# Sign Regulations in Columbus, Texas

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Columbus, Texas, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Columbus, Texas (TX)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/texas/columbus
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-09

## At a glance

Columbus, Texas regulates 5 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Portable Signs in the Business District zoning district are capped at 48 inches tall and 10 square feet, with a 8 feet back of curb setback (Sec. § 3.13.014(f)). Most commercial signs in Columbus require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District | 2 | 8 feet | 36 square feet | — |
| Business District | 2 | 48 inches | 50 square feet | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | 24 feet | 100 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 8 square feet | — | — | No more than one sign per lot and adjacent to a street | On premises being sold or rented | — | § 3.13.009(b)(8)(A) |
| Political Sign | 8 feet | 36 square feet | — | — | — | Private property | — | § 3.13.009(b)(7) |

### Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Portable Sign | 48 inches | 10 square feet | — | 8 feet back of curb | — | Not in a right-of-way or easement, not obstructing a public sidewalk, and abutting the advertised businesses | — | § 3.13.014(f) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 50 square feet | — | — | One sign per 200 feet of street frontage | On premises being sold or rented | — | § 3.13.009(b)(8)(B) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 24 feet | 100 square feet | — | 8 feet from back of curb | — | Not nearer to the back of curb, (or pavement edge) than 8 feet, and no part of the sign may extend into the right-of-way | — | § 3.13.014(a) |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Attached or affixed to the wall of any building | — | § 3.13.014(c) |

## Prohibited signs in Columbus

- Abandoned signs.
- Signs imitating or resembling official traffic or government signs or emergency indicators or signals.
- Snipe or bandit signs or signs attached to trees, utility poles, public benches, or streetlights.
- Signs placed on vehicles or trailers which are parked or located for the primary purpose of displaying the sign.
- Portable and trailer signs.
- Signs on public rights-of-way without express consent from the city manager.
- Off-premises signs, unless otherwise allowed by this article.
- Signs painted on rooftops.
- Any sign which emits sound, odor, or visible matter.
- Searchlights.
- Temporary changeable advertisements except as allowed in sections 3.13.009 and 3.13.014.
- Pole banners except as allowed in sections 3.13.009 and 3.13.014.

## Signs exempt from permit in Columbus

- Any public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.
- Any sign that is not legible from a distance of more than three feet beyond the lot line of the lot or parcel on which such sign is located.
- Works of art, as defined, are not signs for the purposes of these regulations.
- Holiday lights and decorations with no commercial message.
- Decorative landscape lighting.
- Traffic-control signs on private property, such as 'stop,' 'yield,' and similar signs, the face of which meet state or city standards and which contain no commercial message of any sort.
- Address and postbox numerals.
- Government signs erected by the city, county, state, or federal government in furtherance of their governmental responsibility.
- Legal notices.
- Memorial signs or tablets and building markers displayed on public or private buildings and tablets or headstones in cemeteries.
- Signs prepared by or for the local, state or federal government marking sites or buildings of historical significance.
- Signs on windows whether painted or vinyl.
- Addresses no larger than ten square feet.
- Signs on operable vehicles when the vehicles or trailers have a current license and inspection.
- Permanent signs on fences at outdoor athletic and sports fields and tracks, outdoor entertainment establishments, and in and around areas of public gathering so long as the sign is made of wood, masonry, or other material and not part of a building.
- Pennants, banners, streamers, flags, fluttering, undulating, or moving signs which are not part of a permanent sign.
- On-premises signs that are not free standing, such as wall signs, except as expressly regulated by this article.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The effect of this article is to prohibit all signs not expressly permitted or exempted by this article, except as approved through the variance process established by this article.
- A building permit shall be required to build, structurally alter, or provide more than normal maintenance of a sign.
- A nonconforming sign may not be enlarged in any way to include larger supporting structures; sign face area, or height.
- The board of adjustment shall have the authority to hear and grant requests for a variance from these regulations and administrative appeals of interpretations of this article.
- An application for a conditional sign permit shall be submitted to the permitting department and shall include all documents necessary to obtain a building permit.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Columbus, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Columbus+TX&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-columbus

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