Site survey checklist: what to capture on every install.
The checklist the Signavero network actually uses. Every measurement, every photo angle, and every code consideration that keeps a crew from having to re-mobilize. Adapt it for your team or run it on your next survey as-is.
The checklist we actually use.
Procurement leads collect checklists. This is the one ours run on every site survey. Take it to your next survey, or hold your current vendor against it. When a survey skips half of what you see here, the gap shows up later as an install-day re-mobilization fee.
We're publishing it knowing some brands will read it and run their next survey in-house. Fair enough. Brands hire Signavero to run the program the survey kicks off, not for the survey itself. A good survey is the price of admission.
Measurements
Measure once at the surveyor’s pace; remeasure on install day at crew pace. The first set is what fabrication runs against; the second is what the install crew confirms.
Mounting surface dimensions
Overall extent of the facade or wall, plus the proposed sign placement zone, measured with a laser distance meter to 1/8-inch tolerance. Capture obstructions (windows, vents, conduit) inside the placement zone.
Clearances and setbacks
Distance from grade, distance from neighboring tenants’ boundaries, distance from windows and doors. Required for code feasibility on most permits.
Sightlines to approach roads
Measured from the most distant point a driver can read the sign, both directions. Determines effective letter height and viewing-angle calculations.
Elevation drawing
A measured elevation of the mounting surface with the proposed sign sketched in, scaled. PDF or DWG depending on the program preference.
Photographs
Photos are not documentation if they cannot be tied back to the measurement. Key every photo to a callout on the measured drawing.
Approach-angle photos
From the most-distant approach road, mid-approach, and at-arrival. Day and dusk where exterior illumination is in scope.
Elevation photos
Straight-on photo of the mounting surface, full-frame and centered. The reference photo every fabrication drawing gets overlaid on.
Surface close-ups
Substrate, texture, paint condition, evidence of previous mounting holes, any damage or imperfection in the placement zone.
Electrical and access details
Existing electrical panel, conduit pathways, access doors, dock height, lift clearance, after-hours entry route.
Surface assessment
The substrate determines the mount hardware, the film chemistry, and whether the install needs primer. A surface call wrong at survey is a re-mobilization on install day.
Substrate identification
Stucco, brick (smooth or rough), painted concrete, EIFS, drywall, metal panel, glass, or composite — identified and photographed.
Surface condition
New, weathered, chalking, flaking paint, repaired patches, prior mounting holes, evidence of moisture migration. Captured in writing in the survey narrative.
Paint chemistry (where relevant)
Latex, acrylic, alkyd, elastomeric. Determines whether vinyl will bond cleanly or whether the surface needs primer or paint replacement.
Adhesion test patch (where uncertain)
A small applied test patch of the spec’d film, left 7-14 days, then peel-tested. Cheaper than discovering bonding failure on 200 storefronts.
Electrical availability
Illuminated and digital signage live or die on electrical access. The survey is when the answer gets documented, not the install day.
Existing circuits
Identify the panel feeding the signage zone, the breaker capacity, the circuit number, and any shared loads on the breaker.
Amperage and load calc
Estimated load of the proposed sign vs available capacity. Where capacity is insufficient, scope the upgrade or sub-panel install at survey.
Conduit pathway
Run from the panel to the sign location, with concealment plan where the run is exposed. Distance noted; long runs cost more.
Disconnect location
Required by most municipal electrical codes within sight of the sign. Documented placement at survey, not specified on install day.
Access constraints
Crew planning depends entirely on access. Lift clearance, dock height, freight elevator restrictions, and after-hours protocols all change the install bid.
Lift clearance
Headroom and turning radius for scissor or boom lift, where exterior install is over 12 feet. Photograph the path from the dock or staging area to the install location.
Dock height and freight access
Where freight enters: dock height, door dimensions, freight elevator capacity if interior, after-hours entry protocol.
After-hours building access
Property-management contact, badge or key access, security protocol, fire-alarm bypass requirement. The piece that decides whether overnight installs are feasible.
Crew parking and staging
Where the crew vehicles park, where kits stage during install, and any restrictions on dropping pallets in the loading zone.
Visibility and permit feasibility
The two questions that decide whether the install is worth the effort: will anyone see it, and will the city let us do it?
Visibility study
Sightline analysis from approach roads and adjacent parking, accounting for landscaping, neighboring buildings, and obstructions. Determines whether the proposed sign size and position deliver the brand read.
Code feasibility flag
Surveyor’s note on anything that may require a variance — sign height, area, illumination, setback, district overlay (historic, coastal, planned-community).
Landlord / HOA approval pathway
Property-management or HOA architectural-review-board process documented, with the timeline expectation captured.
Permit cycle expectation
Typical permit timeline for the municipality, flagged for the program lead — so the master schedule reflects the worst case, not the optimistic case.
Take the checklist with you.
The PDF matches this page line for line. One print-friendly document for the procurement folder, the kickoff packet, or the surveyor's field office wall. It's the same checklist the network surveys to.
Related across the network.
- [02.C] / Section 02
Site Surveys
Pre-install site surveys: measured drawings, photo packets, surface and electrical assessment, access and cod…
- [02.A] / Section 02
Installation
Nationwide signage installation by certified, OSHA-trained crews. Channel letters, dimensional letters, vinyl…
- [02.D] / Section 02
Permits & Compliance
Sign permitting and code compliance handled across every U.S. municipality. Research, application packets, st…
- [ Start ]
Get a Quote within 48 Hours
One brief, one PM, an itemized estimate back fast.
Ready to get your signage live in every market?
Send us one brief. You get one project manager and coverage in all 50 states. We send back an itemized estimate within 48 hours.
Get a Quote within 48 Hours