# Sign Regulations in Decatur, Texas

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Decatur, Texas (TX)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/texas/decatur
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/TX/Decatur/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTICOOR_CH15SI)

## At a glance

Decatur, Texas regulates 25 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Monument Signs in the Commercial Districts (C-O, C-1, C-1A, C-2), Industrial Districts (LI, HI) zoning district are capped at 8 ft (C-O, C-1, C-1A); 10 ft (C-2, LI, HI) tall and 60 sq ft per face (C-O, C-1, C-1A); 120 sq ft per face (C-2, LI, HI), with a At least 10 ft from any property line setback (Sec. Sec. 15-32). Most commercial signs in Decatur require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial Districts (C-O, C-1, C-1A, C-2), Industrial Districts (LI, HI) | 8 | 60 ft | 250 sq ft | — |
| C-2 District | 3 | 15 ft | 162 sq ft per face | — |
| Residential Districts | 1 | 8 ft | 10 sq ft | — |
| MF District, MHD District | 2 | 10 ft from ground | 4 sq ft | — |
| H District | 10 | 24 ft above roof level | 150 sq ft (includes all signs on marquee structure) | — |
| Planned Development Districts | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### Commercial Districts (C-O, C-1, C-1A, C-2), Industrial Districts (LI, HI)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | No part of a wall sign shall exceed the height of the building wall, except signs in C-1A District may exceed the height of the building wall. | 25% of the building frontage | — | — | Multi-tenant: 1 per street frontage, max 2 per business; Single-tenant: unlimited signs, subject to area | Any building or tenant space with at least 20 feet of building frontage; includes signs on canopy over fuel pumps. | — | Sec. 15-31 |
| Monument Sign | 8 ft (C-O, C-1, C-1A); 10 ft (C-2, LI, HI) | 60 sq ft per face (C-O, C-1, C-1A); 120 sq ft per face (C-2, LI, HI) | — | At least 10 ft from any property line | 1 per street frontage, max 2 per business | On lots with at least 50 feet of street frontage | — | Sec. 15-32 |
| Pole Sign | 25 ft | 120 sq ft per face | — | At least 10 ft from property line | 1 per street frontage, max 2 per business | On lots with at least 100 feet of street frontage | — | Sec. 15-34 |
| Highway Pole Sign | 60 ft | 200 sq ft per face | — | 25 ft from property line abutting street, 10 ft from side/rear | 1 per lot | On lots with at least 100 ft of frontage on US 81/287 or US 380 Bypass, must be on frontage adjacent to the highway | — | Sec. 15-35 |
| Multi-Tenant Sign - Monument | 30 ft | 250 sq ft | — | 10 ft from property line | 1 per lot | On lot occupied by at least one business in a development with more than one business (e.g., shopping centers, office centers, industrial parks) | — | Sec. 15-36 |
| Multi-Tenant Sign - Pole | 30 ft | 200 sq ft | — | 10 ft from property line | 1 per lot | On lot occupied by at least one business in a development with more than one business (e.g., shopping centers, office centers, industrial parks) | — | Sec. 15-36 |
| Directional Sign (Freestanding) | 3 ft | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per public street entrance, unlimited internal signs | At public street entrance and internal to site | — | Sec. 15-37 |
| Directional Sign (Wall) | 10 ft from ground | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per public street entrance, unlimited internal signs | At public street entrance and internal to site | — | Sec. 15-37 |

### C-2 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Highway Monument Sign | 15 ft | 162 sq ft per face | — | 10 ft from any property line | 1 per lot | On lots with at least 100 ft of street frontage on US 81/287 or US 380 Bypass, including frontage/service roads | — | Sec. 15-33 |
| Electronic Message Board Bonus Sign | — | 30 sq ft | — | — | 1 per pole sign or monument sign | On pole or monument signs along FM 51 and U.S. Business 380 | — | Sec. 15-48 |
| Menu Board Sign | 8 ft | 45 sq ft | — | 5 ft from side property lines | 1 per drive-thru lane | At entrance to restaurant drive-thru lanes | — | Sec. 15-52 |

### H District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | No part may extend above roof | 12 sq ft (based on bounding geometric shapes) | — | — | 1 per business | Over business entrance | — | Sec. 15-46 |
| Cantilevered Sign | May not project over roof | 25 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | Over or adjacent to main business entrance | — | Sec. 15-47 |
| Historic Overlay Wall Sign | Not to extend above wall or building height | 20% of wall area | — | — | 1 per tenant per street frontage, up to 2; 1 additional on building wall facing parking lot/alley | On buildings or tenant spaces with at least 20 ft frontage | — | Sec. 15-50 |
| Marquee Sign | To eave line of building | 150 sq ft (includes all signs on marquee structure) | — | — | 1 per building | Over business entrance | — | Sec. 15-51 |
| Mural | — | No maximum | — | — | 1 per building | On façade of commercial buildings | — | Sec. 15-53 |
| Painted Wall Sign | No component may exceed building height | 20% of wall area | — | — | 1 per street frontage, max 2 | Exterior building wall of tenant space | — | Sec. 15-54 |
| Roof Sign | 24 ft above roof level | 30 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Above flat roof, cantilever, awning, or on parapet wall | — | Sec. 15-56 |
| Sidewalk Sign | 6 ft (standard); 4 ft for permit-exempt sign | 32 sq ft (standard); maximum 8 sq ft for permit-exempt sign | — | — | 2 per business (standard); 1 permit-exempt sign per business | On sidewalk abutting business advertised | — | Sec. 15-58 |

## Prohibited signs in Decatur

- Wall signs shall not be mounted upon the wall of any building which faces any adjoining residential use without an intervening building or street.
- A wall sign cannot encroach into another adjacent tenant space.
- Residential entrance signs are prohibited in drainage easements or other easements.
- Cantilevered signs cannot extend over public streets or alleys.
- Murals shall not include any commercial messages, logo, trademark, or any facsimile thereof used to advertise services or products available for any commercial purpose.
- No other sign shall be installed over a mural.
- Painted wall signs are prohibited on building walls with existing wall signs.

## Signs exempt from permit in Decatur

- No sign permit shall be required for a wall sign that is not visible from the public right-of-way.
- One (1) sidewalk sign may be displayed by a business without a permit if the sign: is removed and properly stored during closed business hours; is located within five (5) feet of the primary entrance; does not have changeable copy, except that a chalkboard may be used; does not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic; and does not exceed four (4) feet in height and eight (8) square feet in area.
- Ghost signs do not count toward the allowable square footage or allowable number of wall signs for commercial buildings.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All applications for planned development districts shall include a comprehensive sign plan for approval by the planning and zoning commission and city council.
- Applications for ghost sign permits shall provide sign historical information, including photographs, if available, and the method and means of preservation. Sign preservation may be based on standards or guidance from the National Park Service or Texas Historic Commission.
- For cantilevered and marquee signs, before the sign permit is issued, the sign owner shall enter into a license agreement approved by the city council, provide liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence, name the city as insured, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless the city and its officials.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 6 zoning districts in Decatur — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Decatur+TX&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-decatur

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