What to Prepare Before Requesting a Sign Quote

A sign quote is only as accurate as the information behind it. Ten minutes with a tape measure and a phone camera saves weeks of revisions.

Requesting a sign quote with only a logo and a rough idea usually produces a rough number. The sign company has to guess the size, the wall, the power, the town’s rules and the landlord’s criteria, and every guess becomes either padding in the price or a change order later.

The more of those unknowns you can answer up front, the more accurate the first quote will be, and the easier it is to compare quotes from different companies on equal terms.

This checklist covers the information that changes a sign price the most, how to gather each piece and what to do when you do not have it yet.

The Quote Checklist at a Glance

Photos of the Building

Good photos let a sign company see most of what it needs without a site visit. Take them in daylight, with the whole facade in frame, straight on and level. Then add a photo from the direction most customers approach, one close up of the wall surface and, if the sign will be lit, one after dark showing the street lighting and competing signs.

Include something of known size in one photo, such as a standard door, so proportions can be checked. If there is an existing sign, photograph it and the wall around it, since that is where the holes and the power will be.

Measurements of the Sign Area

For a wall sign, measure the width of your storefront or tenant frontage, the height and width of the sign band or the clear wall area, and the height from the sidewalk to the bottom of that area. For a freestanding sign, measure the lot frontage and note where the sign could stand relative to the property line and the road.

These numbers matter twice. They decide the size of the sign, and most towns calculate the allowed sign area from them, usually as a percentage of the facade or a set number of square feet per foot of frontage.

If you cannot measure safely, say so. A site survey records exact dimensions, wall construction and power locations before final drawings.

Lease Sign Criteria and Landlord Approval

If you lease, ask the landlord or property manager for the sign criteria before requesting quotes. Shopping centers and office buildings often specify the sign type, letter height, colors, lighting method, raceway color and even the approved contractors. A quote that ignores them may be for a sign you are not allowed to install.

Most towns also require the property owner’s signature on the permit application, so find out early who signs for the landlord and how quickly. Our shopping center sign requirements guide explains how landlord criteria and town rules interact.

Logo Files and Brand Standards

Send the best version of your logo you have. Vector files in AI, EPS, SVG or a vector PDF can be scaled to any size without losing quality, while a logo saved from a website usually has to be redrawn, which adds design time. If you have brand guidelines, include them, especially the exact color references and typefaces.

See our Artwork Guidelines page for the file formats we work from.

What You Want the Sign to Do

A short description of the goal shapes the recommendation. Useful details include:

• The audience: drivers on a highway, people walking past, or visitors looking for a suite inside a building.
• Hours: whether the business needs to be seen after dark, which decides whether the sign should be lit.
• Sign types you like: photos of signs you admire, or examples from our sign project gallery, help a designer understand the look.
• Everything else you need: door vinyl, window graphics, interior signs or vehicle graphics can often be quoted together.

Power, Permits and the Old Sign

Power at the Sign Location

An illuminated sign, such as channel letters or a light box sign, needs a dedicated circuit at the sign location. If one exists from a previous sign, note where the junction box is. If not, the quote should include running one, which requires a licensed electrician.

The Town and Any Special District

Tell the sign company the exact address, because the municipality sets the limits and the permit process, and the state’s Uniform Construction Code decides whether a construction permit is also needed. Mention if the building is in a historic district or a redevelopment area, since both can add a review step. A site inside a redevelopment area, for example one needing Newark storefront signs or Jersey City business signs, can carry its own sign standards. Towns also ask for different documents, such as photographs of every existing sign or proof that property taxes are current.

The Existing Sign

If an old sign is coming down, include photos. Removal, disconnecting the power, sealing the holes and repainting the band are real costs that belong in the same quote.

Your Deadline and Budget

Give the date the sign needs to be up and the reason, whether it is an opening, a lease requirement or a launch. Allow time for design approval, permits and fabrication, which together usually take several weeks. Our guide on how long a custom sign project takes breaks the stages down.

A budget range is helpful too. It lets the sign company suggest the best option within it, rather than quoting the most expensive version and working backwards. Our guide on how to budget for commercial signage covers how to set one.

Before You Send the Request

1. Photograph the building: straight on, from the approach and after dark.
2. Measure what you can: frontage, sign band and height above the sidewalk.
3. Get the lease criteria: and the name of whoever signs for the landlord.
4. Collect your artwork: vector logo files and brand colors.
5. Note power and permits: where the circuit is, the town and any special district.
6. Set the deadline and budget: with the reason for the date.

Once quotes arrive, our guide on understanding business sign quotes shows how to compare them line by line.

Common Questions About Requesting a Sign Quote