5.14.2014
How to deal with ordinance and franchise changes for outdoor signage
The month of May can be a nail-biting time of year for businesses with outdoor signage. The reason isn’t necessarily the weather, though the time of year is thunderstorm, tornado and hurricane season for most. The reason for the increase in calls is either business/franchise or politically-related.
From our experience, May is usually the time of year where we get the most requests from clients and prospects to alter their existing outdoor signage because either their local signage ordinances or their business franchise rules have changed.
Signage alterations sound simple enough, but before exhaling and relaxing, make sure the following ordinance and city zoning factors are taken into consideration. Unless, of course, making incremental alterations is more your corporate style:
Franchise and zoning factors include:
- updates to the zoning district ordinances where signage is erected
- changes in handling of specified ‘purpose and intent’ declarations
- Franchise rebranding
- franchise competition rules
- environmental factors (has your area “gone green?”)
- budgetary restrictions
- if permission for signage was “conditional,” are their new conditions?
- chamber of commerce restrictions
- taxes
- safety updates
- Franchise supplier changes
- changes in city planning & zoning
Each one of factors mentioned above are but a few of the reasons that could result in outdoor signage alterations. The trick isn’t to plan for them all. The trick is to stay in contact with those who can change the market conditions that result in the changes.
Tips for staying in contact with local zoning & brand franchises
- subscribe to their website updates - RSS feeds
- subscribe to their email newsletter / updates
- follow and monitor their activity on social media
- schedule semi-annual appointments to check in with decision makers
Keeping in touch with their communication methods will help keep you from being out of luck when the rule changes get passed down.
Have you recently communicated with your local and business stakeholders
What are you waiting for? Contact them today.
And if you find out that changes are in order, contact us to start plans today to get your outdoor signage up-to-date.
