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Council tables dark‑sky sign ordinance after business‑ and safety‑related concerns
Summary
Staff proposed reducing illuminated sign brightness from 750 nits to 100 nits at night and requiring signs to be off when businesses are closed; council discussed business and public‑safety impacts and voted to table the ordinance to the council's second meeting in April for more stakeholder input and examples.
City planners on Tuesday proposed amendments to Buda’s Unified Development Code that would reduce allowable nighttime brightness of illuminated commercial signs from 750 nits to 100 nits and add a requirement that illuminated signs be turned off when the associated business is not operating.
Will Ferris, a city staff presenter, said the changes are intended to align the city with International Dark Sky Association (IDA) standards and to preserve Buda’s progress toward an IDA community designation. He told council the proposed language also includes a cap on illuminated surface area and other technical clarifications.
“The main changes being proposed are that, at night, the luminance level for illuminated signs is reduced from 750 maximum nits to a hundred nits,” Ferris said. He also said the proposal would require signs to be turned off when the business is not operating between dusk and dawn.
Council members raised practical and safety concerns, particularly the proposed requirement to switch signs off when businesses are closed. “I’ve never heard that from a business owner,” Council Member Smith said, citing common practice such as fast‑food or chain restaurants that keep building signage illuminated after hours for visibility and wayfinding. Council Member Davidson and others asked to see real examples and to hear from local business stakeholders before imposing a new “off when closed” requirement.
City staff and the city attorney explained that state law limits local authority over outdoor lighting unless the city is seeking or has an IDA designation; that is the rationale for advancing the dark‑sky steps now. Still, council asked for visual examples and additional stakeholder input before acting.
On a motion by Mayor Lee Urbanovsky, seconded by a council member, the council voted to table the signage ordinance and asked staff to return with visual examples of 100‑nit signs and additional feedback from other communities that have adopted dark‑sky rules. The item was scheduled for the council’s second meeting in April.
What happens next: staff will compile example signs and city practices, solicit business and downtown stakeholder feedback, and return with refined ordinance language and visuals in April.
