Business-Adjacent Permits · 6 min read · Last updated
Development signs are the marketing signs of new building projects — condominiums, townhouses and other new homes — pointing buyers to sales centres and announcing what's coming. Because they occupy or front the public right-of-way, Toronto requires permits to keep sidewalks clear and the right-of-way safe. Here's how the new development sign permit works.
The City of Toronto lists this under its “Right of Way” category: “Development signs are used for new building developments, such as condominiums, townhouses or other new homes. To keep the city's sidewalks clear for pedestrians and to ensure the safety of the right-of-way, these signs are required to have permits.”
Who needs this permit?
The permit is for signs used for new building developments — condominiums, townhouses and other new homes. The typical applicant is a builder, developer or the marketing team behind a project: the signs announce the development, direct traffic to a sales office and carry the campaign through years of construction and sales.
It is the project-scale member of Toronto's temporary sign family: bigger campaigns and longer timelines than an A-frame or a mobile sign, but still temporary — the signs exist for the sales period, not forever.
What documents do you need?
- Applicant details — typically the developer or builder entity, with corporate documents
- The proposed sign locations and their relationship to the project and the right-of-way
- Sign specifications within the City's limits for development signs
- Insurance and any further items the City's temporary sign application requires
Zoning and premises requirements
Location review balances marketing reach against right-of-way safety: signs must not obstruct pedestrian paths or sightlines, must respect the rules for the specific streets involved, and larger formats draw closer scrutiny near corners, driveways and construction access points. The signs relate to the project — announcing it or directing to it — rather than scattering general advertising across the city, and each proposed location is reviewed on its own merits.
Inspections and approvals
Enforcement runs for the life of the campaign: signs must match their permitted locations and specifications, stay maintained and secure through years outdoors, and come down when the permission ends. A development sign left standing after the project sells out is the category's classic violation — closing out the campaign includes removing its signs.
How much does it cost?
Fees are set in the City's fee schedules, confirmed during the application and paid to the City directly. For a multi-year sales program they are a small line against the marketing budget — which is exactly why compliance failures on signs are an unforced error.
How to apply
Apply through the City's right-of-way permit process with the locations, specifications and insurance prepared — ideally as part of the project's launch planning rather than after the hoarding goes up. Developments juggle many City permissions at once; the sign permits deserve a line on the same critical path.
Permits2Go keeps the sign permits tracked alongside the project's other applications so marketing and compliance launch together.
Renewals and staying compliant
Development sign permissions run on defined terms sized to sales campaigns — renew them while the marketing continues, and retire them when it ends. Keep an inventory of every permitted sign and its expiry so the project's closing checklist includes the sidewalk, not just the suites.
Quick quiz: test what you learned
Three questions, all answered in this guide. Click an answer to check it.
1. What are development signs used for under Toronto's permit?
The category covers new-build marketing — the City's description names condominiums, townhouses and other new homes.
2. Who typically applies for a new development sign permit?
The signs serve the project's sales campaign, so the project's builder or developer is the natural applicant.
3. What is the classic compliance failure for development signs?
The permits are temporary and sized to the campaign — removal at the end is part of compliance, and orphaned signs are the typical violation.
Skip the paperwork
Tell Permits2Go about your business and it assembles the permit application for you — document checklists, e-signatures and a guided workspace for Toronto, with more cities on the way.
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Licensing requirements, by-laws and fees change and vary by municipality — always confirm the current rules with the City before you apply.