New Braunfels, TX Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Max height
- 40 feet (more if elevation qualifies)
- Max area
- 400 sq ft per face
- Sign faces
- Two faces maximum
- Spacing
- 1 per 400 ft frontage, 300 ft apart
- Power line clearance
- 10 ft horizontal, 15 ft vertical
- Max fine
- $1,000/day (Sec. 106-19)
Summary
On any property with Interstate 35 frontage in New Braunfels, a freestanding sign can be a full pole sign, not just the monument sign required elsewhere in the city: Sec. 106-14(b)(3) allows a 40-foot pole sign up to 400 square feet per face, the largest freestanding sign format the sign code permits anywhere in the city.
(3)Pole signs on properties with IH 35 frontage. Pole signs are permitted on properties with IH 35 frontage, and which have commercial or industrial zoning provided they meet the following requirements:a.Height limit shall be 40 feet. For signs on properties with IH 35 frontage, additional height may be allowed....b.Maximum area shall be 400 square feet per face.c.Pole sign shall have only two sign faces.d.Properties with IH 35 frontage may have only one pole sign for each 400 feet of frontage. Poles signs shall be spaced a minimum of 300 feet apart.e.All signs shall maintain a minimum clearance from electric power lines of ten feet horizontally and 15 feet vertically or as otherwise may be required by the utility provider.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Most of New Braunfels restricts freestanding commercial signage to monument or low-profile pole signs, but Sec. 106-14(b)(3) carves out a taller, larger format for commercial and industrial properties fronting Interstate 35. A qualifying property may erect a true pole sign up to 40 feet tall and 400 square feet per face, with only two sign faces allowed. Because IH 35 sits in a cut or fill in many stretches of the city, the ordinance also allows additional height beyond 40 feet where the sign site sits lower than the interstate's main travel lanes; the extra allowance is measured by projecting a line from the sign location to the centerline of the nearest travel lanes, and only applies where the property is demonstrably lower than the highway.
Spacing rules keep the corridor from becoming a sign wall: a property gets only one IH 35 pole sign for every 400 feet of frontage, and pole signs must be at least 300 feet apart from each other, whether or not they sit on the same lot. Every pole sign must also clear overhead electric lines by at least ten feet horizontally and 15 feet vertically, and the sign owner pays for any power line relocation needed to meet that clearance. An electronic message version of the same sign is allowed under Sec.
106-14(c) on the same IH 35 frontage, capped at 200 square feet total with no single face over 100 square feet, but a property can only have one of the two: adding an electronic message sign forfeits the right to a separate static pole or monument sign on the same lot.
Violations & Fines
A pole sign built taller than 40 feet without qualifying for the elevation allowance, exceeding 400 square feet per face, or spaced closer than 300 feet from another pole sign is a violation of Sec. 106-14 enforced through the general sign penalty in Sec. 106-19: a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000.00 and each day of the violation a separate offense. The planning director can also require removal or reconstruction of a nonconforming pole sign before a building permit will be issued for the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a freeway sign be in New Braunfels?
What is the biggest sign a business can build along IH 35?
How close together can pole signs be along IH 35?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Braunfels
Texas rules heatmap·Compare New Braunfels to another location·View the Texas sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.