Small business signs

Awning fascia sign

An awning fascia sign is an advertising device painted on or otherwise affixed to the fascia of an awning or verandah.

To be self-assessable, an awning fascia sign must:

• be contained within the outline of a fascia*
• not exceed 600mm in height

Awning fascia signs with illumination and/or electronic display components must also comply with the advertising devices technical standards. These must be low impact electronic display components, which means the electronic display component is 4m² or less.

*Fascia: means the vertical board that runs just beneath the edge of the roof of a building.

Blind or canopy sign

A blind or canopy sign is an advertising device painted on or otherwise affixed to solid or flexible material suspended from the edge of an awning, verandah or wall.

To be self-assessable, a blind or canopy sign must:

• be compatible with the blind/canopy and building on which it is installed, erected or displayed on
• have a minimum clearance of 2.4m between any rigid part of the blind and a footway surface
• have a minimum 2.1m clearance between any flexible part of the blind and a footway surface.

Under awning sign

An under awning sign is an advertising device suspended under an awning or verandah.

To be self-assessable, an under awning sign must:

• be oriented at right angles to the building frontage
• be no greater than 2.5m long, 0.5m high and 0.3m deep
• not exceed 75% of the width of the awning or verandah to which it is attached 
• not project beyond the outer edge of the awning or verandah
• have a minimum clearance of 2.4m between its lowest part and the footway surface
• be centrally located along the frontage of the shop or tenancy it advertises. In the case of a shopping arcade, one additional such sign may be exhibited at the arcade entrance
• not be closer than 3m to another under awning sign, nor closer than 1.5m to a side boundary of a property or tenancy.

Under awning signs with illumination and/or electronic display components must also comply with the advertising devices technical standards.

Window sign

A window sign is an advertising device displayed on the glass of a display window or through a display window.

To be self-assessable, a window sign must:

• not exceed 25% of the area of the glass panel or panels on which it is exhibited 
• be no larger than 2m².

Window signs with illumination and/or electronic display components must also comply with the advertising devices technical standards.

Footway sign

A footway sign (known also as an A-frame sign, T-frame sign or sandwich board sign) is a portable, freestanding advertising device, normally supported by an ‘A’ or inverted ‘T’ frame and typically displayed on a footway.

To be self-assessable, a footway sign must:

• be for a property located in a business environment or city environment. Do a property enquiry to check this.
• have a maximum height of 1m, a maximum width of 0.6m and a maximum depth of 0.6m 
• be positioned on the kerb side of the footpath, at least 450mm from the kerb, and so that there is a pedestrian corridor of a minimum unobstructed width of 2m between the property boundary and the sign
• be positioned no greater than 4m from the allotment boundary of the premises that are responsible for the sign
• not obstruct, clutter or detract from street landscaping, furniture or artwork.

A maximum of two footway signs are permitted per shop.

Commercial flag

A commercial flag is a cloth or similar non-rigid fabric hung from a pole to advertise or identify a commercial establishment.

To be self-assessable, a commercial flag must:

• have an area not greater than 5m² 
• not be installed, erected or displayed so that it is more than 6.5m above the ground.

Business promotion sign

A business promotion sign is a temporary advertising device advertising an auction, retail sale, business promotion or similar.

To be self-assessable, a business promotion sign must:

• have a maximum area of 4m²
• be installed, erected or displayed only on the premises on which the advertised activity is taking place
• not use electronic display components
• only be installed, erected or displayed for a maximum of 14 calendar days within any 90-day period.

Only one business promotion sign may be installed, erected or displayed per street frontage of a property.

Information sign

An information sign is an advertising device providing information:

• for the use of facilities or features of a site (such as an “entrance” or “parking” sign, or a menu board for a drive-thru)
• for which no commercial benefit is provided or derived.

To be self-assessable, an information sign must:

• have a maximum area of 2m²
• contain no commercial or corporate advertising other than the name, logo or slogan of an organisation having tenure of the property or control of the land where the sign is installed, erected or displayed
• display the name or logo no larger than one third of the sign area.

The number of information signs on a site will be limited to those Council considers necessary to communicate the information.

Information signs with illumination and/or electronic display components must also comply with the advertising devices technical standards.

Home business sign

Under the Business Name Registration Act 2011, a business must display its name at each and every location where it is trading to the public.

Businesses with a registered ABN that are home businesses complying with the Home Business Code can display a home business sign, which is a small advertising device identifying the name and/or trade, business or calling of the occupants of a home business premises.

To be self-assessable, a home business sign must: 

• not be illuminated
• be painted, affixed to a wall or fence, or freestanding
• not exceed 0.6m².