San Antonio, TX Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Corridor width
- 500 feet from right-of-way (expressways)
- Off-premise signs
- Prohibited outright in corridor
- Expressway pole sign
- Max 40 ft tall, 350 sq ft
- Expressway multi-tenant sign
- Max 50 ft tall, 500 sq ft
- Permit required
- Development services department, before erection
- Removal order
- 60 days at owner's expense
Summary
Along the IH-10 West/Loop 1604 corridor outside city limits, San Antonio bans off-premise billboards outright and caps on-premise freeway-facing signs at 40 feet (pole) or 50 feet (multi-tenant) in height, and 350 or 500 square feet in area, under Code of Ordinances Sec. 28-65. The overlay runs 500 feet from the right-of-way along each expressway.
Sec. 28-65. - Specific urban corridors—IH-10/FM 1604 Urban corridor. (a)Boundaries. The following areas which are located outside the city limits are designated as the I.H. 10 West/Loop 1604 urban corridor: Both sides of I.H. 10 West, an expressway, between Wurzbach Road and Boerne Stage Road for a distance of five hundred (500) feet from the street right-of-way... (d)Off-premises signs. Off-premises signs are prohibited in the corridor.(e)Maximum sign height and area.(1)The maximum heights for on-premises signs are as follows: Expressway: Pole Sign 40, Multiple Tenant Sign 50.(2)The maximum allowable sign area for on-premises signs are as follows: Expressway: Pole Sign 350, Multiple Tenant Sign 500.
Full Breakdown
Sec. H. 10 West/Loop 1604 urban corridor, a zone the city designated because it serves as a primary entryway, retains native vegetation along at least half its frontage, and provides access to major tourist attractions. H. 10 West between Wurzbach Road and Boerne Stage Road and both sides of Loop 1604 between Northwest Military Highway and Hausman Road, plus 200-foot strips along Babcock Road and Camp Bullis Road. Off-premises signs, meaning billboards advertising something other than the business on that lot, are prohibited outright anywhere in the corridor.
On-premises freeway-facing signs along the expressway segments are capped at 40 feet for a single pole sign and 50 feet for a multiple-tenant sign, with maximum sign areas of 350 square feet and 500 square feet respectively; local-street segments within the corridor are held to much smaller 10-foot/64-square-foot and 15-foot/96-square-foot ceilings. Sec. 28-65 layers these numbers on top of the corridor-wide standards in Sec. 28-64, which bars animated, flashing, or three-dimensional signs, roof signs, and digital displays exceeding 25 percent of the allowable sign area unless the city council authorizes an exception for a unifying theme.
A permit from the development services department is required before any sign goes up in the corridor, and the director can order removal of a nonconforming sign at the owner's expense within 60 days of notice, or treat it as abandoned if the business closes for 180 days.
Violations & Fines
Erecting an off-premises sign or an oversized freestanding sign in the corridor without a Sec. 28-65 permit is a Chapter 28 violation, punishable as a misdemeanor with a fine up to $500 under Sec. 28-9, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense; the director can also order removal at the sign owner's expense within 60 days or treat a nonconforming sign as abandoned after 180 days of business closure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a billboard along IH-10 West near Loop 1604?
How tall can my business's freeway sign be in this corridor?
Do I need a permit before installing a sign in the corridor?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Antonio
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