Frisco, TX Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboards
- prohibited citywide and in the ETJ
- LED/CEVMS billboards on highways
- expressly barred, even if upgraded
- On-premises exception
- changeable copy/destination signs still allowed
- Off-premises signs generally
- separately prohibited under §70-18(10)
- Misdemeanor fine
- up to $500 per day
- Removal
- city can remove sign and lien property
Summary
Frisco prohibits billboards citywide and throughout its extraterritorial jurisdiction under Section 70-29's definition of the term, and separately bars any electronic or LED billboard from being located, relocated or upgraded along a regulated highway under Section 70-18(11)(D), closing off the freeway frontage that would otherwise attract off-premises advertising.
Billboard.A sign that is freestanding or attached to or part of a building, and is an off-premises sign that is designed for a change in copy, so that the characters, letters, display or illustrations can be changed or rearranged within a fixed sign face. Billboards are prohibited in the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. ... The construction, placement, existence or use of signs of the following nature are prohibited: ... Any changeable electronic variable message sign (CEVMS) or light emitting diode (LED) billboards located, relocated or upgraded along a regulated highway;
Full Breakdown
Chapter 70 defines a 'billboard' as a freestanding or building-attached off-premises sign designed so its copy can be changed or rearranged within a fixed sign face, and Section 70-29 states flatly that billboards are prohibited in the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction. That prohibition is reinforced in the enumerated list of prohibited signs at Section 70-18, which names billboard outright as item three, and again at Section 70-18(11)(D), which separately bars any changeable electronic variable message sign (CEVMS) or light emitting diode (LED) billboard located, relocated or upgraded along a regulated highway anywhere in the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction, closing off any argument that a digital billboard facing the Dallas North Tollway or the Sam Rayburn Tollway could be grandfathered by relocating or upgrading it.
This freeway-facing prohibition is distinct from Frisco's allowance, elsewhere in Chapter 70, of on-premises development destination signs and changeable copy signs under Section 70-27, both of which are permitted precisely because they advertise the property they sit on rather than off-site products or services under Section 70-29's off-premises test. Off-location or off-premises signs are separately listed as prohibited at Section 70-18(10). The building official enforces this ban, and a billboard erected in violation is treated as any other prohibited sign under Chapter 70's removal and penalty provisions.
Violations & Fines
Erecting, relocating or upgrading a billboard, including any CEVMS or LED billboard along a regulated highway, is a prohibited sign violation under Sections 70-18 and 70-29, punishable as a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $500 per day under Section 70-22. The city can also seek injunctive relief and a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day under Section 70-23, and may remove the sign and lien the property for unpaid removal costs under Section 70-24.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a billboard along a Frisco freeway?
What's the difference between a banned billboard and an allowed digital sign in Frisco?
Could an existing billboard near a Frisco highway be upgraded to digital LED?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frisco
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Frisco to another location·View the Texas sign regulations overview
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Freeway-Facing Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Collin County handle freeway-facing signs.