# Sign Regulations in Odessa, Texas

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Odessa, Texas (TX)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/texas/odessa
- **Data last verified:** 2025-02-12
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/39846175#39846175)

## At a glance

Odessa, Texas regulates 42 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Directional Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 42 inches tall and 6 sq. ft. (Sec. § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 5. Directional sign.). Most commercial signs in Odessa require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Heavy Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Heavy Industrial (HI) | 4 | 35 ft (freestanding) | 700 sq. ft. | Yes |
| Planned Development (PD) | 1 | 35 ft (freestanding), 42.5 ft (Interstate Highway 20) | 700 sq. ft. | Yes |
| Public (P), Neighborhood Service (NS), Office (O), Medical Center (MC), Residential (R), Single-Family Residential (R-1), Light Commercial (LC), Central Business District 1 (CB-1), Central Business District 2 (CB-2) | 2 | — | 400 sq. ft. (individual businesses), 500 sq. ft. (shopping centers) | Yes |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 38 | 50 ft | 500 sq. ft. for freestanding signs and 500 sq. ft. for wall/canopy signs | Yes |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### Heavy Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Heavy Industrial (HI)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Billboard Sign | 35 ft (freestanding) | 700 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Not nearer than 125 ft to any residential district boundary line | Yes | § 14-10-1(I), § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 3. Billboard sign. |
| Electronic Billboard | 35 ft (freestanding), 42.5 ft (Interstate Highway 20) | 700 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Not nearer than 300 ft to any residential district boundary line | Yes | § 14-10-1(i), § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 4. Electronic billboard. |
| General Business Sign | — | 400 sq. ft. (individual businesses), 500 sq. ft. (shopping centers) | — | — | — | One freestanding sign per street frontage, or two if lot frontage exceeds 150 feet. | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 6. General business sign. |
| Portable Sign | — | 35 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 12. Portable sign. |

### Public (P), Neighborhood Service (NS), Office (O), Medical Center (MC), Residential (R), Single-Family Residential (R-1), Light Commercial (LC), Central Business District 1 (CB-1), Central Business District 2 (CB-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Business Sign | — | 400 sq. ft. (individual businesses), 500 sq. ft. (shopping centers) | — | — | — | One freestanding sign per street frontage, or two if lot frontage exceeds 150 feet. | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 6. General business sign. |
| Portable Sign | — | 35 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 12. Portable sign. |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apartment or Housing Project Identification Sign | — | 40 sq. ft. (wall), 20 sq. ft. (free) | — | — | One per street frontage. | — | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 1. Apartment or housing project identification sign. |
| Directional Sign | 42 inches | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | One per street access. | — | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 5. Directional sign. |
| Institutional Identification Sign | — | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | One per street frontage. | — | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 7. Institutional identification sign. |
| Name Plate (Residential) | — | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | One per residential dwelling unit. | — | No | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 9. Name plate (residential). |
| Neighborhood Crime Watch Informational Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | No more than two per intersection. | Not in the public right-of-way. | No | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 10. Neighborhood crime watch informational sign. |
| Office Identification Sign | — | 400 sq. ft. (individual offices), 500 sq. ft. (office centers) | — | — | — | One freestanding sign per street frontage, or two if lot frontage exceeds 150 feet. | Yes | § 14-10-2 Permanent Type Signs, Table 11. Office identification sign. |
| Individual Businesses | — | 400 sq. ft. | — | — | — | One freestanding business/shopping center sign per street frontage, except for lots with a linear street frontage of 150 feet or more, which may have two freestanding business signs per street frontage, with a minimum separation of 75 feet. | Yes | § 14-10-4 Business Signs, (A) Individual Businesses. |
| Individual Offices | — | 400 sq. ft. | — | — | — | One freestanding business/shopping center sign per street frontage, except for lots with a linear street frontage of 150 feet or more, which may have two freestanding business signs per street frontage, with a minimum separation of 75 feet. | Yes | § 14-10-4 Business Signs, (B) Individual Offices. |

## Prohibited signs in Odessa

- No sign shall obstruct the vision or sight distance of motor vehicle operators or pedestrians at street intersections, drive entrances and exits, or any other point of traffic concentration.
- No sign shall be maintained within the triangular visibility clearance area formed by intersecting street lines and a straight line connecting such street lines at points 25 feet from the point of intersection.
- No signs shall be maintained within the triangular area formed by the intersecting of driveway lines and street lines at points 15 feet from the point of intersection.
- No sign shall interfere with or confuse the control of traffic on public streets.
- No sign shall use a rotating beacon, beam, or flashing illumination resembling an emergency signal.
- No sign shall project into the public right-of-way of any street or alley, except in the CB-1 (Central Business District-1).

## Signs exempt from permit in Odessa

- Routine maintenance or repair and/or replacement of sign faces does not require a sign permit.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A shopping center, shopping mall, or office center may apply for a master sign plan to allow flexibility in sign location, size, and number due to peculiarities in the location or configuration of parcels of real property or the intended uses of the combined area.
- To qualify for a master sign plan, an area must include one lot or parcel or two or more contiguous lots or parcels not included in any other master sign plan.
- A master sign plan shall not become effective until all owners of the property within the master sign plan area have signed an agreement.

## 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 4 zoning districts in Odessa — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Odessa+TX&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-odessa

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