Apply for a tourism road sign

Cape Town offers a vast variety of attractions and places to visit. Signage can play a big role in a visiting person’s experience of a place. Any signs placed on the road reserve, need to be approved by the City.

About

Visitors to Cape Town are guided to all of our main tourist attractions through a navigational signage system, where possible.

Tourism signs have white symbols and lettering, which are used on a brown background. The sign will be erected from the nearest numbered route, with successive signs to the facility. In urban areas, where there is a congestion of facilities, it may not be possible to display individual attractions by name, in which case generic signs may be used.

It is important to remember that the purpose of tourism road signage is not to promote businesses, but is designed to direct and guide visitors to tourist facilities while on self-driven excursions around the city.

Our Tourism Road Signage and Guidance Policy ensures that attractions and tourism facilities are providing a well-planned and uniform message to pedestrians and motorists.

Who can apply?

Owners of registered tourism facilities and/or attractions may apply for tourism signs.

Approval for a tourism sign will depend on:

the quality of the facility or service,
the need for such a sign at a given point, and
whether the sign can be erected without causing a traffic hazard or not.

Application process

Follow the steps below:

You will need to collect an application form from your nearest Visitors Information Centre (VIC)
Submit the completed form together with documentary proof to your nearest VIC.
Your application will then be submitted to the Regional Tourism Liaison Committee (RTLC) for review following the outcome of an inspection of your facility.
The RTLC will not consider an application unless it is recommended by the VIC.

The evaluation of your facility by the VIC comprises of, among other things, compliance with warrants. These warrants serve as an assurance of acceptable standards for the tourist, who is influenced to support the establishment by the signage.

Should the VIC, after evaluation of your facility and your application, not recommend its approval, the reason will be provided.

If your application is recommended, it will be forwarded to the Regional Tourism Liaison Committee (RTLC) and the Transport Directorate for review.

Please note

National roads are governed by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), provincial roads by the Provincial Roads Department (PG: WC), district/secondary roads by the District Council and normal streets by the Municipality (City of Cape Town).

The requirements of Transport Authority vary according to the status of the road. More important mobility roads will have stricter requirements. Once the road authority has all the relevant documents, the information is processed in terms of the relevant road regulations. Technicalities such as the placing of the sign, distance from a crossing, the number of existing signs and the speed limit on the specific road are taken into account.

If your application is rejected, the transport authority will inform you and provide you with a reason.
If your application is approved, you will receive notification of this and you will be supplied with a drawing of the sign, as well as a list of approved manufacturers.

You will be responsible for appointing a manufacturer to do the work in accordance with the letter of approval, and for all costs related to the erection of the sign. The Transport Authority has specific conditions under which approval may be granted.

The most important conditions are listed below:

1. Once the sign has been erected, it becomes the property of the transport authority, and may be relocated or removed at their discretion
2. The applicant remains responsible for the upkeep/ maintenance of the sign.
3. If the applicant’s facility no longer complies with the warrants, the road authority may remove the sign. The road authority and / or tourism body can inspect the facility at any time to ensure that it still meets the relevant warrants.
4. The sign may not be used for advertising purposes
5. Approval is only valid for 5 years

Apply

Contact your nearest Tourism Visitor Information Centre (VIC).

The VIC will provide you with more information about specific requirements.

Once you are certain that you have met all of the necessary requirements, download and complete the application form.

Submit the completed application form with all supporting documents to your nearest VIC.

See our guide on How to Apply for a Tourism Road Sign.

If you are applying for signage for an accommodation establishment, see the minimum requirements for accommodation establishments.

Payment

The manufacturing and erection of the sign is paid for by the applicant. Once the sign has been erected, it becomes the property of the road authority.

Applicants must pay a fee for the inspection and the handling of the application by the VIC. Please contact the VIC for more information on the fees.