Sign Permit Support: We Handle All the Paperwork for You
For many business owners the permit is the part of a new sign they dread: unfamiliar rules, drawings, forms. It does not have to be.
We handle all the sign permit paperwork: we prepare the drawings, specifications and documents and submit the application on your behalf. If you prefer to apply yourself, you get the complete package from us, ready to submit.
- Free site visit & measurement
- Design included
- 2-year warranty
- Own workshop in Calgary
Does Your Sign Need a Permit?
It depends on the type of sign, its size and the building. The City of Calgary’s own guidance gives some examples (checked on calgary.ca on 2026-10-28):
- A development permit is not required to maintain or repair a legally existing sign, or to change or reduce its copy area
- A fascia sign may not need a development permit when fascia signs are a permitted use in the district, the sign area is not larger than 1.5 square metres, and it meets all applicable rules
- All new canopy and projecting signs require a development permit
The City notes that its web information “has no legal status”, so we check the requirements for your specific sign and site at the very start of every project. Read the full step-by-step guide: how to get a sign permit in Calgary.
What Permit Support Gives You
Drawings done for you
Elevations and sign drawings with dimensions, prepared from the site measurements.
Specifications ready
Materials, mounting and, for illuminated signs, electrical details described for the application.
Fewer back-and-forths
Complete documents reduce the chance of the City asking for more information.
One source of truth
The same drawings are used for the permit, the landlord approval and production.
Guidance at every step
You know what to submit, where and what happens next.
What We Prepare and What You Do
What we prepare
Measured drawings of the sign on your building, sign dimensions and area, materials, mounting method, and electrical information for illuminated signs. We submit the application on your behalf; if you prefer to submit it yourself, you get the complete set of documents.
What you do
Provide the business and property details for the application, obtain the landlord’s approval where required, and pay any City application fees. The City lists its fees on calgary.ca; at the time of checking, a permitted-use sign with no relaxations was shown at CAD $95.
How applications are made
The City accepts sign applications online through apply.calgary.ca (a myID account is needed) or in person at the Planning Services Centre.
Timing
On calgary.ca the building safety review step is shown as taking 7 days, with the note that timelines are not guaranteed and depend on volume, completeness of the application and how quickly requests for information are answered. A sign permit expires 180 days after it is issued.
Because of this, the permit is started early, right after the design is approved, so it runs in parallel with the rest of the planning.
Worried about the permit?
Book a free site visit. We will tell you whether your sign is likely to need one and prepare the documents if it does.
Plazas, Landlords and Sign Criteria
In multi-tenant buildings the landlord usually sets its own sign rules, and the City may require signs on a building to follow a comprehensive sign program set out in a development permit (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.70). Checking those criteria first avoids redesigns later.
See landlord sign criteria in Calgary plazas and signs for plaza tenants.
Permit Questions
We handle all the sign permit paperwork: we prepare the drawings, specifications and documents and submit the application on your behalf. If you prefer to apply yourself, you get the complete package from us, ready to submit.
Yes. All the permit paperwork is part of our service: we prepare the documents and submit the application for you. Any application fee charged by the City is paid by you.
No. Some do not: for example, repairing a legally existing sign or changing its copy. Many new exterior signs do. We check your specific sign at the start.
It varies. The City shows 7 days for its building safety review step and notes that timelines are not guaranteed, so the process is started as early as possible.
Rules depend on the sign and location; we confirm this for your project during the site visit.
Sources
- City of Calgary: Sign permits, accessed 2026-10-28
- City of Calgary: Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, Part 3, Division 5 (Signs), unofficial online copy, accessed 2026-10-28