Almost all signs visible from a public street must have a permit from the City of Houston Sign Administration. And all permitting must be done by a registered sign company licensed by the City of Houston.
Simply put, if you want to advertise your business with a colorful LED sign, an innovative messaging center, or any other signage solutions, you are required to partner with a licensed expert like National Signs.
Businesses are obligated to work with a proven professional by the City of Houston Sign Administration to ensure signage is appropriate for the address it’s being placed and won’t impede the flow of traffic or endanger pedestrians.
Our team recently shared Facts About the Sign Code and put this resource together to promote legal signage and help your business avoid fines in case you’re interested in further reading on this topic.
Start with a Certificate of Occupancy
With any new business, it is important to have your signs up before your business opens. In order to legally install your signs, you have to obtain the proper permits. The sign permit process can only begin after your company has submitted and paid for its Certificate of Occupancy. Permit applications are generally approved within 5-10 business days.
The permit process ensures that the name on your certificate matches the name on your proposed sign because it is against the Houston Sign Code to put another company’s signage on a property that they are not officially occupying.
You can apply in advance for your Certificate of Occupancy, but keep in mind that the permit only lasts for six months before expiring. That means that your sign must be installed within that first six months, or you will have to reapply.
Once this critical documentation is prepared, our team or any branding and design partners you have in place can begin putting a concept together. Act fast after you have your permit because illuminated signs can take anywhere from 1-3 months to produce.
Moving Forward Without the Proper Permits
If you choose to move forward with sign installation without the proper permits, your business can be penalized.
Your business, and the sign company who installed the illegal signage can both be fined and you will be forced to remove the sign until the proper permits are acquired.
Since the permit application process takes around a week for approval, your business will be without a sign until you have the proper permits. Having a sign is incredibly important for new businesses, so you will want to make sure that this does not happen.
National Signs – Your Houston Sign Permit Advisor
As a large, full-service sign company with 25 years of history dealing with the sign codes, we have the experience and the resources to propose signs that already meet the Houston Sign Code requirements.
With our experience, we are able to anticipate any potential issues that may arise in the evaluation process before we move forward and propose or design a sign. That way, we can ensure the signs we design meet the code requirements before we even get to that stage.
Think of us as your advisor that can help you with this process from the very beginning – not only from a visual, branding, and design aspect – but also a permitting and legal aspect.
At National Signs, our team has helped design, manufacture, and install award-winning and complex signage solutions for entertainment venues, sporting arenas, and Fortune 500 companies.
We have the engineers, architects, machinists, electricians on staff to install every signage solution promptly and legally. Contact National Signs to get started!
