How to Get a Sign Permit in Charlotte NC

There is more to hang out your shingle in Charlotte than, well, just hanging out your shingle. Any sign that you place on the exterior of your business to advertise its presence there must meet the specifications set forth by local officials. In addition, it must meet strict zoning codes in the process. Charlotte’s city hall requires all exterior signs to follow an exacting permitting process. This applies to new signage as well as those products that replace an already existing marker. So, what does it take to get the sign permits Charlotte, NC, officials sign off on?

Meet the Zoning Rules in Effect at Your Address

Your location has a huge influence on the type and size of the marker that you may display. Learning about these rules is a necessary first step in your application for a permit. For example, an industrial area has more relaxed signage rules than a mixed-use area where you are dealing with residential and business setups. The Charlotte zoning rules offer much of the information you are looking for.

The Rules Governing Temporary Signage

Retailers, in particular, love the use of temporary signage to advertise seasonal sales and deep discounts as well as parking lot sales. Yet even here, your signage must be in complete compliance with the zoning ordinance. If your marker meets this hurdle, you may be able to display temporary banners without a permit if they are only up for about two weeks. You are limited to one banner that you attach to your wall. Deviate from this setup, and you need to follow the permitting process.

Intricacies of the Permitting Process

Officials promise a five-business-day turnaround for a properly completed signage application. However, there are pitfalls here.

  • Building owner’s permission. Unless you own the building that houses your business, you must get your property owner’s written permission to put up the proposed sign. Even if your lease stipulates permission to add a sign, you must get permission for the specific look.
  • Blueprints or drawings. Next, officials want to see scaled drawings. It is not enough to draw a generic building front with an approximate shape that represents your planned signage addition. Rather, a blueprint or scaled drawing must detail dimensions as well as the materials you will use. In addition, you must be clear on the installation method used.
  • Survey. A surveyor must attest to the distance that your signage will have to residential and institutional districts. This professional also needs to highlight existing signage that is nearby.

Some businesses have hoped to avoid this process with homemade markers that they attached to their facades. Yet since officials reserve the right to a signage inspection that ensures adherence to local codes, there really is no way around formal sign permitting for Charlotte, NC.

This leaves us wondering: why undertake this highly detailed and specialized process when you can have the professionals from the Sign Factory do it for you? When you entrust your signage needs to us, we handle the permitting process alongside the design, manufacture and installation of the finished marker. Save yourself the time, frustration and effort it takes to put together a permit application package.