Sign permits in Nanaimo

What needs a permit

• A permit is required for any sign erected or displayed under the Sign Bylaw.
• LED and animated signs are not permitted unless a Development Variance Permit is obtained first.
• Banner signs up to 10 m2 displayed for no more than 30 days do not need a permit if they meet the bylaw.

Key rules

• Prohibited: an illuminated sign without CSA approval or provincial electrical inspector approval, or one with a strobe light; an illuminated sign whose light source is not concealed to prevent glare; and illuminated signs in residential zones.
• Every sign must show the maker's name and the sign's weight on the outside, and carry the identification label the City issues with the permit.
• Total sign area on a wall may not exceed 25 percent of that wall.
• Fascia signs in the commercial, downtown, industrial and similar zones: one fascia sign per business for each wall facing a highway or yard, within the 25 percent limit.
• Near the Nanaimo Parkway there are extra limits, including no backlit fascia signs within 30 m of the Parkway on lands designated Urban Parkway.

How to apply

• Apply through the City's Online Building Permit Application page.
• Include a Building Permit Application, an Appointment of Agent signed by the registered owner, and the Sign Permit Information Form, plus the items on the Sign Permit Application Checklist.

Lit signs and electrical approval

The City of Nanaimo 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.

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