What Are You Allowed to Have?

Author: Jose Rios

Your business has multiple faces that the public or your clients get to see. There is the face that greets them as they walk into your establishment, your face as the owner, and even your business’s online presence can be considered a face. These faces can be with haircuts, cosmetic styling, or a redesign update, but frequently the most visible face is left stagnant for years. Your business’ storefront sign is often your ambassador of first impressions. A sign that is well illuminated and vibrant with color can be a welcoming beacon encouraging curiosity and foot traffic.

A well-crafted sign is essential for a small business, but how can you know what’s permitted? In most cases, your city has its criteria for signage posted on its website. Your city’s 

planning, building, and safety departments might have their respective criteria. If you have any trouble finding this information, reaching out to them is the best option. Building and Safety is concerned about the sign’s installation and mounting. Your installer will most likely pull this permit for you and in our next post, we will present the details you need to get the best installation price. Your first step in getting a sign permit begins with your city’s Planning Department. It is here where they look at the size of your sign and what it is showcasing. A city will most likely deny a sign with profanity or obscene images — this is typically never an issue. The most common problem is how large your sign can be. A sign is meant to be seen; however, a shopping center with end-to-end signage can look unsightly. This is why your city allows your sign to be a certain percentage of your storefront’s linear building frontage. For example, if the space where your sign will be mounted is five feet across, your sign can be 15 total square feet in size if your city allows 3 square feet per linear foot of building frontage. 

With the allowed size in mind, the next step is finding the right fabricator to create your sign within budget. A great price is essential; however, an awful sign is easy to produce by mistake. You might prioritize cost over quality and a great-looking sign can fade or crack with time and heat. Buying cheap can come with expensive maintenance or repairs, and it is worth considering the quality. To combat a low-quality sign, you can ask your fabricator how long the sign is expected to last, if a warranty is provided, and if you can be sent photos of the sign before its completion to make sure there isn’t inconsistent lighting. 

Signs are like tattoos — don’t get stuck with a bad sign.

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