How Dallas sizes your sign
Dallas takes a different approach than most big cities. The Development Code, Chapter 51A Article VII, regulates attached premise signs (§51A-7.305 Attached signs); the page-linked text lists that section but not the size limit, so confirm the exact limit for your district with Dallas Development Services before you build.
This tool figures your facade area from your wall dimensions and tells you where your plan stands before you commit.
How to apply for a Dallas sign permit
Dallas has a gate before the sign permit.
1. Get the Certificate of Occupancy approved first
Your business needs an approved Certificate of Occupancy before a sign permit can be issued — this is the step most owners miss.
2. Special or historic district check
Downtown, the Arts District, the West End, Deep Ellum and others override the base rules with committee review, and a sign in a Historic Overlay District needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmark Commission first.
3. File with Dallas Building Inspection
Illuminated signs add an electrical component and require a registered electrical or sign-electrical contractor.
Steps assembled from the confirmed items on this page. Fees and what drives the schedule are covered in "Cost, timeline & temporary banners" below — not repeated here.
Questions owners ask
What counts as my "facade"?
The area of the building wall your sign is mounted on — width × height. The attached-sign limit is a percentage of that.
Pole or monument (detached) sign?
Detached signs follow separate rules (height, setback, spacing) and aren't covered here — we'll route you to a pro for those.
Digital / LED display?
Digital and changeable-message displays face separate restrictions (§51A-7.216) and many districts limit them. This screen covers static/illuminated attached signs.
Special sign district?
Downtown, Arts District, West End, Deep Ellum and others override these rules with committee review. If your address is in one, confirm with a pro.
Is this an official ruling?
No. It's a first-pass risk filter on the public code, not a permit or legal advice. Final dimensions are confirmed by Dallas Building Inspection and a licensed sign contractor.
Cost, timeline & temporary banners
What does a Dallas sign permit cost?
Dallas charges flat fees that differ by sign type — a premise attached sign (mounted on your building) or a sign reface is billed at one rate, and a new premise detached (freestanding) sign at a higher one. We publish no amounts here: a stale fee is worse than none, and the Dallas development services fee pages did not respond to us. Confirm the current figures with Dallas Development Services before you file. Illuminated signs add an electrical component and require a registered electrical or sign-electrical contractor. One catch most owners miss: your business needs an approved Certificate of Occupancy before a sign permit can be issued.
How long does approval take?
This page gives no number: the source registered for it is the Dallas Development Code sign article, which sets rules rather than review times, and we hold no city-published processing time for sign permits. Ask Building Inspection for the current wait. Signs in a Historic Overlay District like the West End need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmark Commission first, which is a separate step before the permit.
Can I hang a "Grand Opening" banner first?
Be careful here — Dallas generally does not allow temporary signs in standard business and non-business zoning districts, and won't issue permits for them there. Temporary/"special purpose" signs are only allowed where a Special Provision Sign District or planned development expressly permits them. Check your zoning before you hang anything.
Source: City of Dallas Building Inspection (Signs); Dallas Development Code Chapter 51A, Article VII. Fees and timelines change — confirm current figures with the City of Dallas before filing.
Sources and official references: Dallas Development Code — Sign Regulations. Measured on 21 August 2026: the code library returns the sign article as text and carries the percentage limits quoted on this page. The permit-fee amounts are set in the annual fee schedule rather than the code, and no machine-readable copy of that schedule was obtained, so those figures go unchecked.
Last inspected against the official code: June 2026 · confirm current rules with the city before you file