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Cart Checkout TR@StorefrontSignOnline.comState guide
Michigan businesses can price custom LED channel letters online, have them built in Washington and California, and receive them ready for a licensed Michigan sign installer. Banners and window graphics are made in Renton, WA.
Last reviewed against the official sources linked on this page.
What we ship
Michigan has a state license just for sign electrical work. Under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) issues a sign specialist license to people with at least 4,000 hours, over at least two years, of experience making, installing, maintaining, connecting or repairing electric signs and their wiring. Licensed master, journeyman and apprentice electricians can do the same work without it.
Some cities add their own layer. In Detroit, only sign professionals holding a current City of Detroit Sign License can apply for a sign permit.
Built in Washington and California
Michigan is one of the few states with a license just for sign electrical work, the LARA sign specialist license, so ask your installer for that license or an electrician’s license.
Starting at $9.68 per inch
Made in Renton, WA
Detroit’s sign ordinance exempts some signs by size and type (Sec. 4-4-48), so check whether a banner needs its own permit before you hang it.
Starting at $1.58 per ft2
Made in Renton, WA
Starting at $1.98 per ft2
Made in Renton, WA
Starting at $16 per item
Made in Renton, WA
Starting at $269.50 per item
Popular choices
Lit letters for strip centers and downtowns, plus window graphics for winter promotions.
Bright letters for strip centers along busy Michigan roads.
Starting at $9.68 per inch
A soft glow for downtown brick storefronts.
Starting at $12.17 per inch
Window graphics that keep the view out in Michigan.
Starting at $1.98 per ft2
Who can install it
MCL 339.5729 directs LARA to issue a sign specialist’s license to an individual who is at least 18 and has at least 4,000 hours of experience, over at least two years, related to the manufacture, installation, maintenance, connection or repair of electric signs and related wiring, verified by a licensed contractor employer. The same section says a licensed master, journeyman or apprentice electrician doesn’t need a sign specialist license to do that work.
Sign specialists renew with a board-approved code update course in years when the state construction code changes. Check any license on LARA’s license lookup before you hire.
| Licensing agency | LARA Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section |
|---|---|
| Sign license | Sign specialist |
| Experience | 4,000 hours over at least 2 years in electric sign work |
| Exempt | Licensed master, journeyman and apprentice electricians |
Rules change. Always confirm with the office that issues your permit before you order.
Permits
Michigan cities and townships issue sign permits under their own zoning ordinances, and some, like Detroit, also license sign companies themselves.
In Detroit, the Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) accepts sign permit applications only from sign professionals with a current City of Detroit Sign License, and only online: the application and fee go through the Accela eLaps portal, the drawings are uploaded as PDFs to ePlans, and nothing is accepted in person. Each proposed sign needs its own application, with the documents listed in Section 4-4-19 of the sign ordinance. Electric sign companies licensed by the city must be located in Detroit and hold, or employ full time, a valid sign specialist’s license.
Location matters in Detroit too. BSEED publishes a sign district map, an entertainment district map and a list of sign rules for the Traditional Main Street Overlay, and zoning questions go to the Zoning/Special Land Use Division. BSEED also publishes its current lists of licensed sign contractors and licensed and registered sign professionals, which is a good place to find an installer.
| Sign permit | Your city or township |
|---|---|
| Detroit | BSEED, online through Accela; one application per sign |
| Detroit applicants | Holders of a City of Detroit Sign License |
| Detroit filing | Online only: Accela eLaps application, drawings to ePlans |
New to sign permits? Read how sign permits work and what your electrician needs.
Rules change. Always confirm with the office that issues your permit before you order.
Weather
Michigan winters bring lake-effect snow, ice and freeze-thaw cycles. Ask your installer to seal every wall penetration and mount letters clear of where snow piles up.
How it works
Use the channel letter builder or send your logo.
Check it with your landlord and installer.
Letters in WA or CA; the rest in Renton, WA.
Standard shipping takes 3–6 business days in transit; 3-day, 2-day and overnight shipping are available at checkout. Shipping options.
With our wiring diagram and install pattern (overview). Permit checklist.
On every channel letter style (details).
We build and ship; a local pro installs. A licensed sign installer or electrician in Michigan mounts and connects your sign. We don’t have an office or installation crew in Michigan, and orders can’t be picked up.
Questions
We ship custom channel letters anywhere in Michigan, built in Washington and California and tested before they ship. We don’t install, so you’ll hire a Michigan sign specialist or electrician to mount and connect them.
Yes. LARA issues a sign specialist license for electric sign work. Licensed master, journeyman and apprentice electricians can also do the work.
Only sign professionals holding a current City of Detroit Sign License. They file online through the Accela eLaps portal, one application per sign, and upload drawings to ePlans; BSEED doesn’t accept sign permit applications in person. BSEED’s published list of licensed sign contractors is a good starting point.
Standard shipping takes 3–6 business days in transit, with 3-day, 2-day and overnight options. Checkout shows the estimated date for each, including production.
Keep reading
Send a storefront photo, your logo and the size and lighting limits confirmed by your landlord or installer. We can suggest options and give you a price before you order.
