No permit yet at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can I still get a permit? | In eleven of these twelve cities the extra charge is tied to getting the permit late; Houston sets a fine instead. Fort Worth and Phoenix charge their investigation fee whether or not a permit is then issued. |
| How much more will it cost? | From an investigation fee equal to the permit fee (Fort Worth, Phoenix) to double fees (Atlanta, with the penalty portion capped at $1,000, Denver, Jacksonville, Sacramento, San Antonio), three times the fee in unincorporated Clark County, and nine times the issuance fee plus the original fee in San Francisco. |
| Can it be a fine instead? | In Houston a sign without a permit is a misdemeanor: $300 to $500 for each violation, each day a separate offense. |
| What if the city already stopped the work? | Chicago adds a stop work order penalty ($1,000+), and in most cases triples the building permit fee. |
What each city says
Each line is taken from the city page, which links the code text.
| City | What the city charges | Whose rule |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | A fee of double the usual permit fee is charged for signs erected without a permit, but the penalty portion may not exceed $1,000 (Building Code amendments §104.2(g)). Each sign in violation of the sign ordinance is a separate violation for each day it continues (§16-28A.015). | Building Code, sign-specific |
| Chicago | After a stop work order, work can resume only once you get the permit and pay the stop work order penalty ($1,000+); in most cases the building permit fee is then tripled (Department of Buildings). | Building permits, general |
| Dallas | The city fee schedule charges a work-without-a-permit investigation fee of $100 per hour per trade (permit fee schedule). | Fee schedule, general |
| Denver | If the sign needed a building permit, the permit fees for work started without one are doubled, with a minimum of $100, and an investigation fee equal to that late permit fee is added (Denver Building Code §138.2–138.3). | Building Code, general |
| Fort Worth | An investigation fee equal to the permit fee is charged on top of the permit fee, whether or not a permit is then issued (Administrative Code §109.4.2, which covers the Sign Code). | Administrative Code, covers the Sign Code |
| Houston | Putting up or altering a sign without a written permit violates the Sign Code: a misdemeanor fine of $300 to $500 for each violation, and each day it continues is a separate offense (Houston Sign Code, Building Code Chapter 46). | Sign Code, sign-specific |
| Jacksonville | When work that needs a permit starts before the permit is obtained, the permit fee is twice the regular fee, and paying it is no defense to prosecution (§320.408(c), the permit Part that §326.105 sends sign permits to). | Building Code, covers sign permits |
| Las Vegas (unincorporated Clark County) | In unincorporated Clark County, the Title 30 fee schedule charges three times the permit fee for work without a permit. | Clark County fee schedule |
| Phoenix | A special investigation is made before a permit is issued, and an investigation fee equal to the permit fee is charged on top of it, whether or not a permit is then issued (§705). | Zoning Ordinance, sign-specific |
| Sacramento | The permit fees are doubled, and paying the double fee does not excuse the sign from the rest of the chapter or from its penalties (§15.148.080). | Sign chapter, sign-specific |
| San Antonio | Starting work before the permit is issued brings a double permit fee and a violation notice to the licensed sign contractor (Information Bulletin 191). | Information Bulletin 191, signs |
| San Francisco | For work without a building permit, the penalty is nine times the issuance fee plus the original permit fee (Department of Building Inspection). | Building permits, general |
Cities not listed
For the other cities we cover, we found no official text we could tie to a sign put up without a permit, so this page says nothing about them. Where a rule is about permits in general, the “Whose rule” column says so; ask the permit office whether it applies to your sign.
Each answer is taken from the city page, which links the code text it was read from.
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