Tenant sign criteria are the rules that keep a property looking like one place instead of a patchwork. Good criteria make approvals quick, protect the building and keep every tenant on equal footing. Weak criteria lead to arguments, damaged walls and signs left behind when a tenant leaves.
Gogi Signs builds tenant signs and sign programs for property managers across New Jersey and New York City. This guide shows what good criteria cover, with real examples, and how to run approvals without slowing down openings.
In this guide
What Good Criteria Cover
Put every item in writing and attach it to the lease
- Sign type and construction. For example, individual lit channel letters on a hidden raceway.
- Size and placement. Sign band location, maximum width and letter height.
- Colors and lighting. Fixed return colors, allowed face colors and light color.
- Approvals. What tenants submit, who reviews and how long it takes.
- Installers. Licensed, insured installers and site rules.
- Temporary signs. Banners, window graphics and how long they can stay.
- Upkeep and removal. Repairs, lighting hours and removal when the lease ends.
A Real Example: One National Landlord
Brixmor, a national shopping center owner with New Jersey properties, publishes its storefront sign criteria. It is a good model of clear rules:
- Written approval first. Signs cannot be installed until the landlord approves drawings in writing.
- Letter height. 24 inches for smaller stores, and 24 to 36 inches for stores over 3,000 square feet.
- Width. No more than 80 percent of the usable storefront width.
- Construction. Individual lit channel letters with the raceway hidden from the front.
- Banners. Only with written approval, and no longer than 30 days.
- Timing. A permanent sign within 60 days of opening, with a fine of $150 a day for missing signs.
Criteria set the letter type, height and colors
Start From the Property, Not the Tenant
Write the criteria around the building. Measure the sign bands, note where power is available and decide what looks right on the facade. Then check the town’s rules, because criteria cannot allow what the town forbids. Some New Jersey towns tie sign size to frontage. Montclair, for example, limits sign area to the width of the storefront, with a 24 inch height limit, according to its signage page. Our sister company in New York explains how landlord rules shape the mounting choice in raceway vs flush mount channel letters.
Define What Tenants Must Submit
- Scaled elevation of the sign on the storefront, with dimensions.
- Construction details, including letter returns, raceway and mounting.
- Colors and materials, with color codes.
- Electrical details, including power source and controls.
- Installer information, with license and insurance certificate.
Published center criteria commonly ask for a certificate of insurance from the company doing the installation and require a licensed sign contractor, as seen in one California tenant signage manual.
Panels and letters should follow one standard
Run a Consistent Approval Process
A sign priced from a photo is a guess. The photo does not show the real wall size, what the wall is made of, where the power is, or how a crew and lift will reach it. That is how a quote turns into change orders. The fix: get a site survey before the final price. Our guide on what to prepare before requesting a sign quote helps you get a closer first number.
Landlord approval comes before the town permit
Set a review time, use one checklist and approve in writing. Landlord approval usually comes before the town permit, so a slow review delays the opening. Keep a library of approved drawings, so the next tenant can see what works.
Permits in New Jersey and NYC
In New Jersey, the town handles the zoning approval and the construction permit, and historic districts add a commission review. In New York City, a permit is required to install a business sign unless it is painted on the building or smaller than six square feet and not lit, according to the Department of Buildings. Larger signs need a licensed sign hanger. Our sign permits team can handle filings for your tenants.
Control the Work on Site
- Notice. Ask for notice before installation.
- Hours. Set work hours that keep the property open and safe.
- Wall protection. Require patching and sealing of every penetration.
- Electrical. Require licensed electricians and listed sign components.
Lighting rules belong in the criteria
Lighting Hours and Controls
Lit signs make a property look open and busy, but only if they are all on. Set the rules in the criteria. Brixmor, for example, requires a photocell and an exterior on and off switch and says signs cannot be controlled only by a time clock. Many managers also set the hours signs must stay lit, often until the center closes. Put the same light color in the criteria so every sign matches at night.
Temporary Signs and Banners
Banners are where most criteria break down. Decide what is allowed, such as coming soon, now open and now hiring, how long each can stay up and where it can hang. Brixmor allows approved banners for no more than 30 days. Check the town’s banner rules too, since many New Jersey towns limit how long a banner can stay up.
Enforcing the Criteria
Rules work only if they are enforced. Spell out what happens when a sign is missing, damaged or unapproved. Brixmor’s criteria allow a fine of $150 a day for missing signs, and if a tenant does not fix a defect within 30 days of notice, the landlord can repair it and bill the cost plus a 15 percent fee. Clear, fair consequences are easier to apply than case by case arguments.
Directories and Common Area Signs
Directories and common area signs belong to the landlord. Under the 2010 ADA Standards, building directories and tenant names are exempt from the tactile rules, but permanent room and suite signs are not, according to the Access Board guide. Use changeable inserts so directories update cheaply. See our directory signs and our guide to ADA sign requirements.
Plan Turnover Before a Tenant Leaves
Write removal into the lease. Published criteria often require tenants to remove signs within a set time after leaving and to repair and repaint the wall, as in one center’s sign criteria, which allows 30 days. Many New Jersey towns also set deadlines for removing signs of closed businesses. Our guide on who removes old business signs covers those rules, and our sign removal team can do the work.
Keep Records and Inspect on a Schedule
Keep one record per sign: approval date, drawings, permit, installer and photos. Walk the property a few times a year and after storms, and note dark letters, damage and unapproved banners. Consistent color is part of this. Pixel Wraps, our sister graphics shop, explains why colors drift between print runs in why fleet wrap colors differ between reprints.
Common Questions About Tenant Sign Criteria
What should tenant sign criteria include?
Sign type, size and placement, letter height, colors and lighting, the approval process, installer and insurance requirements, temporary sign rules, and maintenance and removal.
How big can a tenant sign be?
It depends on the criteria and the town. One national landlord allows 24 to 36 inch letters up to 80 percent of the storefront width, and some towns limit sign area based on frontage.
Who pays for tenant signs?
Usually the tenant pays for its own sign, built to the landlord criteria. The landlord usually pays for directories and common area signs.
Who removes a tenant sign at lease end?
Usually the tenant, as set in the lease. Published criteria often require removal within a set time and repair of the wall.
Do tenants need landlord approval for signs?
Yes, in nearly every lease. Landlord approval usually comes before the town permit.
Do building directories need braille?
No. Directories and tenant names are exempt from the ADA tactile rules, but permanent room and suite signs need raised characters and braille.
One Sign Standard Across Your Properties
We help property managers write criteria and build every tenant sign to them. See our channel letters, then request a free quote.
Sources and further reading
- Brixmor: ordering your storefront sign
- City of Palm Springs CA: downtown tenant signage manual
- NYC Department of Buildings: business signs
- U.S. Access Board: guide to the ADA standards, chapter 7 signs
- City of Oxnard CA: shopping center sign criteria
- Pixel Wraps: why fleet wrap colors differ between reprints
