Dallas regulates political signs as temporary signs under Article VII of the Dallas Development Code. Residential properties may display non-illuminated temporary signs up to 36 square feet aggregate without permits. State law (Tex. Transp. Code §393.0025) bars content-based restrictions. Signs in the public right-of-way are removed by Code Compliance without notice.
Dallas Development Code Article VII (Sign Regulations) governs all signs in the city. Political signs are regulated as temporary signs subject to the same content-neutral standards as real estate, event, and garage sale signs following the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Reed v Town of Gilbert. Residential properties may display non-illuminated temporary signs aggregating up to 36 square feet without a permit, with each sign typically capped at 8 square feet.
Texas Transportation Code §393.0025 prohibits municipalities from regulating political signs on private property in ways that single them out based on content. Dallas enforces a content-neutral 10-day post-event removal rule. Prohibited placement includes the public right-of-way, medians, esplanades, utility poles, traffic signals, street trees, and city-owned property. The Department of Code Compliance removes signs from the right-of-way without notice and pursues private-property violations through citation.
Violations are Class C misdemeanors with fines up to $500 per sign per day. Owners are billed for removal costs. Signs in the public right-of-way are removed by Code Compliance without notice and held briefly for retrieval before disposal.
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