Niagara Falls Sign By-law (Full Guide): Permits, Sizes, A-Frames, Windows, Election Rules

Permit basics

Sign By-law 2021-24 requires a permit before erecting, altering, or relocating any permanent, illuminated, or freestanding sign. Submit completed applications through Building Services; supply scaled drawings, property owner authorization, and structural details for large installations.

Tourism Area By-laws overlay downtown (Clifton Hill, Fallsview) and may require design approvals from the Planning department. Always confirm whether your address lies inside the Tourism Improvement Area before finalizing designs.

A-frame / sandwich board rules

A-frames fall under the portable sign category. One portable sign per business frontage is typical, and signage must maintain pedestrian clearways (1.5 m is the city standard in tourist precincts). Portable signs cannot obstruct accessible routes or spill onto City sidewalks without a specific encroachment permit.

Keep boards weighed down to withstand the winds along Fallsview Boulevard and Clifton Hill, and remove them when businesses close.

Window & fascia sign rules

Fascia signs must respect frontage-based area formulas defined in By-law 2021-24—calculate permitted sign area by zoning (commercial, industrial, tourist core) and building frontage. Illuminated fascia signs require ESA electrical hookup and must avoid animation or distracting glare aimed at oncoming traffic.

Window wraps and interior displays are generally exempt provided they sit inside the glass and do not mimic traffic control devices.

Portable / temporary / lawn signs

Portable and mobile signs require permits and are typically limited to short-term campaigns. Lundy’s Lane and other arterial routes have additional spacing/separation criteria to reduce clutter. Obtain property owner approval in writing and maintain clear sightlines at driveways and intersections (minimum 6 m setback is common).

Digital / EMC rules

Digital reader boards must meet brightness, dwell-time, and animation standards set out in By-law 2021-24. Most zones require static images that change no more than once every 10 seconds, no flashing transitions, and certified ambient light sensors to dim at night. Tourism corridors may impose tighter dwell times and curfew hours—check with Planning when proposing EMCs on Clifton Hill or Murray Street.

Billboards / third-party signs

Third-party advertising is tightly controlled. New billboards generally only proceed in industrial or highway commercial zones and must respect separation distances from residential uses and other billboards. Expect a Planning justification report outlining need, sightline impacts, and illumination levels.

Election sign rules

Niagara Falls election sign rules align with the Municipal Elections Act but permit early posting only once candidates register (municipal) or writs drop (federal/provincial). Keep election signs off City boulevards, parks, cemeteries, and centre medians and remove them within seven days after the vote. Region sign permits apply when signs occupy Regional road allowances.

Enforcement & removal

By-law Enforcement responds quickly in the tourism core—expect removal of unpermitted banners or portable signs blocking the right-of-way. Non-compliant signage may generate an Order to Comply with tight timelines to avoid removal fees or fines.

Regional roads overlay

Niagara Region controls the major gateways: Queen Elizabeth Way ramps, Stanley Avenue, Thorold Stone Road, Lundy’s Lane, and Victoria Avenue. Submit the Region sign permit package, including site plan and structural data, whenever a sign sits within the Region right-of-way.