Blue Mound City Zoning Code
§ 19
SIGN REGULATIONS.
A.
USE REGULATIONS.
It shall be unlawful to construct or install or permit to be constructed or installed any sign or billboard within the City limits of the City of Blue Mound, Texas, except as is expressly permitted herein.
1.
“CF” Community Facilities District.
Signs shall be permitted to identify the use or uses of property upon which it is displayed as follows:
1.
Wall or Building Sign:
Maximum area of thirty-two square feet (32 sq. ft.), maximum height of twenty feet (20'), minimum spacing of one per street frontage.
2.
Ground Sign:
Maximum area of thirty-two square feet (32 sq. ft.), maximum height of six feet (6').
3.
Pole Sign:
Maximum area of thirty-two square feet (32 sq. ft.), maximum height of twenty feet (20').
4.
Special Provisions:
Signs may be illuminated but the source of light shall not be visible and shall not be intermittent or flashing; revolving signs shall not be permitted.
No individual sign of any type in any such required front or side yard space shall exceed thirty-two square feet (32 sq. ft.) in sign area. Symbols which are designed as an integral part of the building structure, and symbols and signs which are not visible or readable from the public street shall not be limited by the above regulations.
2.
“B,” Two-Family, and “C,” Multiple-Family Districts
1.
Building Sign:
Each family may install or permit to be installed an unilluminated nameplate, not exceeding one square foot in area. There shall be no change in the outside appearance of the building or premises, or other than one sign, not exceeding one square foot in area, non-illuminated and mounted flat against the wall of the principal building.
2.
Ground Sign:
Not allowed.
3.
Pole Sign:
Not allowed.
4.
Special Provisions:
Temporary signs not exceeding one square foot in area may be permitted. The maximum size of a real estate sales sign is sixteen square feet (16 sq. ft.) with a maximum height of six feet (6').
5.
Signs allowed in residential districts for the purpose of advertising garage sales are limited to only two (2) days of use. Such signs are allowed only on private premises and not permitted to be placed in public rights-of-way.”
3.
“D” Multiple-Family Districts.
Signs shall be permitted to identify the use or uses of the property upon which it is displayed as follows:
1.
Building Sign:
Maximum total area of eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.), maximum height of twenty feet (20').
2.
Ground Sign:
Maximum total area of eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.), maximum height of six feet (6'), only allowed in area not designated as a front or side yard.
3.
Pole Sign:
Not allowed.
4.
Special Provisions:
Signs may be illuminated, but the source of light shall not be visible and shall not be intermittent or flashing. Revolving signs will not be permitted in this district. Sign area limitations can be used with ground or building signs or in combination.
5.
Maximum spacing is one (1) per street frontage.
4.
“E” Commercial District and “E-1” Retail District.
Signs shall be permitted to identify use or uses of the property upon which it is displayed as follows:
1.
Building Sign:
Signs on buildings shall not extend beyond the building.
2.
Ground Sign:
Not allowed except on sites of two (2) acres or larger with single ownership. Only allowed in area not designated front or side yard. Signs of this type limited to one (1) percent of the floor area of the building.
3.
Pole Sign:
Allowed only for those businesses having one hundred (100) linear feet or more of frontage on a public street.
4.
Maximum height of any sign is thirty-five feet (35').
5.
Total area limitation per face of any sign(s) is eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.).
The provisions regulating signs in the “F” Commercial District shall be permitted for signs in the “E” Commercial Districts for lots fronting on a “U.S.” or “Interstate” designated highway(s) and said regulation shall apply to said frontage orientation only.
5.
“F” Commercial District, “G” Commercial District, and “H” Industrial District.
Signs shall be permitted to identify the use or uses of the property upon which it is displayed as follows:
1.
Building Sign:
Signs on buildings shall not extend beyond the building.
2.
Ground Sign:
Only allowed in areas not designated front or side yard.
3.
Pole Sign:
Pole signs may be located in the front yard or the side yard provided such pole signs comply with the following:
a.
Every portion of such sign extending over the required yard shall have a minimum clearance of eleven feet (11').
b.
Each such sign shall be supported by a single or dual freestanding pole without guide wires or braces.
c.
The area of sign shall not exceed eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.) and thirty-five feet (35') high if within ten feet (10') of the property line. If more than ten feet (10') from the property line, the area of the sign shall not exceed one hundred twenty square feet (120 sq. ft.) and fifty feet (50') height.
d.
Pole signs in the front yard shall be located not less than fifty feet (50') from Districts “B”, “C , or “D”.
e.
Not more than one (1) pole sign shall be erected in the required front yard for each one hundred feet (100') of street frontage, or one (1) for each side yard required because of reversed frontage.
f.
The pole(s) supporting such sign(s) shall be designed in accordance with provisions of the current edition of the Uniform Building Code that now exists or as it may be revised or amended. Enclosures connecting two (2) or more poles supporting a sign are not permitted in the area less than eleven feet (11') from the surrounding ground level.
g.
Pylon type signs are totally prohibited.
h.
Any sign having an area of forty (40) or more square feet shall publicize or relate to only that business located on the premises on which the sign is constructed.
i.
The maximum area is the total area of all tenants or services advertised on one (1) sign structure. The Planning and Zoning Commission may grant a variance for groups of six (6) or more businesses on sites greater than two (2) acres which use a common sign.
4.
Special Provisions:
Advertising signs or structures may be placed or erected on the ground or on the buildings, but shall not be placed or erected in the required front or side yard, except that single or dual pole signs may be located in the front yard or the side yard provided such single or dual pole signs comply with all other provision[s] of this ordinance. The maximum height shall not exceed fifty feet (50') and the total area of limitation per face of any sign shall not exceed one hundred twenty square feet (120 sq. ft.).
6.
General
1.
Signs may not be erected closer than one hundred feet (100') to each other on the same side of the highway on the non-freeway primary system.
2.
The above spacing between signs shall not apply to signs separated by buildings, natural surroundings, or other obstructions which cause only one (1) sign located within the specified spacing to be visible at any one time.
3.
Signs may be illuminated subject to the following restrictions:
a.
Signs which contain, include, or are illuminated by flashing, intermittent, or moving light or lights are prohibited, except message signs giving public information such as time, date, temperature, weather or similar information.
b.
Lights which are not effectively shielded as to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed in any portion of the travel ways of the interstate or primary highway and which are of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or to impair the vision of the driver of any motor vehicle, or which otherwise interferes with any driver’s operation of a motor vehicle are prohibited.
c.
No signs shall be illuminated that interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures an official traffic sign, device or signal.
7.
Permits.
Any person, firm, or corporation, desiring to construct, install or cause to be constructed or installed any sign or billboard within the city limits of the City of Blue Mound, Texas, shall first apply for a permit with the City Secretary with all such information as may be required to determine the applicability of this ordinance to the proposed sign or billboard. A permit fee shall then be paid by the applicant before any such permit is issued. Any owner of a sign shall, prior to issuance of a permit, present proof of having first obtained an outdoor advertising license from the State of Texas for the purpose of advertising along Interstate and/or Federal Aid primary highways. Persons proposing to install a sign along a roadway regulated by the Highway Department shall provide the Building Inspector with a copy of written authorization or approval of such sign from the Highway Department at the time that application is made to install the sign.
8.
Portable Signs.
Portable signs may be temporarily located on property in “E”, “E-1”, “F”, “G”, and “H” Districts subject to the following:
A.
Not more than one (1) portable sign may be located on a single property at any time.
B.
Portable signs may not exceed fifty square feet (50 sq. ft.) of sign area and eight feet (8') in overall height.
C.
All portable signs must be located on private property, a minimum of fifty feet (50') from the intersection of any street or highway right-of-way, and must not extend into any right-of-way.
D.
Portable signs may not be located in areas that may, in the judgment of the Building Inspection Department or the Police Department, create a safety hazard to vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
E.
No portable sign shall be placed on property within the City of Blue Mound unless a permit therefor has been issued by the City Secretary. All applications for portable sign permits presented to the City Secretary must include the following information: Name, address, phone number of the owner of the property, the renter of the sign, and the owner of the sign; the proposed dates the sign would be located on the property; the signature of the sign owner responsible for removal of the portable sign; and accurately showing the proposed location of the portable sign. The owner of any portable sign shall be responsible for obtaining the permit required herein and shall be responsible for any violations of this ordinance whether the sign if leased or rented to another or not. Upon obtaining a building permit, the owner of said sign shall sign a statement indemnifying and holding the City harmless for any damages which may result from the placement of said sign.
F.
Portable signs, when permitted, may not be relocated to any other location on the property or to other property without prior authorization from the City Secretary and the Police Department. Any approved relocation of a permitted portable sign does not extend the authorized time period of the sign.
G.
Portable signs shall be required to meet all applicable building and electrical codes.
H.
No more than two (2) portable signs may be erected per city block and no portable sign shall be located any closer than five hundred feet (500') from another portable sign. “City block” shall mean that area along a street between two (2) intersecting streets.
I.
Portable signs shall be maintained in good state of repair and shall not be allowed to become dilapidated, unsightly or deteriorated.
J.
Permits issued by the City Secretary shall expire three (3) months after the date of issuance. Permits can be renewed thereafter for additional three (3) month periods unless the City Secretary has received a pending application for a permit which conflicts with the reissuance of the first permit.
B.
PROHIBITIONS.
The following signs are absolutely prohibited in any district zoned or unzoned within the corporate limits in City of Blue Mound, Texas.
C.
SIGNS ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS.
Regulation of spacing of signs along interstate and primary highways as that term is defined in the Highway Beautification Act.
1.
Signs may not be located in such a manner along interstate or primary highways so as to obscure or otherwise interfere with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, signal or device, or which obstructs or interferes with a driver’s view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic.
2.
Signs may not be located within five hundred feet (500') of any public park, public forest, public playground, or scenic area as such by the State Highway Department or other governmental agency having any exercising [sic] such authority which said park area is adjacent to the highway.
3.
Signs may not be erected of [along] interstate and freeway primary systems closer than five hundred feet (500') apart on the same side of the highway.
D.
EXISTING SIGNS.
Any sign installed and in use prior to the enactment of this ordinance will not be restricted by this ordinance so long as its location, height, basic construction, and other significant characteristics remain unchanged. Any sign in any zoning district which is rebuilt, relocated, modified, enlarged, extended, altered or other than by normal maintenance to the configuration existing at the time of enactment of this ordinance shall be regulated by this ordinance.
E.
POLICITICAL SIGNS.
1.
Political signs not exceeding 36 square feet may be erected on private real property only with the permission of the property owner. Private real property does not include real property subject to an easement or other encumbrance that allows a municipality to use the property for a public purpose.
2.
Political signs shall be removed within ten days after completion of the election in question.
3.
In the case of a run-off election, signs advertising those candidates who are in the run-off election may be continued to be displayed during the interim period, but must be removed within ten days after the run-off election.
4.
A political sign shall not require a sign permit and shall comply with the following requirements:
(1)
The total signage area for political signs shall not exceed 36 square feet in area, shall not exceed eight feet in height, shall not be illuminated, nor have any moving elements.
(2)
Political signs shall not be located in the city rights-of-way or in roadway medians, nor be placed on city-owned property such as city parks, fire stations, police stations, libraries, city hall and other city-owned buildings. However, such signs may be placed on public property designated as an official polling place on a designated election day, with such signs being located outside the specified distance from the polling place entrance as permitted by state election laws.
(3)
Political signs may not be placed in the state rights-of-way situated within the city.
(4)
Political signs shall not be installed in any manner that may result in a potential safety hazard of any type.
(5)
Political signs shall be kept in repair and proper state of preservation.
(6)
Political signs may be erected no earlier than 45 days before the date of the election for which the sign is designated.
(7)
Notwithstanding any provision in this Section to the contrary, if a political sign is authorized to be placed or erected under this Section, a temporary sign with any other noncommercial message is allowed to be erected in its place provided it otherwise complies with the provisions of this section.”
F.
NONCOMMERCIAL MESSAGES.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, or other ordinance, any sign authorized in this section is allowed to contain a noncommercial message in place of any other authorized commercial or noncommercial message without an additional permit or approval, so long as the sign complies with the other requirements of this ordinance and other city ordinances.
(Ordinance 200 adopted 7/19/88; Ordinance 535 adopted 2/18/19)