Do You Need an Outdoor Advertisement Permit to Put Up a Shop Sign? An Administrative Scrivener Organises the Act and the Ordinances

In short: a shop sign may require a permit to display an outdoor advertisement, depending on its location and size. Outdoor-advertisement regulation is framed by the Outdoor Advertisement Act (Act No. 189 of 1949), while the actual prohibited areas, permit areas, size and height standards, and permit validity are set by the outdoor-advertisement ordinances of each prefecture, ordinance-designated city and so on. Article 3 of the Act lets a prefecture prohibit display and installation in designated areas or on designated objects by ordinance for good landscape/scenic preservation or to prevent public danger; Article 4 lets it require the prefectural governor's permit and impose other necessary restrictions by ordinance; and Article 5 lets it set, by ordinance, standards for the shape, area, colour, design and other methods of display. The sign-installing advertising business is subject to the registration of the outdoor advertising business set up by ordinance under Articles 9 and 10, including the appointment of a business manager at each office. This article is general information and does not make the final judgment on whether a given sign needs a permit or meets the standards. The administrative scrivener of the Yotsuba group handles, as an independent business, support for the permit application to display an outdoor advertisement and the registration application for the outdoor advertising business. Building confirmation and structural safety as a structure of a certain scale are for an architect; the making and installation of the sign are for a sign-installation contractor; and finding the shop premises or tenancy is for our company, a real-estate agent that is a separate business; each is contracted separately. Our office receives no referral fee from any professional.

Which signs need an outdoor-advertisement permit?

An outdoor advertisement is something displayed outdoors to the public, continuously or for a certain period, such as a signboard, standing sign, poster or placard, and an advertising tower, advertising board, or one mounted on or displayed on a building or other structure (Article 2(1) of the Outdoor Advertisement Act). A shop's wall sign, projecting sign, free-standing sign, banner, or standing sign at the storefront can all be outdoor advertisements. Whether a permit is needed depends on the location (which area) and the size/height, and the specifics follow the ordinance that governs the place.

Example of a sign	Is it an outdoor advertisement?	Rough guide to the permit
Wall sign / projecting sign	Yes	A permit is often needed depending on location and size
Free-standing sign / advertising tower	Yes	The larger the height/area, the more likely a permit is needed
Banner / storefront standing sign	Yes	The ordinance may treat it as a simple advertisement with its own rules
A display facing inside the shop	Often not, as it is not displayed outdoors to the public	Check the ordinance

Even a "self-use advertisement" showing your own shop's name or business is not automatically outside the regulation. Some areas set an exemption up to a certain area by ordinance, but the standards differ by area. It is a separate system from other shop-opening filings (for a restaurant, for example, the restaurant business permit and facility standards), so a sign must be checked as a sign. For how it proceeds, see our Engagement Flow.

What are the prohibited/permit areas and the size and height standards?

The Act frames by ordinance a division of areas and places into "prohibited" and "permit (restricted)". Article 3 lets a prefecture set by ordinance the areas and places where display/installation is prohibited for good landscape/scenic preservation (paragraph 1), the prohibition of display on objects such as bridges, street trees, statues and monuments (paragraph 2), and prohibition where necessary to prevent public danger (paragraph 3). Article 4 lets it require the governor's permit and impose other restrictions for areas other than prohibited ones, and Article 5 lets it set, by ordinance, standards for the shape, area, colour, design and other display methods and for the shape and other installation methods of mounting objects.

Article of the Act	What the ordinance may set
Article 3	Prohibited areas/places, prohibited objects (bridges, street trees, etc.), prohibition to prevent danger
Article 4	Areas requiring a permit, the governor's permit and other restrictions
Article 5	Standards for size (area), height, shape, colour, design and other display methods
Article 7	Orders to stop display/installation of violating advertisements, removal and other necessary measures

So specific numerical standards such as "up to how many square metres" or "up to how many metres above ground", and which use-zones fall under prohibition or permit, are not uniform nationwide; you must check the outdoor-advertisement ordinance governing the installation site directly. In landscape districts under the Landscape Act, and around cultural properties or in natural parks, the treatment can be stricter. Because judging conformity to the standards involves reading the ordinance, an administrative scrivener assists within the scope of application support. A guide to our fees is set separately in our Fee Schedule.

Where do you apply, and what about validity and renewal?

The application goes to the prefecture, ordinance-designated city, core city, or landscape-administration body that governs the installation site, and the window, forms, attachments (location map, drawings, design drawings, documents on structure or strength, etc.), validity period and renewal treatment are set by ordinance. A permit has a validity period, and to keep displaying after it expires a renewal permit is generally required, but the length differs by ordinance.

Item to check	Approach
Where to apply	The prefecture / ordinance-designated city / core city / landscape-administration body governing the site
Attachments	Location map, vicinity map, design drawing, dimensions, documents on structure or strength, etc. (as specified by ordinance)
Validity	The period set by ordinance (differs by area); continuing after expiry often needs a renewal permit
Change / removal	Filings and procedures for changing content or removing are also set by ordinance

Because the specific number of years of validity and the fee amount differ by ordinance, this article does not give a uniform figure. It is surest to check the ordinance and the latest practice for the planned site just before writing (our policy is not to write unverified figures). Drafting and submitting the permit application to display an outdoor advertisement is supported by an administrative scrivener as the preparation of, and procedure for, documents submitted to public offices, but the final judgment on whether to grant a permit is made by the permitting authority (the administrative agency). See also our Services guidance.

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What is the "registration of the outdoor advertising business" needed by the installer?

The outdoor advertising business is the business of displaying outdoor advertisements or installing the objects on which they are mounted (Article 2(2) of the Outdoor Advertisement Act). A prefecture may, by ordinance, set up a registration system requiring a person who intends to run an outdoor advertising business to be registered with the governor (Article 9). That ordinance is to set the validity period of the registration, the registration requirements, the appointment of a business manager, and revocation of registration or business suspension (Article 10(1)), with standards such as a validity period of five years and the appointment of a business manager at each office (Article 10(2)). A sign-installation contractor who makes and installs signs as a business is subject to this registration.

Position	Procedure that may be needed
The shop/business putting up a sign	Permit to display the outdoor advertisement (ordinance under Article 4)
The advertising business making/installing the sign	Registration of the outdoor advertising business (ordinance under Articles 9 and 10)
Each office of the registered business	Appointment of a business manager (from course-completers, exam-passers, etc.)

The shop side's "display permit" and the installer side's "registration of the outdoor advertising business" are separate procedures. Even when outsourcing the sign, the display permit generally involves the person who displays the advertisement (the shop side), so organising who needs which procedure before proceeding reduces mix-ups. An administrative scrivener also supports the registration application and matters relating to the business manager. The businesses involved each contract as an independent business, separately, and our office receives no referral fee from any professional.

FAQ

Q. Do I need a permit even for a sign that just shows my shop's name?
A. It depends on the location and size. Even a self-use advertisement showing your shop's name or business needs a permit if it is in a permit area under an ordinance based on Article 4 of the Outdoor Advertisement Act and exceeds the size set by ordinance. Some areas exempt up to a certain area, but the standards differ by area, so check the outdoor-advertisement ordinance governing the site.

Q. Are banners and storefront standing signs also regulated?
A. Banners and standing signs can be outdoor advertisements (Article 2(1) of the Outdoor Advertisement Act). Posters, placards and standing signs may be restricted by ordinance as simple advertisements as to method and place, and violating items can be removed (Article 7). Where placed on a pavement or road, separate rules such as road-occupancy apply, so check the site's ordinance and the manager's treatment.

Q. If I ask a contractor to install the sign, will the contractor also handle the permit?
A. Not necessarily. The "display permit" borne by the shop side (ordinance under Article 4) and the "registration of the outdoor advertising business" borne by the installer (ordinance under Articles 9 and 10) are separate procedures. The display permit involves the person who displays the advertisement, so organising who handles which procedure before the contract is safe. Support for drafting and submitting the application is done by an administrative scrivener as an independent business.

Q. What happens if I put up a sign without a permit?
A. For an advertisement violating an ordinance, the prefectural governor and others may order the display/installation to stop, or set a reasonable period and order removal or other necessary measures (Article 7 of the Outdoor Advertisement Act). Simple violating items may be subject to immediate removal. Penalties such as a non-penal fine may be set by ordinance, so we recommend checking whether a permit is needed before installing.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search / "Outdoor Advertisement Act" (Act No. 189 of 1949), Article 2 (definitions of outdoor advertisement and outdoor advertising business), Article 3 (prohibition of display etc. set by prefectural ordinance = prohibited areas, prohibited objects, prohibition to prevent danger), Article 4 (requiring the governor's permit and other necessary restrictions), Article 5 (standards for shape, area, colour, design and other display methods, etc.), Article 7 (measures against violations = stop orders, removal and other necessary measures), Article 9 (a prefecture may set up a registration system for the outdoor advertising business by ordinance), Article 10 (matters set by ordinance = validity period, registration requirements, appointment of a business manager, revocation/suspension, and as standards a five-year validity and a business manager at each office) (accessed 2026-10-18)
• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, "Overview of the Outdoor Advertisement System" (outdoor-advertisement ordinances are set by prefectures, designated cities, core cities and landscape-administration bodies based on Articles 3 to 5 of the Act; the idea of prohibited areas, permit areas and display-method standards) (accessed 2026-10-18)
• The outdoor-advertisement ordinances of each prefecture and city (designation of prohibited/permit areas, standards for size, height and colour, validity/renewal/fee of the permit, details of the registration of the outdoor advertising business). Because specific figures, periods and fees are set by the ordinance governing the installation site, this article gives no uniform figure (check the site's ordinance just before writing) (accessed 2026-10-18)

This article is general information and does not make the final judgment on whether a given sign needs a permit, meets the ordinance standards, or which procedure is required. Outdoor-advertisement regulation is framed by the Outdoor Advertisement Act, while the prohibited areas, permit areas, size and height standards, and permit validity are set by the outdoor-advertisement ordinances of each prefecture and city. Support for the permit application to display an outdoor advertisement and the registration application for the outdoor advertising business is handled by the administrative scrivener of the Yotsuba group as an independent business; building confirmation and structural safety as a structure of a certain scale are by an architect; the making and installation of the sign are by a sign-installation contractor; and finding the shop premises or tenancy is by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd., a separate business, each contracted separately. Our office receives no referral fee. The final judgment on whether to grant a permit or on conformity to the standards is made by the permitting authority (the administrative agency). Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.