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Financial Services

Sign and Façade Grant (Formerly Sign Grant)

The Sign and Façade Grant Program is funded by the City of Durham’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. The objective of the program is to assist business owners and improve the pedestrian experience by enhancing the visibility and appearance of businesses through signage and façade improvements that are physically, historically and architecturally compatible with relevant design guidelines applicable within the Community Development Area (CDA) outside Downtown Durham, including targeted corridors and targeted areas within the Urban Growth Area (UGA).

Note: Depending on the type and size of sign to be installed and the location of your building, you may be required to obtain any or all of the following from the City of Durham: sign permit, electrical permit, and/or certificate of appropriateness.

For information about sign permits and electrical permits:

• Contact: Don Moore, City of Durham Inspections Department (919) 560-4677, or visit the website.

For information about local historic districts, local historic landmarks and certificates of appropriateness:

• Note: A certificate of appropriateness, if needed, is required prior to the sign permit


• Certificates of appropriateness are only required in local historic districts (i.e. Fayetteville Street Local Historic District)


• Contact: Lisa Miller, City of Durham Planning Department, (919) 560-4137, or visit the website

Application Guidelines:

• Applications must be typewritten or printed legibly.


• Applications must contain all requested information within the application as well as all requested attachments to be considered complete. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.


• Applications will be reviewed on a first-come first-served basis.


• Applications will be accepted by in-person or mail only and will not be accepted by fax or e-mail.


• If you are applying for signage funds, processing of your Sign and Façade Grant application will not begin until you have received a Sign Permit and/or a Certificate of Appropriateness (if needed).

Business Requirements for Grant:

• Proposed projects must be within the CDA outside the Downtown Development Tier, including targeted corridors and targeted areas within the UGA. To determine whether a project is within an eligible geographic location, use the mapping tool.


• The property owner must attest to non-delinquent property taxes for the property address where the sign will be installed (declare to be true that the property taxes have been paid to the current date).


• The property owner and/or tenant will be responsible for the maintenance of the signage for a period of five years from the project completion or until such time as the building is sold or the tenant changes.


• Depending on the type and size of sign to be installed and the location of your building, you may be required to obtain any or all of the following from the City of Durham: sign permit, electrical permit, and/or certificate of appropriateness (if needed).


• Façade improvements must be consistent with design guidelines, development review, streetscapes and enhancement of the pedestrian experience.


• A current copy of City of Durham Privilege License (Not required at time of application but will be required if awarded funding).

Eligible Expenses for Grant:

Preference will be given to street-level businesses.

Signage

• Costs related to the design, fabrication and installation of signs


• Adding lighting to existing signage to enhance the pedestrian experience - preference will be given to signage that is visible at night and that is aesthetically pleasing


• Building signage that enhances the pedestrian experience and clearly identifies the business


• More than one sign may be included on the sign grant application but the maximum grant amount is $2,500 per business or address


• Fees associated with obtaining sign permit and certificate of appropriateness (if required)

Façade

Preference would be given to those improvements that address and reduce slum/blight. Facade improvements must be made to the exterior of one or more sides of the building and/or property visible from a public street or municipal parking lot.

At least 50 percent of improvements must be attributed to costs as listed below (See application for details)

• Restoration, repair, or replacement of windows, doors, exterior walls, chimneys, or other architectural elements


• Exterior painting


• Awnings, marquees, and related exterior lighting and electrical fixtures


• Masonry repair and cleaning


• Non-flat roof repair for portion noticeable from the public line of site


• Exterior work necessary for conversion to a retail or entertainment storefront


• Removal of modern facades, in order to restore back to vintage quality


• Restoration of vintage elements


• Removal of deteriorated building materials, such as plywood or metal

Additional Allowable Improvements

• Property improvements, including landscaping, fencing, screening, and paving


• Parking lot improvements

Timelines/Disbursement of Funds:

• Projects would need to be completed no later than 12 months after City approval.


• OEWD will not release funds for signage and/or façade improvements until the project has been completed and final approval, in the case of signage, has been granted by the Durham City/County Inspections Department. Funds will be disbursed through reimbursement upon completion of project, submission of all invoices and receipts validating the project costs and submission of appropriate documentation proving compliance with relevant design guidelines.

Funding Guidelines:

• OEWD will review select evaluation criteria and determine funding award within 15 business days (M-F) after submission.


• The maximum incentive per business or address shall not exceed $2,500 for the signage portion of a grant and $5,000 overall. In no case shall the incentive exceed 50 percent of total project cost.
• Funding of any application is subject to availability.

Application Submission:

Submit one signed original and six copies of the application and all attachments to:
The Office of Economic and Workforce Development
302 East Pettigrew St., Suite 190, Durham, North Carolina 27701
Attention: Peter Coyle

Applications will be accepted by in-person or mail only and will not be accepted by fax or e-mail. All questions related to the grant should be submitted in writing to Peter Coyle.

Additionally, the City has a Sign and Façade Grant program for proposed projects within the Downtown Development Tier. This program is administered by Downtown Durham, Inc. For information about Sign and Façade Grants for projects within the Downtown Development Tier, contact Downtown Durham, Inc. at (919) 682-2800.

Sign and Façade Grant Application

Please complete the application linked below. You may save the form field version to a personal computer for completion. If you wish to complete a hard copy of the application by hand, print the PDF version.

Sign and Façade Grant Application - Word    PDF