We define window signs as those visible to the public and displayed on or within 15mm of the inside face of a window. This includes:
There are no size restrictions for window signs displayed above the ground floor in metropolitan zones.
You can display signs on other windows in these zones with some restrictions.
Signs on ground floor windows in metropolitan zones can have different size restrictions, depending where the premises is located.
A premises on a ‘key retail street’ (a focus of pedestrian activity) can be subject to a Key Retail Frontage Control, and a premises on a ‘general commercial street’ can be subject to a General Commercial Frontage Control.
The restrictions to ground floor window signs in these zones depend on which rules apply to your premises.
You can find out if your property has a frontage control by searching for your address on Geomaps. The ‘Property summary’ displayed on the left side of the screen will show if your property has such a restriction.
If your property has a Key Retail Frontage Control, the ground-floor window signs must not cover more than 25 per cent of the width and 25 per cent of the height of any street front window.
If your property has a General Commercial Frontage Control, ground-floor window signs must not cover more than 50 per cent of the width and 50 per cent of the height of any street front window.
If your property does not have a frontage control, the size restrictions depend on where your ground floor window faces.
Signs can cover up to 50 per cent of the width and 50 per cent of the height of the window when:
Signs can cover up to 70 per cent of the width and 25 per cent of the height of the window when:
Example of how to correctly display window signs in metropolitan zones.
You can find a full description of the rules in clause 10 of the Signs Bylaw 2022.
If you want to put up a business sign in scheduled heritage places you will need a resource consent.
Check Geomaps to see if your address is in a historic heritage area. Under the results tab on the left hand side of your screen, you will find your property summary.
If your property is a historic heritage property or in a historic heritage area, you will see this under the heading 'Overlays'.
Read about historic heritage places in the Auckland Unitary Plan [PDF 230KB]. This will help you determine which historic heritage rules apply to you.
