Fort Worth, Texas · Commercial signs
Fort Worth is several markets in one: historic districts like the Stockyards and Near Southside, highway frontage on I-35W, I-30, I-20 and Loop 820, and the logistics hub around Alliance. We design, permit, fabricate and install custom signs for each, from channel letters and monument signs outside to acrylic lobby signs inside, to the sign rules in the city's Zoning Ordinance.
Yes. Signs Express designs, permits, fabricates and installs commercial signs for Fort Worth businesses: channel letters, storefront and building signs, monument and pole signs, illuminated signs and acrylic interior signs. Fort Worth's sign rules are in Chapter 6, Article 4 of its Zoning Ordinance, and the Development Services Zoning Section accepts sign permit applications online. We prepare the site plans, elevations and engineering the city asks for.
Commercial Fort Worth
Fort Worth's older commercial districts each have their own character: Sundance Square downtown, the Stockyards, the Near Southside around Magnolia Avenue, West 7th and the brick-paved stretches of Camp Bowie Boulevard. Signs there sit close to pedestrians and have to suit the street.
Outside the core, I-35W, I-30, I-20 and Loop 820 carry the retail, hotels and auto businesses that depend on highway visibility, and the Alliance area in far north Fort Worth is built around logistics, distribution and industrial buildings.
Location matters in the code as well as on the map. Fort Worth's sign article includes a section on scenic preservation areas and corridors, and which detached sign types are allowed depends on the zoning district and whether the property sits next to a designated freeway.
Sign types
Permits
In Fort Worth, the Zoning Section of Development Services implements and enforces the sign ordinance, and all sign permit applications are accepted online only.
For detached signs, the city asks for a site plan with dimensions to property lines, easements, the plat and a sign exhibit with measurements, and engineering is required if any part of the sign is above 25 feet. Attached signs need building elevations and a sign exhibit, and when there is more than one sign, each requires a separate permit.
Sign regulations are in Chapter 6, Article 4 (Signs) of the Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance. Section 6.409 says that in commercial and industrial districts, monument signs are permitted by right, while pylon signs are allowed only as part of a Unified Sign Agreement, a separate process with its own checklist and application.
Requirements depend on the sign, the site and its zoning. We confirm the current rules for your address before design and handle the application for you.
Sources reviewed 2026-09
How our permitting service worksFrom the portfolio
A selection of Signs Express installations. Project locations are listed on each project page once confirmed.
Nearby
Arlington draws event crowds to its entertainment district and steady traffic to I-20, I-30 and SH 360, and the city has created an incentive program to retire older, non-conforming pole signs.
A new storefront in Bishop Arts, a logo on a Stemmons Corridor warehouse, a lobby sign in an Uptown tower: every Dallas sign answers to the zoning district it stands in.
Carrollton is home.
Free project review
Send the address, a photo and the sign you have in mind. We will check the zoning district and any corridor rules, then recommend a sign built for the street it faces.
Straight answers
Something else on your mind? Call (469) 901-3108 or send the details through the quote form.
Online. Fort Worth accepts sign permit applications online only, and the Development Services Zoning Section reviews them. We prepare the site plan, elevations and sign exhibits, file the application and answer reviewer comments.
In commercial and industrial districts, only as part of a Unified Sign Agreement. Monument signs are permitted by right, and freeway signs are limited to property immediately adjacent to a designated freeway, with none allowed along the Chisholm Trail Parkway scenic corridor. We confirm which applies to your lot before design.
It lets a multi-tenant development, or two or more adjacent lots that function as one destination, be treated as a single premises for on-premise signs. The code expects the agreement to reduce the number of signs that would otherwise be allowed, and it has its own checklist and application.
The city requires engineering for a detached sign when any part of it is above 25 feet. Tall highway signs fall into that group. We prepare the engineering details and coordinate sealed engineering as part of the permit package.
Yes. When there is more than one sign, each requires its own permit, and the city asks for a site plan identifying the location of each sign, labeled A, B, C and so on.
Yes. Industrial and distribution buildings usually need letters or a logo on the facade, a monument sign at the entrance and directional signs for drivers and visitors. We size them for the approach, fabricate them in Carrollton and handle the permit.
Yes. We cut acrylic letters and panels for lobbies, reception walls and offices, mounted flat or on stand-offs, and clear acrylic signage with printed or vinyl graphics. Outside, translucent acrylic faces are what let lit channel letters and cabinet signs glow in the brand color. Everything is fabricated in Carrollton and installed in Fort Worth.
Often, yes. If the cabinet, pole and wiring are sound, we can fit new acrylic or polycarbonate faces or tenant panels, and replace failed LEDs and power supplies, instead of building a new sign. We confirm whether the change needs a permit before the work is scheduled.
Yes. Signs Express fabricates its signs at its own manufacturing facility in Carrollton, then installs them in Fort Worth with its own crew, who also make the electrical connection. One company answers for the sign from the drawing to the finished install.
Start with the space. End with a landmark.
Tell us about your Fort Worth property and what you need people to see. We will handle the survey, approvals, fabrication and installation.