Commercial sign permits in the Town of Jasper

A commercial sign means any publicly displayed notice which advertises businesses, products, goods, or services. No commercial signs are permitted in the residential districts in the townsite, with the exception of private home accommodation signs (see the private home accommodation webpage).

Sign permits for Outlying Commercial Accommodations and Hostels can be found on the outlying commercial accommodation webpage. For all other sign permits for out of town commercial properties, please contact the development office at jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca for requirements and application process.”

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Do I need a permit to install a commercial sign?

Yes, a Parks Canada Sign Permit is required to ensure conformance with the requirements listed in the National Parks Sign Regulations and the Architectural Motif Guidelines for the Town of Jasper (PDF, 2.93 MB). The Architectural Motif is a great visual resource with Signage specific sections 3.3.1.5 for Town Centre and 3.4.1.5 for the Tourist Commercial District.

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Are there commercial signs that do not require a Sign Permit?

There are a few situations that do not require sign permits including: signs located within a building, with a minimum distance of 30 cm from a window; temporary signage and posters advertising special sales and announcements are restricted to 10% of window area; and special event temporary signs located on public lands (not sidewalks) are permitted with the permission of the Municipality of Jasper.

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What types of signs are permitted in the Commercial District (C1)?

In the commercial district each business may have one (1) sign affixed to the facade facing the street and one (1) hanging sign perpendicular to the façade meant to capture the attention of sidewalk pedestrians. Signs are not permitted on the side of a building unless the side wall faces a street.

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Are there signs that are expressly not permitted on commercial sites?

Temporary trailer-mounted signs, large balloon signs, temporary banners, free-standing signs, sandwich-board signs and “third party” (off-site) signs are not permitted on commercial sites.

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What should the sign look like?

Signs reflect Jasper’s Mountain Architecture character with a rustic appearance and crafted from wood with the following characteristics:

• Sandblasted or carved wood signs, either painted or stained;
• Incorporating a hand-crafted appearance and use of colour (any colour is acceptable, except for day-glo / neon colors);
• Sign letters shall: appear individually cut-out letters in silhouette on solid opaque backing (such as painted or stained wood); either be affixed to the natural wall surface or painted on the sign standard;
• Supports are to be of heavy timber / log or wrought iron; and
• Lighting of signs must be external to the sign, directed at the sign not emanating from within.

The following is not acceptable: vinyl letters on clear or translucent plexiglass or coroplast backing; clear anodized aluminum backing or cabinet construction; back-lit signage (including fabric canopies or awnings); any reflective material; any form of neon lighting; flashing or animated signs.

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What are the requirements for sign affixed to the building face?

Signage on the exterior of buildings must be integrally designed into the building façade. Signs should not arbitrarily overlap window openings, columns, or other architectural elements of the façade, and appear to be centered with respect to the width of the frontage of the building upon which it is erected. The length of the sign shall not exceed 80 per cent of that business frontage. The entire building façade should not exceed one (1) sign affixed to the façade facing the street per 7.6 m of building frontage onto a street.

Signs affixed to a building façade facing the street shall have a maximum lettering height of 0.6 m in height and shall have a maximum sign area of 1.3 m² if mounted on first storey or 0.8 m² if mounted on second storey. Signs are not permitted on a third storey or above a roof or eave line.

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What are the requirements for a hanging sign?

Hanging signs have the following requirements:

• Maximum sign area of 0.8 m²;
• Maximum lettering height of 0.6 m;
• Maximum projection of 1.8 m measured horizontally from the wall of any building;
• Minimum clearance of 2.75 m above a public thoroughfare; and
• Cannot be attached to, or hang from, any other sign.

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Can a hotel / motel / bungalow camp within the townsite erect an entry sign?

Yes, in addition to a sign mounted on the building façade facing the street, motels and hotels located in the Tourist Commercial District (C2) may have a freestanding entry sign located within the front setback.

The entry sign should be “rooted” to the ground with rock or stone bases with the same rustic appearance, crafted from wood, sign material and colour characteristics as noted above. The entry sign lettering is limited to the 0.6 m² maximum height, but unlike the other town signage the maximum area of 1.3 m² pertains to the area enclosed by a rectangle on the sign in which the width is the distance from the top of the letters of the first line to the bottom of the letters in the lowest line and the length is the length of the longest line in the sign measured from the outer edges of the first and last letters in such line. A vacancy / no vacancy sign not exceeding 10 cm in height by 45 cm in length may be attached to the entry sign.

The sign light source should be external to the sign itself and directed onto the sign (not backlit). Avoid mounting light sources in a way that causes glare for pedestrians or motorists. Lighting intensity levels should be the minimum required for safe and legible reading of the sign. As a guide use not more than 500 lux 50 watts / m². As for lighting in general, lamps should approximate the color hue of incandescent lamps.

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Can a service station within the town have an entry sign?

Yes, in addition to one (1) sign affixed to the building façade facing the street and one (1) canopy sign a gas station may also have an entry style sign with the same specifications (style, size, and lighting) as the entry sign for a hotel / motel / bungalow camp stated above. The entry sign may only advertise the brand of gasoline sold. No person shall erect any outside sign advertising any brand of product except a brand of gasoline.

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Can I have a sign on my canopy or awning?

Canopies (fixed structures) and awnings (operable shading devices) should function primarily as protection from sun and weather over windows and doors. As a secondary purpose, signage is limited only to the 0.3 m bottom edge and considered to be the equivalent of one (1) sign affixed to the building façade facing the street. Both canopies and awnings may not exceed 1.8 m in width perpendicular to the building façade over a public sidewalk. The minimum height from sidewalk to the bottom of a canopy or awning is 2.75 m and an awning is 2.4 m with neither supported by pillars, posts, or brackets below these minimums. Regardless of whether a canopy / awning has signage it requires the same permitting process as a sign stated below.

Shed or concave canopy / awning styles are acceptable; whereas, arched, bullnose, or quarter round styles are not permitted architectural forms for Jasper as they have no historical precedent or roots as a local form.

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What do I need to submit for a Sign Permit?

A Sign Permit Application Submission Package must include:

1. Sign permit application – To apply, please sign and submit Development Application (no building permit required) (PDF, 181 KB) and include the address, the lessee’s name, the applicant name, and contact information.
2. Sign submission checklist – Use the Sign Permit Checklist (PDF, 154 KB) to ensure all required information, and application fee, is included for a sign permit. This checklist must be included with your submission package.
3. Written narrative - Paragraph must describe your proposed sign and photos of the existing area the sign is to be located. This will provide the development office with an explanation of your project and will also provide a visual illustration.
4. Sign plan – A dimensioned (in metres) and scaled sign plan detailing:
   
   • Sign and lettering dimensions;
   • Sign materials; and
   • Sign and letter colours and finishing.
5. Elevation plan – Sign demonstrated on building façade and / or hanging sign demonstrated perpendicular to façade including:
   
   • elevation from sidewalk to the bottom of the sign;
   • sign dimensions;
   • distances from other signs;
   • building façade width; and
   • building façade doors and windows.

Please submit the above to the Jasper Development Office at: jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca.

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How do I obtain a completion certificate?

After construction is complete, a compliance site inspection will be conducted to confirm that it was erected in accordance with the approved sign permit. Once all the permit conditions have been met, a Certificate of Completion is issued to close out the project. Contact the Parks Canada Compliance Officer at jaspercompliance@pc.gc.ca for a final inspection.

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