Sign permits in Campbell River

What needs a permit

• A permit is needed to display a sign, change a sign's copy area, or change any part of its structural elements or lighting (section 4.1).
• Signs not specifically permitted by the bylaw are prohibited.
• Home-based businesses do not need a permit for a non-illuminated sign up to 0.4 m2 placed entirely on their own property.

Key rules

• All signs with electrical connections need a provincial electrical permit, produced to the City at final inspection (section 4.4).
• Signs and sign structures must be designed and built to the BC Building Code and the Sign Bylaw. No permit is issued if the building cannot support the sign.
• Projecting signs: one per business, at least 2.44 m above the sidewalk, projecting no more than 0.45 m from the building face.
• Signs must be entirely on private property and on the premises of the business they advertise, with limited exceptions.

How to apply

• Submit the Sign Permit Application with sign graphics, dimensioned drawings, the sign's location on the property, anchorage details and an Owner's Acknowledgement of Responsibility. Taller freestanding signs need engineered drawings and a BC Land Surveyor location certificate.
• A permit usually takes a couple of weeks if the application is complete, and expires if work has not started within six months.
• Building and sign questions: 250-286-5725.

Lit signs and electrical approval

The City of Campbell River sign permit covers size, placement and appearance. Electrical safety is a separate approval. In BC, the Electrical Safety Regulation does not allow electrical equipment to be used or sold unless it carries an accredited certification mark. For an electric sign the Canadian standard is CSA C22.2 No. 207, and the mark goes on the finished sign. The connection is made by a licensed electrician under an electrical permit. More in our guide to cUL certified signs.

Sources