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. Confirm the exact wording with the municipality.
This changes the presentation and available report options, not the rules or calculation. You can change it after the check.
No sign by-law is published. The municipality’s by-law index ↗ is where one would appear.
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. Confirm the exact wording with the municipality.
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. Confirm the exact wording with the municipality.
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. Confirm the exact wording with the municipality.
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.
Straight to the sections the numbers above come from:
| What you want | Where it is | |
|---|---|---|
| Wall signs | No published rule | open ↗ |
| Ground signs | No published rule | open ↗ |
| Variance | No sign variance route exists, because there is no sign by-law. Relief, if any, may be a zoning minor variance; confirm with the Township. | open ↗ |
| Structure | No sign by-law, so nothing municipal on structure. The Ontario Building Code still governs larger sign structures; ask the Township’s building department what needs a building permit | 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. Confirm the exact wording with the municipality.
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 Brock 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.
“b. There shall be no display, other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation's Sign By-law, to indicate to persons outside that any part of the dwelling unit is being used for a purpose other than residential”
Brock does not publish a sign by-law. Its zoning by-law assumes a sign by-law exists: a home occupation may show no display “other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation's Sign By-law” (s.10.11(b)), and the home industry clause says the same (s.10.12(d)). No copy, number or date of that by-law is findable on the Township site, and the by-law index lists none. The index's only sign-titled entry is the Election Sign By-law, which governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign. Phone the Clerk’s office and ask for the sign by-law number before you design anything here.
“d) there shall be no display, other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation’s Sign By-law, to indicate that an accessory building is being used for a purpose other than residential;”
Brock does not publish a sign by-law. Its zoning by-law assumes a sign by-law exists: a home occupation may show no display “other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation's Sign By-law” (s.10.11(b)), and the home industry clause says the same (s.10.12(d)). No copy, number or date of that by-law is findable on the Township site, and the by-law index lists none. The index's only sign-titled entry is the Election Sign By-law, which governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign. Phone the Clerk’s office and ask for the sign by-law number before you design anything here.
“Lighting fixtures designed for exterior illumination shall be installed with the light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots.”
Brock publishes no sign by-law, so there is no sign-specific permission or prohibition for lighting a business sign. The zoning by-law does set a general rule for outdoor lighting: “Lighting fixtures designed for exterior illumination shall be installed with the light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots.” (s.10.13). It is written for light fixtures, so it arguably covers lamps that light a sign from outside; whether the Township applies it to an internally lit sign is a question for the Township.
None published beyond the general rule: light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots (zoning s.10.13).
“No Person shall Place or permit to be Placed an Election Sign that: (a) Is illuminated, has flashing lights, or rotating parts;”
The Election Sign By-law prohibits an election sign that “Is illuminated, has flashing lights, or rotating parts” (s.3.3(a)). It governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign.
“Sign (3.15 of OBC) (each) Signs regulated by 3.15. of Division B of the OBC $330.33 $336.93 $343.67”
The permit is a flat $330.33.
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
“CLASS OF PERMIT FEE PAYABLE (2026)”
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
These fees are from the 2026 fee schedule.
“A minimum fee of $323.85 unless otherwise stated in Schedule ‘A’ and Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ shall be charged for all work.”
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
“Minor Variance - $1530”
Asking for a variance (permission to go beyond the by-law) costs $1,530.
There is no sign variance, because there is no sign by-law. The Township lists “Minor Variance - $1530” for the Committee of Adjustment, which is the zoning route relief would have to take — treat it as directional.
Brock publishes no sign by-law. What we could find, and who to ask.
What we hold: no sign by-law is published; the permit page and contacts are located · fees and timelines from the published schedule.
Two questions, no dimensions needed. You get what we hold for Brock: the contacts, the sources and what to ask.
Start a check →| Sign type | Here | Most you’d get | The rule | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
On the building Fascia, wall sign, channel letters | No by-law | No sign by-law is published, so there are no numbers to give. We hold the contacts. | ||
Freestanding Pylon or monument out front | No by-law | No sign by-law is published, so there are no numbers to give. We hold the contacts. | ||
Projecting Blade sign off the wall | No by-law | No sign by-law is published, so there are no numbers to give. We hold the contacts. | ||
Small directional Entrance or drive-aisle sign | No by-law | No sign by-law is published, so there are no numbers to give. We hold the contacts. | ||
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.
No sign lighting rule is published; the zoning by-law's general lighting rule applies. Brock publishes no sign by-law, so there is no sign-specific permission or prohibition for lighting a business sign. The zoning by-law does set a general rule for outdoor lighting: “Lighting fixtures designed for exterior illumination shall be installed with the light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots.” (s.10.13). It is written for light fixtures, so it arguably covers lamps that light a sign from outside; whether the Township applies it to an internally lit sign is a question for the Township.
| Brightness | No numeric limit in this by-law No cap means no safe harbour either — the City can still object to a sign as a nuisance. |
| Hours it must be off or dimmed | None published. |
| Up-lighting | Not addressed The by-law says nothing about the direction of light. Not the same as permission. |
| Near housing | None published beyond the general rule: light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots (zoning s.10.13). |
The Election Sign By-law prohibits an election sign that “Is illuminated, has flashing lights, or rotating parts” (s.3.3(a)). It governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign.
You said this one has no digital or changing message, so we have left those rules out. If that changes, they are in the by-law.
Calculated from Brock’s published schedule — $330.33 per sign.
⚠ $330.33 per Building Code Part 3.15 sign on the 2026 schedule; the same schedule’s general clause sets a $323.85 minimum for all work.
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
No verified processing target is recorded here for Brock. Ask the sign-permit office which review stream applies, when its clock starts, and whether other approvals are prerequisites.
Decided by Not stated — there is no sign by-law, so no sign-variance route; the fee schedule lists a zoning minor variance for reference. No appeal route is stated in the by-law — ask the municipality whether there is one. There is no sign variance, because there is no sign by-law. The Township lists “Minor Variance - $1530” for the Committee of Adjustment, which is the zoning route relief would have to take — treat it as directional.
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
Straight to the sections the numbers above come from:
| What you want | Where it is | |
|---|---|---|
| Wall signs | No published rule | open ↗ |
| Ground signs | No published rule | open ↗ |
| Variance | No sign variance route exists, because there is no sign by-law. Relief, if any, may be a zoning minor variance; confirm with the Township. | open ↗ |
| Structure | No sign by-law, so nothing municipal on structure. The Ontario Building Code still governs larger sign structures; ask the Township’s building department what needs a building permit | 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.
“b. There shall be no display, other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation's Sign By-law, to indicate to persons outside that any part of the dwelling unit is being used for a purpose other than residential”
Brock does not publish a sign by-law. Its zoning by-law assumes a sign by-law exists: a home occupation may show no display “other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation's Sign By-law” (s.10.11(b)), and the home industry clause says the same (s.10.12(d)). No copy, number or date of that by-law is findable on the Township site, and the by-law index lists none. The index's only sign-titled entry is the Election Sign By-law, which governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign. Phone the Clerk’s office and ask for the sign by-law number before you design anything here.
“d) there shall be no display, other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation’s Sign By-law, to indicate that an accessory building is being used for a purpose other than residential;”
Brock does not publish a sign by-law. Its zoning by-law assumes a sign by-law exists: a home occupation may show no display “other than a sign erected in conformity with the Corporation's Sign By-law” (s.10.11(b)), and the home industry clause says the same (s.10.12(d)). No copy, number or date of that by-law is findable on the Township site, and the by-law index lists none. The index's only sign-titled entry is the Election Sign By-law, which governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign. Phone the Clerk’s office and ask for the sign by-law number before you design anything here.
“Lighting fixtures designed for exterior illumination shall be installed with the light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots.”
Brock publishes no sign by-law, so there is no sign-specific permission or prohibition for lighting a business sign. The zoning by-law does set a general rule for outdoor lighting: “Lighting fixtures designed for exterior illumination shall be installed with the light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots.” (s.10.13). It is written for light fixtures, so it arguably covers lamps that light a sign from outside; whether the Township applies it to an internally lit sign is a question for the Township.
None published beyond the general rule: light directed downward and deflected away from adjacent lots (zoning s.10.13).
“No Person shall Place or permit to be Placed an Election Sign that: (a) Is illuminated, has flashing lights, or rotating parts;”
The Election Sign By-law prohibits an election sign that “Is illuminated, has flashing lights, or rotating parts” (s.3.3(a)). It governs election signs only and must not be read across to a business sign.
“Sign (3.15 of OBC) (each) Signs regulated by 3.15. of Division B of the OBC $330.33 $336.93 $343.67”
The permit is a flat $330.33.
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
“CLASS OF PERMIT FEE PAYABLE (2026)”
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
These fees are from the 2026 fee schedule.
“A minimum fee of $323.85 unless otherwise stated in Schedule ‘A’ and Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ shall be charged for all work.”
$330.33 for each sign regulated by Section 3.15 of Division B of the Building Code, on the 2026 schedule. The same schedule’s general clause sets “A minimum fee of $323.85” unless Schedule ‘A’ Part ‘B’ states otherwise, and Part ‘B’ does state the sign fee, so $330.33 is the figure that applies.
“Minor Variance - $1530”
Asking for a variance (permission to go beyond the by-law) costs $1,530.
There is no sign variance, because there is no sign by-law. The Township lists “Minor Variance - $1530” for the Committee of Adjustment, which is the zoning route relief would have to take — treat it as directional.
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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.
