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Licenses · Subprefeitura

Business sign license (CADAN)

Sign measurements within the Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), technical responsibility and the license application at the Subprefeitura, so your facade shows your name without the risk of a fine.

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Facade of a small street-front shop with a discreet sign above the glass door, a wide sidewalk with tactile paving and a tree, within the rules of the Clean City Law

Quick answer

Business sign license (CADAN) in São Paulo at a glance

In São Paulo, the signboard, sign or totem sign that identifies a business at its own address can only be installed after the Identification Sign License (Licença de Anúncio Indicativo) is issued, under the Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa). The size depends on the frontage, the front of the property: up to 1.50 m² below 10 m and up to 4 m² up to 100 m, always below 5 m in height. The fine for an irregular sign is R$ 10,000. MTC measures the facade, defines the sign and follows the application at the Subprefeitura through to the license.

Updated on by the MTC technical team, based on the rules cited on this page.

Who issues the license
The Subprefeitura for the address
Source: Normative Instruction SMSUB No. 06/2024 (identification sign license)(opens in a new tab)
Frontage under 10 m
Sign up to 1.50 m²
Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006(opens in a new tab)
Frontage of 10 m to 100 m
Sign up to 4 m²
Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006(opens in a new tab)
Fine
R$ 10,000 per irregular sign
Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006(opens in a new tab)

What the sign license is

The signboard, sign, totem sign or name on the awning that identifies the business at its own address is an identification sign (anúncio indicativo). In São Paulo, it can only be installed after the Identification Sign License (Licença de Anúncio Indicativo) is issued, under the Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa, Law 14.223/2006). With the license, the sign is entered in CADAN, the Sign Registry (Cadastro de Anúncios), and the number must be visible from the street.

The law limits the size, height and position based on the frontage, the front of the property: up to 1.50 m² below 10 m and up to 4 m² up to 100 m. The fine for an irregular sign is R$ 10,000, plus R$ 1,000 per square meter above 4 m², and it doubles every 15 days while the irregularity continues.

The problem usually shows up after the sign has already been made: larger than allowed, on the building canopy (marquise) or without the CADAN number. MTC measures the facade, defines the measurements before production, takes on technical responsibility when the rules require it and follows the application through to the license.

What MTC does

  • Facade measurement

    Frontage, height and projection over the sidewalk checked on site.

  • Sign design

    Area, position and CADAN number defined before production.

  • Technical responsibility

    ART or RRT for signs of 4 m² or more and for totem signs.

  • Application and follow-up

    Filing at the Subprefeitura, requirements and license issued.

Understand it in one image

How much sign fits on the facade

frontage (front of the property)5 m height limitSIGNCADAN no., legible from the streetSIDEWALKFrontage under 10 m: up to 1.50 m²From 10 m to under 100 m: up to 4 m²
  1. 1The frontage is the front of the property facing the street. It determines the area of the sign.
  2. 2Under 10 m of frontage, up to 1.50 m²; from 10 m to under 100 m, up to 4 m².
  3. 3No part of the sign goes above 5 m in height, and it does not project over the sidewalk.
  4. 4The CADAN number goes on the sign, visible and legible to people on the street.
Illustrative diagram, not to scale, based on the Clean City Law (Law 14.223/2006, arts. 13 and 16) and Decree 47.950/2006 (art. 19). Corner properties, listed historic properties and properties with several businesses have their own rules.

What determines the size of your sign

Outside these limits, the sign has to be redone.
  1. 01 · FrontageThe front of the property facing the street
  2. 02 · AreaUp to 1.50 m² or 4 m², depending on the frontage
  3. 03 · HeightNo part above 5 m
  4. 04 · SidewalkNo projection over the sidewalk
Who usually needs it:Street-front shopClinic and practiceBar and restaurantFranchiseOffice and agencyGym and school

How much sign fits on your facade

It is the first calculation MTC makes at the address, before any sign is produced.

SituationWhat the law allows
Frontage under 10 m1 sign of up to 1.50 m²
Frontage of 10 m to under 100 m1 sign of up to 4 m²
Frontage of 100 m or moreUp to 2 signs of up to 10 m² each, 40 m apart
Corner property1 sign for each street front, each within the limit of its own frontage
HeightNo part above 5 m
Over the sidewalkIt cannot project. Building on the front property line: up to 15 cm, at least 2.20 m above the ground
AwningName on the front flap, with letters up to 20 cm high
Several businesses in the propertyThe area allowed by the frontage is divided among them
ProhibitedBuilding canopy (marquise), rooftop, blank side wall and panels with changing messages

Loose letters and logos on the wall add to the area, as do the faces of a totem sign. A signboard, a totem sign and a name on the awning are alternatives: as a rule, it is one sign per property.

Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006(opens in a new tab)

Why license the sign

From a sign that brings fines to a facade that works for you

Tap a problem to see how it is solved.

What happens to an irregular sign

Clean City Law enforcement has increased: from January to July 2025, there were 308 fines, compared with 119 in the same period of 2024. At the Subprefeitura, the path usually goes like this, and each stage costs more than the one before.

  1. 1

    Guidance Notice

    In cases such as a missing license or a missing CADAN number: 30 days to regularize, only once.

    What can be done

    Adjust the sign and apply for the license within the 30 days.

  2. 2

    Fine

    R$ 10,000 per sign, plus R$ 1,000 per m² above 4 m², and 5 days to regularize or remove it.

    What can be done

    Regularize or remove it within the deadline to stop the charges.

  3. 3

    Doubled fine

    Repeated every 15 days, while the irregularity continues.

    What can be done

    License or remove it as soon as possible.

  4. 4

    Removal

    City Hall takes down the sign, even on private property, and charges for the removal.

    What can be done

    Redo the sign within the law and apply for a new license.

Beyond the Subprefeitura: what an irregular sign costs

At the shop

  • Facade without a nameCustomers cannot find the address.
  • Sign redoneNew production and new installation.

In the contract

  • Owner and tenantBoth are liable for the fine.
  • Move-in blockedAn old license blocks the next occupant.

In finances

  • Fines that doubleEvery 15 days, while it continues.
  • Removal costCharged by City Hall upon removal.

Opening a business, changing your sign or received a notice? Contact MTC before the sign is made.

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What a licensed sign brings

  • Facade without fines

    A sign within the Clean City Law.

  • The right sign the first time

    Measurements defined before production.

  • CADAN number

    The required identification, visible from the street.

  • Safe structure

    Totem signs and large signs with a technical manager.

  • Enhanced brand

    A clean facade that highlights your name.

  • Changes without surprises

    Planned changes of sign, name or address.

When it is needed

  • Opening a shop, clinic or office with a sign
  • Changing the sign, its size or its material
  • Change of name, CNPJ or address
  • Notice or fine from the Subprefeitura
  • Franchise with a brand facade standard
  • Listed historic property or near a listed historic property

Documents that help you get started

You do not need all of them. The team will tell you what is missing.

  • Address and photos of the facade
  • The company's CCM (Municipal Taxpayer Registry) number
  • Operating License (ALF or Alvará de Funcionamento)
  • Drawing or photo of the intended sign
  • Owner's authorization, if the property is rented
  • Notification received, if any

How we handle your case

  1. 1

    Survey

    Frontage, facade and licenses that already exist at the address.

  2. 2

    Sign design

    Area, height, position and CADAN number.

  3. 3

    Technical manager

    ART or RRT, when the sign requires it.

  4. 4

    Application

    Filing at the Subprefeitura and follow-up.

  5. License issued

    Sign registered in CADAN and cleared for installation.

Important
  • The sign can only be installed after the license is issued; the application does not authorize installation.
  • Without the operating license, there is no sign license.
  • Changing the sign, the address or the CNPJ requires a new license.
  • On a listed historic property or in its surrounding protected area, the rules are stricter.

Questions about the business sign license (CADAN)

The questions that come to the team and show up in searches most often, with the answer and the source.

See all questions

Yes. A signboard or sign that identifies the shop, clinic or office at its own location is an identification sign (anúncio indicativo) and can only be installed after the license is issued. Filing the application does not authorize installation, and a sign without a license is subject to a fine.

Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006 (opens in a new tab)

It depends on the frontage, which is the front of the property facing the street. Under 10 m, the limit is 1.50 m². From 10 m to under 100 m, it is 4 m². With 100 m or more, there can be 2 signs of up to 10 m² each, 40 m apart. No part can go above 5 m in height.

Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006 (opens in a new tab)

It is City Hall's Sign Registry (Cadastro de Anúncios). Once the license is issued, the sign is entered in CADAN and receives a number, which must appear on the sign itself, visible and legible from the street, whatever the size of the sign.

Source: Decree No. 47.950/2006, which regulates the Clean City Law (opens in a new tab)

It has no expiration date, but it depends on the operating license: if the operating license becomes invalid, the sign license falls with it. Changing the sign, its size, the address or the CNPJ also requires a new license.

Source: Normative Instruction SMSUB No. 06/2024 (identification sign license) (opens in a new tab)

The Clean City Law sets R$ 10,000 per irregular sign, plus R$ 1,000 per m² above 4 m². If the irregularity continues, the fine doubles and is repeated every 15 days. In some cases, such as a missing license or a missing CADAN number, a Guidance Notice (Notificação Orientativa) comes first, with 30 days to regularize.

Source: Law No. 17.841/2022 (Guidance Notice) (opens in a new tab)

It needs a qualified technical manager, with an ART or RRT, when the sign is 4 m² or larger or when the property has a frontage of 100 m or more. The professional is responsible for the installation, the safety and the structural and electrical parts.

Source: Normative Instruction SMSUB No. 06/2024 (identification sign license) (opens in a new tab)

As a rule, no: the law allows a single identification sign per property. The exceptions are corner properties, with one sign per frontage, and properties with a frontage of 100 m or more, which can have two.

Source: Clean City Law (Lei Cidade Limpa), Law No. 14.223/2006 (opens in a new tab)

No. The operating license number is required in the application, and the application does not move forward while that license is still in progress. That is why the right order is to license the activity first and then the sign.

Source: Normative Instruction SMSUB No. 06/2024 (identification sign license) (opens in a new tab)

Legal basis and sources

Informational content, reviewed on November 11, 2026. The rules may change; the analysis of each case considers the rule in force on the date of the application. MTC is a private company, not affiliated with government agencies.

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