Signage has changed throughout the years. As technology has grown, signage has become bigger, brighter, and louder. As a result, signs have become more eye catching, and, therefore, more appealing. Many people, about 67%, report to have actually bought a product or paid for a service because the sign advertising their business attracted them. Seventy five percent of people surveyed have said that, because a sign for a particular business attracted them, they remembered it and were compelled to share the information with other consumers.

Advertising with signs, however, does not come without cost. Although designing and erecting signs can be costly, 65% of businesses that have made compelling changes to their signage have said that their sales have increased as a result. A cost associated with putting up signs to advertise a business or service is the sign permit needed to actually place the sign where the owner wants it to be in order to attract the most public attention. Even with signage, local codes and zoning laws must be followed. There are specifics put down by officials who govern towns and cities, and those specifics must be obeyed.

Sign permits are required whenever a sign is put up or displayed, or when it is replaced or its dimensions are changed. A sign is defined as words, pictures, or symbols, publicly displayed, that are fashioned to promote a business or service. A sign permit is considered to be legal permission to publicly display this information. The use of signs is of considerable importance to most businesses and services. Signs are considered to be an essential part of the identity of a company. Strategically placed signs using clever catch phrases and brilliant pictures that grab the attention of passers by have been known to give a business the shot over the moon it was missing. In order to be worth its cost, a sign must reach out to the public, the letters must be readable from a distance, and the colors chosen to depict the business or service being offered must, at the very least, stand out.

Many companies nowadays do not want to go the route of applying for signage permits without a little backup. Permit expediters are being utilized in order to guide and assist them throughout the process of understanding and interpreting coding and zoning laws. Permit expediters are a go between, so to speak, between the business and the local government. A permit expediter will have a good knowledge of the laws governing the town or city, and will have a good relationship with town officials. He or she will be there to meet with company representatives and members of the local government, if need be, on their client’s behalf. Because the advantages of utilizing signage in advertising are so numerous, the hiring of permit expediters to assist in the process of obtaining the necessary permits is brimming with benefits. Permit expediters charge a fee, either by the hour or by the project, for a service that could be essential to the procuring of these permits.

Every town and city has their own method of coding and zoning. Some municipalities will allow a store to place a sign outside their business as long the sign complies with local coding. For instance, in New York City a store can put a display or sign outside their place of business; however, it cannot extend over three feet beyond the sidewalk, and it cannot be over five feet high. Depending upon their location, some stores will not be permitted to put a sign or display outside their door. Sometimes coding will even vary from street to street, or neighborhood to neighborhood.

Businesses are finding that permit expediters are terrific people to have on their side when they are considering upgrading their signs or constructing new ones. A permit expeditor knows the local codes by heart and understands their uses. Adept at the details of real estate development and planning, part of the permit expediters job is to be the representative for their client at variance hearings and architectural review.

Permit expediters services have become a very sought after commodity as business owners are recognizing their worth as a personal liaison between businesses and local governments.