e) Portable signs, except those allowed under § 3.02; (f) (1) Animated signs, flashing signs, running message, twinkle or running light signs, and revolving signs or any other sign that moves, except electronic changeable copy signs when permitted by the zoning code. (2) For those electronic changeable copy signs, the message rate shall not change at a rate faster than one message every 20 seconds and the interval between messages shall be a minimum of one second. (g) Signs illuminated to such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair vision. Lighting shall be shielded upward to prevent beams or rays from being directed at any portion of a traveled roadway or an occupied residential area. Nothing herein shall be construed to permit the lighting of signs near airports which would conflict with any regulations adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration in the furtherance of air safety. This requirement shall not apply to internally lit signs with a lighting intensity of less than 150-foot lamberts. (h) Signs erected in or projecting into the public right-of-way except as permitted in § 4.01. (i) Signs on vehicles or trailers that are parked or located for the primary purpose of displaying the sign. It shall be prima facie evidence that the primary purpose of a vehicle or trailer is to display a sign if the vehicle or trailer is parked on a site for a continuous period exceeding 72 hours. (j) “V” type signs with a face that protrudes from the opposite face at an interior angle greater than 25 degrees. This restriction shall not be construed to prevent oval, cylindrical or box type signs. (k) Signs with sign structure larger than is reasonably necessary to support the sign. Figure 4.02.1 Traffic Hazard Clearance [image omitted; see the official code] Traffic Hazard Clearance Figure 4.02.2 Traffic Hazard Clearance [image omitted; see the official code] Traffic Hazard Clearance

Source: City of Fort Worth, Code of Ordinances, City Charter and Zoning Ordinance (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/ftworth/latest/ftworth_tx/0-0-0-27929Fetched: 10/26/2026