You signed the lease, got the keys, and then received a PDF titled “Tenant Sign Criteria.” For most business owners in McKinney, Plano, and Frisco, that document reads like a foreign language. Understanding a sign criteria package from your landlord is the difference between a smooth sign approval and weeks of back-and-forth that delay your opening. This guide breaks down what these packages actually control, what they leave to you, and how to design a storefront sign that satisfies the property owner while still representing your brand.
What a Sign Criteria Package Actually Is
A sign criteria package is the landlord’s rulebook for tenant signage across a property. Shopping centers, office parks, and multi-tenant retail buildings use it to keep signage consistent so no single tenant’s sign overwhelms the others or clashes with the architecture. The document is a contractual extension of your lease, which means the rules inside it are enforceable even when they are stricter than city code.
Think of it as two sets of rules stacked on top of each other. The city of McKinney or Plano sets the legal minimum through its ordinance, and your landlord layers additional private restrictions on top. You have to satisfy both. When the two conflict, the stricter rule wins, and that is almost always the landlord’s.
The Sections That Control Your Sign
Most packages are organized into predictable sections. Knowing what each one governs helps you spot the constraints that matter before you spend money on design.
Sign Type and Construction
This section tells you whether you are allowed illuminated channel letters, a cabinet sign, dimensional letters, or something else. It often specifies construction details such as returns depth, whether raceways are permitted, and how the sign must be mounted to the fascia. If the package requires individually mounted channel letters, a box cabinet sign will be rejected no matter how good it looks.
Size and Placement
Landlords usually cap sign area based on your storefront width, commonly expressed as a ratio like one square foot of sign per linear foot of frontage. The package also defines the sign band, the horizontal zone on the facade where your sign must sit, along with maximum letter height and required clearances from lease lines and neighboring tenants.
Color, Font, and Illumination
Some packages are permissive here and only ask that colors be tasteful. Others are strict, dictating that all tenants use white illumination, a specific letter return color, or a limited palette. Premium centers sometimes require that your logo be reproduced exactly while restricting how much of your brand color can appear.
What the Package Leaves Open to You
Tenants often assume a sign criteria package removes all creative freedom. It rarely does. Most packages control the envelope, the size, type, and placement, while leaving the content inside that envelope to you. Your logo, your typography within any font rules, your exact brand colors within any palette limits, and the overall composition are usually yours to shape. A good sign company reads the package first, identifies the fixed constraints, and then designs the strongest possible sign inside them. There are almost always exterior sign options within sign criteria that still look distinctly like your business, and the same brand should carry through to the interior signs that represent your brand once customers step inside.
How to Work Within the Rules Without Losing Your Brand
Start by sending the full package to your sign partner before you commit to a design direction. Skipping this step is the most common cause of rejected sign drawings. An experienced fabricator will translate the criteria into a checklist and flag anything that limits your preferred concept early, while changes are still cheap.
When the criteria feel too restrictive, remember that most packages include a variance or approval process. Landlords will sometimes approve an exception for a well-designed sign, especially for an anchor tenant or a nationally recognized brand with established standards. Ask your property manager how to submit a variance request and what documentation they expect. Presenting a clean, professional rendering makes approval far more likely than a rough sketch.
Finally, confirm who submits the sign for landlord approval and who pulls the city permit. In many leases the tenant is responsible for both, and the landlord’s written sign approval must be secured before the permit application is even accepted.
Common Mistakes That Delay Approval
The costliest mistakes are avoidable. Ordering a sign before reading the criteria leads to fabricating something the landlord will never approve. Assuming city code is the only rule ignores the private restrictions that usually override it. Submitting incomplete drawings, without dimensions, mounting details, or a scaled elevation, gets kicked back for revisions. And missing the landlord’s required review window can push your install past your grand opening date.
Reading the package carefully up front protects your budget and your timeline. When you understand exactly what the landlord controls, you can plan a sign that clears approval on the first pass and still turns heads on the street.
The Approval and Permit Timeline
Most tenants underestimate how long sign approval takes, and that miscalculation is what pushes a sign install past a grand opening. The process runs in stages, and each stage has its own waiting period. First, your sign company designs a scaled drawing that matches the criteria. Then the landlord or their property manager reviews it, which can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on how responsive they are. Only after you have written landlord approval do you submit to the city for a permit, and municipal review in North Texas cities commonly adds one to three more weeks. Our overview of the sign permit process in McKinney breaks down what the city requires at each stage.
Stacked end to end, the safe planning window from design to installed sign is often six to eight weeks. If you are opening a new location, start the sign conversation the moment your lease is signed, not after the space is built out. Fabrication itself, once permits are in hand, adds more time because illuminated signs are custom-made to order.
Questions to Ask Your Landlord Before You Design
A short conversation with your property manager removes most of the guesswork. Ask whether the criteria package they sent is the current version, since older packages sometimes circulate. Ask who has final approval authority and how they prefer to receive drawings. Ask whether any variances have been granted to neighboring tenants, because an existing exception can set a precedent for your request. And confirm the deadline: some leases require your sign to be installed within a set number of days after you take occupancy, and missing that window can put you in default.
Getting these answers in writing protects you if there is a disagreement later. It also signals to the landlord that you are a serious, organized tenant, which tends to make the approval process smoother from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions About Landlord Sign Criteria
Is a sign criteria package the same as a sign permit?
No. A sign criteria package is a private set of rules from your landlord, while a sign permit is a legal approval issued by the city. You typically need landlord approval under the criteria package first, and then you apply for the municipal permit. Both must be satisfied before installation.
Can a landlord’s sign criteria be stricter than city code?
Yes, and it usually is. Landlord criteria are private contractual restrictions layered on top of city ordinances. When the two conflict, the stricter rule applies, which is almost always the landlord’s.
What happens if I install a sign that violates the criteria?
The landlord can require you to remove or modify the sign at your own expense, and repeated violations can create a lease compliance issue. This is why landlord approval should always come before fabrication.
Can I request an exception to the sign criteria?
Often yes. Most packages include a variance or special approval process. Submitting a professional rendering and a clear rationale improves your odds, especially for anchor tenants or established brands.
