Signage.com Research · The Fee Gap
Fee Gap Study: Sources, Calculations and Evidence
Check the project assumptions, labeled amounts, city findings and limitations behind the 20-city review.
In this study, “the fee gap” means the uncertainty that remains when a posted fee does not establish the complete government permit charges for the specified sign.
The study comprises seven documented conditions, four other outcomes and nine exclusions. Chicago and Charlotte are among the seven conditions and also have qualified monetary observations. No city was contacted; this was a review of official public records.
Official-source links below identify the sources used by the study. Live pages can change after their recorded access dates. A published figure should be read together with its amount label, applicability and date.
Follow a finding back to its sources
- Find the city. Open its record below or the 20-city ledger (CSV) for its outcome, qualifications and source dates. Exclusions remain visible.
- Check the calculation. The amount breakdowns and calculation components (CSV) show what each published figure includes. Keep the amount label and any unresolved charges with the figure.
- Check the basis. Follow the named official sources and their IDs in the source index (CSV), then compare the scenario and methodology. Live official pages can differ from the dated record.
For a question about a dated capture or supporting record, contact the research team.
Reconstruct the published amounts
Philadelphia
$525.50
- Accessory-sign zoning permit: $253.00
- Accessory-sign building permit: $253.00
- City + State surcharges: $7.50
- Record retention: 3 × $4: $12.00
Assumes three 24×36 building-plan sheets.
Official sources: Building permit to install signs · Zoning permit for signs
San Diego
$1,543.11
- Plan check: one non-electric wall sign: $793.95
- General Plan Maintenance: $737.00
- Mapping: $12.16
Additional hourly fees may apply for work not covered by the schedule.
Official sources: Information Bulletin 111 · Information Bulletin 501
Phoenix
$293.00
- Published minimum: $293.00
Can increase with additional review time.
Official sources: PDD Fee Schedule
Chicago
$250.00
- Sign permit — one face under 50 sq ft: $50.00
- On-premises zoning fee: $200.00
Footnote c points to an additional factor-based calculation; $250 is not represented as an all-in guarantee.
Official sources: Table 14A-12-1204.2 Stand-alone permit fees · Zoning Ordinance §17-13-0103
Charlotte
$240.00
- FY2027 Residential schedule — Zoning Use Permit Tier 3: Sign: $240.00
$240 is the City fee row; applicability to the locked commercial case and additional routing remain unresolved.
Official sources: FY2027 Residential Zoning Fee Schedule
Austin
No sign permit
The captured exemption applies to the specified scenario. This is not a $0 fee result.
The complete city record
Population order follows the frozen U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 incorporated-place frame. Choose a city below, then open its record for the outcome, qualifications, sources and recorded access dates.
New York City
The $165 records-management fee is one verified component. The separate sign-filing formula and the study-window code-path record do not support one all-in total. The study-window prior-code election remains part of the dated record; its enacted repeal takes effect July 17, 2027.
Interpretation: One $165 component is verified; a complete permit total is not established.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Sign Permit Requirements (SRC-010)
- Administrative Code Table 28-112.2 (SRC-011)
- 1 RCNY 101-03 (SRC-012)
Los Angeles
The dated calculator capture and state/code materials produced a documented official-source conflict. The study preserves the dated observation and withholds both a defect allegation and a fixed total.
Interpretation: The dated official-source conflict is retained; no defect allegation or fixed total is made.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- LAMC §91.107 (SRC-013)
Chicago
The sign row publishes $50 per face and zoning publishes $200 for an on-premises sign; 2026 permit records repeatedly report $250, including a 32-sq-ft non-illuminated wall sign. Footnote c still points to an additional factor-based permit calculation.
Interpretation: $250 is a published/observed standard. The enacted footnote issue remains unresolved.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Table 14A-12-1204.2 Stand-alone permit fees (SRC-004)
- Zoning Ordinance §17-13-0103 (SRC-005)
- 14A-12-1204.2.1 Annual increase (SRC-006)
Houston
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Phoenix
The retained official schedule supports a $293 minimum. Additional review time can increase the charge.
Interpretation: Minimum only; additional review time may increase the charge.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- PDD Fee Schedule (SRC-014)
Philadelphia
The retained receipts support $253 zoning + $253 building + $3 City surcharge + $4.50 State surcharge + $12 record retention for three frozen 24×36 plan sheets.
Interpretation: Fixed scenario calculation assuming three 24×36 plan sheets.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Building permit to install signs (SRC-015)
- Zoning permit for signs (SRC-016)
San Antonio
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
San Diego
The retained receipts support $793.95 plan check + $737 General Plan Maintenance + $12.16 mapping for one non-electric wall sign.
Interpretation: Dated published fee stack; additional hourly fees may apply.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Information Bulletin 111 (SRC-017)
- Information Bulletin 501 (SRC-018)
Dallas
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Fort Worth
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Jacksonville
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Austin
The captured exemption applies to the locked scenario.
Interpretation: No sign permit for this scenario; this is not a $0 fee result.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Sign permits (SRC-019)
San José
The retained official record contains Planning and Building sign charges, but Building amounts function as staff-time-or-table floors and the exact Planning-plus-Building stack remains unproven.
Interpretation: Published Planning and Building charges do not establish one complete amount.
Sources in the downloadable index:
Charlotte
The FY2027 Residential Zoning Fee Schedule publishes a $240 Tier 3 Sign row. Because the locked case is a commercial storefront and its anchorage remains outside the captured prescriptive standard, schedule applicability, alternate-method or County routing, and any additional fees remain unresolved.
Interpretation: $240 is a published Residential-schedule row. Commercial applicability and other routing remain unresolved.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- FY2027 Residential Zoning Fee Schedule (SRC-003)
Columbus
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Indianapolis balance
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
San Francisco
Current fixed lines were captured, but the operative Planning rate and other mandatory current components were not resolved from official records for the study window.
Interpretation: No total is established for the study window.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Planning application fee schedule (SRC-021)
Seattle
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Denver
The preserved record did not meet the frozen evidence threshold for a quantitative or documented-condition claim.
Interpretation: The study record did not meet its evidence threshold; no substantive city finding is made.
Nashville–Davidson balance
Performance-based attachment review remains project-specific, and the legally required July 1 adjusted rate was not located in the reviewed official record.
Interpretation: No total is established for the study window.
Sources in the downloadable index:
- Building Permit Fee Schedule (SRC-022)
The specified sign and installation
- Sign face
- 8 ft wide × 4 ft tall = 32 sq ft; one permanent, on-premises business-identification wall sign; one face; non-electric and non-illuminated.
- Weight and assembly
- Maximum 40 lb; a 2-inch-thick assembly with the frozen 2-inch trim geometry.
- Mounting elevations
- Bottom at 10 ft and top at 14 ft above grade; flush and parallel to the existing wall; entirely on private property.
- Wall and attachment
- Fully grouted concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall; eight 1/4-inch anchors with 1.5-inch embedment; no new structural framing.
- Property assumptions
- Existing lawful one-story commercial storefront; ordinary commercial zoning; no change of use, unrelated construction, special overlay or right-of-way projection.
- Filing assumptions
- $5,000 declared value where required; three 24×36 building-plan sheets; licensed contractor; ordinary on-time filing and surcharge-free payment.
Included: mandatory government charges for the initial authorization, including applicable sign, zoning, building, application, plan-review and ordinary inspection charges, plus required permit-linked surcharges and assessments.
Excluded: electrical work, special overlays, variances, right-of-way use, new structural framing, unrelated construction, penalties, reinspection, expedited service, renewals, refundable deposits, optional payment charges, and professional, engineering, fabrication, installation or contractor costs.
Method and interpretation
The same hypothetical project, initial-authorization boundary and population frame are used across the study. The fixed specification makes the comparison explicit; it is not a claim that every real storefront uses this configuration. The full scenario is recorded in the methodology download.
Source identities, dates, component calculations, exclusions and disagreements were retained in the study record. Findings that did not meet its evidence threshold were excluded. The seven documented conditions include different questions about applicability, fee components, minimums, official-source conflicts and operative rates; they are not seven interchangeable claims about municipal performance.
How the review was conducted: Official public records were used to compile the first-pass findings. Later reviews were informed by the existing record; disagreements, amendments and corrections were logged. An additional review in a separate context identified the dimensional-label inconsistency corrected in this edition. This process was not blind independent replication. No city was contacted.
Commercial interest: Signage.com operates in the commercial signage market and has a commercial interest in the subject. That relationship did not change the study's evidence hierarchy, correction rules or publication exclusions.
Download the research data
Download the research data package (ZIP)
File integrity (SHA-256)
Research-data ZIP: cef00ad47f5c83f35bda9629dd23d59bcd10bad04cd987c2f240fe59af1c6c5a
Archived baseline workbook (August 21, 2026), reference SHA-256: 581e2444d9a03a81743fe0d6c8dee05fc5a841732e56b456f74a128dc416e9e0
Compare the ZIP checksum with your downloaded file to confirm it matches this edition. The baseline reference identifies the archived starting record.
Referencing this study
Signage.com Research. One Storefront Sign, 20 Cities: Why a Posted Permit Fee May Not Be the Whole Permit Cost. September 4, 2026 edition; research window: August 2026.
Keep each amount’s label, applicability and caveat beside it. These findings concern one specified hypothetical project. They do not establish a national fee estimate, a city fee ranking or what businesses actually paid.
Limitations and edition history
The findings describe the specified hypothetical project and the sources examined during the study window. The seven conditions have different causes and should not be treated as seven identical municipal defects. Excluded records do not establish a city-level finding.
This study does not measure processing time, approval probability, enforcement, service quality, policy merit, installed project cost or the economic effect of municipal rules. Different project facts, approval routes and later municipal updates can change the result.
September 5, 2026 presentation update: the opening summary was clarified and city-source links, citation guidance and navigation were expanded. The study’s scenario, amounts, city classifications and qualifications are unchanged.
September 5, 2026 clarification: a definition of “the fee gap” was added. The study’s scenario, amounts, city classifications and qualifications are unchanged.
September 4, 2026 correction: the workbook's width and height labels were corrected to 8 ft wide × 4 ft tall, consistent with the 10-to-14-ft mounting band. The 32-sq-ft area, 40-lb limit, reported amounts and city classifications are unchanged.
August 27, 2026: Charlotte's $240 published row and Chicago's $250 published/observed standard were added with their applicability and completeness caveats. The retained frozen record is dated August 21, 2026.
A correction to a source, amount, arithmetic step or classification will be reflected in the affected city ledger, pages, downloads and dated correction record.
Questions about a source, calculation or correction can be directed to:
Research contact: Michael Santiago · Signage.com Research · info@signage.com