Professional vs. DIY LED Sign Installation: What You Need to Know

When you purchase an LED sign, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is how it gets installed. At LED Sign City, we offer two paths: Professional Installation and DIY Installation. Both options can deliver a beautiful finished sign — the difference lies in how much responsibility you want to take on.

Professional Installation: We Handle Everything

With professional installation, LED Sign City takes care of nearly every step:

Site survey and engineering to confirm placement, footing, and mounting.
Permitting support, including guidance and coordination with local authorities.
Fabrication of poles, footings, brackets, or custom framing.
Installation of the sign cabinet, lifting, and securing in place.
Final inspection and training so you’re ready to use your sign immediately.

⚡ Important Notes:

Electrical hookup from your main service to the sign must be completed by a licensed local electrician. This work is not included in the sign price and is typically required by code.
Permit fees up to $200 are included. Any additional fees charged by your city are the customer’s responsibility.

If you want a turnkey solution, this is the option. From start to finish, we handle everything except the final electrical hookup, which is completed by your electrician.

DIY Installation: Customer-Led with Our Support

With DIY installation, you’ll save on labor costs but take on more responsibility:

What’s included: the LED sign, controller, cabinet, detailed engineered drawings, and permit fee coverage up to $200.
What you provide: poles, footings, brackets, or other mounting structures fabricated locally.
What’s excluded: electrical connection from your building’s power source to the sign (done by a licensed electrician), and any city permit fees above $200.
Our role: we provide guidance and documentation, but the physical installation is up to you and your contractors.

DIY is a good fit for customers who:

Have access to local trades or in-house maintenance crews.
Are comfortable coordinating permitting and site work.
Want to lower upfront costs by handling fabrication themselves.

Key Differences at a Glance

Site survey: LED Sign City (Professional) vs. Customer (DIY).
Permitting: LED Sign City assists, includes up to $200 in permit fees (Professional & DIY); additional city fees are customer’s responsibility.
Poles/footings/brackets: Fabricated and installed by LED Sign City (Professional) vs. Fabricated locally (DIY).
Installation and cabinet placement: Done by LED Sign City crews (Professional) vs. Customer or contractors (DIY).
Electrical hookup: In both Professional and DIY installs, performed by a licensed local electrician and not included in the sign price.
Final inspection: Managed by LED Sign City (Professional) vs. Managed by customer (DIY).

Which Option Is Right for You?

Choose Professional if you want everything handled, from permits to poles to placement — with only the final electrical hookup left to your electrician.
Choose DIY if you want to reduce costs and have local support available to help with fabrication and site work.

Either way, your LED sign is backed by our One Price Guarantee — so whether you install it yourself or let us do it for you, you’ll always get our best value up front.

Our One Price Guarantee

At LED Sign City, every customer receives our One Price Guarantee:

Best price upfront — no haggling or hidden fees.
Transparent pricing — everything except tax.
No shipping charges.

And whether you choose DIY or Professional, you’ll always get the same commitment to quality, service, and long-term support.

Never miss a deal. Get Rewarded!