Do I need planning permission for a shop sign in Northern Ireland?

Signage is controlled through advertisement consent rather than ordinary planning permission, and it is administered by the local council. The short version: assume you need consent, check early, and be pleased if you do not.

Usually needs consent

• Illuminated signs of almost any kind, including internally illuminated fascias and halo-lit letters.
• Projecting and hanging signs over a footpath.
• Anything on a listed building, or in a conservation area or an area of townscape character.
• Large fascias, signs above a certain height, and freestanding totems.
• Advertising that is not about the business on the premises.

Often allowed without express consent

• Modest non-illuminated signage on the face of the premises it relates to.
• Temporary for sale and to let boards while a property is being marketed.
• Small statutory and directional notices.

What actually catches people

Two things, nearly every time. The first is illumination: a business replaces like for like but adds LED, and that changes the position. The second is conservation areas, where a perfectly ordinary fascia that would be fine two streets away needs consent and a different material specification.

How we handle it

We raise it at survey, before anything is made. If consent is needed we will say so, and we can prepare the elevations and details for the application. It is a great deal cheaper to find out at survey than to take a sign back down.

This is general guidance and not legal or planning advice. Your local council planning office is the authority on any specific site.