Pole sign
A sign cabinet raised on one or two exposed steel poles. It puts a lot of height on a small footprint, which is why it is the classic choice along highway frontage roads and busy arterials.
Pole and pylon signs · Dallas Fort Worth
Pole and Pylon Signs That Reach Drivers Before the Turn
Your storefront sign speaks to the parking lot. A pole or pylon sign speaks to the road. We design, engineer, permit, fabricate and install single-tenant and multi-tenant roadside signs for businesses and shopping centers across Dallas Fort Worth.
What is a pole sign?
A pole sign is a freestanding sign raised on one or more steel poles, so it clears cars, landscaping and buildings and can be read from the road. The cabinet at the top carries your name, and on shopping centers it often holds several tenant panels. When the poles are wrapped in a decorative cover, the same sign is usually called a pylon sign.
- StructureSteel poles on an engineered foundation
- LayoutsSingle-tenant or multi-tenant panels
- IlluminationLED-lit cabinets, lit letters or non-lit
- LicensedTexas Electrical Sign Contractor #18921
Terminology
Pole sign, pylon sign or something lower?
People use the two words interchangeably. In the trade, the difference is mostly what surrounds the steel. The right format depends on the road, the property and the city code.
Pylon sign
The steel is wrapped in a fabricated cover, or the whole sign is built as one tall, solid form. Pylons look more architectural and leave room for an address, a center name or a stack of tenant panels.
Multi-tenant sign
The property name on top and individual tenant panels below, carried on a pole, a pylon or a masonry column. When a tenant changes, only that panel is replaced.
Post-and-panel
A single panel framed between two posts. Lower and simpler, it suits entrances, drive aisles and campuses where a tall sign is not needed or not allowed.
Monument sign
When the code limits height or the property sits close to the road, a low sign on a solid base at the entrance can do the job instead.
Explore monument sign
Road visibility
Seen early enough to make the turn.
A driver at road speed has to see your name, recognize it and change lanes before the driveway. A building sign set back behind a parking field, trees or a neighboring building often cannot give that much warning. A pole or pylon sign lifts your name to where the road can see it.
Height, sign area and setback are set by each city's sign code and zoning, and they vary across the Metroplex. We research the rules for your address first, then design the most visible sign the site allows, placed where approaching drivers see it soonest.
- Placement studied from both directions of travel
- Clear of trees, buildings and parked vehicles
- Letter size matched to the speed of the road
- Height and setback confirmed against local code
Height and line of sight
Raise the sign. Watch the view open up.
Move the sign higher and see how it clears parked cars, landscaping and the building next door. The graphic is illustrative only: the height and setback your sign can have are set by your city's code, and we confirm them for your site before design starts.
Blocked by the tree line
Illustration, not to scale
Allowable sign height, area and setback are set by each city's sign code. We confirm them for your address before design.
Single or multi-tenant
One business, or everyone on the property?
The structure can look much the same either way. What changes is who the sign serves, how the face is laid out and how it will change over time.
| Compare | Single-tenant | Multi-tenant |
|---|---|---|
| Who it serves | One business on its own lot or pad site | A shopping center, office park or shared development |
| Face layout | The whole cabinet given to one name and logo | A center name or header above individual tenant panels |
| What changes later | New faces when the brand changes | Individual panels as tenants move in and out |
| Approvals | You, then the city | The property owner or landlord, then the city |
| Lighting | Lit cabinet, lit letters or non-lit | Usually one lit cabinet shared by every panel |
| Design priority | Maximum legibility for a single name | A grid that gives anchor tenants prominence and keeps smaller names readable |
Many cities limit the number and size of freestanding signs on a property, which is one reason centers bring their tenants together on a single structure.
Illumination
After dark, the sign keeps working.
Lighting keeps a roadside sign readable for evening traffic and short winter days. The right approach depends on your brand, your hours and what the city allows.
Internally lit cabinet
LED modules inside an aluminum cabinet light a translucent face evenly from edge to edge. Bright, easy to read and the standard way to light tenant panels.
Routed faces
The face is cut from painted aluminum and backed with acrylic, so only the name and logo glow while the rest of the face stays dark. Crisp and upscale after sunset.
Channel letters on the cabinet
Individually built letters mounted to the cabinet face give the name real depth by day and a clean glow at night.
Explore channel letters on the cabinetNon-illuminated
Painted aluminum faces with vinyl graphics or dimensional letters, for businesses that close before dark or sites where lighting is restricted.
Engineering, permits and installation
A tall sign is a structure first.
Pole and pylon signs stand in open ground, exposed to sun, storms and wind. Most of the work that keeps them upright happens before the cabinet goes on.
01
Structural engineering
The pole, cabinet frame and connections are engineered for the sign's size and height. Many cities ask for engineered drawings with the permit application.
02
Foundations
Pole signs commonly sit on a drilled concrete pier, sized for the load, the site soils and the height of the sign. It is the least visible part of the project and the one that matters most.
03
Wind loads
North Texas storms bring strong, gusty winds. The structure is designed for the wind exposure at your site, which is why a sign cannot simply be made taller after it is built.
04
Electrical
Lit signs need a dedicated circuit, usually run underground to the base of the pole. Texas requires a licensed electrical sign contractor for this work, and Signs Express holds license #18921.
05
Permits
A new pole or pylon sign needs a sign permit in most DFW cities, often with a site plan, elevations and engineering. We prepare and submit the package, with landlord approval first on multi-tenant properties.
06
Installation
Utility locates come first, before any digging. Then the foundation is drilled and poured, the pole set, the cabinet lifted into place and the power connected.
Maintenance and panel replacement
Tenants change. The structure should not have to.
A roadside sign lives in full sun and weather, and its lighting runs every night. Over the years, the LED modules and the power supplies that drive them wear before anything else, and faces can fade or crack over time. All of it can be replaced without taking the structure down.
On multi-tenant signs, panels are made to come out one at a time. When a tenant leaves, the panel is removed or left blank. When a new tenant signs a lease, we produce a panel to the center's standards and install it.
- Tenant panel production and replacement
- LED and power supply repair
- Replacement faces for existing cabinets
- Refacing older pole signs when the structure is sound
Project gallery
Roadside signs from the Signs Express portfolio.
Pole, pylon and post-and-panel signs, alongside the lit cabinets, tenant panel grids and roadside monuments that solve the same problem closer to the ground.
How we deliver
One team, from survey to switch-on.
Every pole & pylon signs project follows the same six steps. Here is what each one means for this sign type.
- 01
Discover
We walk the frontage, watch the approach from both directions and find where the sign and its power can go.
- 02
Design
Cabinet size, tenant layout and letter height are set for the distance at which drivers first see the sign.
- 03
Engineer
The pole, cabinet frame and foundation are engineered for the sign's size, the site soils and wind exposure.
- 04
Permit
We confirm height, area and setback limits with the city, then submit drawings and engineering for the permit.
- 05
Fabricate
Cabinets, faces and tenant panels are fabricated in Carrollton, and lit cabinets are wired before they leave the shop.
- 06
Install
After utility locates, the foundation is poured, the pole set and the cabinet lifted, connected and powered up.
Related projects
Proof, not promises.
Dallas Fort Worth
Roadside signs for a region built around its freeways.
Dallas Fort Worth grew along its highways, and much of its retail sits on the frontage roads beside them, where a storefront can be hard to pick out from the main lanes. That is where a pole or pylon sign earns its place. The rules shift at every city line: some cities reserve taller freestanding signs for highway corridors and ask for monument signs elsewhere. We build at our Carrollton facility on I-35E and install roadside signs across the Metroplex, from Richardson and Plano to Arlington and Fort Worth.
- Dallas
- Carrollton · HQ
- Richardson
- Plano
- Frisco
- Allen
- McKinney
- Arlington
- Fort Worth
Free project review
Get your name up where the road can see it.
Send the property address and a photo of the frontage taken from the road. We will check what your city allows and recommend a height, a layout and a lighting approach.
- A photo of the building or site, even from a phone
- Your logo or brand files, if you have them
- The city where the sign will be installed
- Landlord sign criteria, if the space is leased
Straight answers
Pole & Pylon Signs: your questions, answered.
Something else on your mind? Call (469) 901-3108 or send the details through the quote form.
What is the difference between a pole sign and a pylon sign?
A pole sign is a cabinet raised on one or more exposed steel poles. A pylon sign encloses the supports in a fabricated cover, or is built as one tall, solid form that is often wider at the base. Many people use the two terms interchangeably. Both rely on steel supports and an engineered foundation.
Should our sign be single-tenant or multi-tenant?
A single business on its own lot usually needs a single-tenant sign. Shopping centers, office parks and shared developments use multi-tenant signs, with the center name above individual tenant panels that can be swapped as tenants change. Your city may also limit how many freestanding signs one property can have, which can decide the question for you.
How tall can a pole sign be in Dallas Fort Worth?
It depends on the city, the zoning and sometimes the road the property faces. Each DFW city sets its own limits on height, sign area and setback, and some favor monument signs over pole signs in certain districts. We look up the code for your specific property before design, so the sign is sized to what is allowed.
How are pole sign foundations engineered?
The foundation is designed for the sign's size and height, the soils on your site and the wind the sign will face. The usual approach is a drilled concrete pier with the steel pole set into it. Many cities ask for the engineering with the permit application.
Do pole signs need a permit?
In most DFW cities, yes. Expect a sign permit with drawings and often engineering, and electrical review for illuminated signs. Lit signs also call for a licensed electrical sign contractor under Texas law; Signs Express holds Texas Electrical Sign Contractor license #18921. We prepare and submit the permit package.
Can you put new faces on our existing pole sign?
Often, yes. If the pole, cabinet and foundation are sound, new faces or tenant panels can refresh the sign without rebuilding it. Some cities treat older signs that predate the current code differently, and larger changes can trigger new requirements, so we check the structure and the code before recommending a reface or a replacement.
Do you build and install pole signs near me?
Anywhere in Dallas Fort Worth. Pole and pylon signs are fabricated at our Carrollton facility and installed on properties throughout the Metroplex, from Dallas, Richardson and Plano to Frisco, Arlington and Fort Worth.
How is a pole sign maintained?
Pole signs face full sun and wind, so periodic checks pay off. Lighting components wear first, faces can fade or crack, and fasteners and finishes deserve a look after severe weather. We repair and maintain signs, including replacing faces, tenant panels and lighting components.
Keep exploring
Related sign types
Monument Signs
Low, freestanding signs that mark the entrance and match the architecture behind them.
Commercial Signs
Complete sign programs for retail centers, office and industrial properties, managed from survey to maintenance.
Illuminated Exterior Signs
LED-lit letters, cabinets, monuments and pole signs that keep your name readable after sunset.
Business Signs
A starting point for business owners: find the right mix of signs, from the road to the reception desk.
Start with the space. End with a landmark.
Your next landmark starts here.
Tell us what you are building and where. We will help you choose the right sign system and handle the approvals, fabrication and installation.