Yes. Texas law prohibits placing signs on the right-of-way of a public road unless otherwise authorized by law.
House Bill 3611 from the 2025 Texas Legislature did not change the sign rules but changed the rules about the penalties for signs. Prior to pursuing civil penalties for a first offense, a municipality must now notify the owner in writing and allow an opportunity for the owner to remove the sign. No civil penalty can be assessed if the owner removes the sign within the allotted time. The specific time for removing the sign is at the discretion of the municipality issuing the notice.
If you wish to place a sign in a common area that is not in the right-of-way of a public road, you should check with the local municipality or property owners association to confirm whether a sign may be placed at the desired location. When placing signs on private property you must first obtain the written consent of the property owner.
VERY DIFFICULT FOR DOING OPEN HOUSES. PERMISSION SLIPS FROM MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITH THE CORRECT WRITING AND ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE THIS A LEGAL NIGHTMARE. WHEN ADDING SIGNS UP AND DOWN A ROAD CAN CONSTITUTE MANY OWNERS ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE DOING ONE IN THE COUNTRY. NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THAT THERE IS AN OPEN HOUSE BY CHANCE HAVING THESE LAWS IN PLACE. SOMETIMES, PEOPLE SEE A SIGN AND SAY, :HEY, LET’S GO LOOK!” PEOPLE ARE NOT ALWAYS ON THEIR PHONES TO COME ACROSS AN OPEN HOUSE THAT DRAWS THEM IN. WHAT A BUMMER! THE WORK… Read more »
OPEN HOUSE SIGNS ARE ONLY IN THE GROUND FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THIS MAKES IT TAXING ON US FURTHER TO DO OUR JOBS UGH
Shame the same rules do not apply to political candidate signs…
Actually, THEY DO!!! But there are many “candidates” as well as their supporters who are not familiar with the RIGHT OF WAY issue, and do not educate themselves on that. Also, in our area, only gated communities have Non-ROW roads. So in a neighborhood, every road is considered a Right of Way! It would be nice if they had a 24-hour turnaround rule, where you can put out signs within 24 hours of the Open House, and pick them up after it is completed, on the same day of the event. Many smaller communities overlook these signs for a small… Read more »
Actually – the political sign rules are different and more harsh. And no free first warning.
Drops mic 🎤 💯
I guess it is a good thing that signs are never in the ground for more than 24 hrs max. Usually they are up for only several hours and come down as soon as the agent locks up. Honestly, these are stupid laws to have because in the amount of time it would take the local agency to locate the offending sign owner, draw the correct paperwork and then deliver the notice, odds are the signs will be gone. It’s a waste of laws and regulations if you ask me. Better to just stick with a generic rules saying signs… Read more »
Good point, Brooke. I agree!!
I can’t imagine many municipalities enforcing this.
What a waste of manpower. Another reason to not do open houses.
I think the cities i.e. municipalities will be thrilled to implement this for the “fine revenue”.
I had 30 signs get picked up 2 days ago. Lucky for me it took me 2 hours to hunt them down
At this time, there are real estate agents that do not knock on doors to get permission, which irritates the homeowner. Getting permission from a homeowner is not usually a problem and handing them a brief statement that says they authorize the sign from the day it will start to the day it will be picked up shouldn’t take much time. The issue becomes when the owner is not at home to give permission. In that case, would we be allowed to leave a document that states that we are holding an open house for a neighbor and have placed… Read more »
If you guys are making new rules about putting up open signs 🪧 are informing us they changed. Then it’s only right there should be CLASSES on LEARNING where to place them to avoid fines. I myself will be voting 🗳️ on this soon
I respectfully disagree with the restriction on using right-of-ways for open house signs. These signs are temporary, community-serving, and help connect buyers with available homes. Instead of a blanket prohibition, a more balanced policy would allow signage within a 24-hour window—just long enough to guide potential buyers on the day of the open house while still maintaining order and visibility in public spaces. This approach supports local real estate activity without creating ongoing clutter.
Different counties/cities have laws overriding this law, for example Flower Mound allows short term signage for open houses. You might check the county where your house is located. We might be mad about this, and I am, but it is a state law and a fineable offence.