Austin sign permit — is your storefront sign over the limit?
Austin sizes your wall sign by your Sign District — commercial corridors get 20% of your facade (first 15 ft of height), neighborhood districts get 10%. Enter your wall size for a clear read before you build.
This checks attached (wall) premise signs in Austin business zoning districts. Detached/pole signs, billboards, and special sign districts route to a pro.
Width of the building wall your sign goes on.
Height of that wall face.
How Austin sizes your sign
Austin ties your wall-sign area to your Sign District and your facade. Commercial corridors get 20% of your facade area; Neighborhood Commercial (LO, LR, CR) and Scenic Roadway overlays get 10%. Only the first 15 feet of building height counts toward the facade area.
This tool reads your zoning, maps it to your sign district, and applies the right percentage to the first-15-ft facade — so you know where your plan stands before you commit. Downtown (CBD/DMU) and Expressway Corridor sites have their own rules and route to a pro.
How to apply for an Austin sign permit
Austin decides your allowance from your Sign District, then runs everything through one portal. The contractor registration is the step most owners find out about too late.
1. Map your zoning to your Sign District
The percentage follows from the district: 20% of the facade in commercial corridors, 10% in Neighborhood Commercial (LO, LR, CR) and Scenic Roadway overlays.
2. Compute the facade area
Width × height, with height counted only up to 15 feet — then apply your district percentage.
3. Check whether you are outside the base rules
Downtown (CBD/DMU) and Expressway Corridor sites have their own rules, and historic-district signs need Historic Review.
4. Register as an Outdoor Advertising Contractor
With a certificate of insurance naming the City — this must be done before the application is processed, not after.
5. File through Austin Build + Connect (AB+C)
Illuminated signs need a separate electrical permit. A variance goes to the Board of Adjustment, which meets monthly with advance filing deadlines.
Steps assembled from the confirmed items on this page. Fees and processing time are covered in "Cost, timeline & temporary banners" below — not repeated here.
Questions owners ask
How is my allowance figured?
Your facade area (width × height, height counted up to 15 ft) × your sign district's percentage — 20% in commercial corridors, 10% in neighborhood commercial and scenic districts.
Pole or monument (detached) sign?
Detached signs follow separate rules (height, setback, spacing) and aren't covered here — we'll route you to a pro for those.
Digital / LED display?
Digital and changeable-message displays face separate restrictions (§Ch. 25-10.216) and many districts limit them. This screen covers static/illuminated attached signs.
Special sign district?
Some districts override these rules with committee review. If your address is in one, confirm with a pro.
Is this an official ruling?
No. It's a first-pass risk filter on the public code, not a permit or legal advice. Final dimensions are confirmed by Austin Building Inspection and a licensed sign contractor.
Cost, timeline & temporary banners
What does an Austin sign permit cost?
Austin posts flat base review fees: about $127.60 for freestanding, roof, and projecting signs, and $64.30 for wall and awning signs (FY2025-26 fee schedule, effective October 1, 2025), with a historic-sign review adding around $61.20 and a technology surcharge of roughly 4–6% that may apply on top. You pay a review fee to open the review and a permit fee at issuance. Illuminated signs need a separate electrical permit, and you must register as an Outdoor Advertising Contractor with a certificate of insurance naming the City before the application is processed.
How long does approval take?
Austin doesn't publish a fixed service level for sign reviews; comparable commercial reviews are listed around 7–25 business days, and standard signs commonly land in the 2–6 week range. Everything runs through the Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) portal. A variance goes to the Board of Adjustment, which meets monthly with advance filing deadlines, and historic-district signs need Historic Review — both add a longer runway.
Can I hang a "Grand Opening" banner first?
Temporary signs and banners need a temporary sign permit, typically allowing display for up to 60 days per calendar year across a limited number of separate periods. The hard rule to remember: never place a temporary sign in the public right-of-way — Austin fines add up fast and removal hurts your launch. Over-the-street and lamppost banners are a separate Transportation program limited to charitable or community content, not business promotion.
Source: City of Austin Development Services (Sign Permits; Development Services fee schedule); Austin Land Development Code Ch. 25-10. Fees and timelines change — confirm current figures with Austin Development Services before filing.
Source URL not obtained. Austin publishes its sign rules in Land Development Code Title 25 Chapter 25-10. No machine-readable copy was obtained on 21 August 2026 — the Municode library returns only site navigation to automated collection. We attach no substitute link, because none carries the figures, and the numbers on this page therefore stay outside the weekly automated check.
Last inspected against the official code: June 2026 · confirm current rules with the city before you file