What to know about digital signage in Mesa
Freestanding message panels need an owner letter
For a freestanding sign with an electronic message panel, Mesa's sign checklist requires an electronic message panel certification letter from the owner. A pole or monument sign with a changeable display should plan on that letter being part of the application. The checklist shows no date.
Source: City of Mesa, Attached and Freestanding Signs checklist
On a lit wall sign, only the copy may light up
The same checklist says only sign copy may be illuminated on an illuminated wall sign, and internally lit signs need opaque backgrounds. That shapes a screen that sits on a facade as a sign, as opposed to a menu board inside.
Source: City of Mesa, Attached and Freestanding Signs checklist
Drawings include UL-listed electrical information
Mesa's sign permit steps say submittals must show UL-listed electrical information, so we keep the spec sheets for displays, players and power supplies to go with your application. That handout is undated and older than the 2024 sign update, so we confirm with Permit Services at 480-644-4273.
Review takes 10 business days, then an inspection
Mesa reviews sign permits within 10 business days, with paid expedited review available, and the process isn't complete until a final inspection is approved. Sign permits are charged on top of any building permit. Permit Services can say whether a screen inside your restaurant counts as a sign.
Source: City of Mesa, Sign Regulations
Menu boards, promos and wayfinding
A menu board is the most common job: two to six screens behind a counter showing items, prices and photos. The rest are promo screens by the door, a happy-hour display in a bar, a lobby directory in an office, or a message board in a warehouse. Each one is a screen, a player and software, and the work is making them easy to update.
Commercial displays, not consumer TVs
A signage display is built to run all day. Commercial panels handle long hours, higher brightness and portrait mounting. A consumer TV may fail early, dim over time or ignore a schedule. For a screen in a window, we choose a brighter panel so it reads in Arizona sun.
Software you can run yourself
Signage software lets you change a menu, schedule a promotion or switch to a holiday layout from a laptop or phone. We set up templates the way you work, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, so a price change takes minutes. You decide who can edit and who can only view.
- Schedules by day and time.
- Templates for menus and promos.
- One screen or many, updated together.
- Playlists that mix photos, video and text.
Window screens and sign review
A screen in a street-facing window may be treated differently from one inside the room. We found no Mesa rule that covers it directly, so before we hang it we ask Permit Services whether it will be reviewed as a sign. If it will, the owner letter, UL electrical details and final inspection apply.
Mounting, power and cabling
Screens go on flat or articulating mounts, or into custom frames behind a counter. Power and network run inside the wall or in raceway, and players sit behind each screen or in a rack so the front stays clean. If a screen needs a new outlet, we coordinate the electrician.
Often paired with
Signage often shares a job with TV and video distribution in bars, LED video walls when you want something larger, and business WiFi so players can reach your content. Our other Mesa work is on Enzo in Mesa.
