For some signs, you need to apply and be granted a licence before you can display your sign.
Common signs that require a license include:
- created awning fascia
- ground sign
- new estate sales sign
- pole sign
- projecting sign
- pylon sign
- roof sign
- sign written roof sign
- temporary inflatable sign
- vertical banner building sign
- a vertical banner freestanding sign
- wall sign.
Created awning fascia
A created awning fascia sign is an advertisement attached to and extending beyond a fascia of an awning.
A created awning fascia sign must:
- not extend more than 50% of the height of the fascia
- the area of the sign extending beyond the fascia must not exceed 25% of the area of the fascia
- have a minimum clearance of 2.4 metres between the lowest part of the sign and the footway surface.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you will need to apply for a full assessment.
Ground sign
A ground sign is a monolithic advertisement which, in effect, sits on or rises out of the ground and may be displayed within a developed landscaped environment.
Only a single ground sign is permitted unless the street frontage exceeds 100 metres and any such signs are located at least 60 metres apart. A permitted ground sign must:
- not have a height greater than 1.8 metres or an area greater than 12 square metres
- not face an adjoining site unless it is 3 metres or more from the boundary of that site
- not be displayed in a manner that results in an unsightly view of the back of the sign from a road or other public place
- be complementary to the design of the building or place to which it relates.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you need to apply for a full assessment.
New estate sales signs
A new estate sales sign is an advertisement to direct attention to the sale of residential properties in newly subdivided parts of the city, where the streets are not shown in printed street directories.
A new estate sales sign must:
- have a maximum area of 6 square metres
- contain no more information about an estate or its sale than necessary for identification or direction
- only be permitted as part of an approved advertising package for the estate
- be located only at such limited number of places on major roads leading to the estate as are sufficient to identify the development and give direction to it.
You need to apply for a full assessment and be granted a licence before you can display your sign.
Pole sign
A pole sign is a free-standing advertisement on one or more vertical supports.
One pole sign is permitted for each street frontage of the property and it must:
- have a maximum height of 5 metres
- have a maximum area of 4 square metres to any side.
A pole sign may be exhibited along a frontage of a site in addition to any billboard or pylon sign.
You need to apply for a full assessment and be granted a licence before you can display your sign.
Projecting sign
A projecting sign is a double faced advertisement projecting at right angles to a wall.
A projecting sign must:
- not project more than 750 millimetres or have a vertical dimension of more than 7.5 metres when mounted vertically to a building
- not project more than 1.5 metres or have a vertical dimension of more than 0.5 metres or a width of more than 0.3 metres, when mounted horizontally to a building
- have a minimum 2.4 metre clearance between the lowest part of a projecting sign and the footway surface
- not extend more than 10 metres above the ground, or extend above the wall to which it is attached
- be positioned and designed in a manner that is compatible with the architecture of the building it is attached to.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you need to apply for a full assessment.
Pylon sign
A pylon sign is a display surface which is higher than it is wide. It can be on the ground or mounted on one or more vertical supports.
A pylon sign must:
- have an area not greater than 36 square metres per side, for a maximum of two sides
- be no higher than 12 metres above the ground
- be mounted as a free-standing structure within a landscaped environment
- not project beyond the front alignment of a property
- not face an adjoining property unless it is a minimum of 3 metres from the boundary of that site, unless the owner of the adjoining property consents to the sign being a lesser distance from the boundary
- not expose an unsightly back view of the sign to a road or other public place
- not be located on a street frontage of a property where there is another pylon sign or a billboard sign, unless those are located at least 60 metres apart.
You need to apply for a full assessment and be granted a licence before you can display your sign.
Roof sign
A roof sign is an advertisement positioned on the roof of the building (includes signs known as sky signs).
A roof sign must:
- be contained within an existing or created outline of a building. A structure creating a new outline must be designed to appear as if it were part of the original building, or otherwise matches or complements its architecture. Functional parts of the sign frame must not be visible
- have a size and form appropriate to the scale and character of both the building and surrounding buildings
- not exceed an area of 5 square metres
- must not extend horizontally beyond the edge of the roof of the building
- be compatible with other roof signs on the building (for example, where there are several roof signs on a building for a number of different tenancies, such as at a shopping centre, those signs must match, align or otherwise be compatible with each other).
If the roof sign is illuminated, the light source must be internal, neon, or directed to avoid excessive spill.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you need to apply for a full assessment.
Signwritten roof sign
A signwritten roof sign is an advertisement painted on a roof.
The area of a signwritten roof sign may not exceed the lesser of 50 square metres or 50% of the area of thereof it is painted on, as seen from any horizontal direction.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you need to apply for a full assessment.
Temporary inflatable sign
A temporary inflatable sign includes any inflatable device.
The following requirements apply:
- a balloon must not exceed 8 metres in height and 6 metres in diameter
- a blimp must not exceed 8 metres in length and 2 metres in diameter
- a device must only be inflated with cold air or non-flammable, non-toxic gas (for example, helium)
- a device must not be tethered to rise higher than 45 metres above the ground and must have a minimum of two safety tested tether lines
- a device may be deployed only by a qualified operator
- the licence number must be clearly displayed and visible from ground level when installed
- the advertiser must effect and maintain a public liability insurance policy for a minimum of $10 million.
You need to apply for a full assessment and be granted a licence before you can display your sign.
Vertical banner building sign
A vertical banner building sign is an advertisement of flexible material normally attached at the top and bottom to brackets projecting from a building.
The following requirements apply:
- the maximum area of each face of a vertical banner freestanding sign is 2.5 square metres
- the maximum width of such a Sign is 750 millimetres, and the topmost support must not be more than 5 metres above the ground
- a vertical banner freestanding sign must be erected only within the boundaries of a site
- signs are to be not less than 6 metres apart, nor closer than 3 metres to a side or rear boundary.
You need to apply for a full assessment and be granted a licence before you can display your sign.
Vertical banner freestanding sign
A vertical banner freestanding sign is an advertisement of flexible material normally attached at the top and bottom to brackets extending from a freestanding pole or pole attached to a relocatable base.
A vertical banner building sign must:
- have an area no greater than 2.5 square metres
- be no wider than 750 millimetres
- be no higher than 5 metres from the ground (measured from the topmost support)
- have a minimum 2.4 metre clearance between the lowest part of a vertical banner building sign (including its supporting brackets) and a footway surface
- be erected only within the boundaries of a site
- be not less than 6 metres apart, nor closer than 3 metres to a side or rear boundary.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you need to apply for a full assessment.
Wall sign
A wall sign is an advertisement painted on or otherwise attached flat to a wall of a building or to another structure such as a fuel storage tank.
A wall sign must:
- not project more than 300 millimetres from the wall or structure it is attached to
- not exceed an area of 48 square metres (5 square metres for express assessment)
- not extend beyond a height of 12 metres above the ground
- not project beyond the edges of a wall or structure
- must integrate and be compatible with the design of the building or structure.
If your proposed sign meets these requirements you can apply for an express assessment. If your sign is outside these requirements, you need to apply for a full assessment.
