Regulations allow for certain advertisements to be displayed without needing a specific application. This is "deemed consent" but to take advantage of it's provisions you need to abide by certain conditions. If you can't fit into one of the classes you need to submit an application.

Class I: Advertisements by public bodies

We, public utilities and public transport operators can erect notices and adverts, timetables, warning notices and bye law signs. There are no height or size restrictions and a reasonable degree of illumination is acceptable.

Class 2: Miscellaneous advertisements

This gives consent for three types of small notices and signs on any premises. In all cases no letters or symbols on the signs may be over 0.75 metres in height but only signs for medical services can be illuminated.

• Class 2(A) permits house numbers or names and signs no bigger than 0.3sqm like 'Shut the Gate', 'Beware of the Dog' or 'No Parking Please'.
• Class 2(B) permits signs or brass plates stating company names. Again they must not exceed 0.3sqm but if there are separate entrances on different road frontages, a 0.3sqm sign can be displayed on each frontage.
• Class 2(C) permits a signs not exceeding 1.2sqm which name institutions; public houses, hotels, blocks of flats and clubs. If there is more than one entrance to the premises on different road frontages, a sign of 1.2sqm can be displayed on each frontage.

Class 3: Temporary advertisements

Class 3 gives consent for six types of temporary notices and signs.

• Class 3(A)

  permits estate agents boards. For agricultural or commercial premises the board must not exceed 2sqm or if two boards are joined together to form a single advertisement, a surface area of 2.3sqm. For residential property or housing developments, the advertisement board must not exceed 0.5sqm or total area of 0.6sqm if two boards are joined together.

  No board is allowed to project more than one metre from a building. In all cases only one board may be displayed on premises and this must be removed 14 days after completion of sale or letting.

• Class 3(B) permits advertisements announcing sales and auctions on land or premises. This would include house auctions and livestock sales. The board must not exceed 1.2sqm and be at the place of the sale.
• Class 3(C) permits construction contractors boards while works are actually taking place. A main contractor can display a 2sqm board but then every additional contractor or consultant can only have an extra panel of 0.4sqm. But, if the development project is known by a particular name, the size of the main advertisement board may be increased by a further 20 per cent to enable the name to be displayed. If more than 10 metres away from a highway, the board can be 3sq m plus a further 0.6sqm for additional firms. If the board is already being displayed other names can be displayed on separate boards for up to three months, provided that they are no larger than 0 5sqm on each road frontage.
• Class 3(D) permits temporary notices no larger than 0.6sqm for local charity events. These are adverts for church bazaars, fetes, a charity road race, amateur sports events but no commercial events. ·See further information for Temporary Advertisements on Street Furniture.
• Class 3(E) permits temporary notices no larger than 1.2sqm advertising some sort of agriculture demonstration on land for up to six months.
• Class 3(F) permits notices for a circus or fair. These must not be displayed more than 14 days before opening and must be removed within seven days after closing. We must be told 14 days beforehand where the notices will be sited. ·See further information for Temporary Advertisements on Street Furniture.

Class 3 adverts must not be illuminated, not have any letters or symbols over 0.75 metres tall and barring estate agents boards on taller buildings, be over 4.6 metres high. Also if the board relates to a sale or event it must not appear 28 days before the event and must be removed within 14 days after.

Class 4: Illuminated advertisements on business premises

Class 4 permits adverts with illuminated letters on a non-illuminated background provided:

• there is no intermittent light source, moving feature, animation or exposed cold cathode tubing;
• must consist of one fascia with one protecting sign at right angles on the wall with the shop window;
• must be at least 2.5 metres above ground level at it's lowest point;
• the facia panel must not project more than 0.25 metres from the wall;
• if a projecting sign, this must not exceed 0.25 metres  between the two sides,
• class 4 does not include any adverts in a Conservation Area.

• Class 4(A) permits internally or halo illuminated adverts on premises within a retail park but only on a frontage which faces or overlooks a communal car park. A projecting sign on these premises must not exceed 1sqm, project more than 1 metre from the wall or be more than 1.5 metre deep.
• Class 4(B) permits internally or 'halo' illuminated adverts on other business premises if they relate wholly the business conducted. A projecting sign must not exceed 0.75sqm in area, project more than 1 metre, exceed two thirds of the width of the pavement below it or be more than one sixth of the frontage measured to the top of the advertisement. Maximum levels for luminence can be applied if challenged.

Class 5: other advertisements on business premises

Class 5 gives consent for the usual signs you see on business premises but they must only refer to the business and the goods for sale at the premises. These signs must not have letters over 0.75 metres in height or be more than 4.6 metres above ground level. They must not be above the level of any first floor window in the wall where the advertisement situated and only signs for medical services can be illuminated under this class. For shops, an advertisement may be displayed only on walls that have shop windows. Apart from that there are no restrictions on number.

Class 6: advertisements on forecourts of business premises

Class 6 gives consent to display adverts referring to the business, on forecourts such as the area in front of a newsagent's shop, the pump area of a petrol filling station or a terrace in front of a café. A forecourt does not include areas of pavement forming part of the highway, which means that 'A' boards on pavements in the highway are not permitted by this section.

Any of these adverts must be at ground level and the total area for all these adverts on a forecourt must not exceed 4.5sqm. A building with two forecourt frontages can have up to 4.5sqm of adverts on each frontage. Forecourt advertisements must not be illuminated.

Class 7: flag advertisements

• Class 7(A) Permits one advertisement flag on one flagpole, fixed upright on the roof of a building. There is no height limit for this but the flag itself must not exceed 2sqm in area and may only have the name or trade mark of the building occupants. Flags are not permitted to advertise products, unless there is specific consent.
• Class 7(B) permits the display of advertising flags on housing development sites and where new houses remain available for sale. The rules for class 7(B) are that each flag must be on a single vertical flagpole. There may be one flag on a site with up to 10 houses and two flags on a site with between 11 to 100 houses, over 100 homes may have three flags. Each flagpole must not exceed 4.6 metres and they must be removed within one year of completion.

Class 8: poster hoardings around temporary construction sites

Class 8 permits the display, for three years only, of poster hoardings used to screen construction sites during construction. This consent is limited to land for commercial development, not any residential development sites.

Not allowed until three months before commencement, they may not be more than 3.1 metres high or 12.1 metres long each. They are only allowed for three years and the advertiser must notify us at least 14 days before display quoting the planning permission for the site. There may however be a reasonable level of illumination.

Class 9: four-sheet poster panels displayed on purpose designed highway structures

Class 9 enables the smallest standard size of poster panel (known as four-sheet) to be displayed on structures in the highway with our approval under the Highway Act 1980 (section 115E). The rules for class 9 are that the structure, such as a bus shelter or kiosk must be purpose designed for displaying this size of poster panel and it must not exceed 2.16sqm in area. No illumination is permitted. This exclude bill posting.

Class 10: Neighbourhood Watch Signs

Class 10 allows for Neighbourhood Watch and similar signs provided the signs are not over 0.2sqm, no higher than 3.6 metres above ground level but if the signs are in the highway you must obtain road traffic permission. If the scheme ceases to operate, the sign must be removed within 14 days.

Class 11: directional advertisements

Class 11 permits housebuilders to put up temporary directional signs for new development. The rules are that signs must not exceed 0.15sqm or be above 4.6 metres high. Lettering must be between 40 mm and 250 mm high, no reflective material should be used and it must not look like a traffic sign.

The sign can be near to but not in the highway and should not be within 50 metres of an official traffic sign facing in the same direction. No sign may be more than two miles from the site entrance. 14 days before any sign is put up the local planning authority must be told where it is to be displayed and no sign may be displayed two years after development is completed.

Class 12: advertisements displayed inside buildings

Class 12 permits advertisements to be displayed inside a building if they are illuminated like a sign inside a chemists window.

Class l3: sites used for displaying advertisements on 1st April 1974

This class allows these signs to remain but does not permit a change to the extent of the use of the site.

Class 14: advertisements displayed after the expiry of express consent

This is a technical approval to allow signs with temporary consent to stay in position unless we seek their removal. Express permissions usually have consent to stay for only five years so this class allows them to stay until specifically challenged.