Fascia, letters, projecting, illuminated
What does a shop sign cost?
Sign type, size, illumination and how you get to the wall set the price. What sets the timescale, and occasionally kills the design, is advertisement consent: whether your sign has deemed consent under the 2007 Regulations or needs express consent from the council, which changes entirely for a listed building or a conservation area. We have written that part properly. Tell us what you want and UK sign makers will quote it.
Three steps
- Tell us the sign type, the building and the frontage width. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to sign makers and installers covering your postcode, and to no one else.
- They quote your actual shopfront, including installation. Compare, choose, or walk away.
Shop Sign Cost is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to relevant local sign makers and installers, who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not affiliated with any local planning authority or government body, and nothing here is legal or planning advice. The advertisement consent rules described are those in force in England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regimes, and you should check your council's position before committing to a design.
What sets the price of a shop sign, 2026
Last updated
Every line that moves a signage quote, why it moves it, and the thing to ask for so two quotes can be compared. Consent is in here because it is a cost and a timescale, not a formality.
This is a cost-driver table, not a price list. We do not publish shop sign prices because the same brief produces wildly different quotes depending on construction, illumination method, access equipment and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area, and a single range would mislead more people than it helped. Each row names a driver, explains why it moves the money, and gives the question that makes quotes comparable. The consent rows are grounded in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 and the government's planning practice guidance, cited in full in our consent guide.
| Cost driver | Why it moves the price | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Sign construction | A flat printed panel, a built-up letter set and a fabricated illuminated tray are different manufacturing jobs, not different finishes on one job. | The construction named on the quote: substrate, letter build, return depth and fixing method. |
| Size and the frontage it sits on | Material scales with area, but so does the structure behind it and the number of installers needed to lift it. | Dimensions in millimetres on a drawing, not a description. |
| Illumination method | Halo lit, face lit, internally lit tray and external trough lighting each carry different components, different labour and different maintenance. | The lighting method by name, the expected lamp or LED life, and how it is accessed for repair. |
| Electrical supply and connection | An illuminated sign needs a supply, an isolator and a competent electrician. If the supply is not already at the fascia, that is a separate trade and a separate bill. | Whether the quote includes the electrical connection and certification, or assumes a live supply is waiting. |
| Installation access | A ground floor fascia over an empty pavement is a ladder job. The same sign at first floor over a busy street can need a tower, a cherry picker, a pavement licence or night working. | The access method assumed, and who obtains and pays for any licence or road closure. |
| Fixing into the building | Fixing into modern blockwork is routine. Fixing into soft historic brick, stone or a period timber fascia is careful, slow work, and on a listed building it is a conservation decision. | A survey of the fascia before quoting, and the fixing detail in writing for period or listed frontages. |
| Advertisement consent | Signs that fall inside a deemed consent class need no application. Signs outside it need express consent, which is an application, a fee and a wait. Illuminated signs lose deemed consent entirely in conservation areas, National Parks, the Broads and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. | Which class the design falls into, or a clear statement that express consent is needed and who is applying. |
| Listed building consent | Separate from advertisement consent, and separate again from planning permission. It looks at the effect on the building's special interest, and it can change the design as well as the timeline. | Confirmation of whether listed building consent is needed and who is responsible for obtaining it. |
| Removal and making good | Taking the old sign down, disposing of it and making good the fascia is real work and is often quietly excluded. | Removal, disposal and making good priced as named lines. |
| Warranty and maintenance | LED failures and water ingress are the two things that go wrong. What is covered, and who climbs up to fix it, is where two similar prices diverge. | The warranty period, what it excludes, and whether labour and access are included in a callout. |
- Advertisement control in England is exercised with reference to amenity and public safety only, which is why the regime is lighter touch than planning permission for development.
- Under Class 4B of Schedule 3 to the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007, an illuminated business sign has no deemed consent within a conservation area, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a National Park or the Broads, so express consent is required there.
- Displaying an advertisement without consent is an offence under section 224 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, carrying a fine at level 4 on the standard scale, currently a maximum of £2,500, plus a further daily fine of up to £250 for a continuing offence.
- An express advertisement consent usually lasts 5 years, though the local planning authority can grant a longer or shorter period.
Cite this page
“What sets the price of a shop sign, 2026”, Shop Sign Cost, https://shopsigncost.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). This is a cost-driver table, not a price list. We do not publish shop sign prices because the same brief produces wildly different quotes depending on construction, illumination method, access equipment and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area, and a single range would mislead more people than it helped. Each row names a driver, explains why it moves the money, and gives the question that makes quotes comparable. The consent rows are grounded in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007 and the government's planning practice guidance, cited in full in our consent guide.
Read next
The longer answers, with sources.
Straight answers
How much does a shop sign cost?
We do not publish a price, because the same brief produces very different quotes depending on construction, illumination, access equipment and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Our cost-driver table lists every line that moves the number and the question to ask about each, so three quotes can actually be compared.
Do I need permission for a shop sign in England?
You need advertisement consent rather than planning permission. Many shop signs have deemed consent automatically under Schedule 3 to the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007, provided they meet every condition of the relevant class. Signs outside those conditions need express consent from the local planning authority.
Can I put an illuminated sign on a shop in a conservation area?
Yes, but not under deemed consent. Class 4B of Schedule 3 states that no illuminated advertisement is permitted under that class within a conservation area, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a National Park or the Broads, so you must apply for express consent. A non-illuminated sign may still have deemed consent under Class 5.
Does a listed building change the rules for shop signs?
Yes, and separately. Advertisement consent and listed building consent are different regimes, and government guidance says that for advertisements on a listed building, listed building consent is likely to be required. It looks at the effect on the building's special interest, including the fixings, so raise it before the sign is manufactured.
What size can a shop sign be without applying for consent?
Under the deemed consent classes for business premises, a non-illuminated sign must not exceed 1.55 square metres and no part may be higher than 4.6 metres above ground or the bottom of any first floor window, whichever is lower. Illuminated signs under Class 4B are limited by a proportion of the frontage instead, with the lowest part at least 2.5 metres above ground.
Is this quote service really free?
Yes, free to you, with no obligation to accept any quote. We pass your details only to relevant local sign makers and installers, who quote you directly; we may receive a fee from those providers, which is how the service is funded.