UK Signage Law Changes 2026–27: Tracker for Business Signs and Notices
Law tracker · England and Wales · Checked 29 October 2026
Signage law changes for 2026 and 2027
The next fixed dates are 1 January 2027, when tobacco sellers in England and Wales need a new A3 "born on or after 1 January 2009" notice, and 1 October 2027, when drinks retailers must show deposits next to prices. Price-label and letting-advert rules changed in April and May 2026. Vape advertising is due to end on 1 June 2027.
Checked 29 October 2026Next check by 20 November 2026Sources legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, gov.wales, FSAGeneral information, not legal advice
Nation
Status
Timeline
Changes with a date
26 March 2026In forceWales
Wales: less healthy food kept away from checkouts, aisle ends and entrances
Qualifying shops in Wales can no longer display food high in fat, sugar or salt within 2 metres of a checkout or queuing area, at the end of an aisle, near a public entrance or in a covered area outside the store, or sell it on volume deals such as buy one get one free. It limits promotional displays rather than adding a sign.
Who: Food retailers in Wales; the placement rules don't apply to stores with less than 185.8 m² of relevant floor area.
Wales: housing associations brought under the Welsh language sign standards
New Welsh Language Standards for registered social landlords include the sign standards: text on signs and notices must appear in Welsh, positioned so that it is likely to be read first, and reception areas need a sign saying people are welcome to use Welsh. Each association's deadline is set by the compliance notice it receives from the Welsh Language Commissioner.
Who: Housing associations (registered social landlords) in Wales.
Prices must be shown in a font that is clear and of reasonable size. Where a product has more than one price, such as a loyalty-card price, each selling price and its unit price must be shown, with any conditions displayed close to the product. Unit prices now use standard units such as per kg, per litre or per item.
Who: Any trader showing prices to consumers in Great Britain. Shops under 280 m² remain exempt from unit pricing for constant-quantity pre-packed goods.
Any written advert or offer for a private tenancy must state a fixed proposed rent, and inviting bids above it is banned. That covers letting-agent window cards and listings. A board at the property that only says it is to let is exempt.
Who: Private landlords and letting agents in England.
29 October 2026Powers in force, rules awaitedEngland and Wales
Ministers can now restrict how vapes and their prices are displayed
Sections 13 and 14 of the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 came fully into force on 29 October 2026, giving ministers in England and Wales power to restrict how shops display tobacco, vapes, nicotine products and their prices. The consultation, which proposed keeping vapes out of sight behind the counter as tobacco already is, closed on 2 October 2026. No rules or start date have been set.
Who: Shops selling vapes, tobacco or nicotine products.
1 January 2027Law made, start date setEngland and Wales
New tobacco age-of-sale notice: "born on or after 1 January 2009"
The notice at every tobacco point of sale changes to say it is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, replacing the under-18 notice. It must be at least A3. In England each character must be at least 21 mm high. In Wales the notice must carry the Welsh and English statements, with every letter and number at least 12 mm high.
Who: Every shop selling tobacco on its premises. The government guidance pages for England and Wales have A3 templates; because the minimum letter heights differ, one notice won't suit both nations.
1 June 2027 (intended)Start date announced, not yet lawUK-wide
Vape and nicotine advertising ends, including in shop windows
Publishing an advert that promotes vapes, nicotine products, tobacco, herbal smoking products or cigarette papers becomes an offence. The Department of Health and Social Care notes that vape adverts are currently allowed in shop windows and on posters. Designing or printing such an advert in the course of business is a separate offence (ss. 119–120). The department intends the ban to start on 1 June 2027; the regulations that switch it on haven't been made yet.
Who: Shops and vape retailers, and the designers, sign makers and printers who make their adverts.
1 October 2027Law made, start date setEngland, Wales and NI
Deposit return: show the deposit next to the price
Shops selling drinks in scheme containers must display that a deposit is charged, the price without the deposit, the deposit and the price with it, and how to get a refund. Return points, grocery shops without a return point, and pubs and cafés that opt out of charging deposits on drinks served on the premises each need their own notice. The scheme in Wales includes glass.
Who: Drinks retailers, return points and hospitality premises in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has a separate scheme.
These are in Acts already passed, or in a regulator's published plan, but nothing yet sets the day they start.
No date setAct passed, no start dateEngland
England: vape-free places and new rules for no-smoking signs
The Act lets ministers make indoor smoke-free places vape-free and heated-tobacco-free too, add outdoor areas such as playgrounds and school grounds, and set new rules for no-smoking, no-vaping and heated-tobacco signs. The consultation, which closed on 8 May 2026, proposed at least one sign indoors with the design left to the occupier, government templates, and a lead-in of at least six months.
Who: Anyone responsible for smoke-free premises or vehicles in England, plus schools, nurseries, playgrounds and health sites.
Wales: powers for no-vaping signs and new no-smoking sign rules
The same Act gives Welsh Ministers power to set the content, appearance and position of no-smoking signs and to create vape-free and heated-tobacco-free places, each with a sign duty. These sections start on a day the Welsh Ministers appoint. We found no Welsh consultation on vape-free places yet.
Who: Occupiers of smoke-free premises and vehicles in Wales.
Wales: display the building certificate in large residential blocks
The principal accountable person for a registered, occupied category 1 building must display the latest building certificate and a notice giving the accountable person's details together in a conspicuous place in the building. The section awaits a Welsh commencement order.
Who: Accountable persons for the largest multi-occupied residential buildings in Wales.
Consultation planned for summer 2027Proposal onlyEngland
England: food hygiene rating stickers may become compulsory
The Food Standards Agency plans to consult in summer 2027 on making in-store display of food hygiene ratings mandatory in England, as it already is in Wales, with a submission to ministers in January 2028. Display stays voluntary in England until then.
Who: Food businesses with a hygiene rating in England.
Not law, but dated: for Airbnb stays booked from 20 November 2026, every house rule must be in the listing before booking; signs in the home can repeat those rules but can't add new ones (Airbnb policy). See house rules sign ideas.
Checked and ruled out
Changes that don't affect your signs
We checked these because they are often linked with signage. None adds a sign or notice duty in 2026 or 2027.
Change
What we found
Source
Martyn's Law (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025)
Expected in force spring 2027. It sets procedures, not signs or notices.
CCTV signs after the ICO became the Information Commission (30 September 2026)
No duty to change signs. A CCTV sign must say who runs the cameras, why and how to contact them; the government says the change doesn't alter the regulator's role, responsibilities or powers.
Wales visitor accommodation register and visitor levy
Providers must register by 31 March 2027 and Cardiff's levy starts on 1 April 2027. We found no duty to display a registration number or levy notice at the premises.
Every item comes from the legislation itself on legislation.gov.uk or from the responsible department or regulator: GOV.UK, gov.wales, the Department of Health and Social Care, Defra, the Department for Business and Trade and the Food Standards Agency. We list a change only if it alters what a business must display, or limits what it may display, at its premises. We checked each item's text and commencement on 29 October 2026, and we re-check them each quarter and on each start date.
Status shows where each change stands: in force; law made, start date set; start date announced, not yet law (a government date with commencement regulations still to come); powers in force, rules awaited; Act passed, no start date; or proposal only. We make engraved signs in North Wales; we aren't lawyers. Check statutory wording against the legislation before you print it, especially the Welsh text of the tobacco notice.
Cherry Grove Craft (2026). UK Signage Law Changes Tracker 2026–27: England and Wales. Checked 29 October 2026. https://cherrygrovecraft.co.uk/pages/uk-signage-law-changes-tracker
Three have dates. From 1 January 2027 tobacco sellers in England and Wales need a new A3 notice saying sales are illegal to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The ban on vape and nicotine advertising, including shop-window posters, is intended to start on 1 June 2027. From 1 October 2027 drinks retailers must show the deposit next to the price under the deposit return scheme.
Do I need a new tobacco sign for 2027?
Yes, if you sell tobacco. The under-18 notice is repealed on 1 January 2027 and replaced by a notice about anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. It must be at least A3, with characters at least 21 mm high in England, or in Welsh and English with letters and numbers at least 12 mm high in Wales. Government templates are on GOV.UK and gov.wales.
Do I need a no-vaping sign?
Not yet. Vaping indoors isn't banned in England or Wales. The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 lets ministers create vape-free places with a duty to display no-vaping signs, but no regulations or start dates have been made.
Do CCTV signs need changing now the ICO is the Information Commission?
No. A CCTV sign has to say who runs the cameras, why, and how to contact them, not who regulates them. The government says the change on 30 September 2026 doesn't alter the regulator's role, responsibilities or powers, and we found no duty to replace signs.
What changed on price labels in April 2026?
From 6 April 2026 prices must be shown in a clear font of reasonable size, every selling price and unit price must be shown where there is more than one (such as a loyalty-card price), and unit prices use standard units such as per kg or per litre.
How often is this tracker updated?
We re-check every item against the legislation and official guidance each quarter and on each start date. The next check is due by 20 November 2026, after the window in which Parliament could annul the England tobacco notice regulations closes on 11 November.
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