Staff proposes streamlined rules and stronger enforcement for temporary signs and downtown wall signs

Staff told council on Nov. 3 that sign regulations could be made easier to navigate for business owners and that temporary signs are a persistent enforcement issue along commercial corridors.

What staff proposed: Planning staff recommended consolidating Downtown sign standards and citywide sign rules into a single, user‑friendly table and creating an administrative minor‑waiver process for certain downtown attached wall signs that currently require a major waiver (council approval). Staff also recommended narrowly focused flexibility for signs adjacent to major highways (for example, 190/635/I‑30) and exploring the Cultural Arts Commission’s role in reviewing unique, artistic or landmark signage.

Temporary signs and enforcement: Brian Morris, director of Code Compliance, reviewed temporary sign rules: permits generally allow temporary banners for 20 calendar days (60 days as an exception when awaiting a permanent sign permit), a 200 sq.ft. total site cap and an on‑premise requirement. He said many signs are unpermitted or left up past the permit period and recommended a proactive enforcement sweep of commercial corridors and window placards for permitted temporary signs to make violations easier to identify and correct.

Council direction: Several councilmembers supported making administrative processes faster so businesses do not need to come to council for routine sign approvals. Council also urged more proactive enforcement on major corridors and asked staff to work with legal about a possible Cultural Arts Commission review process for unique signage.