Sign Permits

Definition:  A sign made from cloth, plastic, or a similar weight, non-rigid material

Permitted zones: Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, and Agricultural Zones 

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1

Maximum sign area: 6.0 m²

Conditions:

• A banner sign cannot be displayed for more than two periods of 21 consecutive days in one calendar year. 

Permit required: Yes

Definition: An outdoor ground or wall sign erected and maintained by a person, firm, corporation, or business engaged in the sale or rental of the space on the sign to a client, upon which space is displayed copy that advertises a business, goods, products, or services not necessarily sold or offered or conducted on the property.

Permitted zones: Industrial and Commercial Zones 

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1

Maximum sign area: 8.0 m² for a ground sign; 4.0 m² for wall sign

Maximum sign height: 7.5 m

Conditions:

• Your billboard sign cannot be erected on a fence
• Your billboard sign must be at least 150 m from a residential zone
• Your billboard sign cannot be within 300 m of another billboard
• You cannot erect a billboard sign within a setback  as required by the Zoning By-law
• Your billboard cannot be an animated sign

Permit required:  Yes

Definition: A temporary sign advertising events conducted or sponsored by charitable organizations or community associations.

Permitted zones: All zones

Permitted on the road allowance: Only with a Municipal Agreement

Maximum number of signs for a property: No maximum

Conditions: 

• For private property, a community event sign can only be erected with consent from the owner
• For public property, a community event sign can only be erected on the untraveled portion of a road and must have County approval. The sign must also comply with any additional requirements identified by the County

Permit required: No

Definition: A temporary sign advertising any political party or candidate participating in the election for public office.

Permitted zones: Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agriculture

Maximum number of signs for a property: No maximum

Maximum sign area: 1.2 m²

Maximum sign height: 2.0m

Conditions: 

• Federal or provincial election signs cannot be erected earlier than the date notice is given for the dropping of the writ
• Municipal election signs cannot be erected earlier than 45 days before voting day
• Election signs must be removed within 48 hours after the polls close
• Election signs cannot be erected on a road allowance unless the sign is a poster sign as permitted under Section 9.10 of the Sign By-law [link: sign by-law]
• Signs erected on campaign office premises must also comply with the regulations of the Sign By-law [link: sign by-law] 

Permit Required: No

Definition: A sign which has messages displayed by electronic means

Permitted zones: Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Open Space

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 as part of a ground sign

Maximum sign area: 30% area of a ground sign

Conditions: 

• Messages displayed on an electronic sign must be present on the screen without movement or colour change for a minimum of 30 seconds
• The intensity of illumination of the sign must be maintained at a constant level

Permit Required: Yes

Definition: A sign permanently affixed to the ground by one or more self-supporting poles or supported by a free-standing masonry structure                                                              

Permitted zones: Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Open Space

Maximum number of signs on a property: 1 for each street line of a property

Maximum sign area: 0.3 times the length of the street line, maximum 18 m² 

Maximum sign height: 7.5 m

Conditions: 

• No person shall erect a ground sign less than 1.0 m from a street line

Permit required: Yes

Definition: A sign which is designed to be inflated by air or other gas and is designed to be airborne or tethered to the ground, a vehicle, a roof, or any other structure.

Permitted zones: Commercial

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1

Inflatable sign: 6.0 m wide

Maximum sign area: 6.0 m wide

Maximum sign height: 7.0 m

Conditions:

• You can only erect an inflatable sign for a maximum of 14 consecutive days
• A maximum 2 permits will be issued per property in any calendar year
• All inflatable signs must maintain a setback of 3 m from any property line
• All inflatable signs must be secured to a fixed base
• You must have liability insurance
• An inflatable sign cannot be erected on a roof

Permit Required: Yes

Definition: A temporary sign which is not permanently attached to the ground or any structure, typically designed for the rearrangement of copy on the sign face, and which is capable of being readily moved from place to place, but does not include a portable sign.

Permitted zones: Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agriculture

Permitted on the road allowance: No

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 for each 75 m of street line of a property 

Maximum Sign Area: 5.0 m²

Maximum Sign Height: 2.5 m

Conditions:

• A mobile sign permit will expire 45 days from the erection date noted on the permit, if not noted on the permit it will expire on the permit issuance date
• You must remove the sign within 24 hours of the permit expiring, and notify the County that it's been removed.  If not removed, the County may remove the sign
• If you are advertising a business, you cannot get a mobile sign permit within 45 days of a previous mobile sign permit
• You cannot erect a mobile sign and a portable sign at the same time on the same property
• You cannot erect a mobile sign on vacant property or road
• A mobile sign must be at least 25 m away from any other mobile sign, portable sign or ground sign on the same property
• Home occupations and industries are not permitted to have a mobile sign
• All mobile signs must have the name and number of the sign owner permanently displayed

Permit Required: Yes

Definition: A sign providing directions to the site where a business or service is located

Permitted Zones: Agriculture

Maximum Number of Signs for a Property: 1

Maximum Sign Area: 2.0 m²

Conditions: 

• Any portable off-site directional sign for the seasonal sale of produce shall only be located on the untravelled road allowance 
• Off-site directional signs cannot restrict the free and safe movement of any pedestrian or vehicle or the visibility of a driveway

Permit Required: No

Definition:  A sign not permanently attached to the ground or a permanent structure and which is designed to be moved readily and manually by one person from one location to another, and includes signs commonly referred to as A-Frame, T-frame, and sandwich board

Permitted zones: Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agriculture

Permitted on the road allowance: Yes

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 for each 75 m of street line of a property 

Maximum Sign Area: 0.6 m² on public sidewalk; 1.0 m² on a lot; 2 m² on an agriculture zone 

Maximum Sign Height: 1.0 m in Industrial, Commercial and Institutional 2.0 m in Agriculture Zone 

Conditions: 

• You can only display a portable sign during the operating hours for the business being advertised
• You can only display a portable sign on or in front of the business advertised
• You cannot locate a portable sign where it will restrict the free and safe movement of any pedestrian or vehicle on a sidewalk, path, road allowance, or driveway, or impede visibility
• A portable sign must be no closer than 25 m away from another portable sign, mobile sign or ground sign on the same property
• You cannot erect a portable sign and a mobile sign advertising the same business on the same property

Permit Required: No

Definition: A printed notice conveying information intended to be displayed for a temporary period of time and includes but is not limited to a bill, handbill, leaflet, notice, or placard

Permitted zones: Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agriculture, Open Space

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 per structure 

Maximum sign area: 0.60 cm²

Conditions: 

For poster signs on a community bulletin board

• You can only display a poster sign for a maximum of 21 days
• Your poster sign cannot be displayed longer than 3 days following the event advertised
• A poster sign cannot be displayed more than 2.5 m above the finished grade
• The signs must be printed on paper
• You must attach the poster sign flush to the surface of the structure with water-soluble past or removable tape

For poster signs not on community bulletin boards

• You cannot display a poster sign in the median of a road allowance, or on a sign or traffic control sign
• The poster sign must be at least 30 m away from a community bulletin board
• The sign must be printed on paper
• You must attach the poster sign flush to the surface of the structure with water-soluble past or removable tape

For all sign locations

• You cannot display more than one poster sign with the same information on a community board or permitted structure
• Your sign cannot overlap or cover any other sign
• The County may remove any poster sign without notice or compensation

Permit Required:  No

Definition: A sign not directly supported from the ground but generally erected perpendicular to a supporting building wall, but shall not be a wall sign as defined in this bylaw.

Permitted zones: Commercial

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1

Maximum sign area: 1.0 m²

Conditions:

• You must erect a projecting sign at least 2.5 m above the finished grade or the surface of a road allowance or public sidewalk
• An owner of a projecting sign must carry liability insurance for the sign with the County named as an additional insured if the sign projects over the road allowance
• If the sign projects over the road allowance, you will also need an encroachment permit

Permit Required: Yes

d   Definition: A portable sign providing direction to a construction, reconstruction, or development site.  

Permitted zones: Residential,  Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agricultural  Zones

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1

Maximum sign area: 1.5 m²

Conditions:

• A promotional development direction sign can only be displayed during the operating hours of the development sales office
• The sign cannot be located in a way that restricts the free and safe movement of any pedestrian or vehicle on any sidewalk, path, road allowance or driveway, or impedes visibility
• You cannot display a promotional development direction sign and a mobile sign at the same time

Permit Required: No

Definition: A sign advertising the sale of properties within a plan of subdivision but not the realtor’s, developer’s or landowner’s business in general.

Permitted zones: Residential,  Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, and Agricultural  Zones

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 per road frontage of the property containing the development

Maximum sign area: 10 m²

Maximum sign height: 7.5 m

Conditions:

For signs within an approved subdivision

• You cannot erect a promotional development sign until the subdivision being advertised has received draft plan approval
• The sign must be located on the site of the development and plan of subdivision
• You must remove the sign within 30 days of the date of the sale of the last property within the subdivision

Permit Required: Yes

Definition: A sign located on a property to announce the sale, lease, or rental of such property or building or part of a building located thereon

Permitted zones: Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agriculture

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 per street line

Maximum sign area: Residential Zone - 0.55 m², All other Permitted Zones – 2.75 m² 

Permit Required: No

Definition: A temporary sign providing directions to a residence that is offered for sale and where an open house is being conducted.

Permitted Zones:  Residential, Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agriculture

Permitted on Road Allowance: Yes

Permit Required: No

Definition: A sign which is painted or permanently affixed to a single wall of a building or structure 

Permitted zones: Residential,  Industrial, Commercial, Institutional, Agricultural Zones

Maximum number of signs for a property: 1 per residential property; unlimited for all other uses

Maximum sign area: 0.55 m² in a residential zone; 20% of the building façade faces a street line in other zones. 

Conditions:

• No person shall erect a wall sign above the first storey of a building or above the sill of the lowest window located at the second storey of a building 
• A wall sign shall not project more than 0.3 m from the wall of a building or structure
• No wall sign shall be erected above the first storey of a building or structure
• A wall sign shall be erected only upon the wall of a building or structure containing the business to which the sign applies

Permit Required: Yes

The following signs don't require a permit, but must fully comply with the provisions of the By-law including any sign-specific regulations.

• Community event signs
• Election signs
• Home occupation/industry signs
• Off-site direction signs
• Personal signs
• Portable signs
• Promotional development direction signs
• Real estate signs
• Real estate open house direction signs
• Signs advertising the sale of seasonal farm produce
• Signs having a sign area of less than 650 cm² (100 in²)
• Window signs

• Barn signs
• Commemorative plaques or cornerstones (that do not advertise)
• Flags/emblems (for patriotic, civic, educational or religious organizations)
• Murals (that do not advertise)
• Public safety signs
• Public use signs (including signs required by and approved by the County, or signs erected or displayed in connection with an activity conducted by the County)
• Signs containing advertising copies (that are erected on premises owned by public authorities and used for sports and recreation or for community events)
• Signs erected at farmers markets (operated by the County or non-profit agricultural societies)
• Signs erected by non-profit agricultural societies (for an event or fair that it operates)
• Temporary signs associated with sidewalk sales (operated within Business Improvement Areas or by merchants associations)