Dallas sizes your attached sign as a share of your building facade — and an oversized or unpermitted sign gets bounced or cited. Enter your storefront wall size and get a clear read before you pay for fabrication.
This checks attached (wall) premise signs in Dallas business zoning districts. Detached/pole signs, billboards, and special sign districts (Downtown, Arts District, Deep Ellum) route to a pro.
Width of the building wall your sign goes on.
Height of that wall face.
How Dallas sizes your sign
Dallas takes a different approach than most big cities. Instead of tying your sign to street frontage, the Development Code (Article VII) limits an attached premise sign to 15% of the facade it's mounted on for streamlined (director) review. Go bigger and you're pushed into committee review — slower, costlier, and easy to get rejected. A permit is required for any sign over 20 sq ft, and signs over 100 sq ft trigger public notification.
This tool figures your facade area from your wall dimensions, applies the 15% rule, and tells you where your plan stands before you commit.
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 has flat, published fees: a premise attached sign (mounted on your building) or a sign reface is $296, and a new premise detached (freestanding) sign is $577. 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?
The city says a sign permit typically takes around two business days to approve if everything required is submitted correctly. In practice, complex signs, electronic displays, or anything in a special or historic overlay district run longer (commonly 10–15 business days or more). Signs in a Historic Overlay District like the West End need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmark Commission first.
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. Small non-illuminated signs (20 sq ft or less) are exempt from a permit, but that's not the same as a banner being allowed. 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.
Last inspected against the official code: June 2026 · confirm current rules with the city before you file