Dallas Code Chapter 51A-7 prohibits new digital billboards and conversions of existing static billboards to digital. A long-running moratorium reflects council policy treating off-premise electronic message displays as incompatible with the Dallas streetscape and traffic safety.
Dallas treats off-premise digital billboards as prohibited signs under Chapter 51A-7 of the Development Code. The City Council declined to authorize digital conversions and instead caps off-premise sign inventory through a take-down/credit system tied to the Dallas Sign District map. Existing static billboards along IH-30, IH-35E, US-75, and the LBJ Freeway may remain but cannot be re-faced with electronic message centers, LED panels, or tri-vision rotating displays. On-premise electronic message centers at businesses are allowed only in commercial and industrial districts under tight brightness, dwell-time, and setback rules. Texas Highway Beautification Act controls overlay state highways, requiring TxDOT outdoor-advertising permits for any sign visible from interstate or primary highway rights-of-way.
Operating an unpermitted digital billboard is a Class C misdemeanor under Chapter 51A-7 with fines up to $2,000 per day per face. The city may obtain injunctive removal, and TxDOT can revoke the underlying outdoor-advertising license for highway-visible violations.
Dallas, TX
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