Sign Services
Sign Removal Chicago: Commercial Sign Removal Company
An old sign left on the wall can hold up a lease return, a rebrand, or the next tenant. For sign removal Chicago businesses can book, SignFreaks takes the sign down safely, makes the wall good, and disposes of it, with any permit or notification filed for you.
- Wall made good
- Electrical made safe
- Disposal included
- Licensed, bonded, and insured
- Free site visit, no obligation
- Permits and notifications filed
- Disposal and recycling included
The problem
Most sign removals start with a deadline
What Chicago businesses and landlords tell us before we start, and what we do about it.
What usually goes wrong
- The lease says the frontage must be returned as it was, and the old sign is still on the wall.
- The new sign cannot go up until the old one comes off, and nobody has booked the removal.
- A dead sign structure has sat on the site for years, and the landlord keeps asking about it.
- Someone cut the wiring instead of making it safe, and the fixing holes were left open.
How SignFreaks handles it
- One job. Removal, disposal, and making the wall good are done together, not as three trades.
- Electrical made safe. We isolate and cap the supply properly, so nothing live is left behind.
- Wall made good. Fixing holes are filled and the area patched, as an add-on you request.
- Photo record. We photograph the frontage afterward, which is what a landlord asks to see.
What removal involves
What sign removal in Chicago involves
We remove LED channel letters, neon, lightboxes, pylon and pole signs, wall signs, awning signs, and vinyl, indoors and out.
Electrical safety
The supply is isolated and made safe before anything is touched, then capped after.
Safe take-down
Signs come down intact where they can be reused, and are cut down where they cannot.
Wall made good
Fixing holes are filled and the wall is patched, and repainting is available as an add-on.
Foundation work
Freestanding signs have the foundation broken out, or cut off below grade where that is allowed.
Disposal included
Materials are separated where they can be, metals are recycled, and the rest is hauled away.
Photo record
Before and after photographs of the frontage give you a record to show the landlord.
Compare
How complete should the removal be
Your lease or the landlord usually decides this, and it changes the cost.
| Level | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Sign only | Sign off, electrical capped, fixing holes left open |
| Sign and make good | Fixing holes filled and the wall patched |
| Full reinstatement | Making good, plus repainting the affected area |
| Freestanding, partial | Structure removed and the foundation cut off below grade |
| Freestanding, full | Foundation broken out and the ground reinstated |
Swipe to see the full table.
How it works
How a sign removal Chicago job moves through six steps
A good sign removal company plans the job around the building, so the sign comes down without damage.
Free site visit
A no-cost, no-obligation visit to check the sign’s size, mounting, materials, and power supply.
Permit and code check
We research the district and zoning, check safety rules, and file any notifications for you.
Electrical isolation
The power supply is isolated and made safe before anyone touches the sign, then capped.
Safe removal
Trained installers use the right equipment and remove the sign without harming the structure.
Cleanup and disposal
Brackets, wiring, fasteners, and debris go, and materials are recycled where they can be.
Optional surface repair
Holes can be filled and the wall patched or painted, as an add-on you request with the quote.
Approvals
What sign removal in Chicago has to get approved
Removal is usually simpler than installation, but it is not always exempt from permission.
In some cases Chicago and its suburbs require a permit or a notification before a previously approved sign comes down. A sign larger than today’s code allows only because it predates the code can lose that status once removed, so any replacement has to meet current rules. We check where your sign stands before it comes down, not after.
SignFreaks files any notifications and sign permits as part of the removal, so a permit question never stalls the job. If the sign is in a suburb, we read that village’s own sign code before booking.
Permit or notice
Some Chicago and suburban jobs need a permit or a notification before a sign comes down.
Landmark approval
A sign on a landmarked building can need approval before removal, so we check first.
Electrical sign-off
Disconnecting a lit sign goes to a registered electrical contractor, as the city requires.
Public Way Use permit
A sign over a sidewalk, parkway, or alley sits under a Public Way Use permit, which we check.
Signs we remove
Signs we remove in Chicago, by type
We remove signs we built and signs we did not. Banners have their own banner removal page.
Channel letters
Letters come off the wall with their wiring, and the fixing holes are left ready to fill.
Learn moreLightbox signs
Cabinets are disconnected, unbolted, and lowered, and the wall is cleared of brackets.
Learn morePylon signs
Tall signs come down with a lift, and the foundation is removed or cut off below grade.
Learn moreMonument signs
Freestanding signs are removed whole or cut down, with the base removed to your lease.
Learn more
Our work
Sign work we have done in Chicago
Real signs, photographed on site.
Sign service, Chicago 
Sign service, Chicago 
Sign service, Chicago 
Sign service, Chicago 
Channel letters, Chicago Tribune 
Monument sign, Chicago
Proof
Google reviews for our Chicago office
Excerpts from our Chicago office’s Google reviews, quoted as the customers wrote them.
- Time-sensitive project
“I had a time sensitive project and Mansur and his team did an outstanding job! Reasonable prices and great attention to details, very personal and caring team.”
Rimma B.Google review - Exterior and interior signage
“Great experience with SignFreaks. They helped us with exterior and interior signage for our startup business… The signs look fantastic, highly recommend!”
Noel AbatGoogle review - Fast turnaround
“Very quick and thorough! Debby was great to work with fast, and the sign was delivered with really great quality. Great communication, speed and quality!”
Laura RoeGoogle review
Who we remove for
Sign removal for Chicago businesses, by property type
We also remove signs for hospitals, schools, and hotels, and each property brings its own access and approval path.
Restaurants
Closures and rebrands mean the old sign comes down, with the wall left clean for what follows.
Learn moreCommercial Businesses
Shops, clinics, and offices get wall, pole, and lit signs removed to what the lease requires.
Learn moreShopping Malls
Mall tenants get removals coordinated with property management, so access and approval are set.
Learn moreCorporate Buildings
Lobby and building signs come down with the property’s approval, and the wall is left ready.
Learn more
Budget
What moves the price of sign removal in Chicago
Roughly in the order they matter.
SignFreaks does not publish price lists, because a number without your size, site, and deadline attached would be fiction. Give us those three and you get a real written quote.
- Sign size and weight, and whether it comes down intact.
- Access to the sign, and whether a lift is needed to reach it.
- How much making good the lease requires.
- Foundation removal, for a freestanding sign.
- Disposal, particularly for a large structure.
Get a real number for sign removal in Chicago
Send a photo, a rough size, and your deadline. You get a written quote with line items, not a range and not a guess.
Coverage
Where we remove signs in Chicago and beyond
This sign removal company works across the city and the suburbs around it, from three by-appointment offices. Every village writes its own sign code, so we check yours before we book the removal.
Questions
Sign removal questions, answered
Call (872) 250-4743, Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Questions we get asked
How much does sign removal cost in Chicago?
Sign removal in Chicago costs what the size, access, making good, and disposal add up to, so the number comes from a written quote after a site visit. A lift, a foundation to break out, and a large structure to dispose of all change the total.
Do I need permission to take a sign down?
Some Chicago and suburban jobs need a permit or a notification before a sign comes down, and a landmarked building can need approval first. SignFreaks checks your district and files any notifications or sign permits before work starts.
Will the wall be left damaged?
Not if making good is in the scope, and we recommend it. Fixing holes are filled and the area patched, and repainting is available where the lease demands full reinstatement. Surface repair is an add-on, so ask for it when you request the quote and tell us what the lease says.
Can you store the sign?
We can take a sign down intact so it can be reused, which is often worthwhile in a rebrand. Long-term storage is not a service we offer, so the sign is handed over in a reusable condition, and a damaged one can go to sign repair first.
What happens to the foundation of a freestanding sign?
It depends on what the lease or the city requires. Cutting off below grade and backfilling is common and usually costs less than breaking out a full pier, but some landlords and municipalities want the whole foundation out. Check before you agree a scope.
Do you recycle old signs?
Where we can. Aluminum and steel from sign structures are recyclable, and we separate them for that. Mixed materials such as laminated faces are harder to recycle, so we tell you plainly what ends up as waste, and what does not.
Can I put a bigger sign back after removal?
Maybe not. If your sign is legal non-conforming, meaning it is larger than the current ordinance allows because it predates it, taking it down can forfeit that status. A replacement then has to meet today’s rules, and whether that applies depends on your municipality’s sign code.
Do you remove signs another company installed?
Yes. We remove signs of any make or age, including LED channel letters, neon, lightbox signs, and awning signs, indoors and out. We check the mounting and the electrical hookup at the site visit, then plan the take-down around them.
Can you remove my old sign and install the new one?
Yes. Removal and sign installation can be one job, so nobody else has to schedule the old sign’s removal. If the wall needs a surface repair between the two, we add that in, and the quote lists it as an add-on.