Sign Company in Round Rock, TX

How does Round Rock's road-type system decide your sign size?

Round Rock sets sign limits by the type of road your property faces. The code sorts every road into one of three types: freeways, commercial roads, and neighborhood roads. The only freeways on the list are Interstate 35, State Highway 45 (Louis Henna Boulevard), and State Highway 130.

Commercial roads include Palm Valley Boulevard (U.S. 79), University Boulevard, Gattis School Road, A.W. Grimes Boulevard, RM 620, RM 1431, and IKEA Way. Any road the code does not name as a freeway or commercial road counts as a neighborhood road.

The road type changes what you can build. On a lot under five acres, a monument sign on a freeway can be up to 18 feet tall with 150 square feet of display area. On a commercial road, the limit drops to 12 feet and 75 square feet. On a neighborhood road, it is 6 feet and 50 square feet.

Pylon signs are allowed only in a narrow set of cases. A lot under five acres on a freeway can have one pylon up to 50 feet tall, in place of another freestanding sign. A commercial road lot qualifies only if the sign sits entirely within 500 feet of the freeway main lanes. The site also needs at least 50 feet of frontage. New pylons that list more than one tenant need two poles.

These limits matter most for businesses on the I-35 frontage roads and near SH 45. Round Rock is home to Dell's headquarters, IKEA, the Premium Outlets, and the La Frontera center. The city counted 119,468 residents at the 2020 census.

Before we design anything, we confirm your road type, lot size, and frontage. That tells us the tallest and largest sign the code allows on your site.

Round Rock sign permits: the office, the code, and the 2022 changes

Sign permits in Round Rock go through Planning and Development Services. The rules sit in Article IX of the city's zoning and development code. Applications are filed on the city's online permit portal.

On July 14, 2022, the City Council adopted a set of sign code amendments. One change added a minimum five-year warranty for building sign materials. Banners, building scrims, and signs for temporary uses are exempt. HSC's 5-year warranty on signs meets that minimum.

Several other rules shape a Round Rock permit. Monument signs over 4 feet tall need a structural drawing from an engineer. Signs up to 10 feet must show a wind load of 105 mph or greater. Signs taller than 10 feet must show 115 mph or greater.

Monuments between 6 and 12 feet tall need a base at least 2 feet high. Taller monuments need a base at least 3 feet high. Bases are stone, stucco, brick, or another material the city approves.

Signs in the historic, Chisholm Trail, and Palm Valley overlays, and in the downtown area, get extra design review. Materials and colors should fit the historic setting. Drilling into historic stone or brick, rather than mortar, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness.

A comprehensive sign plan is an option for sites with unusual conditions. The Zoning Administrator reviews it. Planned unit developments must have one, and the City Council approves those.

Contractors register with the Building Inspection department and need a permit portal account. Anyone installing an electric sign must hold a Texas electrical sign contractor license or an electrical contractor license. HSC checks these rules before design, prepares the permit package, and coordinates the engineering. The city makes the final decision on every permit.

Why Round Rock storefronts use channel letters instead of light boxes

Round Rock's code lists cabinet signs mounted on buildings as a prohibited sign type. A cabinet sign is a box with a flat face, often lit from inside. For a new storefront in Round Rock, that points you toward channel letters, cut letters, or a sign built from several shaped panels.

The wall sign rules push in the same direction. A wall sign larger than 16 square feet cannot be a single flat surface. The code also caps flat panel signs at two or three per storefront, depending on the total sign area allowed. Every surface must be finished, and the mounting hardware must be hidden from view.

Your wall sign size depends on your storefront width and your road type. The code sets an allowance in square feet per linear foot of storefront. It also sets a maximum, and you get the smaller of the two. Tenants inside a center that fronts a freeway or commercial road use the commercial road standards.

Channel letters suit these rules well. Each letter is its own shape, so the sign reads as part of the building. We fabricate and wire the letters in our Houston shop, and our team installs them.

Awning and canopy signs count toward the same wall sign allowance. Signs on fabric awnings cannot have lighting built into them. Signs on a rigid canopy must be painted or enameled metal, or painted or sealed wood. Where internal lighting is allowed, translucent channel letters can sit on a rigid canopy. HSC builds commercial awnings and canopies in-house, so we can plan the canopy and its sign together and keep both within the code.

Can you reface or repair an existing sign in Round Rock?

Often, yes. Repairing or refacing a sign you already have keeps a structure that is already in place. But Round Rock has a few rules to check first.

Refacing any building sign requires a permit. Refacing a tenant panel in a multi-tenant freestanding sign does not, as long as the panel size and the structure stay the same. That helps when a new tenant moves into a center with an existing pylon or monument.

The code also prohibits refacing building-mounted cabinet signs that were installed without a permit after 2002. If your wall sign is an old cabinet, we check its permit history before we recommend a reface. If a reface is not allowed, we show you a channel letter option instead.

Materials matter too. On freestanding signs, flexible plastic faces must carry a minimum five-year warranty. They are allowed only on the face of a cabinet sign. The code has sign maintenance standards as well. When a business leaves, its freestanding sign must get a blank panel so it no longer shows the old name.

Our repair and refurbishment work covers failed lighting, faded or cracked faces, loose letters, and worn paint and finishes. Our Austin-area staff visit the site, look at the sign and its structure, and take measurements. Then we explain whether a repair, a reface, or a replacement makes the most sense for your sign. You get the options in writing with an itemized estimate, so you can compare them side by side.

What happens after you call HSC about a Round Rock sign?

Our process is the same for every project, and it starts with a conversation.

First, we call you to learn about the business, the property, and the sign you have in mind. We confirm the project is a good fit and check your road type and any overlay district.

Second, our Austin-area staff visit the site. We take exact measurements, photograph the building, and note power, setbacks, and utility easements. Round Rock requires freestanding signs to sit at least 3 feet from the front property line and 5 feet from the side.

Third, we deliver a free design mockup with an itemized estimate. The mockup shows your sign on your actual building, sized to what the code allows.

Fourth, we prepare the permit package. That includes the drawings, the site plan, and the engineer's structural drawing when the sign needs one. We submit it and respond to the city's review comments.

Fifth, we build the sign in our own Houston shop. Our work is UL-certified, and we build in the wiring and lighting before the sign leaves the shop.

Sixth, our team installs the sign and cleans up the site.

Every sign comes with a 5-year warranty. In Round Rock, that warranty also meets the city's minimum for building sign materials. If something fails under warranty, you call the same team that built and installed it.

We serve businesses across Round Rock, from the downtown area east of I-35 to the corridors along SH 45, University Boulevard, and Palm Valley Boulevard.