Starting March 20, the City of Tomball will enter the implementation phase of the updated sign ordinance passed by city council in December 2012. City officials will begin identifying prohibited signs within both city limits and extra-territorial jurisdiction, and informing sign owners of the need to remove them.

"The first thing we're going to do before we issue any citations is go out and talk to businesses just so they're aware of the ordinance," said Rebeca Guerra, Tomball's city planner. "The city doesn't believe in taking a harsh territorial stance with this because folks need a chance to transition."

The sign ordinance lists the following as "prohibited signs:" inflatable signs, human and living signs, attention getting devices, bandit signs, portable signs and obscene signs.

Freestanding temporary signs are also prohibited, but will be allowed in cases where a business wants to promote an event with a specific time frame that is temporary in nature, Guerra said. Directional signs identifying where a business or an entrance is located will also be allowed.

Guerra noted that the city will not go out of its way looking for temporary signs that have been up longer than allowed.

"Code enforcement in this city works when other people tell us about infractions they see," she said. "The city generally does not go out picking on people unless it's a blatant violation."

The sign ordinance also sets restrictions on the size of otherwise legal signs. Signs on a business' premise cannot exceed a height of 42 feet and the face cannot be more than 300 square feet. No more than two on-premise signs will be allowed per property. Off-premise signs cannot exceed a height of 12 feet and the face cannot be more than 40 square feet.

Guerra said size standards will be applied to new signs, but signs that were legally permitted before the ordinance will still be allowed. However, all prohibited signs must be removed.

Sign owners who do not comply with the ordinance will eventually have a citation issued against them with penalties of up to $2,000. When citations are issued will be determined on a case-by-case basis, Guerra said.

"Some businesses may get two weeks to remove bandit signs, but people with bigger signs will need more time," she said. "We'll treat each individual case as the situation warrants."

Guerra also noted that, while the city cannot remove signs from private property, it maintains the right to do so with signs posted on city property or right-of-way.

"Removing those signs is something we've been doing and have always been able to do," she said.

The ordinance was updated with the intention of making the city more attractive by clearing up some of the visual clutter, Guerra said. She said around 1,300 brochures explaining the details of the ordinance were mailed out to non-residential addresses throughout the city and ETJ. Each brochure listed Guerra's contact information, as well as the information for David Allen, the city's building official, and Daniel Toombs, code enforcement officer.

"I know it's going to be difficult for some folks so we are going to be working with them as much as we can to get through this transition," Guerra said.

More information on the city's sign ordinance—including details on garage sale signs, banner signs, billboards and flags—as well as a downloadable version of the brochure, can be found on the city's website.