Sign Regulations in Doral, FL

If you live in Doral or are thinking about moving there, sign regulations are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Doral has 6 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of sign regulations, and some of them might surprise you.

Political Signs

Doral caps election signs at four square feet and four feet tall in residential districts, six feet tall in nonresidential districts, and requires them to sit at least five feet from the right-of-way. Sec. 14-74 also limits private lots to one sign per candidate, two on corner lots.

Key details: Max size, residential: 4 sq ft, 4 ft tall. Max size, nonresidential: 4 sq ft, 6 ft tall. Setback from right-of-way: 5 feet. Earliest posting: 60 days before election. Removal deadline: 7 days after election.

Sec. 14-77 lets code enforcement issue a $100.00 civil citation per violation of the political sign article, and after 24 hours' notice to the campaign chairperson the city can draw on the $500.00 posting bond to cover unpaid penalties; notice is not required within 48 hours of the election. Operating a prohibited election advertising vehicle under Sec. 14-76 carries a separate fine of up to $500.00 or 60 days in jail, or both.

Window Signs

Doral caps permanent window signs for commercial and retail uses at 25 percent of window frontage under Land Development Code Section 80-258(a)(6), limits illumination entirely, and allows only one such sign per establishment. The sign needs no building permit unless it has structural components requiring one, but it must still be approved by the Planning and Zoning Department before installation.

Key details: Max sign area: 25% of window frontage. Number allowed: One per establishment. Illumination: Prohibited. Compliance grace period: 12 months. Governing section: Doral Code § 80-258(a)(6).

Installing an illuminated window sign, exceeding the 25 percent window-frontage cap, or skipping the required Planning and Zoning Department application under Section 80-258(a)(6) makes the sign noncompliant. Code compliance officers can issue a notice of violation under Section 80-73, and Section 80-75 sets civil fines starting at $50 for a first offense, $150 for a second offense within a year, and $500 for a third or later offense within that year.

Garage Sale Signs

A Doral garage sale sign is capped at four square feet, must sit at least five feet back from the right-of-way line (15 feet from an interior side line), and can go up only one day before the sale and must come down the same day it ends, under the temporary sign table in chapter 80 that garage-sale permits must follow.

Key details: Max sign size: 4 square feet. Right-of-way setback: 5 feet minimum. Interior side setback: 15 feet. Earliest posting: One day before the sale. Removal deadline: Day of the sale.

A garage sale sign placed in the public right-of-way, left up after the sale ends, made larger than four square feet, or hand-lettered instead of printed violates both § 80-210's temporary sign standards and the signage condition attached to the garage sale permit under § 35-130(i), exposing the property owner to the same code enforcement penalty set out in chapter 11 for a noncompliant garage sale.

The rules around garage sale signs in Doral lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Holiday Displays

Doral exempts temporary holiday decorations from the sign permit requirement under Land Development Code Section 80-42(j), but only if they carry no advertising and stay up no longer than 60 days for a single holiday. The decorations must come down within 21 days after the holiday ends, or they become an unpermitted sign subject to code enforcement.

Key details: Max display period per holiday: 60 days. Removal deadline after holiday: 21 days. Advertising allowed: None permitted. First-offense fine: $50. Governing section: Doral Code § 80-42(j).

A holiday display left up more than 60 days, or not removed within 21 days after the holiday, no longer qualifies as an exempt sign under Section 80-42(j) and is treated as an illegal sign under Section 80-74. Code compliance officers issue a written notice of violation under Section 80-73, and civil fines run $50 for a first offense, $150 for a second offense within a year, and $500 for a third offense in that same year, under Section 80-75.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Doral gives residents more flexibility on holiday displays.

Freeway-Facing Signs

Doral only permits off-premises billboards along the Palmetto Expressway, Dolphin Expressway and Florida Turnpike under Land Development Code Section 80-303, and each sign must sit within 150 feet of the highway edge and face only the traveling public on that limited access road. Billboards are also barred within set distances of designated city gateways, historic sites and residential lots.

Key details: Distance from highway edge: Within 150 feet. Gateway buffer (major interchanges): 1,000 feet. Gateway buffer (minor interchanges): 500 feet. Residential lot buffer: 500 feet. Citywide billboard cap: 13 permits.

A billboard built outside the 150-foot corridor along the Palmetto Expressway, Dolphin Expressway or Florida Turnpike, or placed within the buffer distance of a designated gateway, historic site or residential lot under Section 80-303, cannot receive a city building permit and is treated as an unlawful off-premises sign under Section 80-302. The city manager or designee can order removal through the code compliance process, and an owner who exceeds the 13-permit citywide cap set by Section 80-312 must surrender an equivalent existing permit before a new billboard can be approved.

Compared to other cities, Doral takes a harder line on freeway-facing signs. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Digital Billboards

Doral limits digital off-premises billboards, called automatic changing signs, to a citywide cap of four permits under Land Development Code Section 80-308, with each message held for a minimum of eight seconds and changing in no more than two seconds. Digital signs facing the same highway direction must be spaced at least 2,000 feet apart.

Key details: Citywide digital billboard cap: 4 permits. Minimum message duration: 8 seconds. Max transition time: 2 seconds. Minimum spacing between signs: 2,000 feet. Governing section: Doral Code § 80-308.

Operating a digital billboard face without one of the four citywide automatic changing sign permits, spacing two digital signs less than 2,000 feet apart on the same highway direction, or running a message that flashes, scrolls or changes in under two seconds violates Section 80-308 and Section 80-313's permit cap. The building official can order the sign brought into a static default position or removed, and the city's standard sign code compliance and civil fine process under Sections 80-73 through 80-75 applies to any digital billboard operated outside these limits.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Doral actively enforces its digital billboards requirements.

The Bottom Line

Doral's sign regulations rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Doral is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Doral's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.