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Create, customise and download a printable CCTV in operation sign in seconds.
Create a clear CCTV notice for your home, shop, office or business premises. Customise your details, choose your size and download a print-ready PDF for free.
Create My CCTV SignOne more thing before you go
Cameras and alarms are excellent at detection. Here is where each one stops, and what fills the gap.
But it usually cannot physically prevent an intruder from reaching your stock.
But an intruder may still have time before anyone arrives.
Fogaway fills the protected space with dense security fog in seconds, making it extremely difficult for an intruder to see or access valuable stock.
Fogaway. Active burglary protection.
The natural next step
CCTV is excellent at seeing what happens. Alarms are excellent at telling you when it happens. Fogaway is designed for what happens next.
When activated, it rapidly fills the protected area with dense security fog, dramatically reducing visibility and making it difficult for an intruder to continue targeting valuable items.
Handy if you created this on your phone and want to print from a computer. We only use your address to send the sign.
CCTV signage guide
If your cameras record people, the answer is almost always yes. In the UK, CCTV that captures identifiable individuals is treated as processing personal data, and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) expects people to be told that they are being recorded. Clear, visible signage is the standard way of doing that, and it is one of the items on the ICO's own CCTV self-assessment checklist under "public awareness and signage".
This applies to shops, offices, warehouses, restaurants, shared buildings and workplaces. It also applies to many homes: the ICO's guidance for domestic CCTV systems says that if your cameras capture images beyond the boundary of your property, such as the pavement, the road or a neighbour's garden, data protection law applies and you should let people know you are using CCTV, for example by displaying a sign.
Beyond the law, a sign does a second job. Visible CCTV signage is a deterrent in its own right. Most opportunistic intruders would rather pick premises where they are not being watched.
A good CCTV sign tells people three things at a glance: that CCTV is in operation, who is operating it, and how to contact them. The ICO's approach to surveillance is built on transparency, so the more clearly your sign explains what is happening and why, the better. In practice a well-made UK CCTV sign includes:
Our generator builds all of this in automatically. Choose your location type and the wording adapts, then add your name and contact details in step 3.
Signs should be placed where people will see them before, or as, they enter the area being recorded. The classic positions are the main entrance, the shop front or window, the car park entrance and, for larger premises, at intervals inside so that people in different areas are still aware. If a camera is not obvious, for example a small dome camera or a camera covering a stock room, an extra sign near that camera helps make the recording clear. See our full guide to CCTV signs for room-by-room advice.
Yes. There is no requirement for a sign to come from a particular supplier. What matters is that it is clearly visible, readable and gives the right information. Printing your own is the fastest way to comply and to update the details whenever your contact information changes. For outdoor use, print on card, laminate it or place it inside a clear sign holder, or take the PDF to a local print shop for a rigid or weatherproof version.
There is no single legal size. The practical rule is that the sign must be readable at the point where someone enters the recorded area. As a guide: A4 (210 × 297 mm) suits entrances, shop fronts and car parks; A5 (148 × 210 mm) suits doors, corridors, reception desks and counters; A6 (105 × 148 mm) suits small internal areas such as tills, stock rooms and lifts. Our tool generates all three sizes in portrait or landscape at true print dimensions.
Businesses have the clearest obligations. As well as signage, most organisations that operate CCTV need to be registered with the ICO and pay the data protection fee, keep footage secure, and be able to respond to requests from people who have been recorded. Your sign is the public face of that: it should name the business, state the purpose and give a contact route. Read more in our guides to CCTV signs for business and CCTV signs for shops.
Home CCTV that only captures your own house and garden falls outside data protection law. As soon as the camera sees beyond your boundary, which is very common with doorbell cameras and driveway cameras, the ICO's domestic CCTV guidance applies: position cameras to minimise what they capture of other people, let people know you are recording, for example by displaying a sign, and be prepared to explain what you record and why if a neighbour asks. A simple "CCTV in operation" sign by the front door or gate covers the signage part.
Signage is only one part of using CCTV lawfully. The ICO's CCTV and video surveillance guidance for organisations covers the wider picture: having a clear purpose, only recording what you need, keeping footage secure, not keeping it longer than necessary, and handling requests for footage. At the time of writing the ICO notes that its guidance is under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check the ICO site for the latest position.
Think about the route someone takes into your premises and place the notice at eye level along that route: on the door or beside it, in the window facing the street, and at the entrance to any car park or yard. Inside, place notices where areas change, for example at the entrance to a stock room or staff area. Keep them clean and unobstructed, and replace any that fade or peel, because a sign nobody can read is a sign that is not doing its job.
This tool provides a convenient sign generator and general information. It does not constitute legal advice. Data protection requirements depend on your circumstances; refer to the Information Commissioner's Office for authoritative guidance.