From a phone photo to a finished sign
How a Sign Project Works, Step by Step
8511 Lankershim Blvd, Sun Valley · Open daily 7 AM–10 PM
A phone photo and the address are enough. Free for business signs: 1 mockup + 1 round of changes per location. Extra rounds are billed.
Seven steps, and who does each one
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Send a photo
A straight-on phone photo of the wall or storefront, plus the address. If you rent, ask your landlord for the building's sign criteria now. It's the document projects most often wait on.Who You
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See your mockup and quote
We place your sign on your photo at a proposed size, color and lighting, and send a quote. Free for business-sign requests: 1 mockup + 1 round of changes per location. Extra rounds are billed.Who We design and quote
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Landlord approval
Most leases and shopping-center sign criteria need the landlord's written OK before the city sees the sign. We prepare the drawing you send them: your sign on your photo, with sizes and materials.Who Your landlord approves, we prepare the drawing
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City permit
In the City of LA, a new, changed, removed or lit sign usually needs a permit. We prepare the permit drawings, and our licensed sign-contractor partner files them. New faces on an existing cabinet usually skip this step.Who We draw, a licensed partner files, the city reviews
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Fabrication
We print, cut and assemble your sign in our shop at 8511 Lankershim Blvd, Sun Valley, to the approved drawing.Who We build it in Sun Valley
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Installation
Our licensed sign-contractor partner mounts the sign and, for a lit sign, wires it to the power at the sign location. We set the install date with them. Your quote lists the installer's CSLB license number.Who A licensed sign-contractor partner installs
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Final inspection
For a permitted sign, a city inspector checks the finished installation. We coordinate the date with the installer.Who A city inspector checks, we coordinate
Step 2, up close
Your photo in, your mockup back
The mockup is the step that saves the most trouble later. You, your landlord and anyone else who signs off judge the sign on your own building, at a proposed size, before anything is cut, printed or lit.
Want a different color, size or lighting? That's what the free round of changes is for. Extra rounds are billed.
A phone photo is enough. No payment details.
IllustrationBoth images are illustrations of the process, not a customer project.
How long the city takes: official LADBS numbers
| Feature | What LADBS says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sign Pre-Inspection (SPI) | Normally takes at least two weeks. Some wall signs don't need one, depending on how far they are from a freeway. | LADBS FAQ: Sign Pre-Inspection |
| Plan check assignment | Regular submittals normally take 15 to 30 business days just to be assigned to a plan check engineer, or 6 to 10 days if expedited. LADBS notes these estimates can change. | LADBS FAQ: plan check assignment |
| Sign-offs from other departments | LADBS advises applying for clearances right away, because some departments can take months to review a project. | LADBS sign plan check correction sheet |
| How long an application stays open | A permit application expires 18 months after it's submitted for plan check. | LADBS sign plan check correction sheet |
| New faces on an existing cabinet | A copy or face change that leaves the cabinet in place usually needs no permit, so it skips these steps. | LADBS Sign Manual, P/BC 2023-078 |
General information for the City of Los Angeles, not an approval. Rules and wait times change, so we check them for your address.
What keeps a sign project moving
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Get the sign criteria early
Shopping centers and many buildings have written sign rules. Ask your landlord or property manager for them the week you sign the lease, and send them with your photo. -
Decide if it lights up
A lit sign needs power at the sign location and, in the City of LA, a permit issued to a C-10 or C-45 licensed contractor. Deciding early keeps the drawings right the first time. -
Know which city you're in
A Sun Valley, North Hollywood or Van Nuys address is in the City of Los Angeles. Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena review signs their own way. The address tells us which rules apply. -
Tell us your opening date
We'll tell you plainly which steps depend on your landlord and the city, so you can plan around them instead of finding out late.
What a complete sign quote should list
Free: 1 mockup + 1 round of changes per location for business-sign requests. Extra rounds are billed. No payment details.
- Design, the mockup and any extra rounds of changes
- Fabrication: materials, lighting and finish
- Installation, with the installer's CSLB license number
- Permit drawings, city fees and any resubmittals
- Structural engineering, if the city asks for it
- Electrical work to bring power to the sign location
- Removing the old sign, and patching and painting the wall
- Lift or crane time, and any after-hours work
Not every sign needs every line. New faces on an existing cabinet, for example, usually need no permit.
Step 5, in person
Built in our shop on Lankershim
Fabrication happens at 8511 Lankershim Blvd in Sun Valley, in the same building as Angels Print. You can come see letter and material samples before you approve your mockup. We're open daily, 7 AM to 10 PM.
Read more about our sign manufacturing and how the installation works.
Sign project questions
Still deciding? Call (818) 806-9006 or text a photo and ask.
How long does a sign project take?
Is the mockup really free?
Does my landlord have to approve the sign first?
Who files the permit and installs the sign?
What if I only need new faces on my existing sign?
What if my business is in Burbank, Glendale or Pasadena?
Can I see materials before I approve?
Step 1 takes a minute
Free: 1 mockup + 1 round of changes per location for business-sign requests. Extra rounds are billed. Or bring your logo to the shop, open daily 7 AM–10 PM.
8511 Lankershim Blvd, Sun Valley, CA 91352Open daily 7 AM to 10 PMGet directions