Short answer: which permit and who files it
In Barcelona, putting up signs, awnings and other identifying elements on business premises is, under the ORPIMO, minor works type II, filed as a comunicat immediat (immediate notice). What you may install and where is set by the Ordenança dels usos del paisatge urbà (OUPU, the urban landscape bylaw), which limits area, thickness, setbacks, lighting and the number of signs. Protected buildings face stricter rules.
The business operator or the owner of the premises can file on the City Council's Seu electrònica, but a technician prepares the technical documents and the comunicat also needs an informe d'idoneïtat tècnica (IIT, technical suitability report). The consulta prèvia confirms the procedure for your address. Rules change, so check the current procedure page and bylaw text before you file.
What the OUPU allows: position, size, lighting
A sign inside a ground-floor opening may cover no more than 30% of it, follows the opening's shape and must not reduce light, ventilation, fire safety or access. It sits behind the architectural or decorative elements framing the opening, fixed to the plane of the original frame; if there are none, it is set back at least 25 cm from the facade plane. If the frame is less than 25 cm from the facade, a flat sign fixed to the frame is allowed, but always set back from the facade.
On the wall itself only one sign per premises is allowed: cut-out letters, symbols or lines anchored one by one with no background, no more than 12 cm thick. Above the lintel it may not be wider than the opening and may fill at most 50% of the free space; beside the opening it may not exceed 0.25 m². A projecting blade sign (rètol bandera) in the general zone is only accepted in an approved design and for hotels, car parks, cash machines and pharmacies; in transition zones one per premises is allowed, projecting up to 60 cm on streets up to 10 m wide and up to 70 cm on wider streets. The zones are shown on the zoning map on the Institut Municipal del Paisatge Urbà website.
An illuminated sign and its light count as one element. Brightness may not exceed the street's maximum lighting by more than 250 lux, the light must not change the facade's colours, and flashing, colour changes and animations are banned. On catalogued buildings the sign must be made of a noble material: stone, metal or glass. Advertising on ground floors is banned, except notices for the sale or rental of premises in the same building. On upper floors, signs are banned in the restriction zone; in the general and transition zones, except on catalogued buildings and in protected areas, they may go inside a window opening, behind the frame, with no opaque background and covering at most 20% of the opening, or on balcony railings under specific conditions.
When no permit is needed, and what about screens
The OUPU exempts a few cases from a licence, provided they are not illuminated and the building is not catalogued: plates for professional offices, clinics and the like next to the door, and notices inside the shop window about opening hours, prices, sales or temporary closure. In the general and transition zones a single pictogram is allowed on metal shutters, covering no more than 30% of the opening. Not needing a licence does not exempt you from complying with the bylaw.
Screens in shop windows have their own criteria. They are only allowed in shops, in ground-floor windows, inside the opening and set back at least one metre from the frame, and the screen area in m² may not exceed the setback in metres. They are not allowed on level A or B protected buildings or their surroundings, on streets narrower than 9 m, or in bars and restaurants facing the street or terrace to show events. No sound, at most one image every 8 seconds, only the shop's own content, no third-party advertising, and only during opening hours.
An Eixample example: a café in an early 1900s building with carved window surrounds. A lightbox on the facade will be refused; letters inside the opening behind the surround, or individual letters above the lintel within 50% of the space, will pass. For an office in Castelldefels, its own council sets the rules.
What to prepare and who does it
For signs and awnings the ORPIMO requires technical documents with description, drawings and budget, colour photos of the shopfront and an occupational risk prevention plan. The technician prepares the documents and the IIT; attaching a photomontage of the result from the start is worthwhile, as it settles questions about proportions.
For illuminated signs on party walls, rooflines or rooftops the OUPU asks for more: a project, an assessment of noise, vibration and glare within 50 m, and a bank guarantee. The business operator provides the premises details, the lease or title and the owner's consent. The sign maker supplies dimensions, materials, colours and lighting power. If the building is catalogued or in a heritage protection zone, the OUPU requires the altered architectural order of the shopfront to be restored, and obsolete elements removed, before a sign permit is granted.
How to file, step by step
Step one: check your zone on the zoning map and the building's protection. Step two: consulta prèvia on the City Council's Seu electrònica, which gives you the procedure, the document list and a consultation number; the same person must file later. Step three: the technician prepares the documents and the IIT. Step four: file the comunicat on the Seu electrònica with identification (usually idCAT Mòbil, Cl@ve or a digital certificate) and an electronic signature. Companies and professionals can only file online, so if an SL leases the premises the application goes in electronically.
Step five: pay ICIO and the fee; according to the City Council website in 2026, ICIO is 4% of the works budget, and the rest is in the current ordenances fiscals. Once paid, you can install. If you are opening a new business at the same time, coordinate the sign with the activity filing: the procedure page warns that the operator cannot claim anything from the City Council if, once the works are done, the activity turns out not to be allowed.
After filing and after installation
Keep the comunicat admission and proof of payment: the payment slip is valid for three months and the works must be finished within six months of the start date. Under the OUPU, ownership of identifying installations is shown by the municipal licence number, and an installation with no number, or one that does not match the city's records, is presumed unauthorised. Keep the file number handy for any inspection.
The licence holder must keep the sign in good condition for as long as it is in place. The Institut Municipal del Paisatge Urbà website lists who is responsible for compliance: the installer, the promoter, the owner of the building or premises and the technical director. If you receive an avís d'ineficàcia or a request, correct the project and refile, without installing anything until it is admitted. On funding: the Institut Municipal del Paisatge Urbà's 2026 call includes a programme to improve the exterior of active shops under 500 m²: 20% of the cost up to €15,000 for frames, signs and lighting, shutters and removing visible installations. It requires tidying the whole shopfront under the OUPU, complying with current language rules and improving outside accessibility. Heritage shops listed in the special protection plan get 50% up to €20,000. Applications are accepted until 16 November 2026 unless the budget runs out earlier, and never for finished works, so apply before you install.
Common mistakes
First: ordering a full-width lightbox as in a shopping mall; in Barcelona that is almost always refused. Second: fitting the sign flush with the facade instead of setting it back 25 cm or behind the opening's surround. Third: adding a second sign on the wall when the bylaw allows one. Fourth: putting the sign on the balcony or window of the floor above without checking the zone: it is banned in the restriction zone and tightly limited elsewhere.
Fifth: putting a screen in the window that shows other brands' ads or plays sound. Sixth: installing before paying under a comunicat immediat. Seventh: forgetting that in a catalogued building you will first have to remove old elements and restore the shopfront.
If you would rather not deal with it yourself, BCN YARD can take over the paperwork together with the fit-out of your premises.