Shop window screen in Vienna: do you need a permit?

Short answer: In Vienna, a screen fixed to the outside of your shopfront counts as an advertising installation. The city's design department (MA 19) reviews it, the building authority (MA 37) or MA 46 approves it. MA 19's criteria list flashing and changing-light advertising on shopfronts as not approvable. For a screen inside, behind the glass, the guidance has no rule of its own. Ask MA 19 before you mount it.

You run a shop, café or studio in Vienna and want to show offers or opening hours on a screen in the window instead of a printed poster. The first question is almost always the same: do I need a permit? Here is what Vienna has written down, what it hasn't, and what the screen itself costs. Status: October 2026. This is not legal advice.

Does a shop window screen in Vienna need a permit?

It depends on where the screen hangs. The Vienna Chamber of Commerce summarises the MA 19 criteria for advertising on shops: MA 19 checks how an installation fits the streetscape, MA 37 or MA 46 grants the permit. If it projects over public ground, you also need an agreement with MA 28.

One line matters most for screens. MA 19 lists flashing and changing-light advertising as "nicht genehmigungsfähig" (not approvable). An outdoor screen that rotates images fits that description.

What is a protection zone (Schutzzone)?

Protection zones are areas where Vienna wants to preserve the historic streetscape. They are marked in the zoning plan, and you can check your address on the city's Schutzzonen map. MA 19's guide values for hanging signs show how much stricter it gets: 0.5 m² inside a protection zone, 1 m² outside, 1.3 m² on shopping streets. Large parts of the Innere Stadt and the inner districts are protection zones.

Which screen works in a shop window?

A living-room TV fights sunlight in a window and runs for many hours a day. Five points decide whether people outside can read it:

• Brightness: pick a model the manufacturer sells for window use. Normal TVs look grey with sun on the glass.
• Orientation: portrait suits most windows and phone-made creatives. Check the model may run upright.
• Daily runtime: look at the approved hours per day.
• Dim at night: a bright screen at midnight annoys neighbours. Set brightness and switch-off times from day one.
• Mounting: a freestanding screen behind the glass changes nothing on the facade. Drilling into the wall or mounting outside needs a talk with your landlord first.

What does the software cost?

With adyoutiser the software costs €0. So do the dashboard and your own content. Upload offers, menus or opening hours as often as you like. No player yet? A Linux player costs €249 net, once. If your screen already has a player or CMS, you pay nothing. Details: free digital signage.

Ads pay for it. In the time you release for advertising, other businesses' creatives play and you get a share of the net ad revenue. The share is agreed per screen when we list it. The credit note follows 5 days after a campaign ends. List your screen here: list your screen. We are looking for sites in Vienna, Lower Austria and Bratislava.

What does a listed screen in Vienna look like?

adyoutiser has 20 bookable screens: 16 in Vienna, 3 in Bratislava, 1 in Amstetten. In Vienna they sit in the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 8th and 9th district. Two indoor examples run by their operators: the 75-inch screen at Mariahilfer Straße 125 and the 86-inch screen at Josefstädter Straße 99. Anyone can book ads there, from €2 per order, one day is enough. All sites with photo and price: /screens.

FAQ

Does a shop window screen in Vienna need a permit?

If it hangs outside on the facade, it is an advertising installation: MA 19 reviews it, MA 37 or MA 46 approves it. For a screen inside, behind the glass, MA 19's guidance has no separate rule. Ask MA 19 before mounting, especially in a protection zone.

Which Vienna office is responsible?

MA 19 (architecture and urban design) for the design review. MA 37 (building authority) or MA 46 for the permit. If the ad projects over public ground, an agreement with MA 28 is needed as well.

Can an outdoor shopfront screen show video?

MA 19's criteria list flashing and changing-light advertising on shops as not approvable. An outdoor screen that rotates images is unlikely to pass. Inside, behind the glass, the guidance does not regulate it separately.

How do I know if my shop is in a protection zone?

Check the city's Schutzzonen map. Protection zones are part of the zoning plan, and facade advertising there follows stricter guide values, for example 0.5 m² for hanging signs instead of 1 m².

What does digital signage for a shop window cost?

At adyoutiser, software, dashboard and your own content cost €0. Only if you have no player yet do you pay €249 net once for a Linux player. The ads that run in your released time pay for the software.

Can my window screen earn money?

Yes. In the time you release for advertising, booked creatives from other businesses play and you receive a share of the net ad revenue, agreed per screen. How much gets booked depends on the location. We don't promise a figure.