Commercial Awnings in New York

Storefront awnings, entrance canopies, restaurant awnings and retractable awnings for businesses across New York. Custom sized to your frontage, branded with your name and logo, and built on frames made for the city’s wind, rain and snow. One window or the whole face of a building.

Fixed or retractable, new or re-covered, specified for the wall they hang on.

Send Us a Photo of the Storefront

Everyone picks the color first

The color is the part of an awning people talk about. It is rarely the part that goes wrong.

What goes wrong is the structure underneath. A frame sized for a summer breeze bends in the first nor’easter. A flat-topped awning holds water until the fabric sags into a pocket. Fixings go into crumbling brick instead of sound masonry. A retractable awning is left out in a storm. An awning projects over the sidewalk without the permit it needed, and comes down on the city’s schedule rather than yours.

A commercial awning is part sign, part roof and part structure. We treat it as all three, which is why we ask about the wall, the weather it faces and how long it needs to last before we ask about fabric swatches.

Awning or canopy: the words overlap

People use the two words for the same thing, and so does the industry. This is how we use them.

Aspect	Awnings	Storefront canopies
What it is	A covering attached to the building above a window, door or storefront.	A larger structure over an entrance, often extending well out toward the curb or supported on posts.
Held up by	The wall alone.	The wall, posts or both.
Usually for	Shade, shelter over the door, branding along the storefront.	A covered approach to a hotel, restaurant, residential or office building entrance.
Typical shape	Traditional sloped, dome, quarter-round, box or flat.	Flat or gently curved, often with a long projection.

Many frontages use both. If you are not sure which you need, send a photo of the entrance and tell us what you want it to do.

Commercial awnings by type

Type	What it is	Usually for
Fixed storefront awnings	A fabric cover on a welded frame, fixed permanently to the facade.	Retail shops, salons, cafes and offices that want year-round branding and shelter.
Retractable awnings	Fabric on folding arms that rolls back against the wall, by hand crank or motor.	Restaurants, cafes and shops that want shade on some days and open sky on others.
Restaurant awnings and canopies	Awnings sized for outdoor seating, often with lighting underneath.	Sidewalk dining, bar and cafe frontages.
Entrance canopies	A covered approach from the street to the door.	Hotels, residential buildings, event venues and office entrances.
Window awnings	Smaller individual awnings over single windows.	Upper floors, side elevations and building fronts with a row of windows.
Building awnings	A continuous run or a matched series of awnings along a whole facade.	Corner buildings, multi-tenant storefronts and properties that want one look across every bay.
Backlit awnings	Translucent fabric lit from inside the frame.	Frontages that need the name to read after dark.
Re-covering	New fabric on an existing frame that is still sound.	Rebrands, faded or torn covers, and new tenants in the same storefront.

Fabric on the outside, frame doing the work

The fabric is what people see. The frame is what keeps an outdoor awning up through a New York winter. We specify both for the frontage.

Material	What it gives you	Worth knowing
Solution-dyed acrylic fabric	A woven, canvas-like look. The color goes through the fiber, so it holds up well in sun.	Breathes, so it is water-resistant rather than waterproof. The classic storefront awning look.
Vinyl-coated polyester	A smooth, waterproof fabric with a slight sheen. Easy to wipe clean.	Good for printed graphics and backlit awnings. Suits kitchens and busy streets where grime builds up.
Aluminum frame	Welded aluminum tube. Light and does not rust.	The usual choice for storefront awnings. Sized for the span and the projection.
Steel frame	Galvanized or painted steel. Stronger for its size.	Used for long spans, large canopies and post-supported structures. Needs a protective finish to stop rust.

Flame resistance. Commercial awning fabric is generally expected to meet a recognized flame-resistance standard. We specify fabric that does.
Slope and drainage. Rain has to run off, not collect. The pitch of the awning is designed so water leaves at the edge rather than pooling on top.
Snow and wind. A fixed awning has to carry snow and resist wind. Frames are sized for that, not just for the fabric’s weight.

Fixed or retractable

The choice comes down to what you want the awning to do on a bad day.

Fixed awnings stay out. Year-round shelter over the door and constant branding. They are built to take snow and wind, and they need very little from you.
Retractable awnings give you the choice. Shade over the tables on a hot afternoon, and open sky or a clear window display when you want it. They suit restaurants and cafes with outdoor seating.
Retractable means retracted in bad weather. Retractable awnings are not designed to carry snow or ride out strong wind. They need to be rolled in, and someone has to be responsible for doing it.
Motors and sensors help. A motorized awning with a wind sensor can retract itself when gusts pick up. That is worth considering where staff will not always remember.
Branding still works. A retractable awning’s front valance can carry the business name, so the storefront is still branded when the awning is out.

Restaurant awnings

A restaurant awning often covers the tables the business depends on in summer. That changes what it needs to do.

Sized to the seating. Projection and width are planned around where the tables and chairs go, not just the door.
Light underneath. Lighting fixed to the frame lets the space under the awning work after dark.
Heat and fabric. Outdoor heaters and fabric need safe clearances. The awning and the heating plan are worked out together.
Easy to clean. Near kitchens, exhausts and busy sidewalks, fabric gets dirty quickly. Vinyl-coated fabric wipes clean more easily than woven acrylic.

The awning as a sign

On many storefronts, the awning is the biggest and most visible piece of branding the business has. Our custom awnings can carry names, logos, addresses and phone numbers.

On the valance. The flap along the front edge is the traditional place for the name, and it stays readable when the awning is retracted.
Across the slope. Larger lettering or a logo on the face of the awning, read from across the street.
Printed or applied. Graphics can be printed onto the fabric or cut from vinyl and heat-applied. Both are matched to your brand colors.
Lit after dark. Backlit vinyl awnings glow from inside the frame. Lights mounted above or below the awning light up a woven one.
Treated as a sign. In New York, lettering on an awning is generally treated as signage, and zoning can limit how much of the awning it covers. We check before the artwork is final.

New York has rules for what hangs over its sidewalks

An awning that projects over a public sidewalk is regulated in New York City. Planning for that from the start is much easier than taking the awning down later.

Permits. Awnings and canopies over the sidewalk generally need approval from the Department of Buildings. Larger canopies, especially those supported on posts in the sidewalk, can involve additional city approvals.
Clearance and projection. The code sets how low an awning can hang over the sidewalk and how far it can project. The design starts from those limits.
Signage on the awning. Lettering and logos on an awning generally count as a sign under zoning, which can limit their size and content depending on the district.
Landmarks. On a landmarked building or in a historic district, awnings usually need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Shape, color, material and fixings can all be specified in that approval.
The landlord. Many buildings have their own rules for awning style, color and placement. Ask for them before you choose a design.

Send us the address with your first photo. That lets us flag what the location is likely to need and build the approval time into the schedule.

A new cover, not always a new awning

Awning fabric usually wears out long before a well-built frame does. Sun fades it, weather wears it, and a rebrand or new tenant can make a perfectly good cover out of date.

Re-covering. If the frame is straight, solid and firmly attached, we can make a new cover to fit it. It is usually quicker and less expensive than a full replacement.
Frame check first. Bent arms, rust, cracked welds or loose fixings mean the frame needs repair or replacing before new fabric goes on.
New tenant, same frame. Taking over a storefront with an existing awning often means only a new cover and new graphics. Check the permit status of the existing awning too.

Photo to installed awning

Send us the storefront. A photo of the facade, the address and rough measurements. We will tell you what the frontage allows and give you a rough price.
Four questions. Fixed or retractable? Branded or plain? Lit or unlit? Is there outdoor seating underneath?
Survey. We measure on site and check the wall construction, the fixing points and any obstructions such as signs, lights and security grilles.
Design and approvals. A drawing of the awning on your facade, with fabric samples and colors. Landlord approval and permits are arranged where needed.
Fabrication. The frame is built, and the cover is cut, sewn and branded.
Installation. Fixed to the building, checked and finished, scheduled around your opening hours.

Custom commercial awnings, built for the street they face

Capability	What it means for your awning
We start with the wall	The frame and fixings are designed for your facade, not for a generic one.
We size frames for the weather	Wind, rain and snow are factored into the structure, not just the fabric.
We brand it properly	Lettering and logos matched to your brand colors and checked against sign rules.
We plan for approvals	Permits and landlord or landmarks approval are part of the schedule from the start.
We re-cover	A sound frame gets new fabric instead of being replaced unnecessarily.
We coordinate your signage	Awnings, storefront signs and window graphics can be designed together from one team. See our signage company page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Commercial Awnings

What is the difference between an awning and a canopy?

The terms overlap. An awning is usually attached to the building and supported by the wall, over a window, door or storefront. A canopy is usually larger, covers an entrance and often reaches toward the curb, sometimes on posts. Many businesses use the words interchangeably, and some frontages have both.

Do I need a permit for a storefront awning in NYC?

In most cases, yes. Awnings and canopies that project over a public sidewalk generally need Department of Buildings approval. Lettering on the awning can also count as signage under zoning, and landmarked buildings usually need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Send us the address and we will tell you what we expect the awning to need.

How long does an awning last?

A well-built frame lasts much longer than the fabric. How long the fabric lasts depends on the material, how much sun it gets, the street it faces and how it is cleaned. When the cover fades or wears, it can usually be replaced on the existing frame.

Can a retractable awning stay out in the rain or snow?

It can handle light rain if it is pitched to drain, but it should be retracted in heavy rain, strong wind and snow. Retractable awnings are not designed to carry snow. A motorized awning with a wind sensor can retract itself automatically.

Can you replace just the fabric?

Yes. If the frame is sound, straight and firmly attached, we can make and fit a new cover. It is a common choice for rebrands and new tenants taking over a storefront with an existing awning.

Can you put our logo on the awning?

Yes. Names, logos, addresses and phone numbers can go on the valance or the face of the awning, printed or applied in your brand colors. We check the lettering against local sign rules before the artwork is final.

Can an awning be lit?

Yes. Backlit awnings use translucent vinyl fabric lit from inside the frame, so the whole awning and its graphics glow. Woven fabric awnings can have lights mounted above them or under them to light the sidewalk and the storefront.

What do you need for a quote?

A photo of the storefront, the address, the rough width of the frontage and your logo if you want branding. Tell us whether you want it fixed or retractable and whether there is seating underneath.