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A banner permit lets you hang temporary banners on City-owned poles to promote City-sponsored events or highlight San Francisco's neighborhoods. Most banners go on streetlight poles that don't carry utility wires. Article 5.7 Section 184.78 (PWC) 

New Banner Bracket Requirements (see Letter)
 

APPLICATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS

  1.  Requests to install vertical banners on City-owned utility poles shall include the following:
    • A Banner Permit Application stating the name of the applicant, the name and address of the organization requesting the permit, streets and number of poles to be used, the name and date(s) of the event, date(s) of banner installation and removal, size, design (or logo) and description of hardware and material of banner, and method of attachment to the pole(s). See Public Works Order 175,208.
    • Banners cannot be drilled into poles. You must use temporary breakaway hardware to attach your banners to the poles. 
    • A fully dimensioned plan indicating street name(s), location of poles, size, detail and design/logo of banner.
    • A Certificate of Insurance naming the City and County of San Francisco as additional insured, with general liability coverage of not less than $2 million.
    • A processing fee, payable to San Francisco Public Works. Fee Schedule
    • The applicant is responsible for finding a vendor that will design, maintain and install banners.
  2. If the application meets all design guidelines, we will issue a permit.
 
Public Works does not install, maintain, or produce banners. You will need to work with an outside vendor for those services.

 

GUIDELINES FOR APPROVAL

  1. Any non-profit, cultural, promotional or civic organization located in San Francisco may submit a request to install vertical banners.  
  2. Request for banners may be made either for all poles within a specific district or for selected poles within a district. The applicant shall be responsible for determining whether a pole is under the jurisdiction of Bureau of Light, Heat and Power, MUNI and/or PG&E.  
  3. Banners may advertise an event and shall not advertise any business or product.  
  4. Standard banner dimensions shall not exceed 36 inches in width by 72 inches in length. See Figure One below.
  5. Banners exceeding 18 inches in width and 36 inch in height or the cumulative surface area of all signs and banners on a pole exceed 15 square feet shall utilize appropriate collapsible and flexible brackets in order to be collapsible and flexible.
  6. The top bracket of the banner shall be a minimum of 2 feet below a riser or guy wire; such as, on MUNI poles. See Figure Two below.
  7. The bottom bracket of the banner shall be at a minimum height of 14 feet from the street level and 12 feet from the sidewalk level. See Figure Three below.
  8. Applicants will be restricted to their logo or company name only in the bottom 15 percent of the banner and shall not include any advertisement or slogan. See Figure One below.
  9. The banner shall not obstruct in any way the public's view of traffic signals, street signs or any other City approved sign.
  10. The banner shall not be hung in any manner from the arm of the pole.  
  11. Banners shall not be installed on lamp posts on Market Street's "Path of Gold" located at 1 thru 2470 Market Street; Market Street between Steuart and Castro Streets. Article 5.7, Section 184.78(f) PWC.
  12. Banners may be installed up to 30 days before an event and must be removed no later than 10 days after the event or promotion.

 

BANNER MANUFACTURER COMPANIES

This list is provided for the convenience of the recipient only; no recommendation is inferred or implied. The following is a sample listing of a few manufacturers that have compliant collapsible banner brackets. Referral to this list does not constitute an endorsement by the City or its personnel, and the user is encouraged to find other vendors, whether listed here or elsewhere, that meet City standards.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information or clarification on any of the permit requirements, please contact us at:
San Francisco Public Works • Permits
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 300 • San Francisco, CA 94103 
Email:  PublicWorksPermits@sfdpw.org Phone : (628) 271-2000

San Francisco Public Works • Permit Center 
49 South Van Ness Avenue, Suite 200 • San Francisco, CA 94103 • Map

Processing Hours:
• Please visit https://sf.gov/location/permit-center for operating hours of the Permit Center. 
• Closed on official holidays