What the published sign by-law allows at an address, with the source behind every number — early, while you are still estimating. Two short steps to an answer. Start with the location; add dimensions when you have them.
Start with the location. You do not need sign dimensions yet.
Saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to SignAllow. Loading one fills in the form; running it again follows the normal check rules.
Choose an address suggestion to check available government maps. You can also type an address and select the municipality for a manual check, or leave the address blank to explore the general rules.
Not identified automaticallyChoose an address suggestion for available automatic map checks, or confirm this category manually. Coverage varies by municipality.
Leave it as it is and we will show you what each category allows, so you can pick yours.
The map area or by-law category used to select sign rules. It may differ from zoning. Confirm the applicable category using the municipality’s map or written advice.
General explanation; local definitions and measurement rules control. Check Bradford West Gwillimbury’s source ↗
This changes the presentation and available report options, not the rules or calculation. You can change it after the check.
Want to read it as written? Sign By-law 2011-023, office consolidation ↗ — consolidated 21 April 2026.
Choose the type that matches your sign. Dimensions can come later.
Other sign purposes
These categories currently prepare a municipal review. Size limits, fees and permit exemptions are not calculated yet.
Count display faces on this one sign, not separate signs. Dimensions can come later.
Each municipality can count faces differently. A per-face limit is not permission to multiply the total allowance.
Review guidance only: no size allowance, permit exemption, fee or permitted display period is calculated for these categories yet. You can record a proposal and save a preliminary report with the open questions.
Enter your intended dates, not a permitted duration. Renewal, repeat displays and removal deadlines still need confirmation.
Initial coverage: Oakville’s commercial, employment, mixed-use and institutional categories. Other municipalities and special uses need a separate review. This is a preliminary check against the published 2022 consolidation; later amendments remain unverified.
Motor vehicle businesses, drive-through facilities and third-party advertising need separate review. Choose “Other content or a special use” above. Illuminated signs and electronic displays are outside this initial calculation.
Measure one rectangular window, excluding its frame. Use explicit units: m, cm, ft or inches; bare numbers mean feet. Do not combine panes or transfer spare area between windows. For the proposed sign, enter the enclosing rectangle around the complete message; irregular layouts need confirmation.
This is the building’s storey count, not the sign’s location. Clarington uses it to select the shared wall-and-awning allowance. Subdivision sales offices have a separate table provision.
Exclude the sign you are proposing or replacing and any signs being removed. Leave uncertain quantities blank. Your answer is not independently verified.
No single sign-count limit is calculated for this selection. Confirm how the municipality counts existing signs.
A size limit for one sign is not automatically spare capacity on a wall or property. No shared-area deduction is calculated for this selection.
Not sure about placement? Leave it as “Not sure” and review the limits first. A sign type that is not listed needs a separate review.
Review what the maps found, then work through one follow-up at a time. You can leave questions open while exploring a sign before it is designed.
You can download a preliminary report before a sign is designed. Missing dimensions and unresolved reviews remain clearly identified.
Local history and team links keep basic details: location, sign type, district, building type, lighting and building measurements. They do not keep proposed sign dimensions, site-review answers or reports. Choose Save to my account to retain the full proposal and dated reports. For a customer handoff, download the neutral customer assessment.
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No sign design yet? That is fine. A wall or frontage measurement helps calculate the size allowance; proposed sign dimensions are optional. Use feet/inches or metric: 12 ft, 6 in, 3.5m or 150mm. Numbers without a unit are read as feet. Leave anything unknown blank.
Wall signs are usually sized off the wall they sit on, so this is the measurement that turns the rule into a number. A rough answer is fine.
The length of the property along the relevant street. Building frontage can mean something different. Use the measurement basis in your result; do not add street edges together unless the rule allows it.
General explanation; local definitions and measurement rules control. Check Bradford West Gwillimbury’s source ↗
The display area counted toward the sign-size limit. Separate letters, borders and multiple faces can be counted differently. Confirm the local method before entering the sign’s width and height.
General explanation; local definitions and measurement rules control. Check Bradford West Gwillimbury’s source ↗
Sign height is the display’s vertical size. Overall height runs from the required ground reference to the top of the sign. Check the local ground reference and what must be included.
General explanation; local definitions and measurement rules control. Check Bradford West Gwillimbury’s source ↗
Type them exactly as the drawing reads — 54'-1", 16m (52 ft), 11' 4" all work.
Manual review of the property and sign location. Address, zoning and heritage checks do not settle this overlay. Open the official district index and maps. If the boundary is unclear, ask Building Services and leave this unchecked.
Manual confirmation — an address or projecting sign does not establish an overhang. Compare the proposed sign with the property line on a survey or reliable site plan. Leave “Haven’t checked” if the location is undecided.
| Standard | Allowable | Proposed | Ref |
|---|
Every reference in that last column is a link into the by-law text itself.
By-law 2011-023 · Consolidated 21 April 2026 · Web page, full text
A consolidation is the by-law’s text with its later amendments folded in; the date says how current that copy is.
Open the by-law ↗Straight to the sections the numbers above come from:
| What you want | Where it is | |
|---|---|---|
| Wall signs | s.7.10 with Schedule L — 20% of the external wall area | open ↗ |
| Ground signs | s.7.3 with Schedule E — 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft) per metre of frontage to 22 m² (237 sq ft); height 3.5 m (11 ft) to 8.5 m (28 ft) by frontage | open ↗ |
| Variance | s.10 — under 25% the Chief Building Official may approve; above that it goes to Council, decided in 30 days | open ↗ |
| Structure | s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act | open ↗ |
Also worth having open:
Permission requested to depart from a by-law requirement. Approval is not guaranteed, and a variance does not replace any other permits or approvals the proposal needs.
General explanation; local definitions and measurement rules control. Check Bradford West Gwillimbury’s source ↗
Each figure shows when it was last checked and against what. Anything over a year old, or a fee we checked before the most recent January (when most cities raise their fees), is marked out of date and is not shown as current. How we keep it current →
Search quotes, rule labels and citations on file for Bradford West Gwillimbury across all sign districts. This is not the complete by-law. A match may not apply to your address; check its district and source.
Showing the original excerpts for this check below. Search uses no additional checks.
Each figure above, in the by-law’s own words. Every quote was checked against the published document, and is re-checked whenever the document is re-read; a figure without one is not published.
“4.2 An applicant for a licence shall submit a complete application and such plans, drawings and/or specifications for the proposed sign or signs to the Chief Building Official as required by the Chief Building Official. Such documents may include, but are not limited to the following:”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“(b) Application got a Permit to Construct or Demolish (c) Schedule 1 or Commitment to General Review”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“(e) Architectural and Structural Drawings including calculations if applicable”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“(c) the Chief Building Official, pursuant to the Building Code Act;”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“have a maximum of two (2) sign faces, erected back-to-back, and no one sign face shall have an area of greater than 0.3 square metres”
A ground sign may have two faces back to back, and the area cap is written per face — no one face may exceed the figure. The by-law never says whether the two faces are added together, so it does not state a counting convention at all.
“No first-party sign may be erected on a lot zoned “Residential” by Zoning By-law 2010-050.”
First-party signs are not permitted on a residentially zoned lot, apart from the home occupation and custom workshop exception above. Window signs are regulated separately at 35% of the affected window and are not counted against the wall sign allowance.
“exceed 35% of the area of the affected window, excluding its frame”
First-party signs are not permitted on a residentially zoned lot, apart from the home occupation and custom workshop exception above. Window signs are regulated separately at 35% of the affected window and are not counted against the wall sign allowance.
“in a single-occupant building, shall not exceed a maximum of four (4) wall signs per building, except in the case of a building larger than 7,432 square metres (80,000 square feet) which shall be permitted a maximum of six (6) wall signs”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“A primary and secondary first party sign shall be permitted for each tenant on buildings containing multiple tenants”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“A tenant in a multiple-occupant building may have one primary first-party wall sign and one secondary first-party wall sign”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“a wall may contain one or more lifestyle signs, in addition to one wall sign”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“The maximum sign area of all wall signs shall not exceed 20% of the total area of the external wall occupied by the Tenant to which they are attached to. Where a wall includes horizontal or vertical indentations, the wall shall be considered to be continuous for purposes of calculating the maximum sign face for the wall sign.”
A wall with indentations is treated as continuous when the sign area is calculated. A secondary sign for a tenant is capped separately at 0.6 m² (6.5 sq ft) per linear metre of wall face and 15% of the total aggregate wall area it sits on, and only where it is on a different wall from the primary sign, more than 20 m (66 ft) from any land designated for a non-employment use, and (if lit) lit less brightly than the primary sign (s.6.3(b)). The by-law does not say how that 15% interacts with the 20% cap on all wall signs together.
Wall signs may cover up to 20% of the external wall area occupied by the tenant. For example, a storefront 10 m (33 ft) wide with a 4 m (13 ft) tall first storey works out to 8 m² (86 sq ft).
“the sign face shall be a maximum of 0.6 square metres (6.4 square feet) per linear metre of wall face on which it is located and shall not comprise more than 15% of the total aggregate wall area on which it is located, (ii) if illumination is permitted, the secondary first-party sign is of a lower illumination than any primary first-party sign located on the same lot, (iii) the sign is more than twenty (20) metres (66 feet) from any lands designated in the Town’s Official Plan for a non-employment use, and (iv) the sign is located on a wall that is not the wall on which the primary first party sign is located”
A wall with indentations is treated as continuous when the sign area is calculated. A secondary sign for a tenant is capped separately at 0.6 m² (6.5 sq ft) per linear metre of wall face and 15% of the total aggregate wall area it sits on, and only where it is on a different wall from the primary sign, more than 20 m (66 ft) from any land designated for a non-employment use, and (if lit) lit less brightly than the primary sign (s.6.3(b)). The by-law does not say how that 15% interacts with the 20% cap on all wall signs together.
“not project more than 0.6 metres (2 feet) from the surface of the wall upon which the wall sign is erected”
It can stick out no more than 0.6 m (2 ft) from the wall.
“not extend above the roof line of the wall of the building on which the wall sign is erected, unless the lot upon which the building is situated has a frontage greater than 30 metres (98 feet), in which case no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the wall sign may extend above the roof line of the wall on which the wall sign is erected.”
May not extend above the roofline, unless the lot frontage is greater than 30 m (98 ft), and then no more than 25% of the sign may sit above it.
“A wall sign may only be erected on one of either the first storey or second storey or top storey of a building.”
the first, second or top storey of the building — one of them, not a combination
“A maximum of one ground sign may be erected on a lot having frontage of 100 metres (328 feet) or less. A second ground sign may be permitted on a lot having frontage greater than 100 metres (328 feet) provided that the ground sign is at least 100 metres (328 feet) apart from another ground sign on the same lot.”
A second sign is only possible where the frontage is more than 100 m (328 ft), with the two at least 100 m (328 ft) apart.
Where two signs are allowed, they must stand at least 100 m (328 ft) apart.
One ground sign per lot.
One per lot. A second is permitted only where the frontage exceeds 100 m (328 ft) and the signs are at least 100 m (328 ft) apart. On a corner lot only one ground sign may sit inside the triangle formed by the street lines for 15 m (49 ft) from their intersection.
“no one sign face shall have an area of greater than 0.3 square metres (3 square feet) for each 1.0 metre (3 feet) of lot frontage to a maximum of 22 square metres (237 square feet)”
The ground sign allowance tops out at 22 m² (237 sq ft), however big the building or lot.
You get 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft) of ground sign for every metre (3 ft 3 in) of street line. For example, a lot with 30 m (98 ft) of street frontage works out to 9 m² (97 sq ft).
“On a corner lot, only one ground sign may be erected in the triangular space formed by the street property lines for a distance of 15 metres (49 feet) from their point of intersection.”
One per lot. A second is permitted only where the frontage exceeds 100 m (328 ft) and the signs are at least 100 m (328 ft) apart. On a corner lot only one ground sign may sit inside the triangle formed by the street lines for 15 m (49 ft) from their intersection.
1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from any lot line, or 75% of the sign’s own height, whichever is greater · not within 15 m (49 ft) of an intersection or a traffic control device (Schedule E) · on a corner, one sign only within the 15 m (49 ft) triangle
“(i) 3.5 metres (11 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of less than or equal to 20 metres (66 feet), (ii) 5.0 metres (16 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of more than 20 metres (66 feet) but less than or equal to 30 metres (98 feet), (iii) 6.5 metres (21 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of more than 30 metres (98 feet) but less than or equal to 40 metres (131 feet), or (iv) 8.5 metres (28 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of more than 40 metres (131 feet)”
Maximum height by frontage: up to 20 m (66 ft) → 3.5 m (11 ft); 20 m (66 ft) to 30 m (98 ft) → 5 m (16 ft); 30 m (98 ft) to 40 m (131 ft) → 6.5 m (21 ft); over 40 m (131 ft) → 8.5 m (28 ft).
“(i) 15 metres (49 feet) of an intersection or traffic control device, or (ii) 1.5 metres (5 feet), or a distance equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the height of the ground sign, whichever is greater, of any lot line”
Keep it at least 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) back from the property line.
It must stand back at least 75% of its own height from the lot line, and never less than 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).
1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from any lot line, or 75% of the sign’s own height, whichever is greater · not within 15 m (49 ft) of an intersection or a traffic control device (Schedule E) · on a corner, one sign only within the 15 m (49 ft) triangle
“a directional sign erected on private property for the purpose of directing traffic upon the property with a sign face not greater than 0.5 square metres (5.4 square feet)”
A directional sign can be no larger than 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft).
A directional sign of 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) or less on private property is outside the by-law altogether (s.3.1(d)) — no permit, and no height or count limit.
“(a) exceed a sign face of 1.5 square metres (16 square feet) per face; (b) exceed one projecting sign erected on the elevation of any building; (c) be erected in a manner that allows any part of the projecting sign to be visible above the roof line of the building; (d) be erected less than 2.5 metres (8 feet) above grade; (e) project out from the building more than 76 centimetres (30 inches)”
A projecting sign can be no larger than 1.5 m² (16 sq ft).
The bottom of the sign must be at least 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) above the ground or walkway below.
It can stick out no more than 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) from the wall.
“(a) a maximum of one sign shall be permitted on the lot, inclusive of signs erected in accordance with the exemption provisions of section 3.1 (c) herein; (b) the maximum sign face shall be 1.0 square metres (10.76 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 1.0 metre from a front lot line and any side lot line”
The wall sign allowance tops out at 1 m² (11 sq ft), however big the building or lot. For example, a storefront 10 m (33 ft) wide with a 4 m (13 ft) tall first storey works out to 1 m² (11 sq ft).
One wall sign per lot.
One sign in total, and the wall sign and the ground sign share it — you get one or the other, not both.
“(a) a maximum of one sign shall be permitted on the lot, inclusive of signs erected in accordance with the exemption provisions of section 3.1 (c) herein; (b) the maximum sign face shall be 1.0 square metres (10.76 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 1.0 metre from a front lot line and any side lot line”
The ground sign allowance tops out at 1 m² (11 sq ft), however big the building or lot. For example, a lot with 30 m (98 ft) of street frontage works out to 1 m² (11 sq ft).
One ground sign per lot.
Shared with the wall sign allowance — one sign on the property, whichever form you choose.
The ground sign can be no taller than 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).
Keep it at least 1 m (3 ft 3 in) back from the property line.
“6.6 Notwithstanding section 6.5, a wall sign or ground sign may be permitted on a residential lot”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“(a) a maximum of one sign shall be permitted on the lot, inclusive of signs erected in accordance with the exemption provisions of section 3.1 (c) herein; (b) the maximum sign face shall be 1.0 square metres (10.76 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 1.0 metre from a front lot line and any side lot line (Amended by By-law 2022-78)”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“6.8 Notwithstanding section 6.5, a wall sign or ground sign may be permitted on a residential lot”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“(b) the maximum sign face shall be 0.5 square metres (5.4 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 3.0 metres from a front lot line and any side lot line.(By-law 2011-068)”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“a directional sign erected on private property for the purpose of directing traffic upon the property with a sign face not greater than 0.5 square metres (5.4 square feet)”
A directional sign can be no larger than 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft).
“5.7 An advertising device shall display only non-moving, non-electronic static copy unless otherwise permitted in accordance with Section 9 to this By-law.”
Bradford contemplates electronic MOVING copy as approvable — but only with sign-off, and s.5.7 is the default prohibition
“(a) “electronic moving copy” means sign copy displayed utilizing electronic screens, televisions, computer video monitors, liquid crystal displays, light emitting diode displays, or any other similar electronic technology where the sign copy displays moving images;”
Bradford contemplates electronic MOVING copy as approvable — but only with sign-off, and s.5.7 is the default prohibition
“9.3 The Chief Building Official may authorize the display of electronic moving copy, electronic static copy, mechanical copy or readograph copy on a new or existing sign where the Chief Building Official is satisfied that the proposed new sign or proposed alteration to an existing sign:”
Bradford contemplates electronic MOVING copy as approvable — but only with sign-off, and s.5.7 is the default prohibition
“9.2 The following signs may display electronic moving copy, electronic static copy, mechanical copy or readograph copy if prior written approval is received from the Chief Building Official in accordance with Sections 9.3 and 9.4: (a) a ground sign; (b) a projecting sign; (c) a projected display sign; (d) a wall sign; (e) a window sign; and (f) a roof sign.”
Ground, projecting, projected display, wall, window or roof signs
“(c) the message duration shall not be less than five (5) seconds; (d) the message transition shall not exceed one (1) second; and (e) during the message transition, the sign shall not display any blinking, intermittent or flashing light or the illusion of such effects.”
5 seconds minimum
1 second maximum, with no blinking, intermittent or flashing light during it
“may display electronic moving copy, electronic static copy, mechanical copy or readograph copy if prior written approval is received from the Chief Building Official”
Electronic copy of any kind needs prior written approval from the Chief Building Official, separate from the sign permit, and the CBO may attach conditions that deviate from any regulation in the by-law. The owner must give 48 hours advance notice of erection and notice of completion within 48 hours.
“the Chief Building Official may attach additional restrictions or conditions that may deviate from any regulation”
Electronic copy of any kind needs prior written approval from the Chief Building Official, separate from the sign permit, and the CBO may attach conditions that deviate from any regulation in the by-law. The owner must give 48 hours advance notice of erection and notice of completion within 48 hours.
“(b) 48 hours advance notice of the intended erection or alteration of the proposed sign; and (c) notice of the completion of the erection or alteration of the proposed sign within forty-eight (48) hours thereof.”
Electronic copy of any kind needs prior written approval from the Chief Building Official, separate from the sign permit, and the CBO may attach conditions that deviate from any regulation in the by-law. The owner must give 48 hours advance notice of erection and notice of completion within 48 hours.
“6) A ground sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“6) A wall sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“3) A roof sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“2) A window sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“2) A projected display sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“4) A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“5) A banner sign shall not be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“4) An inflatable sign shall not be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“6) A portable sign shall not be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“(c) increase the light levels within ten (10) metres (33 feet) of all points of the sign face by more than 6.5 lux above the ambient lighting level; (d) exceed 5,000 nits during the period between sunrise and sunset; or (e) exceed 500 nits during the period between sunset and sunrise.”
It may add no more than 6.5 lux of light (roughly, the glow it throws on its surroundings) above normal levels, measured 10 m (33 ft) away.
Light spill is measured 10 m (33 ft) from the sign.
A digital or lit sign can be no brighter than 5,000 nits in daylight (a nit is the standard measure of screen brightness).
At night it must dim to no more than 500 nits.
The 6.5 lux limit is measured within 10 m (33 ft) of all points of the sign face, not at a residential lot line.
“8.1 Where an advertising device is permitted to be illuminated, such illumination shall not: (a) be directed onto any neighbouring property or street so as to create an adverse impact in the opinion of the Chief Building Official; (b) spill generally beyond the sign face;”
A discretionary test rather than a distance: illumination may not be directed onto a neighbouring property or street so as to create an adverse impact in the opinion of the Chief Building Official, and may not spill generally beyond the sign face. No distance safe harbour.
Sign By-law 2011-023, office consolidation, consolidated 21 April 2026. What the published by-law allows, how big, whether a sign can be lit, what it costs, and which copy of the by-law to trust.
What we hold: we calculate the size and count limits, so a check here gives you a number · lighting and digital rules read in full.
Two questions, no dimensions needed. You get the maximum for your sign type, the lighting rules, the fee and the sections it all came from.
Start a check →| Sign type | Here | Most you’d get | The rule | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
On the building Fascia, wall sign, channel letters | Depends on district | s.7.10 with Schedule L — 20% of the external wall area read it ↗ | ||
Freestanding Pylon or monument out front | Depends on district | s.7.3 with Schedule E — 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft) per metre of frontage to 22 m² (237 sq ft); height 3.5 m (11 ft) to 8.5 m (28 ft) by frontage read it ↗ | ||
Projecting Blade sign off the wall | Depends on district | Depends on the sign district. Start a check and pick the district to get the figure. | ||
Small directional Entrance or drive-aisle sign | Depends on district | Usually falls under the ground sign rules unless the by-law carves out directional signs — s.7.3 with Schedule E — 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft) per metre of frontage to 22 m² (237 sq ft); height 3.5 m (11 ft) to 8.5 m (28 ft) by frontage read it ↗ | ||
New face, same frame Replacing the face of a sign already there | Unresolved | A face replacement may be a copy change, maintenance or an alteration under the applicable by-law. Confirm the existing sign’s lawful status and whether changes to its face, structure, area or illumination require a permit. A permit exemption does not establish permission to install. | ||
Window signs & graphics Lettering, decals and signs behind glass | Review needed | Window-sign calculations are not yet verified for this municipality and category. Confirm classification, coverage, placement and permit requirements with the municipality. | ||
Temporary promotional Banners, mobile signs and short-term promotions | Review guidance only | Review guidance only. No size limit, fee, exemption or permitted display period has been validated for this category. Confirm the exact sign format, location, display period and any renewal or repeat-display limits. Temporary use does not itself establish a permit exemption. | ||
Construction & development Development marketing, builder signs and hoarding | Review guidance only | Review guidance only. No size limit, fee, exemption or permitted display period has been validated for this category. Confirm whether this is development advertising, builder identification, hoarding graphics or a required notice. Provide the project stage, proposed copy and location; these purposes may follow different requirements. | ||
Real estate For sale, for lease and open-house signs | Review guidance only | Review guidance only. No size limit, fee, exemption or permitted display period has been validated for this category. Confirm the property use, whether the sign is at the listed property or off-site, and the applicable removal deadline. New-development marketing may be classified separately from an ordinary sale or lease sign. | ||
Event signage Commercial, community and private events | Review guidance only | Review guidance only. No size limit, fee, exemption or permitted display period has been validated for this category. Confirm the organizer, commercial content, sign format, location and display dates. Community events, private celebrations and election signs may follow separate rules; an event permit does not establish permission for every sign. |
“Up to” means we have the rule but not your dimensions — start a check and enter them to get your actual numbers. “Rule on file” means we have read the section and can take you to it, but have not turned it into a calculation — so no number, on purpose. “Depends on district” means we do calculate it, but the figure changes with the sign district, so pick one to see it.
Permitted by sign type — permissive on light itself. Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
| Brightness | 5,000 nits by day · 500 nits at night (nits: screen brightness) These bind every illuminated sign here, not just digital ones — a plain internally lit box face is in scope. |
| Light spill | 6.5 lux above ambient light (lux: light landing on neighbours), measured within 10 m (33 ft) of the sign face |
| Hours it must be off or dimmed | None for a permanent sign. |
| Up-lighting | Not addressed The by-law says nothing about the direction of light. Not the same as permission. |
| Near housing | A discretionary test rather than a distance: illumination may not be directed onto a neighbouring property or street so as to create an adverse impact in the opinion of the Chief Building Official, and may not spill generally beyond the sign face. No distance safe harbour. s.8.1(a)–(b) |
The 6.5 lux limit is measured within 10 m (33 ft) of all points of the sign face, not at a residential lot line.
You said this one has no digital or changing message, so we have left those rules out. If that changes, they are in s.9.1–s.9.8.
Read it yourself: s.8.1, Schedules D–M of Sign By-law 2011-023, office consolidation ↗
No fee schedule is encoded for Bradford West Gwillimbury yet, so we are not going to guess one. Ask the municipality, or tell us and we will encode it.
The entered details do not establish whether professional design or construction review is required. The 2024 Ontario Building Code Compendium, Division C, Articles 1.2.1.2.(6)–(7) and 1.2.2.1.(8)–(9), distinguishes design from construction review and permits an architect, professional engineer or both for these sign provisions. Confirm the applicable Code edition, sign classification, each face area, total weight, height and mounting with the municipal building-permit office. Being below a listed threshold does not clear other structural or local requirements. Official Code source: https://www.publications.gov.on.ca/store/20170501121/Free_Download_Files/301880.pdf
By-law 2011-023 · Consolidated 21 April 2026 · Web page, full text
A consolidation is the by-law’s text with its later amendments folded in; the date says how current that copy is.
Open the by-law ↗Straight to the sections the numbers above come from:
| What you want | Where it is | |
|---|---|---|
| Wall signs | s.7.10 with Schedule L — 20% of the external wall area | open ↗ |
| Ground signs | s.7.3 with Schedule E — 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft) per metre of frontage to 22 m² (237 sq ft); height 3.5 m (11 ft) to 8.5 m (28 ft) by frontage | open ↗ |
| Variance | s.10 — under 25% the Chief Building Official may approve; above that it goes to Council, decided in 30 days | open ↗ |
| Structure | s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act | open ↗ |
Also worth having open:
Each figure above, in the by-law’s own words. Every quote was checked against the published document, and is re-checked whenever the document is re-read; a figure without one is not published.
“4.2 An applicant for a licence shall submit a complete application and such plans, drawings and/or specifications for the proposed sign or signs to the Chief Building Official as required by the Chief Building Official. Such documents may include, but are not limited to the following:”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“(b) Application got a Permit to Construct or Demolish (c) Schedule 1 or Commitment to General Review”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“(e) Architectural and Structural Drawings including calculations if applicable”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“(c) the Chief Building Official, pursuant to the Building Code Act;”
Structure: s.4.2(b), (c), (e) — a building permit application, a Commitment to General Review and structural drawings with calculations may be asked for; s.4.11(c) — no licence until the Chief Building Official approves under the Building Code Act
“have a maximum of two (2) sign faces, erected back-to-back, and no one sign face shall have an area of greater than 0.3 square metres”
A ground sign may have two faces back to back, and the area cap is written per face — no one face may exceed the figure. The by-law never says whether the two faces are added together, so it does not state a counting convention at all.
“No first-party sign may be erected on a lot zoned “Residential” by Zoning By-law 2010-050.”
First-party signs are not permitted on a residentially zoned lot, apart from the home occupation and custom workshop exception above. Window signs are regulated separately at 35% of the affected window and are not counted against the wall sign allowance.
“exceed 35% of the area of the affected window, excluding its frame”
First-party signs are not permitted on a residentially zoned lot, apart from the home occupation and custom workshop exception above. Window signs are regulated separately at 35% of the affected window and are not counted against the wall sign allowance.
“in a single-occupant building, shall not exceed a maximum of four (4) wall signs per building, except in the case of a building larger than 7,432 square metres (80,000 square feet) which shall be permitted a maximum of six (6) wall signs”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“A primary and secondary first party sign shall be permitted for each tenant on buildings containing multiple tenants”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“A tenant in a multiple-occupant building may have one primary first-party wall sign and one secondary first-party wall sign”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“a wall may contain one or more lifestyle signs, in addition to one wall sign”
Four wall signs on a single-occupant building, rising to six where the building is larger than 7,432 m² (79,997 sq ft). A tenant in a multi-tenant building gets one primary and one secondary wall sign instead. Lifestyle signs may be added to a wall in addition to one wall sign.
“The maximum sign area of all wall signs shall not exceed 20% of the total area of the external wall occupied by the Tenant to which they are attached to. Where a wall includes horizontal or vertical indentations, the wall shall be considered to be continuous for purposes of calculating the maximum sign face for the wall sign.”
A wall with indentations is treated as continuous when the sign area is calculated. A secondary sign for a tenant is capped separately at 0.6 m² (6.5 sq ft) per linear metre of wall face and 15% of the total aggregate wall area it sits on, and only where it is on a different wall from the primary sign, more than 20 m (66 ft) from any land designated for a non-employment use, and (if lit) lit less brightly than the primary sign (s.6.3(b)). The by-law does not say how that 15% interacts with the 20% cap on all wall signs together.
Wall signs may cover up to 20% of the external wall area occupied by the tenant. For example, a storefront 10 m (33 ft) wide with a 4 m (13 ft) tall first storey works out to 8 m² (86 sq ft).
“the sign face shall be a maximum of 0.6 square metres (6.4 square feet) per linear metre of wall face on which it is located and shall not comprise more than 15% of the total aggregate wall area on which it is located, (ii) if illumination is permitted, the secondary first-party sign is of a lower illumination than any primary first-party sign located on the same lot, (iii) the sign is more than twenty (20) metres (66 feet) from any lands designated in the Town’s Official Plan for a non-employment use, and (iv) the sign is located on a wall that is not the wall on which the primary first party sign is located”
A wall with indentations is treated as continuous when the sign area is calculated. A secondary sign for a tenant is capped separately at 0.6 m² (6.5 sq ft) per linear metre of wall face and 15% of the total aggregate wall area it sits on, and only where it is on a different wall from the primary sign, more than 20 m (66 ft) from any land designated for a non-employment use, and (if lit) lit less brightly than the primary sign (s.6.3(b)). The by-law does not say how that 15% interacts with the 20% cap on all wall signs together.
“not project more than 0.6 metres (2 feet) from the surface of the wall upon which the wall sign is erected”
It can stick out no more than 0.6 m (2 ft) from the wall.
“not extend above the roof line of the wall of the building on which the wall sign is erected, unless the lot upon which the building is situated has a frontage greater than 30 metres (98 feet), in which case no more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the wall sign may extend above the roof line of the wall on which the wall sign is erected.”
May not extend above the roofline, unless the lot frontage is greater than 30 m (98 ft), and then no more than 25% of the sign may sit above it.
“A wall sign may only be erected on one of either the first storey or second storey or top storey of a building.”
the first, second or top storey of the building — one of them, not a combination
“A maximum of one ground sign may be erected on a lot having frontage of 100 metres (328 feet) or less. A second ground sign may be permitted on a lot having frontage greater than 100 metres (328 feet) provided that the ground sign is at least 100 metres (328 feet) apart from another ground sign on the same lot.”
A second sign is only possible where the frontage is more than 100 m (328 ft), with the two at least 100 m (328 ft) apart.
Where two signs are allowed, they must stand at least 100 m (328 ft) apart.
One ground sign per lot.
One per lot. A second is permitted only where the frontage exceeds 100 m (328 ft) and the signs are at least 100 m (328 ft) apart. On a corner lot only one ground sign may sit inside the triangle formed by the street lines for 15 m (49 ft) from their intersection.
“no one sign face shall have an area of greater than 0.3 square metres (3 square feet) for each 1.0 metre (3 feet) of lot frontage to a maximum of 22 square metres (237 square feet)”
The ground sign allowance tops out at 22 m² (237 sq ft), however big the building or lot.
You get 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft) of ground sign for every metre (3 ft 3 in) of street line. For example, a lot with 30 m (98 ft) of street frontage works out to 9 m² (97 sq ft).
“On a corner lot, only one ground sign may be erected in the triangular space formed by the street property lines for a distance of 15 metres (49 feet) from their point of intersection.”
One per lot. A second is permitted only where the frontage exceeds 100 m (328 ft) and the signs are at least 100 m (328 ft) apart. On a corner lot only one ground sign may sit inside the triangle formed by the street lines for 15 m (49 ft) from their intersection.
1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from any lot line, or 75% of the sign’s own height, whichever is greater · not within 15 m (49 ft) of an intersection or a traffic control device (Schedule E) · on a corner, one sign only within the 15 m (49 ft) triangle
“(i) 3.5 metres (11 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of less than or equal to 20 metres (66 feet), (ii) 5.0 metres (16 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of more than 20 metres (66 feet) but less than or equal to 30 metres (98 feet), (iii) 6.5 metres (21 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of more than 30 metres (98 feet) but less than or equal to 40 metres (131 feet), or (iv) 8.5 metres (28 feet) when erected on a lot that has frontage of more than 40 metres (131 feet)”
Maximum height by frontage: up to 20 m (66 ft) → 3.5 m (11 ft); 20 m (66 ft) to 30 m (98 ft) → 5 m (16 ft); 30 m (98 ft) to 40 m (131 ft) → 6.5 m (21 ft); over 40 m (131 ft) → 8.5 m (28 ft).
“(i) 15 metres (49 feet) of an intersection or traffic control device, or (ii) 1.5 metres (5 feet), or a distance equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the height of the ground sign, whichever is greater, of any lot line”
Keep it at least 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) back from the property line.
It must stand back at least 75% of its own height from the lot line, and never less than 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).
1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from any lot line, or 75% of the sign’s own height, whichever is greater · not within 15 m (49 ft) of an intersection or a traffic control device (Schedule E) · on a corner, one sign only within the 15 m (49 ft) triangle
“a directional sign erected on private property for the purpose of directing traffic upon the property with a sign face not greater than 0.5 square metres (5.4 square feet)”
A directional sign can be no larger than 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft).
A directional sign of 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) or less on private property is outside the by-law altogether (s.3.1(d)) — no permit, and no height or count limit.
“(a) exceed a sign face of 1.5 square metres (16 square feet) per face; (b) exceed one projecting sign erected on the elevation of any building; (c) be erected in a manner that allows any part of the projecting sign to be visible above the roof line of the building; (d) be erected less than 2.5 metres (8 feet) above grade; (e) project out from the building more than 76 centimetres (30 inches)”
A projecting sign can be no larger than 1.5 m² (16 sq ft).
The bottom of the sign must be at least 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) above the ground or walkway below.
It can stick out no more than 0.76 m (2 ft 6 in) from the wall.
“(a) a maximum of one sign shall be permitted on the lot, inclusive of signs erected in accordance with the exemption provisions of section 3.1 (c) herein; (b) the maximum sign face shall be 1.0 square metres (10.76 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 1.0 metre from a front lot line and any side lot line”
The wall sign allowance tops out at 1 m² (11 sq ft), however big the building or lot. For example, a storefront 10 m (33 ft) wide with a 4 m (13 ft) tall first storey works out to 1 m² (11 sq ft).
One wall sign per lot.
One sign in total, and the wall sign and the ground sign share it — you get one or the other, not both.
“(a) a maximum of one sign shall be permitted on the lot, inclusive of signs erected in accordance with the exemption provisions of section 3.1 (c) herein; (b) the maximum sign face shall be 1.0 square metres (10.76 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 1.0 metre from a front lot line and any side lot line”
The ground sign allowance tops out at 1 m² (11 sq ft), however big the building or lot. For example, a lot with 30 m (98 ft) of street frontage works out to 1 m² (11 sq ft).
One ground sign per lot.
Shared with the wall sign allowance — one sign on the property, whichever form you choose.
The ground sign can be no taller than 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in).
Keep it at least 1 m (3 ft 3 in) back from the property line.
“6.6 Notwithstanding section 6.5, a wall sign or ground sign may be permitted on a residential lot”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“(a) a maximum of one sign shall be permitted on the lot, inclusive of signs erected in accordance with the exemption provisions of section 3.1 (c) herein; (b) the maximum sign face shall be 1.0 square metres (10.76 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 1.0 metre from a front lot line and any side lot line (Amended by By-law 2022-78)”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“6.8 Notwithstanding section 6.5, a wall sign or ground sign may be permitted on a residential lot”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“(b) the maximum sign face shall be 0.5 square metres (5.4 square feet); (c) a ground sign shall not exceed 1.5 metres in height; and (d) no sign shall be closer than 3.0 metres from a front lot line and any side lot line.(By-law 2011-068)”
The consolidation prints this exception as s.6.6 and again as s.6.8, and the versions disagree: 1.0 m² (11 sq ft) against 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft) for the sign, and 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) against 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) for the setback. s.6.6 is tagged as the later amendment and is what we show, but both are printed as operative. Confirm with the Town before you build to either.
“a directional sign erected on private property for the purpose of directing traffic upon the property with a sign face not greater than 0.5 square metres (5.4 square feet)”
A directional sign can be no larger than 0.5 m² (5.4 sq ft).
“5.7 An advertising device shall display only non-moving, non-electronic static copy unless otherwise permitted in accordance with Section 9 to this By-law.”
Bradford contemplates electronic MOVING copy as approvable — but only with sign-off, and s.5.7 is the default prohibition
“(a) “electronic moving copy” means sign copy displayed utilizing electronic screens, televisions, computer video monitors, liquid crystal displays, light emitting diode displays, or any other similar electronic technology where the sign copy displays moving images;”
Bradford contemplates electronic MOVING copy as approvable — but only with sign-off, and s.5.7 is the default prohibition
“9.3 The Chief Building Official may authorize the display of electronic moving copy, electronic static copy, mechanical copy or readograph copy on a new or existing sign where the Chief Building Official is satisfied that the proposed new sign or proposed alteration to an existing sign:”
Bradford contemplates electronic MOVING copy as approvable — but only with sign-off, and s.5.7 is the default prohibition
“9.2 The following signs may display electronic moving copy, electronic static copy, mechanical copy or readograph copy if prior written approval is received from the Chief Building Official in accordance with Sections 9.3 and 9.4: (a) a ground sign; (b) a projecting sign; (c) a projected display sign; (d) a wall sign; (e) a window sign; and (f) a roof sign.”
Ground, projecting, projected display, wall, window or roof signs
“(c) the message duration shall not be less than five (5) seconds; (d) the message transition shall not exceed one (1) second; and (e) during the message transition, the sign shall not display any blinking, intermittent or flashing light or the illusion of such effects.”
5 seconds minimum
1 second maximum, with no blinking, intermittent or flashing light during it
“may display electronic moving copy, electronic static copy, mechanical copy or readograph copy if prior written approval is received from the Chief Building Official”
Electronic copy of any kind needs prior written approval from the Chief Building Official, separate from the sign permit, and the CBO may attach conditions that deviate from any regulation in the by-law. The owner must give 48 hours advance notice of erection and notice of completion within 48 hours.
“the Chief Building Official may attach additional restrictions or conditions that may deviate from any regulation”
Electronic copy of any kind needs prior written approval from the Chief Building Official, separate from the sign permit, and the CBO may attach conditions that deviate from any regulation in the by-law. The owner must give 48 hours advance notice of erection and notice of completion within 48 hours.
“(b) 48 hours advance notice of the intended erection or alteration of the proposed sign; and (c) notice of the completion of the erection or alteration of the proposed sign within forty-eight (48) hours thereof.”
Electronic copy of any kind needs prior written approval from the Chief Building Official, separate from the sign permit, and the CBO may attach conditions that deviate from any regulation in the by-law. The owner must give 48 hours advance notice of erection and notice of completion within 48 hours.
“6) A ground sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“6) A wall sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“3) A roof sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“2) A window sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“2) A projected display sign may be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“4) A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“5) A banner sign shall not be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“4) An inflatable sign shall not be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“6) A portable sign shall not be illuminated.”
Ground, wall, roof, window and projected display signs may be illuminated. Banner, inflatable and portable signs may not. A projecting sign may be illuminated but not back lit.
“(c) increase the light levels within ten (10) metres (33 feet) of all points of the sign face by more than 6.5 lux above the ambient lighting level; (d) exceed 5,000 nits during the period between sunrise and sunset; or (e) exceed 500 nits during the period between sunset and sunrise.”
It may add no more than 6.5 lux of light (roughly, the glow it throws on its surroundings) above normal levels, measured 10 m (33 ft) away.
Light spill is measured 10 m (33 ft) from the sign.
A digital or lit sign can be no brighter than 5,000 nits in daylight (a nit is the standard measure of screen brightness).
At night it must dim to no more than 500 nits.
The 6.5 lux limit is measured within 10 m (33 ft) of all points of the sign face, not at a residential lot line.
“8.1 Where an advertising device is permitted to be illuminated, such illumination shall not: (a) be directed onto any neighbouring property or street so as to create an adverse impact in the opinion of the Chief Building Official; (b) spill generally beyond the sign face;”
A discretionary test rather than a distance: illumination may not be directed onto a neighbouring property or street so as to create an adverse impact in the opinion of the Chief Building Official, and may not spill generally beyond the sign face. No distance safe harbour.
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When you choose Give feedback and send the form, we store the category, message (up to 4,000 characters), optional reply email, a random submission reference, submission date and accepted Privacy Notice version in our existing Cloudflare review queue. If you tick Include basic diagnostics, we also store the page category, screen-size group and site build shown in the form. We do not attach the URL, address, project, report, account identity or browsing history. We use this to investigate problems and plan improvements, and may use your supplied email to respond about your message. No marketing subscription is created. Feedback is deleted after 12 months when the next feedback submission triggers cleanup; you may request earlier deletion from the Privacy Officer. Existing provider backups may retain deleted records temporarily. A separate keyed connection counter limits submissions for one hour; the connection address is not stored with feedback.
You may optionally save an internal job number of up to 64 characters with a project, alongside its existing name. It follows the project’s existing access, sharing and deletion rules. It is used for account display and search and included in your personal project-details export. It is excluded from customer PDFs, web reports and shared check links. Editing names or job numbers changes current project metadata without replacing earlier report versions.
If you have an active membership, you can explicitly save up to 200 projects to your account. We store the project name, check inputs (including address, municipality, sign type, dimensions and selected checklist answers), creation and update dates, the Privacy Notice version confirmed when saving, and an account-linked identifier in our existing Cloudflare database. Each new save can also retain a dated result summary, report reference, software and rules versions, and both generated PDFs in the same database, including map findings and source dates contained in the reports. Up to 20 dated versions are retained per project, with no automatic removal of older versions. This lets you reopen inputs or view and download the original saved reports on another device after signing in. New projects are private to the person who saved them, including individual teammates. On an active Pro account, the creator can explicitly share a project and all its dated versions with selected current teammates. Those selected can view and edit inputs, save new versions, download reports and make private duplicates. Only the creator can manage sharing or delete the project and its versions. We store the sharing selection and update date, creator and selected teammate email addresses, and the email address of the person saving each new report version. Selected collaborators can see the creator and saver email addresses. The sharing chooser lists existing team email addresses so a creator can select the intended people; it does not add people to the billing account.
We retain saved projects and dated versions until the creator deletes them or asks us to delete them. Sharing selections remain until the creator changes them, deletes the project, or a relevant teammate is removed. Removing a teammate revokes their shared access, and removes sharing on projects they created; re-adding the person does not restore those grants. Shared access is paused without an active Pro plan. Removing access cannot recall reports already downloaded or private duplicates already created. The creator can delete an individual dated version, or delete a project and all its versions. Cancelling a membership does not automatically delete projects: the account holder can still sign in to open, download or delete them, but an active membership is required to save changes. A removed teammate loses access; contact the Privacy Officer for access or deletion assistance. Deleting a project removes it and all its dated versions from the active database; provider recovery copies may remain under Cloudflare’s backup retention. Clearing browser history does not delete account-saved projects.
When you choose System, Light or Dark while signed in, we store that choice, an account-linked identifier, a revision number and the latest save time in our existing Cloudflare database. Each teammate has a separate preference. It is used only to apply your theme across signed-in devices; it is not a marketing event and contains no check or project details. We keep the current preference until you replace it or ask the Privacy Officer to delete it. System follows each device’s own appearance setting. The effective browser choice is cached locally to apply it before the page loads; visitors use this browser-only storage. Clearing browser data removes the local copy, not the account preference. We do not upload an existing browser choice until you explicitly select or save a theme, or use the header theme switch while signed in.
SRD Media Group Inc., carrying on business as SignAllow, is responsible for personal information under its control, including information that service providers handle for us. Our privacy contact is the Privacy Officer: admin@signallow.ca.
For each top-up, our existing Cloudflare database stores your Stripe customer, payment and checkout identifiers, amount paid including tax, five-check credit amount, counts used and reversed following refunds or disputes, and creation and update times. We use these records to deliver the purchase once, show the remaining balance, preserve it after subscription cancellation and handle refunds without removing unrelated purchases. They contain no addresses, measurements or reports. The records are kept while a purchased balance remains available, then under the purchase-record retention period below. Purchased checks have no expiry.
Stripe processes payments for us. Your card details go directly to Stripe; we never see or store a card number. From Stripe we receive only the items listed under "If you pay". Stripe also handles some information under its own privacy policy for its own purposes, such as fraud prevention and its legal obligations. Cancelling, changing a card and downloading receipts happen in Stripe's billing portal, which we open for you.
If you choose to use Ask Scout, your questions, recent conversation, relevant project specifications and maintained by-law evidence are sent to OpenAI to prepare an answer. Scout is AI, is in beta and can make mistakes. Do not include confidential business information, personal information you do not need to share, credentials or payment details. Project names, internal job numbers, addresses, internal project notes, account emails, billing records, owner information and development records are not automatically sent. Information you type into chat may still contain those details; omit them.
Scout conversations are private to the signed-in person, including within a Pro team, and remain in our existing Cloudflare database. We keep up to 50 conversations with up to 60 questions each. Conversations expire after 90 days without activity and are removed during the next Scout cleanup request. You can delete a conversation in Ask Scout. Deletion removes the conversation content from our active database; it does not recall a request already processed by OpenAI or erase provider security logs. Saved projects and reports are separate and are not changed by chat.
OpenAI is an additional service provider for this optional feature. We use its API with response storage disabled. API content is not used to train OpenAI models by default; abuse-monitoring logs may contain content and ordinarily remain for up to 30 days, subject to OpenAI’s stated exceptions. We do not promise zero provider retention or Canada-only processing. See OpenAI API data controls.
We retain message counts, model names, token usage and estimated cost for up to 90 days, with removal during subsequent cleanup, to enforce allowances and control operating costs. These usage records do not contain question or answer text. Our normal service logs and backup handling also apply. Contact admin@signallow.ca for privacy requests, including after membership ends.
We use these service providers to run SignAllow. Each handles only what it needs to for the service it provides to us:
These providers process information in the United States and may do so in other countries. Information processed outside Canada is subject to the laws of those countries and may be accessible to their courts, law enforcement and national security authorities. We remain responsible for information we transfer to them for processing, and each provider also has its own privacy practices.
Project save and delete requests also use hourly counters linked to a hashed account identifier, to prevent automated abuse.
We collect as little as the service allows. Your proposed sign measurements and checklist answers stay on your device unless you explicitly save an account project. Generated reports stay on your device. Address suggestions and picked coordinates are processed only as described above. Beyond that, all traffic is encrypted, access tokens are random and held in cookies your browser's scripts cannot read, recovery codes are stored only as hashes, and access to the database and provider accounts is limited to the person who operates SignAllow.
If a breach of security safeguards involving personal information under our control creates a real risk of significant harm, we will report it to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and notify the people affected as soon as feasible. We keep a record of every breach of security safeguards involving personal information for at least 24 months.
You can ask what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Write to admin@signallow.ca from the email address concerned; that is how we confirm the request is yours. We answer within 30 days. Deleting a purchase record ends the access it holds, and records the law requires us to keep, such as tax records, are kept for the required period and then deleted.
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your information or a request, tell us first at admin@signallow.ca. You can also complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Three cookies, all strictly functional, all unreadable by the page's scripts: one counts your free checks, one lists the municipalities you have checked in the last 24 hours, and one carries your access token if you have paid.
A fourth cookie is set only if you arrive from one of our ads: it holds that ad’s click identifier for up to 90 days, as described above. It is our own cookie, not Google’s. You can remove it by clearing this site’s cookies.
Your browser's own storage (not a cookie) also keeps things for your convenience, on your device only: which version of the terms you accepted and its reference number, so you are not asked again; the kind of user you said you are, if you chose one; and your past checks, with any project name you gave them (the address, municipality, sign type, building type, lighting choice and measurements, and the headline answer). Local history is not sent to us automatically. Account projects are stored only when you choose to save them, as described above. You can see and clear local history on the Account page in the checker, or by clearing your browser's site data.
There is no analytics cookie and no third-party tracker: no Google, social media or other advertising script runs on this site, and no one else’s cookie is set. Page statistics come from Cloudflare Web Analytics, which does not use cookies.
When address suggestions are switched on, the text you type in the address field is sent to SignAllow as you type it, and SignAllow passes it to Geoapify, a geocoding service, which returns matching addresses. Geoapify receives only the text typed; it does not receive your IP address from us, your other choices, or any cookie. Address suggestions do not create a saved project; SignAllow's server may hold a copy of the suggestions for up to an hour so the same partial address is not looked up twice. Purpose: to help you type an address and set the municipality. When suggestions are off, the address field is a plain text box and what you type there stays in your browser unless you explicitly save an account project. Whether suggestions are on is shown by whether a list appears under the field.
When you pick a suggested address in one of the municipalities that publishes its zoning as a map service (today: Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Mississauga, Burlington and Milton), SignAllow sends the coordinates of that address — a latitude and longitude, nothing else — to SignAllow and on to that municipality’s own public zoning map server, which returns the zone at that point. The municipality receives a point; it does not receive the address text, your IP address from us, your other choices, or any cookie. SignAllow’s server may hold the answer for that point for up to an hour. Purpose: to set the sign district from the zoning, which you can change. This happens only after you choose a suggestion, never as you type, and only for those municipalities.
After you pick an address suggestion, your browser sends its latitude, longitude and selected municipality to SignAllow to screen available government map layers. External map servers receive only the point and fixed query parameters, not the address text, your IP address from us, your cookies, sign measurements or report. SignAllow may cache a map answer at the edge for up to one hour. Results and source dates are displayed in the check and included in the full PDF and saved web report; the customer summary excludes the overlay cards. Manual answers remain yours to change. Typing an address without selecting a suggestion does not trigger this lookup. If you go to checkout, the picked point is temporarily kept in your browser tab so the maps can be checked again when you return. This temporary copy is removed when the check is restored.
“Copy link for your team” makes a link that carries the details of your check (the address, municipality, sign type, building type, lighting choice, measurements and project name) in the part of the link after the # sign. Browsers do not send that part to any server, so it does not reach us; anyone you send the link to can open it and see those details. Share it as you would share the address itself.
A PDF or web page you download is generated in your browser and saved to your device. We do not receive a copy.
Each version of this notice has a version number and an effective date, shown below, and earlier versions are kept.
Privacy Notice, version 2026-09-27.14, effective 27 September 2026.
The size and count rules are in, so you get a number rather than a reading list.
We hold the reference and the contacts. We would rather say that than guess.
