Storefront Awnings in Portland: Signs, Permits and Design

8 ft

Minimum clearance under an awning over a Portland sidewalk

7 ft

Minimum clearance under a free-hanging fabric valance

15 psf

Uniform load an awning frame must support under City Code 32.52

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Steps of the graphics work sent out of our shop

Walk down NW 23rd, Hawthorne or Broadway in the rain and you can see what a storefront awning is for. People stop under it. They read it. If the door is behind it, they come in. A good one does all three jobs at once: shelter, shade and a sign.

We’ve built them for Portland businesses since 1954, from Zara and Sephora to Henry’s Tavern, Papa Haydn and Burgerville. Here’s how they come together, and the city rules every owner should know before ordering one.

What a storefront awning does

• Rain cover at the door, where customers decide whether to wait or come in.
• Shade for display windows and the merchandise behind them.
• Signage that reads from the sidewalk and across the street, on the face, valance or sides.
• Outdoor seating, when a restaurant adds retractables or screens.

Rose City Awning installed awnings at our Multnomah Village location to protect customers from rain. The work was excellent and the workers were very professional.

Frames and shapes

Fabric covers on welded frames go on staple-on or lace-on. We weld and shape frames in our own shop to fit the building, and sew the covers there too. More examples are on our commercial awnings page, and stationary awnings explained compares the fixed frame types side by side.

Lettering and logos

An awning sign is often the first thing people read from the sidewalk. Ours are made in-house: the lettering is cut on our SGS 100 graphics machine from 3M Scotchcal ElectroCut film and welded electrostatically to Sunbrella fabric, rather than painted on or stuck down. Nothing goes to a sign company, which keeps cost and turnaround down.

1. Send your artworkYour logo file and the wording you want.
2. Sized for the streetLettering laid out to read from the sidewalk and across the street.
3. Cut on our SGS 100From 3M Scotchcal ElectroCut film.
4. Welded to the fabricElectrostatically, onto Sunbrella awning fabric.
5. Sewn and installedThe cover is sewn in our shop and installed by our crew.

Try your own name on an awning with the preview tool on awning graphics. Rebranding? A recover puts new fabric and new lettering on the frame you already have.

Portland’s rules for storefront awnings

Inside Portland, awnings fall under Title 32, the sign code. These are the points that shape a storefront design:

• Clearance. Over a sidewalk or walkway, the bottom of an awning must be at least 8 feet above the ground; a free-hanging fabric valance at least 7 feet (City Code 32.42.010 C).
• Structure. Chapter 32.52 requires awnings to be designed for wind, snow, dead and seismic loads, with a framework able to support at least 15 pounds per square foot, and supports located outside the right-of-way.
• Permit. According to Portland Permitting & Development, you need a sign permit to install a new awning, add to one, or structurally alter or relocate one. Lighting needs a separate electrical permit, and every sign and awning permit needs an inspection.
• Signs on awnings must meet the sign standards in Chapters 32.30 through 32.38, and in a Design Overlay Zone, design review can apply.

We tell you what applies to your building before you order. Other cities around Portland have their own codes, so the address matters.

Restaurant patios: retractables and screens

For restaurants and venues, the awning often extends the dining room. Motorized retractable awnings shade a patio on demand: Mississippi Studios and Millennium Music both have ours. Motorized screens close the sides when the weather turns, as they do at Providence Park and Stormbreakers. See patio enclosure ideas for how covers and screens work together.

What to send for a commercial awning bid

1. A straight-on photo of the façadeThe whole storefront, plus a closer shot of where the awning will mount.
2. Rough frontage widthHow much of the building you want covered.
3. Your logo fileIf you want graphics on the face, valance or sides.
4. The owner’s or manager’s contactWe work directly with property managers, building owners and condominium associations.
5. Your timingOpening date, lease or season, so we can plan the permit and the build.

Send it with the estimate form or call the shop at (503) 226-2761.