Sign installation software that keeps the survey, the permit and the install photo on one job
Sign installation is the trade that surveys, permits, fabricates and mounts signs, from a monument sign on a retail pad to a regulatory sign on a state route. The numbers are set elsewhere and measured on site. The federal manual puts a sign no lower than 7 feet above a sidewalk and gives overhead signs 17 feet of clearance, and the accessibility standards hold tactile characters between 48 inches and 60 inches. Neurobird keeps the survey, the permit, the crew day and the closeout photograph on one job.
Neurobird Sign Installation in short
- Carry the site survey and the mounting detail into the shop ticket without retyping either
- Attach the permit and the governing code section to the address it was issued for
- Book the lift, the crew and the traffic control for the install day on one calendar
- 7 feet Minimum height from the bottom of a sign to the sidewalk below it, and the same 7 foot minimum applies to route, warning and regulatory signs on freeways and expressways. FHWA, MUTCD 2009 Edition Section 2A.18
- 17 feet Vertical clearance an overhead sign must provide over the entire width of the pavement and shoulders, unless the structure it hangs from already has less. FHWA, MUTCD 2009 Edition Section 2A.18
- Pricing runs 189 to 1200 US dollars per month across 3 tiers. Early access is free.
What sign installation contractors actually deal with
Why it stays broken
A sign job is a survey, a shop ticket, a permit, a lift and a closeout photograph, and the rules come from three different books at once: the federal manual for road signs, the accessibility standards for tactile signs, and the local code for everything else. States get 2 years to adopt a change to the national manual, so the edition in force is not the same on both sides of a state line. No general field service app carries any of that, so the detail stays in email.
The national manual sets 7 feet as the minimum height from the bottom of a sign to the sidewalk below it, and 17 feet of vertical clearance for an overhead sign.
Determination of the particular signs to be applied to a specific condition shall be made in accordance with the provisions set forth in Part 2 .
Neurobird Sign Installation Document Automation Platform
One record per sign: the survey, the mounting detail, the permit for that jurisdiction, the lift and crew booked for the day, and the photograph that closes it out.
- 1Carry the site survey and the mounting detail into the shop ticket without retyping either
- 2Attach the permit and the governing code section to the address it was issued for
- 3Book the lift, the crew and the traffic control for the install day on one calendar
- 4Close each sign with a dated photograph and the height it was actually set at
What changes with Neurobird Sign Installation?
The same work, read left to right: how it runs today, and how it runs once the record is in one place.
| Today | With Neurobird Sign Installation |
|---|---|
| The survey photo lives on a phone and the mounting detail lives in an email thread | Carry the site survey and the mounting detail into the shop ticket without retyping either |
| A permit issued for one jurisdiction gets applied to a job in the next town over | Attach the permit and the governing code section to the address it was issued for |
| A sign goes up at the wrong height and the correction costs a second crew day and a second lift | Book the lift, the crew and the traffic control for the install day on one calendar |
Who is this for?
The same sign, three very different shops.
You survey, fabricate and install
The survey, the shop ticket and the install all pass through you. You need the measurement from the site visit to reach the crew without a second phone call.
You run channel letters and monuments
Every municipality has its own sign code and its own permit. You need the permit and the approved drawing sitting on the job, not in an inbox.
You install regulatory and warning signs
Heights, offsets and retroreflectivity all get inspected, and retroreflectivity is measured at an observation angle of 0.2 degrees. You need the as built numbers recorded per sign and per post, on the day.
The board, as your shop would run it
Tick a stage to close it and watch the sign move through fabrication, permit and install with the survey intact.
Watch the fields extract from the document.
What the rules say about sign installation
Federal mounting standards, accessibility limits, and the licence conditions a sign contractor files before a permit issues.
Minimum height from the bottom of a sign to the sidewalk below it, and the same 7 foot minimum applies to route, warning and regulatory signs on freeways and expressways.
FHWA, MUTCD 2009 Edition Section 2A.18Vertical clearance an overhead sign must provide over the entire width of the pavement and shoulders, unless the structure it hangs from already has less.
FHWA, MUTCD 2009 Edition Section 2A.18Minimum lateral offset for a post mounted sign from the edge of the traveled way, dropping to 6 feet from the shoulder edge where the shoulder is wider than 6 feet.
FHWA, MUTCD 2009 Edition Section 2A.19Minimum height above the finish floor for raised characters and braille, measured to the baseline of the lowest tactile character, with 60 inches the maximum to the highest.
US Access Board, ADA Guide Chapter 7 SignsThe window states and other federal agencies get to adopt a change issued to the national manual, which is why the edition in force differs across a state line.
23 CFR 655.603Per occurrence general liability minimum a City of Boulder contractor licence requires, alongside a $2,000,000 aggregate limit and workers compensation cover.
City of Boulder, contractor licensingHow does Neurobird Sign Installation work?
Survey once
Sign type, face size, mounting condition, height and any obstruction are captured on site and carried straight into fabrication and the permit application.
Permit to the address
The jurisdiction, the permit number and the code section that governs the sign live on the job, so a crew working two towns apart is not reading the wrong sign code.
Close with proof
Each installed sign closes with a dated photograph and the measured height and offset it was set at, which is what answers an inspector and what settles a punch list six months later.
Sign installation software questions, answered
Key terms
- What is sign installation?
- It is the trade that surveys, permits, fabricates and mounts signs, from a monument sign on a retail pad to a regulatory sign on a state route. The rules arrive from three places at once: the federal manual for road signs, which sets 7 feet as the minimum height over a sidewalk, the accessibility standards, which hold tactile characters between 48 inches and 60 inches, and the local sign code.
Does this replace our estimating or accounting system?
No. It sits beside them. The estimate and the invoice stay where they are. This holds the survey, the permit, the mounting detail and the closeout photograph, which is the part that currently lives in a phone and an inbox.
How does it handle permits in different jurisdictions?
A permit belongs to an address, not to a company. The permit number, the issuing jurisdiction and the code section attach to the job, so the crew reads the rule that actually applied to that site.
Can we prove what height a sign was set at?
Yes. Each sign closes with a dated photograph and the measured height and offset it was set at. That is the record that answers an inspector, and the one that settles a punch list argument later.
What about crews working from a bucket truck?
The lift, the operator and the daily control check belong to the job day. A lift acquired for use on or after January 22, 1973 has to meet ANSI A92.2-1969, and the federal rule requires a body belt worn with a lanyard attached to the boom or basket. The record of that day sits with the sign it installed.
Why we are building this
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Where the requirement comes from
Primary sources, straight from the regulators.
- FHWA, MUTCD 2009 Edition Part 2A Mounting height, lateral offset, letter size and retroreflectivity for road signs, the numbers an inspector measures.
- US Access Board, ADA Guide Chapter 7 Signs Where tactile characters sit, how tall they must be, and the clear floor space required in front of the sign.
- 23 CFR 655.603, national standards for traffic control devices Why the manual is the national standard, and how long a state has to adopt a change to it.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.453, aerial lifts Rules for the bucket truck a crew installs from, including the lanyard attached to the boom or basket.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.451, general scaffold requirements What applies to the wall signs that do not come off a lift.
- City of Boulder, contractor licensing A worked local example of the insurance and certification a sign contractor files before a permit issues.
How much does Neurobird Sign Installation cost?
Priced per shop because the sign code, the permit history and the crew are shop level things. Signs, surveys and photographs are unlimited on every tier.
- Up to 3 crew
- Unlimited signs
- Survey and photo capture
- Permit tracking
- Unlimited crew
- Shop tickets
- Jurisdiction sign codes
- Lift and traffic control calendar
- Multiple shops
- As built height reporting
- Client status pages
- Priority support
Get free early access
Early access means we model your survey form, your permit set and your closeout photo before you type anything, and you keep the account free while we do it.
Straight answer on where this is: The software is in development. Nothing is purchasable today. Early access means you shape it and pay nothing while we build.
Prefer email? Write to office@neurobird.com and a person will reply. No autoresponder.