Planning and Zoning Commission recommends ordinance requiring on-site signs for rezoning notices

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted Aug. 14 to recommend that the City Council adopt amendments to Title 17 of the municipal code that would require applicants for zoning map amendments, conditional-use permits and similar items to post on-site notice signs, a staff member told the commission.

The requirement is prompted by the state Legislature's HB 24, which added a minimum requirement for on-site notice signs before public hearings on zoning map changes; staff said the statute takes effect Sept. 1, 2025. Commission staff recommended a local ordinance to add detail and enforcement provisions the state law leaves unspecified.

Planning staff member Mr. Howard summarized the proposal to the commission, saying that the new state rule is minimal and that “the legislature, they adopted HB 24. Within this, statute, they added some provisions for home rule cities that required on-site notice signs prior to public hearings for zoning map changes. These changes are effective 09/01/2025.” He told commissioners staff drafted local standards to address enforcement and to allow the city to place the posting burden on applicants rather than taxpayers.

Under the proposed ordinance as presented to the commission, the local rules would: require a minimum sign size of 24 inches by 48 inches (the state minimum); require signs to remain posted until the final decision by the City Council; set a staff-proposed posting deadline of 21 days before the hearing (the state minimum is 10 days); cap sign height near the city's typical monument signs (about 6 feet); require at least one sign on every street frontage and an additional sign for every 1,000 feet of frontage up to three additional signs; require durable, weather-resistant materials and legible, professionally printed (or equivalent) text; require applicants to provide current contact information (phone and email) with their application; and require removal of the sign within three days after the final decision.

Staff also proposed enforcement measures. If an applicant does not post the sign in the required time or maintain it, the public hearing would be postponed to the next available date and the applicant would pay the city's public-meeting notice fee (currently $300), staff said. The original draft required replacement of a missing or damaged sign within 24 hours of staff notification; commissioners approved a modification changing that interval to 72 hours.

Commission discussion focused on cost, ownership signatures and administrative details. Commissioner Lisonbee asked about potential costs to applicants; Mr. Howard said commercially available signs range widely — for example, he told the commission one online option yielded three signs for about $19.99 while other options could cost as much as about $100 — and staff did not expect typical costs to reach into the hundreds or thousands. Commissioners confirmed that applications require an owner's signature and that staff would update application checklists to record the required contact information and sign-posting items.

Commissioner Ellison moved the staff recommendation and asked that the commission include the suggested change extending the replacement window to 72 hours. Commissioner Wallace seconded. The commission voted to recommend the ordinance amendments to the City Council, and the motion carried.

At the start of the meeting the commission also approved minutes from its July 10, 2025 regular meeting; the chair noted the vote on the minutes “passes unanimously.” The commission adjourned without a work session following the meeting.

The commission's action is a recommendation to City Council; the ordinance is not adopted until the council acts. The staff-recommended text, including the 21-day posting interval and other detailed standards, will be forwarded to the Council for consideration.