Denison council delays sign ordinance rewrite for a second meeting

The Denison City Council postponed any decision on a proposed rewrite of the city's sign regulations at its July 13, 2026 meeting, the second meeting in a row at which the council declined to act. According to the meeting's video record, the council said item 6 would be held for a future meeting and took no action. The delay leaves unsettled what the city's agenda packet describes as the first substantial change to Denison's sign rules in more than ten years.

The July 13 agenda listed item 6A for discussion and possible action on a complete rewrite of Chapter 19, the section of city code covering signs, and on creating a Sign Board, the packet states. The council had tabled the same item on June 15 and held a work session on June 23 before the matter returned to the July 13 agenda.

The packet says Denison's sign regulations had not undergone a significant review or amendment since 2013, which would make the current proposal the city's first major update in more than a decade.

Part of the stated purpose is tighter enforcement against signs that are abandoned, obsolete, dilapidated or out of compliance, according to the packet, which sets out clearer steps for removing and impounding such signs and for recovering the city's costs.

Questions raised about the proposal focused on whether it would be too restrictive, the packet indicates. Those concerns centered on proposed limits for pole signs, whether waivers would be available, and possible effects on visibility for new development.

City staff told the council that sign rules differ widely among North Texas cities, the packet notes. Some communities bar pole signs entirely, while Plano, Allen, McKinney and Anna permit them within defined highway corridors or designated areas.

The review dates to 2023, the packet says. Staff gave the council an update on February 3, 2025, and the effort later drew on a sign committee that included representatives from the city's Development Services department, the City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Denison Development Alliance.

Neighboring Sherman has recently revised its own sign rules on a separate track. That city's official sign page states that permits are required to install or reface a sign, that signs in the public right-of-way are not allowed, and that banners, pennants, searchlights and other wind-driven signs are prohibited. Sherman approved its sign ordinance update on April 15, 2024.