City Signs

The size and number of signs you will be allowed are regulated by the city or county in which you will have to get a permit.

For wall signs, most cities use the building or suite frontage to determine how much sign area you are allowed.

Different cities may range from 1:1 (or one square foot of sign area for each one lineal foot of suite frontage) to 2:1 in some cities.

Some also provide a minimum allowable, or maximum allowable sign size. Phoenix, for instance has a minimum allowable 50sf of sign area, which is very generous. Apache Junction has a 32sf minimum.

Some cities have interesting variations. Scottsdale only uses 90% of the rectangular area to calculate usage. That means we can make the rectanglular sign area a bit bigger than the typical allowed area. Phoenix, on the other hand has additional limitations if the site is within a given distance of the light rail.

Checking the sign code and figuring out your best configuration is something we do all the time.

The type of sign is dependent on the landlord's sign criteria, or your own preference if you own the building.

Some cities may also regulate sign type. Mesa, Arizona, for instance, will no longer allow cabinet signs to be installed as attached signs.

This site has descriptions of most of the typical sign types that you may find in a sign criteria. See