Storefront Signage 101: Navigating Regulations for Restaurants, Cafes, and Bars

The perfect storefront signage can be the make-or-break factor for a new food and drink establishment. An eye-catching, creative sign draws in passersby, builds brand recognition, and communicates your restaurant business’s unique personality to the neighborhood.

However, spirits can sink when the excited new restaurateur learns how many hurdles and regulations are around installing new signage. Permits, zoning laws, size maximums, and placement rules can quickly become a dizzying maze of bureaucracy.

Navigating the red tape is critical. As tedious as it may seem, you want to be sure your beautiful new sign that took months to design adheres to local ordinances. This article will break down all you need to know about securing permits and conforming to regulations for storefront signs such as a restaurant, bar, or cafe.

We’ll first examine why the rules exist, walk through the different types of permits, and provide tips for successfully getting the green light for your signage.

What is a Sign Permit?

A sign permit is an approval issued by a local zoning or buildings department that grants permission to install, modify, or upgrade business signage. Permits are typically required for any permanent exterior signage for a commercial property, including:

• Building-mounted signs
• Freestanding or monument signs
• Projecting signs
• Digital display signs
• Awnings with signage

Businesses risk code violations, fines, and orders to remove non-compliant signs without proper permits. The permit application process allows zoning officials to review sign plans and specifications to verify they meet all regulations before work can proceed.

Why Sign Permits and Regulations Matter for Restaurant Business?

It’s natural to feel discouraged when faced with bureaucratic hurdles that delay you from installing your sign quickly. However, permits, zoning, and other signage rules exist for good reason in the community. Understanding the “why” makes the process less frustrating.

• Community standards: Sign ordinances maintain standards that prevent neighborhoods from becoming chaotic with flashing neon and billboards. Size, placement, lighting, and other factors are regulated so that no single business’s signage overpowers others or detracts from the surrounding area. Permits aim to keep public spaces aesthetically pleasing while allowing each business appropriate exposure.
• Safety: Sign size and placement regulations prevent obstructed views for motorists and pedestrians. A sign placed too low could potentially cause someone to trip and fall. A sign too large could distract drivers or block their ability to see cross traffic. Lighting that is too bright or blinding can also create hazards.
• Zoning laws: These laws often restrict signage design in residential neighborhoods or historic districts. The goal is to maintain neighborhood character. Hence, a sign deemed too bold, large, or stylized may not be approved.
• Environmental regulations: Restrictions on lighting aim to reduce light pollution in the night sky. Bans on certain hazardous chemicals and materials prevent waste. Sign companies may need to prove eco-compliance with their products.

While permits and approvals take time, they allow businesses’ branding to coexist with neighbors and nature.

Types of Sign Permits

Depending on the sign design, business owners may need to apply for more than one type of permit from their local building, planning, or zoning departments. Here are the key ones to know about:

• Building Permit: Likely the most common, this is required whenever one installs, modifies, or moves permanent, fixed signage attached to the building. The building permit process verifies that the sign is structurally sound, meets size guidelines, and uses appropriate materials. In California, for instance, freestanding pole signs cannot exceed 25 feet in height.
• Electrical Permit: If the sign is illuminated in any way, either internally or externally, owners need an additional electrical permit; this ensures lighting is energy efficient, meets wattage limits, and is wired safely. For instance, Houston, Texas, mandates an electrical permit for any sign with electrical wiring or lighting.
• Encroachment Permit: Signs that extend or hang past your private property line and into or above a public right of way (sidewalk, roadway, etc.) must get approval. An encroachment permit stipulates size limits, placement to avoid obstacles, and preferred materials, given the interaction with pedestrians. For instance, Washington state mandates encroachment permits for any signs overhanging into airspace above public land or roads in Seattle.
• Historic District Approval: If your restaurant business is designated as historic or falls within a historic district, expect an extra layer of approvals through the local historic commission. All aspects of the sign will be reviewed to ensure it fits aesthetically. For instance, guidelines in Miami Beach historic districts require signage to match the architectural aesthetics of each building.

Factors That Determine Permit Needs

With so many potential permits and regulations, how do you know exactly what applies to your project? Key factors that shape requirements:

• Zoning: Commercial zones have the most flexibility for signage, including size, placement, and lighting. More restrictions come into play for mixed-use and residential areas. In Washington, for example, Seattle’s sign code prohibits flashing, scrolling, or animated illuminated signs.
• Placement: Building-mounted signage must abide by different rules than freestanding signs, awnings, and window lettering. Wall signs also differ if placed flat versus projecting outward. For example, according to Los Angeles County’s Code of Ordiances, no projecting business sign can be located on a building if it falls within 25 feet of another separate business establishment’s sign.
• Materials: Rules sometimes vary for metal, wood, plastic, or vinyl sign materials. In Riverside, California, for instance, permanent exterior business signs cannot be constructed using non-durable materials, such as plywood, pressed wood board, non-exterior grade wood products, paper, or cardboard.
• Size: Both total square footage and height are limited based on zoning, with business districts often maxing out around 200 square feet cumulative. Setbacks stipulate how far from structures and property lines as well. In Denver, blade signs that project from a building facade may extend no more than 6 feet out from the wall surface.
• Lighting: Most areas restrict lighting elements, bulb types, wattage, hours illuminated, as well as brightness and light spillage. Research these meticulously. In certain districts in the City of Boston, for example, electric signs may only be illuminated during the timeframe between 7:00 AM and 2:00 AM.
• Historic District: If applicable, get familiar with the Historic Commission’s signage standards to ensure vintage aesthetics. For instance, in the famous Vieux Carré (French Quarter) historic district of New Orleans, all signage factors relating to appearance, color, size, placement, attachment method, materials texture, and overall design must align with and complement the architecture and aesthetics of the district.
• Content: Signs advertising your business’s goods or services, hours, website, etc., are viewed differently than non-commercial messages. Understand any content limits. For example, in Dallas, signs cannot contain content that advertises an activity or business no longer conducted on the premises.

Consult the local municipal codes closely to identify which permits, dimensional limits, and materials requirements apply. Don’t assume anything, or you may be forced into rework!

Navigating the Permitting Process for Restaurants and Cafes

Securing proper permits for new storefront signs can be time-consuming but is very doable with the right strategic approach. Here are tips for smooth sailing:

• Research First: Before designing any signage, thoroughly read local ordinances to understand all limitations. Identify permits needed and requirements like size, placement, lighting, etc.
• Hire Experts: Work with a sign company or contractor experienced in the area’s permitting process. Mistakes can force very costly remakes! Have them handle the paperwork.
• Submit Detailed Plans: With permit applications, include thorough diagrams of the sign, specifications on materials and lighting, and exactly where it will be positioned on the building. Photos of the building can help.
• Allow Processing Time: Some areas approve basic sign permits in 2 weeks, but more complex reviews can take 4 to 12 weeks. Historic approvals may take over two months. Therefore, incorporate these timelines into the project plan.
• Have Patience: Be prepared to modify your sign plan to address any concerns from regulators. Getting angry only slows the process.
• Watch Fees: Application, permitting, and inspection fees all add up. In some areas, fees exceed $300 for illuminated signs. Account for these in the budget.

With careful research, quality documents, and some patience, restaurant business owners can navigate sign permitting successfully.

Conclusion

Reviewing sign codes, applying for permits, and adhering to local zoning rules may seem tedious and frustrating when you just want to get your restaurant business noticed. However, putting in this hard work upfront prevents much larger headaches down the road. No one wants to sink money into non-compliant signage that has to be redone or taken down prematurely.

If you fully research regulations, hire experts familiar with approvals, and patiently work through any required modifications, your creative new sign will promote your unique brand and attract excited customers to your cafe, bar, or restaurant for years to come!