Sign by-laws
Real Estate Sign Bylaws in Peel, Halton, York and Simcoe (2026)
Last checked: November 3, 2026. By-law numbers and sections are cited so you can confirm anything with the municipality.
The short version
Every municipality here lets you put a for sale sign on the property without a permit. The differences are the size limit (0.5 m² in Barrie and Orillia up to 1.2 m² in Richmond Hill and Burlington), how long a sold sign can stay (14 or 30 days where the by-law says), and open house signs: Mississauga allows six from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oakville five from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Vaughan three for up to 72 hours. On York Region roads, open house signs have needed a $310 Regional permit since January 1, 2026; on Halton Region roads they are not allowed without the Region's permission.
This is the companion to our Durham Region and Toronto by-law guide. Each row below links to the city's section on our install page, where you'll find the full rules, section numbers and the official sources. Where a by-law is silent or we could not confirm a detail, we say so instead of guessing.
Two layers of rules: the city and the regional road
A for sale sign on the lawn and an open house sign on a local street are governed by the local municipality's sign by-law. Regional roads are different: York Region (Bylaw 2025-62) and Halton Region (By-law 36-01) control signs in their own road allowances, and a city's open house permission does not carry onto them. In Peel we found no Regional rule for open house signs on Regional roads; check with Peel Region before using one.
One rule holds everywhere: nothing on a sidewalk, a centre median, a utility pole or inside the sight triangle at a corner.
Mississauga: side by side
| Municipality | For sale sign | Open house signs | Sign down after sale | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississauga | 1 m², one per street frontage | Boulevard, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day, max 6 | 30 days after sale | $500 to $100,000; $200+ removal fee |
Brampton and Caledon (Bolton): side by side
| Municipality | For sale sign | Open house signs | Sign down after sale | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brampton | 1 m² and 1.5 m tall, one per lot | Road allowance during open house hours, A-frame 0.35 m² | 30 days after sold or off the market | POA fine (no set range); $50 return fee |
| Caledon and Bolton | One per lot, 1.0 m from lot lines (size: see note) | Public land on the day only, 0.5 m² | 14 days after sold, rented or leased | $350 to $10,000; AMPs $500 / $750 / $1,000 |
York Region: side by side
York Region has two layers. Each city's sign by-law covers for sale signs and open house signs on its own streets. York Region's Bylaw 2025-62 covers the Regional roads (Yonge Street, Major Mackenzie, Highway 7, Bathurst, Leslie and the rest), and since January 1, 2026 an open house sign there needs a Regional permit.
| Municipality | For sale sign | Open house signs | Sign down after sale | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan | 1.0 m², one per lot | Road allowance, max 3, max 72 hours | 14 days after offer accepted or leased | AMPs $400 to $750; POA $400 to $20,000 |
| Richmond Hill | 1.20 m² and 1.20 m tall | Day only, 1 per frontage + 4 on boulevards, 0.36 m² | 14 days after offer or lease accepted | $500 to $100,000 |
| Aurora | 1.0 m², one per lot | Public land on the day only, 0.5 m² | 14 days after advertised sold or leased | $350 to $2,000; $20 retrieval |
| Newmarket | 1.0 m², one per street line | Road allowance on the day only, A-frame, 1.83 m from road | 30 days after sold or leased | $350 to $100,000; AMPs apply |
| York Region roads (Yonge, Major Mackenzie, Highway 7 and other Regional roads) | n/a (Regional road allowance) | Permit $310/yr, 6 signs, Fri 7 p.m. to Mon 6 a.m. | Removed without notice if unpermitted | $100 to $10,000 first offence |
Halton: side by side
Halton has four sets of local rules and one regional one. Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills and Burlington each set their own limits for for sale and open house signs; on Halton Region roads, the Region's By-law 36-01 keeps signs out of the road allowance unless the Region gives permission.
| Municipality | For sale sign | Open house signs | Sign down after sale | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakville | 0.56 m² and 1.5 m tall, one per unit | Max 5 A-frames, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 0.36 m² | 14 days after sale | AMPs $300 / $400 / $500; $75 retrieval |
| Milton | 1.1 m² and 1.2 m tall | Not covered by the Sign By-law (ask the Town) | Not stated in the by-law | Up to $5,000 per offence |
| Halton Hills (Georgetown and Acton) | 0.557 m² (6 sq ft), one per lot | Road allowance, 0.372 m², 1.0 m from curb, gone in 48 h | Not stated for for sale signs | AMPs from $300; $150 removal |
| Burlington | 1.2 m² per face | Road allowance, 1 m max, up 3 days before, down day after | Not stated (abandoned signs banned) | Up to $5,000; $81 removal |
| Halton Region roads | n/a (Regional road allowance) | Not without the Region's permission | Removed without notice | POA fine, per day |
Barrie and Orillia: side by side
| Municipality | For sale sign | Open house signs | Sign down after sale | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie | 0.5 m² (residential) | No open house exception for municipal land found | Not stated in the by-law | Up to $5,000 (POA); up to $100,000 |
| Orillia | 0.5 m² (residential) | Public property, gone within 24 hours, not within 10 m of a corner | 14 days after offer accepted or leased | POA fine; $100+ storage fee |
What we could not confirm
These are the gaps in the public by-laws and city pages as of our last check. Ask the municipality before relying on any of them:
- Mississauga: a height limit for for sale signs (s.26 sets none); a removal deadline after a lease (s.26(3) covers sold signs only); set ticket amounts or administrative penalties for sign offences; Region of Peel rules for open house signs on Regional roads such as Hurontario or Dundas.
- Brampton: whether the new Open House Sign By-law (119-2026, on Council's July 8, 2026 agenda) was enacted, and its sign limits and fines; until the City publishes it, the s.9(9) rules above are the ones in the current by-law; set ticket amounts for sign offences; Region of Peel rules for open house signs on Regional roads such as Queen Street or Bovaird Drive.
- Caledon and Bolton: the in-town size limit: the by-law prints "1.5m" without a unit and the Town's web page shows only 3.4 m², so confirm with Town Legislative Services (905-584-2272) before ordering an oversized panel; a height limit for for sale signs; a maximum number of open house signs; sign removal and storage fees; Region of Peel rules for open house signs on Regional roads such as Queen Street (Highway 50) in Bolton.
- Vaughan: a height limit for for sale signs; the sign storage and recovery fee.
- Richmond Hill: how many for sale signs are allowed per property (Table A states none); the administrative penalty amounts and sign redemption fee.
- Aurora: a height limit for for sale signs; a maximum number of open house signs and their setback from the curb; whether Aurora uses administrative penalties for sign offences.
- Newmarket: a height limit for for sale signs; the size and maximum number of open house signs; the administrative penalty amounts and sign removal fee.
- York Region roads (Yonge, Major Mackenzie, Highway 7 and other Regional roads): the sign retrieval fee; the list of Designated Locations (published by the Region).
- Oakville: any amendment after the March 24, 2025 consolidation; whether the $300 / $400 / $500 penalty amounts have changed in the Town's current rates and fees schedule; whether open house signs are limited to certain days of the week (the by-law sets hours only).
- Milton: whether open house signs are allowed on Town road allowances, and on what terms; how Table 7A's 6.0 m setback from a lot line next to another zone applies to residential for sale signs; confirm with Town staff; administrative penalties and removal fees for sign offences; any amendment after 034-2018.
- Halton Hills (Georgetown and Acton): whether the $150 removal and storage fee (Schedule A, 2013) is still current; any limit on open house sign hours or numbers (the by-law states none).
- Burlington: whether the sign by-law is under Burlington's administrative penalty system, and the amounts; whether the Schedule C removal fee of $81 is still current; a numeric setback for for sale signs.
- Halton Region roads: which roads in each town are Regional roads (see Halton Region's road map).
- Barrie: whether another Barrie by-law permits open house signs on the boulevard (ask Service Barrie); a height limit, a count limit and a removal deadline for for sale signs; the removal and storage fee amounts.
- Orillia: a height and count limit for for sale signs; the size, number and earliest placement time of open house signs; set fine amounts.
Sources
Every rule in this guide comes from these by-laws and official pages:
- Mississauga Sign By-law 0054-2002 (PDF)
- City of Mississauga sign by-law page
- Brampton Sign By-law 399-2002 (PDF)
- City of Brampton signs page
- Caledon Sign By-law BL-2017-54 (PDF)
- Town of Caledon permanent and temporary signs page
- Caledon AMPS By-law 2024-086 (PDF)
- Vaughan Sign By-law 140-2018, consolidated (PDF)
- City of Vaughan signs information
- Richmond Hill Sign By-law 52-09, updated April 2026 (PDF)
- City of Richmond Hill sign permits page
- Aurora Sign By-law 5840-16, consolidated
- Aurora Sign By-law 5840-16 (PDF)
- Newmarket Sign By-law 2017-73, consolidated
- Town of Newmarket sign by-law page
- York Region Signs on Regional Roads Bylaw
- York Region road use and road sign permits
- Oakville Sign By-law 2018-153 (Town by-law portal)
- Town of Oakville signs page
- Oakville 2026 rates and fees, municipal enforcement (PDF)
- Milton Sign By-law 120-2017 (PDF)
- Town of Milton sign permits page
- Halton Hills Sign By-law 2003-0065
- Halton Hills AMPS By-law 2025-0008
- Burlington Sign By-law 34-2007, consolidated July 2026 (PDF)
- City of Burlington sign permits page
- Halton Region By-law 36-01, consolidated
- Barrie Sign By-law 2018-029 (PDF)
- City of Barrie sign permits page
- Orillia Municipal Code Chapter 832, Signs (PDF)
- City of Orillia by-law enforcement
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a permit for a real estate sign in Peel, Halton, York or Simcoe?
- Not for a for sale sign on the property: Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon, Oakville, Halton Hills, Burlington, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket and Orillia all exempt it, and we found no real estate sign permit requirement in Milton's or Barrie's by-laws. Open house signs on a York Region road need a Regional permit ($310 a year).
- Which city has the smallest for sale sign limit?
- Barrie and Orillia, at 0.5 m² on residential land. Halton Hills allows 0.557 m² and Oakville 0.56 m², which a standard 24 by 36 inch panel (about 0.56 m²) just fits.
- How long can a sold sign stay up?
- 14 days in Caledon, Oakville, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Aurora and Orillia; 30 days in Mississauga, Brampton and Newmarket. Milton, Halton Hills, Burlington and Barrie set no deadline in their sign by-laws.
- Can I put open house signs on Regional roads?
- In York Region, only with the Region's open house sign permit, Friday 7 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m. (Bylaw 2025-62). In Halton Region, not without the Region's permission (By-law 36-01).