One section dark, rest fine
A failed power supply feeding that run of modules. Replacing the supply is inexpensive; replacing every module because one section is out is not.
Building Fabric1,141 businesses licensed for it
Business sign repair
A sign that is half lit reads worse than no sign at all, and it is the one thing about your premises that every passing customer evaluates. Work covers illuminated channel letters and cabinet signs, LED module and power supply failures, neon, faces and vinyl, photocells and timers, pole and monument signs, and the permits that go with anything structural. Most dark signs are a power supply or a photocell, both of which are cheap.
Enter your ZIP to see the businesses listed for this trade nearest to your site, with their phone numbers.
- Free to searchno account, nothing to submit
- Public registersevery listing names its source
- License numberswhere the state publishes one
- Directyou call the business yourself
- Our estimate
- $220-$6,000
- Time on site
- 1.5-10 hrs
- Fault patterns covered
- 2
- Businesses listed
- 1,141
What business sign repair costs
Most of these jobs land near $560. The full spread runs $220 to $6,000, and the gap between those two ends is diagnosis against replacement rather than one business being dearer than another.
What moves it: how much of the job is parts, whether the fault is found in the first hour or the third, access to the equipment, and the hour of the day you call. We never speak to the businesses listed here, so there is no rate card behind any of this. It is our own band for the category, and there is no regional index: the figure does not change with your metro.
| How soon you need it | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled visitBooked in advance, no urgency multiplier applied | $560 | $220 to $6,000 |
| Same dayOur band multiplied by 1.12 | $625 | $245 to $6,720 |
| Emergency calloutOur band multiplied by 1.35 | $755 | $295 to $8,100 |
Our estimate from national cost bands, not a quote from any business. Every row is the same band with the urgency multiplier the site applies everywhere else, so this table can never contradict the headline number. Ask for a written price before the work starts.
Who is licensed to do this work
In California the classification that squarely covers this is C-45 sign or D-42 non-electrical sign installation, and the register says who holds it. Every listing on this site shows the classification, the license number and the date we read it, with a link back to the register entry so you can check it against the state rather than against us.
One thing worth being plain about: CSLB classifications do not distinguish commercial work from residential. There is no separate commercial license to hold and no register field that would prove one. That is why this page describes the equipment rather than the contractor, and why nothing here says a business has been checked out. We read a public record on a stated date. That is the whole claim.
Before you pay for a callout
Two minutes of checks that sometimes end the problem
We would rather you did not need a callout at all. These are the checks that end the most calls for this fault.
Try a quick fix first
Some issues resolve without a truck roll. Two minutes now can save the callout.
- 1
Check the photocell and the timer first. A sign that is dark at night or lit all day is nearly always a control problem rather than a sign problem, and it is the cheapest possible fix.
- 2
Note whether the whole sign is dark or only part of it. All dark is power or control. Part dark is modules or a power supply serving that section.
- 3
Check your lease and your city's sign rules before changing anything visible. Replacing a face with a different design can require a permit even when a repair does not.
- 4
If the sign is on a shared pylon, the landlord usually maintains the structure and you maintain your panel. Establish that before you pay for a lift.
What the visit actually includes
- Diagnosis of the supply, photocell, timer and internal wiring
- LED module, power supply or transformer replacement
- Face, panel and vinyl repair or replacement
- Lift or ladder access as the height requires
- Function check at night or with the photocell covered
Diagnosis
How sign faults usually present
Written from how these faults actually present on a working premises, not from a manual.
Water inside the sign cabinet
A failed gasket or a missing drain hole. It shorts modules repeatedly until the cabinet is sealed and drained properly, so fixing the water beats replacing the electronics again.
Listed for this trade
Businesses listed for sign
Read from public license registers, so there is no ranking here and no distance: this page has no location to measure from. Enter your ZIP to sort by who is nearest to your site.
By location
Business sign repair near you
Local pages show which businesses are listed for that metro, how far out they sit, and the local conditions that drive demand.
Counted from the businesses we have imported for each metro center inside a 25 mile radius, and counting only those whose own license classification names this trade. General contractors licensed widely enough to take it on and subcontract it are excluded here, and still appear in a search. A metro reads “none yet” until we load a register that covers this trade there.
All coverage areasQuestions owners ask
Sign FAQs
Short, specific answers. If yours is not here, ask the business you call before you agree to the visit.
Do I need a permit to fix my sign?
A like-for-like repair usually not. Changing the size, the structure or often the face design usually does, and your city planning department is the authority. Ask before the work rather than after.
What license covers sign work?
C-45 sign in California for electric signs, and D-42 for non-electrical sign installation. Both are shown on the listings here where a business holds them.
Is an LED conversion worth it?
For an old fluorescent or neon cabinet, usually, because the failures stop and the running cost drops. Get the price for converting the whole sign at once, since the access is most of the cost.
Related work
Often booked in the same visit
Batching jobs into one mobilization is the cheapest way to buy this kind of work.
Roof leakActive leaks, ponding water, failed flashing and buckets in the middle of the floor.from $350Commercial doors and locksDoors that will not close, failed closers, automatic doors, locks, keys and panic bars.from $180Storefront glassBroken shopfronts, cracked panes, failed seals and emergency boarding up.from $260FlooringLifting tiles, trip hazards, water-damaged floors and slip-resistant kitchen surfaces.from $300
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Ready when you are
Need sign sorted?
Search your ZIP to see the businesses listed for this trade nearest to your site, with the license numbers and phone numbers we hold, then call them yourself.
- Cost to search
- Free
- Account needed
- None
- Who you call
- The business