A lot of thought goes into a brand. The logo, the colours and the typeface are chosen with care, and the website and social pages carry the look online.

For many businesses, the most visible brand asset is out on the street. A well placed sign tells passing traffic who you are and where to find you, every hour of every day.

What surprises many owners is that signs in Western Australia are often controlled by planning rules. South Perth based Cornerstone Town Planning is a town planning consultancy that helps clients with development applications and planning advice across Perth and regional WA.

This post explains how signage approvals generally work in WA and what to sort out before you order that new sign.

Why signs fall under planning

In WA planning, a sign is usually treated as an “advertisement”. Local planning schemes and council policies set out what kinds of advertisements are allowed and where.

Councils care about signs because they affect how a street looks and feels. They also affect safety. A sign that is too bright, too big or in the wrong spot can distract drivers or block sight lines.

That means a sign can need development approval even when the business itself is already approved to operate.

Which signs may need approval

Every council has its own rules, so the details depend on where your premises are. As a general guide, these types of signs are the ones most likely to need a closer look:

• Pylon or freestanding signs near the front boundary
• Large wall signs, especially high on a building
• Illuminated, flashing or digital screen signs
• Roof signs and signs that project over a footpath
• Signs on heritage-listed buildings or in heritage areas

Smaller signs on a shopfront, such as window lettering or a modest sign above the door, are often exempt if they meet set size and location limits. Real estate signs, temporary event signs and signs inside a building may also be treated differently.

Where to find the rules

Start with your council’s website. Most councils have a local planning policy on signs or advertisements that explains what is exempt, what needs approval and what is unlikely to be supported.

The state rules also matter. The WA Government publishes the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 along with guidance and advertising exemption notices. These regulations set out the deemed provisions that apply across local planning schemes, including some development that does not need approval.

If your sign will face a major state road, other agencies may also have a say. It is worth asking the council about this early.

What councils usually look at

When a council assesses a sign, it tends to consider a similar set of questions.

Size and height are near the top of the list. Many policies set maximum areas for wall signs and maximum heights for pylon signs, often linked to the size of the building or the street frontage.

Location matters too. Signs that overhang footpaths may need a minimum clearance, and signs near intersections may need to stay clear of driver sight lines.

Illumination gets close attention. Councils often limit brightness, ban flashing or moving content near homes and set rules for digital screens such as how often the image can change.

The number of signs on a site counts as well. A building covered in many competing signs can be refused even if each sign looks fine on its own.

Signs and your brand design

This is where planning and branding meet. A sign that suits your brand guidelines may not suit the local policy, and the other way around.

It helps to bring the planning rules into the design brief from day one. Give your designer the size limits, height limits and any rules on lighting before they start.

Good signage design can work well inside the rules. Strong contrast, clean type and a simple message often read better from a moving car than a large, crowded sign.

Think about how the sign will look at night as well as during the day. If lighting is limited, a well-lit shopfront or a back-lit logo panel may give you more presence than a large external sign.

When you lease a shared building

Many businesses rent space in a shopping centre, office building or industrial complex. In these cases, the landlord may control signage as well as the council.

Some centres have an approved signage plan or strata bylaws that set out where tenant signs can go. Check the lease and ask the landlord or centre manager before designing anything.

Even when the landlord agrees, council approval may still be needed. The two sets of rules sit side by side.

Applying for signage approval

If your sign needs approval, the council will usually ask for a development application. This often includes a completed form, the fee, a site plan, elevations showing where the sign will go and drawings with size, colours, materials and lighting details.

A short written statement explaining how the sign meets the local policy can help. If any part of the sign doesn’t meet the policy, explain why it should still be supported.

Some councils deal with straightforward sign applications quickly. More complex ones, or those that need advertising to neighbours, can take longer.

A building permit may also be needed for structural signs such as large pylons. That sits outside the planning process.

What happens if you skip approval

Putting up a sign without the approval you need can lead to compliance action from the council. You may be asked to apply after the fact, change the sign or remove it.

That can mean paying for a new sign and losing the cost of the first one. It can also lead to a frustrating gap with no sign at all while the matter is resolved.

Getting it right the first time

Before you order new signage, take a few simple steps:

• Check your council’s local planning policy on signs or advertisements.
• Look at your lease and any centre or building signage rules.
• Brief your designer on the size, height and lighting limits.
• Ask the council whether your sign is exempt or needs approval.
• Lodge an application early if approval is needed.

A town planner can help when the sign is large, illuminated, on a heritage site or part of a bigger fit-out. With the planning side sorted early, your brand can go up on the building with confidence.