Shop Sign Planning Permission in Birmingham
Usually not, for an unlit sign on your own premises. It can go up without an application if no letter is taller than 0.75 metres and the top of the sign is no higher than 4.6 metres above the ground. Illuminated signs, signs in conservation areas and signs on listed buildings are different, and they’re where most people get caught out.
This guide covers the actual limits from the government’s guidance, what it costs to apply in Birmingham, and a quick checklist to run before you order a sign.
The quick answer
| Your sign | Do you need to apply? |
| Unlit fascia or board on your own shop, within the size and height limits | Usually no |
| Unlit sign with letters over 0.75m, or topping out above 4.6m | Yes |
| Illuminated sign (lightbox, lit letters, halo lighting) | Often yes, unless it meets strict conditions |
| Any illuminated sign in a conservation area | Yes |
| Any sign attached to a listed building | Yes, listed building consent |
| Lit projecting sign bigger than 0.75 sq m or sticking out more than 1m | Yes |
It’s advertisement consent, not planning permission
Shop signs aren’t covered by normal planning permission. They come under advertisement consent, set by the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.
Many signs get consent automatically. This is called deemed consent, and it means you can put the sign up without asking anyone, as long as it stays within the rules for its type. Signs outside those rules need an application to Birmingham City Council.
Unlit signs on your premises
The government guide gives deemed consent to signs on business premises that advertise what’s available there: your name, what you sell, your services. Shops, offices, takeaways, salons and clinics all count. For an unlit sign, the limits are:
- no letter, number or symbol taller than 0.75 metres
- the highest part of the sign no more than 4.6 metres above ground level
That covers nearly every flat shop front sign and wall-mounted outdoor sign board on a ground-floor unit. A fascia above a normal shop window rarely gets close to 4.6 metres.
In an Area of Special Control of Advertisements the limits are tighter: letters no taller than 0.3 metres, the sign no higher than 3.6 metres, and all signs together covering no more than 10% of the building’s front up to 3.6 metres.
Myth: “Signs under 0.3 square metres don’t need permission”
You’ll see this repeated on a lot of sign company websites. It’s not what the government guide says.
There’s no 0.3 square metre cut-off for signs on your own business premises. The limits are the 0.75m letter height and the 4.6m overall height above. The 0.3 figure in the guide is the maximum letter height in an Area of Special Control, not a sign area. Mixing the two up leads people to think they need consent when they don’t, or to assume a big sign is fine because they’ve misread the rule.
Illuminated signs
Lit signs are where you need to be careful. Internally illuminated and halo-lit signs on business premises can have deemed consent, but only if they meet extra conditions on brightness, size and position. The Planning Portal says plainly that “the majority of illuminated signs” need consent.
Deemed consent for illuminated signs doesn’t apply at all in:
- conservation areas
- national parks
- areas of outstanding natural beauty
- Areas of Special Control of Advertisements
If your shop is in any of those, every LED or illuminated sign needs an application, whatever its size.
Projecting signs
A projecting sign sticks out from the wall at a right angle so people can see it from along the pavement. For an illuminated projecting sign to go up without an application, the government guide says it must not:
- be bigger than 0.75 square metres
- stick out more than 1 metre from the wall
- be wider than two-thirds of the pavement below it
- take up more than one-sixth of the frontage
If yours breaks any of those, apply first.
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Birmingham has conservation areas across the city, including the Jewellery Quarter, Colmore Row and Moseley. Before you order anything lit, or 3D letters with halo lighting, check the council’s conservation area map.
Listed buildings have their own rule. The Planning Portal says that even a sign that would normally be allowed needs separate listed building consent if it’s attached to a listed building. That applies to unlit signs too.
The five rules every sign must follow
Whether you need to apply or not, every sign has to meet five standard conditions. It must:
- be kept clean and tidy
- be kept in a safe condition
- have the permission of the site owner (if you rent, that means your landlord)
- not obscure or be mistaken for traffic signs, railway signals or other official signs
- be removed carefully if the council asks
Number 3 catches out a lot of tenants. Get your landlord’s permission in writing before the sign goes up.
A-boards and signs on the pavement
Advertisement consent covers signs on your building. An A-board on the public pavement is a highways matter, and the council can have it removed if it causes an obstruction. Check with Birmingham City Council’s highways team before you put one out.
How to apply in Birmingham
You apply to Birmingham City Council for advertisement consent. The fee for a sign on business premises is £168, the national fee set from 1 April 2025. The council should decide within 8 weeks, so leave time before your opening date.
The council publishes a checklist of what to send. Typically that’s drawings showing the sign on your building, its size and materials, and how it’s lit.
Three things make an application easier:
- keep the design in proportion with the shop front, not wider than the fascia
- in a conservation area, go for halo lighting or external spotlights rather than a full lightbox
- include a photo of the building as it is now
What happens if you don’t apply
Putting up a sign that needed consent without getting it is an offence. The government guide sets the maximum fine at £2,500, with a further daily fine for every day the sign stays up after conviction. The council can also make you take it down, and then you’ve paid for a sign you can’t use.
Five questions to ask before you order a sign
- Is the building listed? If yes, you need listed building consent.
- Is it in a conservation area? If yes, any lit sign needs consent.
- Will the sign be illuminated? If yes, check whether it meets the deemed consent conditions, or plan to apply.
- Is any letter taller than 0.75m, or does the sign reach above 4.6m? If yes, apply.
- Do you have your landlord’s written permission? If not, get it first.
If you answered no to 1 to 4 and yes to 5, you can most likely go ahead without applying.
How we help
When you send us a photo of your shop for a quote, include the address. We’ll tell you whether the sign you want is likely to need consent before you commit. If it does, we can design it to stay within the limits, or make sure you have the drawings for your application.
Working out your budget too? Our shop sign cost guide has 2026 prices for every type. Choosing between lit and unlit? Read flat fascia, lightbox or 3D letters. Everything we make is on our signage services page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission for a shop sign?
Not usually for an unlit sign on your own premises with letters under 0.75m and the top below 4.6m. Most illuminated signs, and any sign in a conservation area or on a listed building, need consent.
Do I need permission for an illuminated shop sign?
Often, yes. Lit signs only get deemed consent if they meet brightness and size conditions, and never in a conservation area.
Is it true that signs under 0.3 square metres don’t need permission?
No. That’s a common misreading. For business premises the limits are 0.75m letter height and 4.6m overall height. 0.3m is the letter-height limit in Areas of Special Control.
How much does advertisement consent cost in Birmingham?
£168 for a sign on business premises.
How long does advertisement consent take?
The council should decide within 8 weeks.
Can I replace my old shop sign without applying?
If the new sign is unlit and within the limits, usually yes. Replacing an unlit sign with a lit one may need consent.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s a plain-English summary of the government guidance. For anything borderline, check with Birmingham City Council’s planning team before you order.
