Apply for a pole banner, seasonal decorations, flower baskets or a road banner.
A banner is a temporary sign that is suspended on, across or along a street, or a flag of non-rigid material that is suspended from a rigid arm fixed to a pole or utility pole in accordance with City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 743, Use of Streets and Sidewalks.
You can also apply for a pole banner, seasonal decorations, flower baskets or a road banner permit in-person by completing the Banner Application Form.
Anyone can apply to install banners on street poles.
Once you decide to display street banners on utility poles, you have to contact Toronto Hydro and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) directly for permission to use the poles at least 90 days prior to the date of the event. Once written approval is received from Toronto Hydro and TTC, the applicant must contact the City at least eight weeks prior to the date of the event for the permit to install the banners on the poles.
Applications are subject to a non-refundable processing fee which must be paid when submitting the application and are valid for a maximum period of 60 days.
You can pay the permit fee by cash or cheque or money order payable to the Treasurer, City of Toronto. We also accept Debit, Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
Install a banner sign over or across a street:
| Description | Banner Category Definition | Example | Application Fee | Permit Fee | Hoisting Fee* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Application for the permission to install a banner sign over or across a street (all requests) (max 180 days) | Any request to install a Banner Sign Over or Across a Street | $118.61 + HST | ||
| Charitable organization – No sponsorship |
Permission to install a banner sign over or across a street for charitable – no sponsorship (per pole) (max 60 days) | Promotes charitable, community, philanthropic or other public events |
$118.61 + HST | No Fee | $65.18 + HST per permit issued |
| Charitable organization – With sponsorship | Permission to install a banner sign over or across a street- charitable with sponsorship (per pole) (max 60 days) | Promotes charitable, community, philanthropic or other public events | $118.61 + HST | $9.53 + HST per pole | $65.18 + HST per permit issued |
| Non-charitable | Permission to install a banner sign over or across a street – Non charitable (per pole) (max 60 days) | Are unique to Toronto; are government owned/ sponsored; major destination and attraction; minimum annual attendance 40,000 people | $118.61 + HST | $19.75 + HST per pole | $65.18 + HST per permit issued |
* Permission to hoist a banner sign. Any request to install a Banner Sign Over or Across a Street.
Install a banner on the public right of way within the BIA designated area
| Description | Banner Category Definition | Application Fee | Permit Fee | Hoisting Fee* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Permission to install a banner on the public right of way within the BIA designated area (max 180 days) | $118.61 + HST | ||
| BIA Banner – within BIA boundary, no sponsorship | To permit the Installation of banners within BIA designated area and no sponsor is noted on the banners (per pole) (max 1 year) | $118.61 + HST | No Fee | No Fee |
| BIA Banner – within BIA boundary, with sponsorship | Permission to install banners within BIA’s designated area with sponsor shown on banner (per pole) (max 60 days) | $118.61 + HST | $9.91 + HST per pole | No Fee |
| BIA Banner – outside BIA boundary | Permission to install banners outside BIA’s designated area (per pole) (max 60 days) | $118.61 + HST | $19.75 + HST per pole | No Fee |
* Permission to hoist banners outside BIA’s designated area (BIA only). BIA’s do NOT pay this fee.
All fees are subject to an annual inflationary increase based on the City’s User Fee Policy and change without prior notice.
If the City grants permission for the banner installation, the applicant will be responsible for costs associated in carrying out the following items.
The following information is required in order for the application to be considered:
You may be refused a permit if the location requested has already been assigned to someone else or the poles requested are not suitable for the installation of banners.