| NEW: Updates to the Sign By-law |
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The updated Sign By-law 32-2025 includes:
- Updated terminology
- Height for the new Freestanding signs in Highway Commercial has a graduated height based on the speed limit of the street. A property fronting on a 60km/h street (or slower) is allowed a 3.65m height restriction and an 80km/h street has a 6.0m height restriction.
- Sets the parameters for Permitted Signs in specific zones as per the Town’s Zoning By-law 75-2006, as amended.
- Maximum number of Signs permitted to be displayed per business
- Ground signs (a maximum height of 1.5m) are permitted where a Mobile Home Park, Apartment Building or Cottage Tourist Parks exist
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| Do I need a sign permit? |
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The following sign types require a sign permit:
- Canopy
- Directional
- Facial Wall
- Freestanding
- Ground
- Projecting
- Residential Information
- Temporary
- Variable Electronic
Accessory (section 7.1), incidental signs (section 7.7) and real estate advertising signs (7.10.3) do not require sign permits as long as they comply with the provisions of the Sign By-law.
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| Signs that do not require a permit |
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A permit is not required for the following signs or canopies, but all such signs or canopies shall comply with all other provisions of this By-law:
- Incidental signs which comply with section 7.7 of the Sign By-law;
- Official signs located on a road allowance and erected by the Town;
- Official signs with a sign face area less than or equal to 7.5 square metres;
- Signs pertaining exclusively to public safety;
- Information signs required to be erected by subdivision agreements having no sign face greater than 10 square metres;
- Temporary signs within a building or not visible beyond the boundaries of the premises on which the sign is located;
- Signs within a building or not visible beyond the boundaries of the premises on which the sign is located;
- Temporary signs accessory to a Sign Zone G (Residential) premise providing the information with respect to a special event, such as an anniversary, birthday or retirement, which are erected for a period of time not exceeding 48 hours;
- Flags or emblems of patriotic, civic, educational or religious organizations, provided there are not more than five flags or emblems per premises and each flag or emblem does not exceed 5.0 square metres where an emblem exceeds 5.0 square metres, a permit is required and the emblem shall conform to the regulations for a facial wall sign;
- Accessory signs which comply with section 7.1 of this By-law;
- Real estate advertising signs which comply with section 7.10.3 of this By-law;
- Signs on sports field fencing, backstops and accessory structures pursuant to a contract with the Town;
- Signs on benches, refuse receptacles and recycling receptacles located on the road allowance and pursuant to a contract with the Town;
- Temporary signs erected by a charitable or non-profit organization in conjunction with an event in accordance with 7.10.4 a); and
- Construction signs not exceeding 0.6 square metres which comply with section 7.10.1 of this By-law.
If you have any questions on sign permit requirements, we would be happy to help you. Just call 519-832-2008 x118 to reach Building Services.
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| Prohibited signs |
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Notwithstanding any other regulations in this by-law, the following signs are prohibited:
- Anything not expressly permitted by the Sign By-law is prohibited;
- Sign attached to a tree, fence or gate;
- Sign installed on traffic lights posts, utility poles, light poles, town signs or other Town infrastructure;
- A sign erected or painted on a vehicle (except a temporary sales trailer for new construction located on the site of the construction) where the vehicle is not used in weekly operation for transportation and is parked or located in a manner so as to make the sign visible from a street for the purpose of functioning as an identification, information or advertising sign;
- Signs displaying profanity, nudity, hate messages or other similarly offensive content
- Sign obstructing use of fire escape;
- Billboard signs;
- Inflatable portable signs;
- Poster signs save and except designated poster sign boards at an identified location by the Town;
- Third party signs;
- Flags not meeting the definition in Section 5.0 k);
- Roof signs;
- A sign which uses flashing illumination or is otherwise animated;
- Signs on road allowances unless otherwise specified within this By-law; and
- Signs painted directly onto the exterior of the building.
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What sign types are permitted for my property?
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The first step is to determine the property's zoning as per the Town of Saugeen Shores Zoning By-law. Once your property's zone is confirmed, we can determine your Sign Zone as per our Sign By-law.
The sign zones related to their respective zoning by-law designation are listed below:
Sign Zone A: Agriculture (A) or Agricultural Commercial (AC)
Sign Zone B: Business Park (BP), Extractive Industrial (EX), Light Industrial (LI) and Waste Disposal (WD).
Sign Zone C: Highway Commercial (HC).
Sign Zone D: Commercial Core (CC), Commercial Recreation (CR), Lifestyle Commercial (LC), Neighbourhood Commercial (NC), Office Residential (OR) or Resort Recreational (RR).
Sign Zone E: Institutional (I).
Sign Zone F: Open Space (OS).
Sign Zone G: Residential (R1, R2, R3, R4) or Mobile Home Park (MHP).
The next step is to determine what sign types are permitted for the property using the chart below:
The regulations related to the respective signs listed in the chart above can be found in our Sign By-law under Section 7.
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| How to apply for a sign permit |
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The Town is pleased to offer residents, builders, and the business community an online application system to apply for and track your sign permits.
The online building permit system allows you to apply for and to see the status of your application anywhere, at any time. You can start an application and finish it later, and receive email updates on the status of your permit application.
Apply for a sign permit
Need help getting started with Cloudpermit? A step-by-step guide is available to help you login and submit your first application.
Guide to Cloudpermit
If you are having difficulty using Cloudpermit, please contact the Building Department for assistance at building@saugeenshores.ca or 519-832-2008 ext. 118. You can also access support through Cloudpermit's online portal.
Cloudpermit Support
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| Sign permit fees |
- Ground, Fascia or Projecting Sign: $107
- Awnings and Marquees: $95.15
You may qualify for a sign permit fee reduction if the land is located within downtown Port Elgin or downtown Southampton. Fees in these areas are 50 per cent of the required fee.
View our methods of payment accepted.
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| What documents are required for the permit? |
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Signs installed on buildings
- Detail drawings illustrating the following information:
- Dimensioned elevation drawings of the building on which the sign is to be displayed
- Include the size, area, height and location of the sign and the height of all lettering
- Installation and fastening details of the sign
- Provide the weight of the sign if a projecting sign
Ground signs
- Site plan - of your property showing the size and location of all buildings on the property and the location of the proposed ground sign. Accurate measurements from the property lines to the proposed sign are required. This can be hand drawn but must be clear, accurate and include all necessary measurements.
- Detail drawings illustrating the following information:
- Include the size, area, height and location of the sign and the height of all lettering
- Installation and fastening details of the sign and sign structure with footing
- Provide the weight of the sign if a projecting sign
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How to apply for a sign variance
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If the Sign By-law does not allow for the sign you want, you can apply for a sign variance. Our Committee of Adjustment considers and approves sign variance requests.
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