How many tenant panels can one sign carry?
Fewer than most owners want. Each tenant name needs letters sized for the road: USSC rules of thumb call for about 22-inch capital letters at 45 mph. Add the 60 percent open background USSC recommends, and a tall stack of small panels stops being readable.
Rank tenants by what drivers need. Anchors and destination tenants get large panels near the top. Smaller inline tenants may be better served by building signs and a directory near the entrance than by a panel too small to read.
Code area limits force the trade-off. If a sign is capped at a fixed square footage, every added panel shrinks the others.
Sources: United States Sign Council - Sign Legibility Rules of Thumb (2006)
What do sign codes allow for multi-tenant properties?
Rules vary, but common patterns include one freestanding sign per street frontage, extra sign area for each business, and extra signs at vehicle entrances. Spokane, for example, adds 25 square feet per additional business, up to 150 square feet, in some zones. Your code sets the actual numbers.
Two more examples show the range. Clemson, South Carolina limits signs for several businesses on one parcel to one per street frontage, eight feet tall, and half a square foot per foot of road frontage up to 120 square feet. The USSC model code allows shopping centers an additional freestanding sign at each vehicle entrance at 60 percent of the main sign's allowed area.
| Source | Number of freestanding signs | Size or height rule |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane, WA (Table 17C.240.230-1) | Tied to arterial frontage | Up to 25 sq ft more per extra business, 150 sq ft cap, in some zones |
| Clemson, SC (multi-business parcels) | One per street frontage | 8 ft tall; 1/2 sq ft per ft of frontage, 120 sq ft max |
| USSC model code (not law) | Additional sign at each vehicle entrance | Entrance signs at 60% of the allowed area |
Sources: City of Spokane, WA - Municipal Code 17C.240.230, Standards in the Commercial and Industrial Zones (one city's example); City of Clemson, SC - Code of Ordinances, sign standards (online page 505; one city's example); USSC Foundation - Model On-Premise Sign Code (a model, not law)
How should tenant panels be built for turnover?
Design the cabinet so one panel can be replaced without opening or rewiring the rest. Standardize panel sizes, face material and background color in the landlord's sign criteria. Keep a blank panel ready for vacancies so the sign never shows a torn or dark space.
Write the criteria once and hand it to every new tenant: panel dimensions, face material, allowed colors, logo rules and who fabricates. Lighted faces are often polycarbonate, which sign-sheet makers sell for impact resistance. Suntronix offers a limited warranty on qualifying Lexan lighted faces; vandalism is excluded and coverage is confirmed in the proposal.
Check whether panel changes need a permit. Some cities require one for any sign alteration or replacement.
Sources: GE Structured Products - Lexan SG305 Sheet for Signs, product data sheet; Panguitch City, UT - Signage Permit and sign requirements (one city's example)
Can a plaza share an LED message center among tenants?
Yes, and it can resolve panel-space fights, but it needs rules. Decide who controls the schedule, how time is divided, what content is allowed and who pays. Local codes may cap the display's share of the sign; Spokane limits it to half the allowed area or 48 square feet in some zones.
Put the scheduling rules in the lease or sign criteria. A shared display with no owner turns into a slideshow of expired offers. Suntronix includes on-site software training with every digital sign order; train the property manager, not only a tenant.
Who pays for plaza signs and tenant panels?
The lease decides. Settle who pays for the structure, the center name and the electrical service, who pays for each tenant panel, and who handles maintenance and panel removal at lease end. Put all of it in writing. National guides put pylon signs at $10,000 to $100,000 or more installed.
That range is a third-party national estimate, not Suntronix pricing. Reusing a sound existing structure with new cabinets or panels is often the cheaper path, provided the steel, footing and wiring pass inspection.
Sources: HomeGuide - How Much Does a Business Sign Cost? (Dec. 19, 2023); HomeAdvisor - How Much Does Commercial Sign Installation Cost? (updated June 20, 2026)
