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Temporary Regulations for Southlake Businesses
The City of Southlake realizes that businesses are being severely impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency. Therefore, the new and existing temporary regulations (deregulations) have been extended until March 2, 2021. Southlake City Council will reconvene to consider extending the temporary regulations to a later date in 2021 at their March 2, 2021 meeting.
Use the tabbed feature below to click on a category title to access information about each temporary regulation.
- Outside Activities/Signage
- Off-Site or Outside Vaccination or Testing
- Temporary Sign Regulations
- Restaurant Patio Areas
Institutional uses (schools, churches, governmental facilities) are permitted to set up temporary structures such as tents in order to allow activities normally associated with its primary functions to be conducted outdoors. The temporary structure must meet all zoning, building, and fire regulations.
Instructional classes associated with gyms, fitness studios and other similar uses may be conducted outside the building on the same property in which the facility is located.
Any tenant utilizing the temporary signage regulations shall have approval by the owner or property management company to place the signage on the premise.
Medical and health professional services are permitted to provide vaccination or testing related services off-site or outside from the normal office or clinic setting.
Vaccination or testing clinics/centers associated with a medical or health operation may set up operations at walk through sites (churches, outdoor tents, community facilities), mobile, curbside, parking lot areas or other similar settings.
Structures such as tents, mobile units or similar structures will be allowed to set up at the off-site location in conjunction with the service.
Temporary signage is permitted to promote the service, provide directional information to the public, or provide information on standard health protocols related to the operation.
Prior to approval, an off-site vaccination/testing application must be submitted to the Planning and Development Services Department for approval. The application will be reviewed and approved administratively by Planning and Development Services and Fire Departments. The application will require such information as:
- The location of the operation
- Site layout
- Signage
- Proposed structures
- Traffic circulation
Effective immediately, the City will not enforce certain temporary sign regulations subject to the following:
The following apply only to a retail business, restaurants, gyms, exercise facilities, personal care and beauty services.
- A business can select an two (2) of the three (3) following types of temporary signs (a through c) to be placed at the site of its location (no off-site signage is permitted):
- Each business may have up to two large temporary signs not to exceed 25 square feet for each sign type per location.
- The sign can be freestanding or on the building (roof mounted signs are not permitted).
- Inflatable signs are not permitted.
- Signs must not be affixed to trees.
Examples of large temporary signs include the following:
- Feather Sign
- A-frame Sign
- Banner Sign
Each business may have up to three (3) temporary yard signs per location.
Each business may utilize up to 50% of its window area for temporary window signage.
Each business may have necessary signage to communicate any Federal, State, or County guidelines related to COVID-19.
Each business may have temporary directional signage related to picking up merchandise or food.
Other signage regulations associated with information above:
- Signs must be located on the property of the business. Off-site signs are prohibited.
- Signs cannot be located in travel lanes, block sight distance at intersections, or located in any manner that results in a safety issue.
- Temporary signs cannot be internally illuminated.
- All temporary signs must be properly maintained.
- The temporary signs exempted from normal requirements under this provision must be directional in nature. The sign may identify the businesses name, hours of operation, open or closed status, or method of service delivery (pick-up, take out, curbside ordering, etc.) The signs subject to this enforcement exemption may not be used to advertise a product or service but shall be limited to directional or operational information only.
- Any tenant utilizing temporary signage regulations shall have approval by the owner or property management company to place the signage on the premise.
The City wants to avoid excessive clutter that results in less than effective messaging. If temporary sign rules are not followed, or if in the City's judgment too many signs are placed in an area, the City reserves the right to work with businesses to collaboratively reduce the number of signs. The City respectively asks that a business place its signs in a secure and respectful manner that maintains Southlake's aesthetic visual roadway standards.
Temporary patio dining areas must meet the following criteria:
- Must be approved by the City's Fire Marshal.
- Must not exceed 25% of the restaurants indoor dining square footage area or 800 square feet, whichever is less.
- Barriers must demarcate the patio dining area. Barriers can include temporary wood, metal or synthetic fencing, planters, or other devises approved by the Fire Marshal.
- Sidewalk clearance of Americans with Disability Act (ADA) standards (36") must be maintained.
- Must be located on-site and not create a safety or traffic hazard.
- Cannot be located within a fire lane.
- Shall be maintained in a clean and orderly fashion and meet all applicable County and State regulations and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Control Regulations.
- Furniture, tables, and umbrellas must be stored inside the building overnight.
The City will allow retailers to display and sale merchandise outdoors during the COVID-19 emergency subject to the following:
Participation
- Only local retailers who own or lease commercial building space within city limits shall be permitted to display and sale merchandise.
Hours of Sidewalk Sales
- Sidewalk sales can occur anytime during normal business hours but must cease by 9:00 PM.
- All merchandise and tables, racks, etc. used to display merchandise must be returned to the store interior by 9:30 PM.
- No merchandise shall be displayed outside the store earlier than one (1) hour prior to opening.
Merchandise Displays
- Display of merchandise or any activity associated with the event must be either:
- On a sidewalk or designated walkway in front of the principal building lease or owned by the merchant, and/or
- In a hard surfaced parking area located or owned by the merchant and only where the parking is off-street.
- Merchandise must be displayed on racks, tables, or similar displays unless the merchandise is normally displayed on the floor.
- Sales may not occur from a vehicle (car or truck) or trailer.
- No merchandise shall be displayed or sold in the fire lane or vehicular travel way.
- No merchandise shall be displayed or sold in designated accessible parking spaces, landscaped or loading areas.
- Each merchant shall be required to maintain a 44" wide clear right-of-way for pedestrians or loading areas.
- The display shall not obstruct doorways nor impede pedestrian traffic and all Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility requirements must be maintained.
- Normal ingress and egress to and from the merchant's store or premise shall not be impaired.
- No more than 15% of the designated private parking area shall be used to display or sale merchandise.
- Merchandise is prohibited to be displayed greater than 30 feet from the storefront.
- Sales transactions can occur within the establishment sidewalk sale areas.
Miscellaneous Requirements
- Merchants are responsible for displaying merchandise in a manner that ensures the health, safety, and welfare of the public and all Federal, State and County guidelines related to the COVID-19 emergency.
Defer the replacement of any required tree, bush, or landscaping materials on non-residential properties until the Spring of 2021 (April 15th).
Allow the designation of required parking spaces as curbside parking spaces for pick-up, delivery, or paying for transactions. Up to 30% of required parking spaces can be designated for curbside pick-up and delivery but no more than 15 spaces for any business.
In order to assist businesses to create a safer environment for the public and workers, the City may allow certain activities for a temporary period, such as:
- Tents and tables to be set up outside of the business for food/merchandise pick-up.
- Transactions (check-out lines) or protecting customers as they que up to enter a business from the outside.
- Food trailers/trucks to set up when associated with a brick and mortar building to permit customers to order food in an outdoor environment.
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Planning
Physical Address
1400 Main Street
Suite 310
Southlake, TX 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8621Fax: (817) 748-8077
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Economic Development & Tourism
Physical Address
1400 Main St, Suite 460
Southlake, TX 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8039