Advertisement Licensing System (ALS)
BCA regulates the display of outdoor advertising sign and signboard. This is to prevent proliferation of unsightly signs which may mar the streetscape.
You will need to apply for a licence if you display an outdoor advertising sign or signboard. The term "outdoors" refers to:
- Any roofed space that is not fully enclosed on all sides; and
- Facilitates the flow of general pedestrian traffic or is accessible to the public.
For a more accurate assessment of your sign category, please submit a consultation via the online application portal, Advertisement Licensing System (ALS).
In general, advertising signs and signboards refer to the following:
| Advertising sign |
Signboard |
| Logo, symbol, sign, notice, representation or other visual device that promotes any goods, products, brands, services or events. |
Sign, notice, representation or other visual device relating to the place or premises to which it is affixed, but does not include any logo, symbol, sign, notice, representation or other visual device containing any other brand name or trade mark that promotes any goods or services. |
Exemption from obtaining a licence
The signs below are exempted from obtaining a licence prior to display:
• Single signboard or a series of related signboards with a total area of not more than 5 m
2
• Signboard displayed by:
o Religious body
o Government-aided school
o Hospital, clinic, dispensary, nursing or welfare home or hospice, run by charity
• Advertising sign or signboard displayed:
o On any stall within a hawker centre, food centre or market
o In any underpass, tunnel or mass rapid transit station
Types of signs
| Category |
Description
|
| Free standing sign |
Advertising sign or signboard on structures which stand on its own
|
| Directional sign |
Directs vehicular or pedestrian traffic to, or advising the public of a place or facility
|
| Animated billboard |
Advertising sign that displays, at any one time, one or more advertisements consisting of visual moving pictures, or those which are able to move or change colour due to the use of electrical, mechanical or other sources of power |
| Balloon sign |
Advertising sign or signboard that is inflated, tethered to and suspended above any building, premises or open ground and is conspicuously visible against the sky from any street or building below |
| Skysign |
Advertising structure that is displayed on or above the roof, parapet or eaves of a building, or extends above the roof line of a building, and is conspicuously visible against the sky from any street or building below |
Prohibited outdoor signs
| Prohibited outdoor signs |
Details |
| Advertising signs and signboards which are illuminated by means of flickering, flashing and running lights |
Except certain streets along Orchard Road, Bras Basah/Bugis and Chinatown (New Bridge Road / Eu Tong Sen Street). Please refer to the circulars under the URA website for the boundary of these areas. |
| Advertising signs on free standing structures promoting any brands, products, goods or services |
- |
|
Advertising signs on buildings above roofs or roof parapet levels
|
- |
| Advertising signs on public infrastructure and their ancillary structures |
E.g. entrance & exit structures to MRT stations and underpasses, MRT viaduct columns, and kiosks. |
| Advertising signs on residential buildings and residential component of mixed-use buildings |
- |
| Advertising signs located within or in the vicinity of the boundary of airports and airbases |
- |
| Advertising signs located over or within any public streets |
Including expressways, flyovers, bridges, railings, central median dividers, traffic islands, and on trees or bushes. |
| Advertising sign signs within water catchment areas, public open spaces, nature reserves, waterbodies, along coastlines, and on vacant land |
- |