Sign Regulations in Amarillo, TX (2026)
6 verified sign regulations for Amarillo, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
In Amarillo, Texas Election Code §259.003 bars the city from requiring a permit, charging a fee, or capping the size of a political sign on private property posted with the owner's consent, as long as it stays under 36 square feet and 8 feet tall, unlit, and without moving parts.
Amarillo Political Signs: State Law Shields Private-Property Displays
Few RestrictionsTex. Election Code §259.003(b), (d)
(b) A municipal charter provision or ordinance that regulates signs may not, for a sign that contains primarily a political message and that is located on private real property with the consent of the property owner: (1) require a permit for or approval of the sign; (2) charge a fee for placement of the sign; ... (d) Subsection (b) does not apply to a sign that: (1) has an effective area greate...
Garage Sale Signs
A garage sale sign in Amarillo is exempt from the city's sign permit only if it stays at four square feet or smaller, sits on private property, and comes down within one day after the sale ends. The exemption sits in the same Section 4-2-7 list that also excuses nameplate, real estate, and political signs from permitting.
Amarillo Garage Sale Sign Placement Rules
Light RestrictionsAmarillo Code of Ordinances § 4-2-7, Exemption P
The following signs are exempt from permit requirements outlined in Chapter 4-2; however, such signs shall be located on private property and shall comply with all other chapter requirements. ... P.Temporary signs advertising garage sales provided that such signs shall not exceed four (4) square feet; are only allowed on private property; and shall be removed within one (1) day following the sale.
Holiday Displays
Amarillo Code Chapter 4-2 (Signs) exempts seasonal and holiday decorations at residential properties from sign permit requirements. Displays such as Christmas lights, wreaths, and festive ornaments may be erected without a permit provided they are temporary and do not constitute a permanent commercial sign.
Residential Holiday Decorations Exempt from Sign Permits
Few RestrictionsTex. Prop. Code Sec. 202.018(a)-(b)
Sec. 202.018. REGULATION OF DISPLAY OF CERTAIN RELIGIOUS ITEMS. (a) Except as otherwise provided by this section, a property owners' association may not enforce or adopt a provision in a dedicatory instrument, including a restrictive covenant, that prohibits a property owner or resident from displaying or affixing on the owner's or resident's property or dwelling one or more religious items ...
Digital Billboards
Amarillo's sign code lets an on-premises electronic message center display a static image or scroll text across the face, but bans dissolve, fade, and animation effects unless each message holds for at least five seconds and the transition completes in two seconds across the whole sign. An EMC cannot exceed half of the site's allowed freestanding sign area, and illumination is capped at 5,000 nits by day and 500 nits from dusk to dawn.
Amarillo Electronic Message Center Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsAmarillo Code of Ordinances § 4-2-9(A)(2)(c), (H)(1)-(2)
Illumination from any sign:...c.Shall not exceed five thousand (5,000) nits (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours or five hundred (500) nits between dusk and dawn, as measured from the closest property line. ... H.Use of an electronic message center (EMC) sign.(1)Operational limitations.a.The display of a static message and/or image and/or the use of scroll/travel to display a messa...
Window Signs
Amarillo exempts window signs from its sign permit only when they are temporary and cover no more than half of the total window area. Go over 50 percent, or leave a sign up as a permanent fixture, and Section 4-2-7's exemption no longer applies, sending the display back under Chapter 4-2's full permit and standards requirements.
Amarillo Temporary Window Sign Coverage Limit
Light RestrictionsAmarillo Code of Ordinances § 4-2-7, Exemption R
The following signs are exempt from permit requirements outlined in Chapter 4-2; however, such signs shall be located on private property and shall comply with all other chapter requirements. ... R.Window signs of a temporary nature only that do not exceed fifty (50) percent of the total window area.
Freeway-Facing Signs
Amarillo bans new off-premise (billboard) signs citywide except along five named freeway corridors: Interstate 40, Interstate 27, State Highway 60, and Highways 87 and 287, where TxDOT's own outdoor advertising rules take over. The same ban extends into the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction under Section 4-2-13(B), so a billboard just outside city limits faces the identical freeway-only restriction.
Amarillo Off-Premise Billboard Freeway Corridor Rule
Significant RestrictionsAmarillo Code of Ordinances § 4-2-13(A)-(B)
New Off-premise Signs shall be prohibited in the City with the following exceptions: A.Off-premise Signs shall be allowed adjacent to Interstate 40 (not Business Interstate 40), Interstate Highway 27, State Highways 60 (but not along segments dually designated as Business Interstate 40), and Highways 87 & 287 (Dumas Highway) but excluding those segments of State Highways 60, 87, and 287 between...