Only temporary on-premises ground signs are permitted on tracts occupied by dwellings. Other locations where dwellings are not located only on-premises ground signs are permitted. Portable signs and CEVMS are prohibited.

[Reserved. Deleted and reserved by Ordinance 2378, section VI, adopted May 12, 2008.]

No off-premises signs, or CEVMS are permitted whether temporary or permanent, shall be located in the Old Katy District or within five hundred (500) feet of a single-family residential zone.

To seek the attraction of or to direct the attention of the public to any goods, services, or merchandise whatsoever.

Includes any activity with a business purpose, any activity not involving a residential purpose.

The use of any property or structure for the purpose of conducting a commercial enterprise or church as herein defined. The definition shall, in any R-1 area as defined in the City of Katy Zoning Ordinance, include any nonresidential use or purpose.

Those organizations identified and defined as religious organizations in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and those activities conducted by those organizations granted exempt status under IRC Sec. 501 when such activities are conducted on the same premises as the religious organization.

An imaginary line drawn along the edge of the pavement on either side of a public street.

A right-of-way which is not classified as a predominantly residential right-of-way or scenic or historical right-of-way or district and which is owned, leased or otherwise legally controlled by the person placing a sign thereon.

Use or activity which is not a residential purpose, including but not limited to businesses, nonprofit organizations and churches.

Any sign advertising a business, person, activity, goods, product or service not usually located on the premises where the sign is installed and maintained, or which directs persons to any location not on the premises.

Any sign identifying or advertising the business[,] person, activity, goods, products or services primarily sold or offered for sale on the premises where the sign is installed and maintained when such premise is used for business purposes; and

An individual, company, corporation, partnership, association, or any other entity.

A public right-of-way between two (2) intersecting public streets in which a majority of the total front footage is used for residential purposes.

Any part of a right-of-way not privately owned or controlled, and which is the responsibility of the city or other similar public agency to maintain.

The entire width between property lines of any road, street, way, alley, bridge, or other similar thoroughfare not privately owned or controlled, when any part thereof is open to the public for vehicular traffic, is the responsibility of the city or other similar public agency to maintain, and over which the city has legislative jurisdiction under its police power.

The use of property in an R-1, R-2, or R-3 district devoted to occupancy by persons of a dwelling. Property devoted to both residential and nonresidential use shall be considered as used for residential purposes.

The property fronting on, immediately adjacent to, and on either side of a public street or a nonpublic street.

Any outdoor display, design, pictorial, or other representation, which shall be so constructed, placed, attached, painted, erected, fastened, or manufactured in any manner whatsoever so that the same shall be used for advertising. The term “sign” shall include the sign structure. Every sign shall be classified and conform to the requirements of each of such classifications set forth in this section.

Any structure which supports or is capable of supporting any sign. A sign structure may be a single pole and may or may not be an integral part of a building.

The total length of the footage of property fronting on both sides of a public street.

Shall consist of one (1) or two (2) sign faces and a support structure. Each pair of identical faces on a ground, pole or projecting sign structure shall constitute a separate sign.

A projecting sign attached to or hung from a canopy or covered structure projecting from and supported by a frame or pipe support extending beyond a building.

Any sign which is affixed to any building wall or structure and extends beyond the building wall or structure more than twelve (12) inches.

Any sign erected, constructed or maintained above the roof of any building.

Any sign affixed to or painted upon the wall of any building.

One which conveys information regarding a service or facility subsidiary to the main or principal business use of a property, such as telephone signs, restroom signs, credit card signs, etc. Ancillary signs shall not exceed four (4) square feet in size.

Any on-premise or off-premise sign of any type which may include electrical sign, portable sign, and spectacular sign or combination, according to special functions.

Any sign containing electrical wiring or utilizing electrical current, but not including signs illuminated by an exterior light source[.]

Any sign assigned or constructed to be easily moved from one location to another, including signs mounted upon or designed to be mounted upon a trailer, bench, wheeled carrier or other non-motorized mobile structure; a portable sign which has its wheels removed shall still be considered a portable sign hereunder. For the purpose of this section, trailer signs and signs on benches are “portable signs.”

Shall mean any sign which has automatically changing advertising or which is equipped with glaring or rotating strobe or spotlights or which has any moving message whatsoever. A changing or moving message that does not change or move more than once every four (4) hours, shall not be considered “automatically changing advertising.”

Any sign constructed of cloth, canvas, light fabric, cardboard, wallboard, or other light material not to exceed one hundred (100) square feet in size. A portable sign shall not be considered a temporary sign.

A ground sign that incorporates within its design and construction the ability for the vendor to easily alter the wording of the sign message. This sign shall conform to all structural requirements of ground signs, Subsection 1 of this section.

Shall mean a sign which permits light to be turned on or off intermittently, or which is operated in a way whereby light is turned on or off intermittently, including any illuminated sign on which such illumination is not kept stationary or constant in intensity and color at all times when such sign is in use including an LED (light emitting diode) or digital sign, and which varies in intensity and color. A CEVMS does not include a sign located within the right-of-way that functions as a traffic-control device (MUTCD) approved by the Federal Highway Administration as the National Standard.

Shall mean a sign or form of advertisement in the form of or attached to a balloon or other inflatable or floating device.

It shall be permissible for retail business offering motor fuel and oil to motor vehicles to place signs furnished by petroleum company suppliers identifying the brand of motor fuel and oil on overhead canopies provided the sign shall contain only the name and/or logo of the supplier and there is only one sign on each canopy face.

All on-premise signs on residential rights-of-way shall conform in all respects to the requirements set forth herein for general rights-of-way, and shall be subject to the following additional restrictions.

An on-premise sign must be erected in connection with an activity or purpose in connection with the activity being conducted on the premises or it shall be considered an off-premise sign.

Within forty-five (45) feet of an intersection, no part of the face of an on-premise sign shall be lower than a height of eight (8) feet above the grade level of the nearest street[.]

Effective the date of passage of this subsection. No new off-premise signs shall be constructed within the city limits of the City of Katy and no additional off-premise signs shall be erected within the city limits of the City of Katy. This prohibition shall apply to all classifications of signs, types of signs and special function signs, and all other signs used as off-premise signs, including portable signs, with the exception of off-premise signs which advertise the sale or rental of real property or direct persons to the location of real property for sale or rental.

From and after the date of adoption of this subsection, no CEVMS or any sign using light emitting diodes not shielded from view shall be permitted or allowed within the City of Katy or its extraterritorial jurisdiction.

All inflatable signs are prohibited.

Signs lawfully erected and lawfully existing on the date of final passage of this subsection which are subject to regulation under provisions of the Texas Highway Beautification Act, or are subject to regulation under the Federal Highway Beautification Act, except for the prohibition contained herein forbidding new off-premise signs, prohibiting CEVMS, and general construction standards adopted by the City, shall be regulated by the City only to the extent of the exceptions and to the extent required by and in accordance with the directives of the appropriate state and federal agencies regulating such signs.

Within forty-five (45) feet of an intersection, no part of the face of an off-premise sign shall be lower than a height of eight (8) feet above the grade level of the nearest street.

Any off-premise sign structure lawfully erected and maintained which has no copy, transcript, reproduction, model, likeness, image, advertisement or written material for a period of one hundred twenty (120) consecutive days is hereby declared to be a violation of this subsection, and as such shall be restored to use or removed by the owner or permitted [permittee] within thirty (30) days after notice by the sign administrator of such violation. If the owner or permittee fails to restore the off-premise sign structure to use or move the abandoned off-premise sign structure within the specified thirty (30) days, the owner or person in possession of the sign shall be deemed in violation of this ordinance and each day shall constitute a separate violation. No sign shall be restored after the expiration of the thirty (30) day notice period.

If allowed in the use district where it is to be located, no permit shall be required under this section for on-premise signs of the following descriptions, unless any such sign is a spectacular sign or a portable sign. Any sign listed hereunder shall be erected and maintained in compliance with the other provisions of the Zoning Ordinance and this subsection, and in a safe condition in the conformity with the construction and maintenance standards adopted by the City of Katy.

Informational signs indicating the presence of fraternal organizations, civic organizations and/or religious denominations or churches within the City of Katy may be erected pursuant to the regulations of set out in this section, provided, however, that such signs shall:

Informational signs announcing special events for nonprofit organizations and service groups may be posted up to twenty-one (21) days after the event. Such signs do, however, require registration with the city prior to erection and shall otherwise conform to the ordinances of the City of Katy. No such signs shall be posted upon public property unless the event is being sponsored by an organization partially or wholly funded by public funds or a governmental agency or being sponsored by a group or organization using publicly owned facilities. No such signs shall be allowed on a public street. These signs shall not exceed forty (40) square feet. Street banners shall be allowed, but must be approved in writing by the city administrator.