Signage approvals
We tell you whether your sign needs a council permit, and handle it if it does. Johannesburg's 2018 Outdoor Advertising By-law exempts most signs on a business's own premises, so the answer is often that you need none. When one is needed, we prepare and submit the application; the decision is always the council's.
Quoted per job
The permit check is free. Handling an application is this plus the council's own fees. Final quote after site survey.
What's includedSignage
What's included.
- A free check against the 2018 Outdoor Advertising By-law
- The drawings and photographs the application needs
- Submission and follow-up with the City
- Landlord or body-corporate consent, where it is required
The rulesSignage approvals
What the by-law says.
From the City of Johannesburg Outdoor Advertising By-law, 2018.
- Up to 8 m², exempt
- A sign on your business's own premises of up to 8 m² needs no permit, provided it meets the by-law's other conditions.
- Up to 12 m², if lit and built in
- The exemption reaches 12 m² for an illuminated sign built into the facade.
- Everything else
- Freestanding structures, roof signs and signs facing a national road follow other rules, and a pylon needs building approval as well.
- The check is free
- We measure your sign against the by-law at the site survey and tell you plainly whether it needs a permit.
- The application, handled
- When one is needed, we prepare the drawings and photographs, submit the application and follow it up with the City. The decision is always the council's.
How it worksSurvey → Launch
How it works.
One process for every surface, from the first measurement to the day the work is seen.
Survey
We visit the site, measure up and look at how you show up online today.
Design
One identity worked out across every surface, with proofs you approve before anything is made.
Make
Signs, wraps and print produced to the approved proofs, colour-matched across materials.
Install
Fitted on site and on the vehicle, scheduled around your trading hours.
Launch online
Website live and Google Business Profile complete, so the search result matches the shopfront.
QuestionsSignage approvals
Common questions.
Which signs are exempt?
Under the City of Johannesburg's 2018 Outdoor Advertising By-law, signs on a business's own premises up to 8 m² are exempt, or up to 12 m² if illuminated and built into the facade. Freestanding structures, roof signs and signs facing a national road follow other rules.
Will the council say yes?
That is the council’s decision, and no one can promise it. We prepare a complete application, design the sign to meet the by-law from the start, and tell you plainly if a design is unlikely to pass.
How long does an application take?
It depends on the council’s workload. We tell you what to expect when we submit, and keep you posted.
GuideSign permits in Johannesburg: when you need one, and how it works
Book a site visitSignage
Book a site visit for Signage approvals.
Tell us about the site, the vehicle or the business, and we come back with a quote, a call or a time to survey the site. Or reach us directly.