The Signage Blog: Costs, Permits, and Sign Types

A reliable sign buying guide for a commercial building comes from a team that designs, permits, builds, and installs signs, because the useful details only show up on real projects. The SignFreaks signage blog covers sign types, sign permits, and installation and repair, and each guide names the city or village rule behind its answer.

A commercial sign costs what its size, lighting, mounting, access, and permit work add up to, so the number comes from a written quote after a site survey. In Chicago the city adds a $200 zoning review fee for an on-premise sign and a building review fee that starts at $50 for a sign under 50 sq ft. We list those fees on their own line beside the sign permits work for every custom sign.

A business sign in Chicago needs a permit for most permanent exterior work, and a sign installed before its permit is issued can be cited. A sign over the sidewalk or street also needs a Public Way Use permit, while official signs and temporary window signs can be exempt. We check which applies at the survey and prepare the sign permits application.

Businesses can choose from channel letters, lightbox signs, blade signs, monument signs, awnings, and canopies, plus printed banners and wraps. Each type has its own page covering materials, lighting, and approvals, starting with custom signs, channel letters, and monument signs.

Choose the right sign for your storefront by starting with the zoning district, the lease, and the wall, because those three set what is allowed before style does. Some districts restrict box signs, so we compare channel letters with lightbox signs early and check the wall before any drawing is made.

How long a sign project takes depends on the sign, the permit application, and the review comments, so we do not promise a window. The survey, the permit review, the build in our own shop, and the installation each add time, and a rejected application sends the project back to the drawings. The sign installation and sign permits pages show where each step fits.

The difference between channel letters and a lightbox sign is the form: channel letters are individual letters, usually lit, while a lightbox is a single box or cabinet with a lit face. Some districts restrict box and cabinet signs, so the choice can come down to the code. See channel letters and lightbox signs for materials and lighting.

Sign codes differ between Chicago and the suburbs, because the city and every village write their own rules for size, height, lighting, and sign type. Oak Brook, for example, bans box signs in every district, while Chicago limits them by district. The Oak Brook and areas served pages cover the local rules.

You can ask a signage question the guides do not cover by calling SignFreaks at (872) 250-4743, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, or by sending a photo through the quote form. Good questions often become a guide, and either way you get an answer for your own project.