Though most needs for traffic signs are met by local, state, and federal government, businesses often need to purchase traffic control, parking or roadway safety signs to maintain safety and traffic order in and around their business grounds. These needs vary widely, including warning motorists of speed bumps, maintaining a speed limit or providing specified parking spots for specific people, groups, or handicapped individuals.

Your specific traffic sign needs will depend on if your business has a parking lot, access roads, or other specific situations that motorists need to be made aware of. Additionally, when determining the pricing and costs of traffic signs you will need, other expenditures will also come into play. Some costs to consider when budgeting for traffic signage are:

1. The traffic signs themselves.
2. Traffic sign supplies, such as mounting hardware.
3. Posts for mounting free standing traffic signage.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find road signs for sale from reputable traffic sign suppliers

Most traffic signs suppliers offer flat prices for signs, based on size and materials used. For example, an 18 inch stop sign with engineer quality reflective finish can run in the $25 to $30 range, while a 48 inch stop sign with high intensity reflective finish can run in the $100 to $200 range. A general guide for minimum costs is an average of $15 to $18 per square foot for the most common regulatory and warning signs.

I recommend: Rice Signs offers a wide variety of street signs for sale, including regulatory, warning, parking and more. U.S. Barricades & U.S. Traffic Sign has a large inventory of commonly used signs such as speed limit and handicapped parking signs for sale.

Make sure you have the needed mounting supplies for traffic signs

The price range for mounting supplies will depend heavily on the type of sign and where it will be mounted. Many signs can be bolted straight to the pole with an average price of $1 to $2 per bolt for a basic bolt or $2 to $4 per bolt for a tamperproof design. If a bracket is needed, the range can vary from $5 to $10 for a fence mounting kit, $10 to $15 for street sign and round post brackets, and anywhere from $10 to $40 for more ornate wing brackets.

I recommend: USA Traffic Signs offers mounting hardware for nearly any traffic control sign, accommodating multiple mounting situations. Brimar Industries sells a wide range of traffic sign mounting supplies and hardware, as well as reflective panels.

Purchase posts for any free standing traffic signs

If possible, be cost-efficient by attaching signs to existing structures. If this isn't possible, you need to budget for the needed posts. Costs for these depend, once again, on size and materials and can range from $15 to $45 for u-shaped or round steel posts to $18 to $65 for u-shaped or square poles made of composite materials. For features like a break-away safety option, add roughly $50 to the price range.

I recommend: The Traffic Sign Store offers steel sign posts priced by the foot as well as a variety of composite pole options. ProMarkSigns offers steel and composite poles in a variety of configurations. Emedco offers a unique u-shaped steel pole with a break-away design that reduces damage in the event of impact.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure any traffic signs and supplies you buy conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and are placed in compliance with your state and local sign regulations.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. Stop signs, yield signs, highway signs, roadway safety signs — you encounter all forms of traffic signage as you drive the streets and highways. Instead of being the scenery blockers of their billboard cousins, traffic signs communicate the rules and regulations of the road to guide the motorists who drive them.

Federal, state and local governments typically buy traffic signs, as do neighborhoods, construction companies and businesses. Properly placed and followed, traffic signs provide drivers and pedestrians with instruction, direction and information.

Traffic signs serve these purposes:

1. Street and highway signs tell drivers where they are, be it a city street, county road, state route or federal highway.
2. Traffic control and roadway safety signs both communicate the rules of the road and warn of hazards to keep drivers from becoming traffic statistics.
3. Construction safety signs, in conjunction with highway signs for construction sites and traffic cones, keep construction workers safe by directing traffic around road construction and other building projects.
4. Parking signs permit cities to keep streets clear in snow emergencies and businesses to better serve their clientele, whether using a "no parking" sign to restrict access or using a handicapped parking sign to assist challenged customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Identify the street where you live with custom street signs for sale

Housing developments and sanitary improvement districts outside city limits are establishing their identity not just with the development sign but also with custom street signage that reflect the neighborhood's character.

I recommend: C&C Mailbox Products manufactures and offers vinyl street signs for sale to residential subdivisions, as well as vinyl mailboxes and house number signs. For more traditional-looking signs, check out OnlineSigns or USA Traffic Signs.

Get your kicks on Route 66 - or whatever the highway number is

The continual improvement of roads and highways often means replacing road signs or erecting temporary highway signs when construction forces detours or when signs wear out or get hit.

I recommend: Esignshop.net offers U.S. and Interstate highway road signs for sale, as well as state highway signs for more than 30 states. USA Traffic Signs offers reflective U.S. and Interstate road signs for sale, along with numbered county route and national forest signs, and offers same or next-business-day shipping on most products.

Mark the road, Jack, with custom traffic safety signs

While often the road is the road is the road, there are sometimes traffic conditions that stock traffic signs weren't made for. Other times, the use of color and images add impact that words alone cannot.

I recommend: SafetySign offers more than 100 custom formats and blanks, the ability to add pictures and design help online or by phone. OnlineSigns offers custom-color parking signs in red, black, green and blue, as well as the ability to custom-design signs.

Park it right here, bub

The continuing American love affair with the car means a continuing need for signs to tell drivers where to park. Also, outfitting cars with devices to give mobility to the physically challenged means an increasing need to find handicapped parking signs for sale.

I recommend: MyParkingSign.com offers parking lot directional and pedestrian crossing signs, as well as speed bumps. SignOutfitters.com offers 40 different styles of handicapped parking signs for sale, including state-specific models, and 80 different styles of no parking signs in either powder-coated painted steel or reflective aluminum.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Follow the sign regulations for your state or city in the size and reflectiveness of traffic signs of any kind. Within these guidelines, choose signs that can be read in most weather or light conditions.
• •  Place traffic signs where they can be easily read without getting in the way of traffic itself.

Though traffic signs are mostly a government issue, knowing traffic signs basics can aide in a variety of business situations. Aside from private companies hired to produce and place traffic signs, your business may also find uses for traffic, street, and parking signs.

If your business finds itself with a need for traffic signage, you need to educate yourself on the basics of signs. It is not a matter of just placing a sign in the ground. Some of the things to keep in mind are:

1. Finding a reliable company that provides road signs for sale
2. Knowing the guidelines for the placement of traffic signs
3. Knowing what sign maintenance is expected
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate companies offering official traffic and street signs for sale

Though there are many places that offer custom traffic safety signs or custom parking signs, many of these are meant for entertainment purposes. Ensure that the signs that you are purchasing are durable and comply to regulations. Some things to look for are aluminum construction with reflective paint.

I recommend: The Traffic Sign Store offers a wide variety of signs, including roadway safety signs, construction safety signs, and handicapped parking signs for sale that meet federal guidelines. American Labelmark Company sells durable, rust-proof traffic with a 10 year lifespan that comply with federal traffic control device regulations.

Position your traffic signs in compliance with regulations

Traffic control signs cannot be placed just anywhere. There are federal guidelines controlling the proper placement of any traffic control sign to ensure consistency and safety.

I recommend: The United States Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Association provides detailed diagrams of proper sign placement. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials have formed a National Committee for Uniform Traffic Control Devices which provides information on commonly used signs which may not fall under federal regulations.

Maintain your traffic signage properly

Placing your traffic signs properly is only a start. You must also keep the signs in good repair for them to fulfill their purpose.

I recommend: The Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center summarizes the important aspects of traffic sign maintenance, including night visibility and retroreflectivity. 3M offers traffic sign replacement and upgrade services to meet your traffic sign maintenance needs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Not all traffic signs fall under federal regulations. Be sure to check your state and local regulations for any signs not covered in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

Traffic signs come in all shapes, sizes and uses. Learning a few of the terms associated with signs can help engineers establish a basic knowledge of the sign world and what to expect when searching for certain types of traffic signs.

Many sign manufacturers will customize a traffic sign to a client's needs. If the sign is intended for public road use, it must follow certain government regulations. Learn key terms associated with the signs and regulations.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Degradation

Degradation refers to the loss of reflectivity and wear of a traffic sign over time. Signs lose color, wordings, paint and reflectivity, making them less visible and in need of being replaced.

I recommend: Read the traffic sign standards and definition of degradation at the U.S. Department of Transportation website.

Regulatory

Regulatory traffic signs are used to tell drivers what rules pertain to certain sections of the road. They include signs like 'Stop' or 'No U Turn.'

I recommend: Find a definition and listing of regulatory signs at Rice Signs.

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)

The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is published by the U.S. Department of Transportation to regulate everything pertaining to traffic signs including size, color, style and placement.

I recommend: Browse the regulations and information on the MUTCD at the United States Department of Labor website.

Prismatic reflective

Prismatic reflective signs are those that will reflect a vehicle's head lamps at night.

I recommend: Read about the prismatic reflective traffic sign and other types at USA Traffic Signs. The website offers an overview of the different types of reflective options and their benefits.

Traffic control devices (TCD)

Traffic control devices (TCD) is a general term often used by sign manufacturers and government standards to refer to traffic signs and other road signs.

I recommend: Read the definition of TCD at Label Master. They supply traffic signs that meet government standards for all aspects of signage.

Warning signs

Warning signs are a category of traffic control signs designed to alert drivers of potential hazards like bumps, turns in the road or slippery road conditions.

I recommend: Read the definition of warning signs and view the different types of signs available at Esignshop.