# Sign Regulations in Plainville, Connecticut

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Plainville, Connecticut, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Plainville, Connecticut (CT)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/connecticut/plainville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-11-05
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://www.plainvillect.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif4866/f/uploads/zoning_regulations_revised_to_2025_-_07-19-25.pdf#page=87)

## At a glance

Plainville, Connecticut regulates 15 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Political Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 12 feet tall and 24 square feet, unless displayed on an existing billboard, with a Minimum 12 feet from any property line setback (Sec. Section 4.03 E.1). Most commercial signs in Plainville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 12 feet | 32 square feet (8 feet by 4 feet) | — |
| Residential Zones | 4 | 12 feet | 24 square feet | — |
| Commercial and Industrial Zones (CC, GC, RI, GI, TP, QI) | 7 | 12 feet; larger by Special Exception, maximum 30 feet in CC, GC, RI, GI, TP Zones or 60 feet in QI Zone | 24 square feet; larger by Special Exception | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Political Sign | 12 feet | 24 square feet, unless displayed on an existing billboard | — | Minimum 12 feet from any property line | Not specified | On private property with property owner's permission, not within road right-of-way | — | Section 4.03 E.1 |
| Non-profit Organization's Charitable Events Sign | 12 feet | 24 square feet | — | Minimum 12 feet from any property line | Not specified | On private property with property owner's permission, not within road right-of-way | — | Section 4.03 E.2 |
| Real Estate Sign - Development Advertisement | 12 feet | 32 square feet (8 feet by 4 feet) | — | Minimum 12 feet from property line | Not specified | On lot with minimum 100 feet frontage on highway, for developments with 5 or more lots or buildings over 5,000 sq ft | — | Section 4.03 E.3.a |
| Real Estate Sign - Financier/Constructor Identification | 12 feet | 24 square feet (6 feet by 4 feet) | — | Minimum 12 feet from property line | Not specified | On lot with minimum 100 feet frontage on highway, for developments with 5 or more lots or buildings over 5,000 sq ft | — | Section 4.03 E.3.b |
| Grand Opening Banner or Static Sign | — | — | — | — | Not specified | Associated with new business establishment | — | Section 4.03 E.4 |

### Residential Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sale or Rental Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | Not specified | Behind the building line | — | Section 4.03 C.1 |
| Farm Products Sign | — | 3 square feet | — | — | Not specified | Attached to the building or structure from which products are sold, behind the building line | — | Section 4.03 C.2 |
| Home Occupation Sign | — | 3 square feet | — | — | Not specified | Attached to the residence, behind the building line | — | Section 4.03 C.3 |
| Special Exception Use Sign | 12 feet | 24 square feet | — | Minimum 12 feet from any property line | Not specified | — | — | Section 4.03 C.4 |

### Commercial and Industrial Zones (CC, GC, RI, GI, TP, QI)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Attached Sign | Not above roof line | — | — | — | One per business establishment; more by Special Exception if necessary for identification and does not impair area character | Attached to building wall | — | Section 4.03 D.1 |
| Projecting Sign | Not exceed height of building | 4 square feet | Projection not more than 6 feet from wall | — | Included in attached sign allowance | Projecting from wall in pedestrian areas | — | Section 4.03 D.1.c |
| Canopy Sign | Not above roof line | — | — | — | Included in attached sign allowance | Attached as canopy | — | Section 4.03 D.1.c.v |
| Detached Sign | 12 feet; larger by Special Exception, maximum 30 feet in CC, GC, RI, GI, TP Zones or 60 feet in QI Zone | 24 square feet; larger by Special Exception | — | Minimum 12 feet from any property line | One per lot | — | — | Section 4.03 D.2.a |
| Gasoline Service Station Movable Sign | 4 feet | 9 square feet | — | Minimum 2 feet from property line | One per highway frontage | For gasoline service stations, per highway frontage | — | Section 4.03 D.2.b |
| Traffic Control Sign | 4 feet | 1 square foot | — | Minimum 2 feet from property line | Not more than 4 per acre of lot area | Directing vehicular traffic entering/exiting site | — | Section 4.03 D.2.c |
| Sale or Rental Sign | — | 8 square feet | — | — | Not specified | Behind the building line | — | Section 4.03 D.2.d |

## Prohibited signs in Plainville

- Signs that are illuminated in a manner or with such intensity or brightness that they may cause glare, distraction or nuisance to operators of vehicles, pedestrians, or neighboring property owners.
- Signs attached to any tree, fence or utility pole.
- Billboards, except those that are existing nonconforming.
- Signs painted directly upon any wall or roof of any structure or building.
- Portable signs, such as sandwich board signs or A-frame signs, which are moveable and not permanently attached to a building, structure or the ground, except as specifically provided for under subsection 5 of this section.
- Pennants, streamers, aerial signs, inflatable signs or flag-like devices hung from or attached to any part of a building, vehicle, structure or otherwise on a lot for commercial purposes, except where specifically exempted pursuant to subsection 5 of this section.
- Signs projected onto a surface by any means.
- Rotating, blinking, animated or flashing signs, message boards capable of a slide show or series of stills, full motion, or a combination thereof, including signs with display screens using intermittent internal illumination by mechanical or digital controls that produce an illusion of movements such as, but not limited to, flashing, running, rotating, video graphics, animation, change in color and brightness or scrolling advertisement message, projected by LED, LCD, plasma, or functionally equivalent technology, with the exception of content neutral time, date and temperature signs if the image is displayed in less than 2.5 square feet (with further exception for digital changeable copy at fuel stations for price information only under specified conditions).
- No sign shall be located on a corner lot or near any intersection in a location or fashion which impairs the visibility of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- No internal light from a sign, or external light source meant to illuminate such sign, shall glare into the street or any adjoining property and/or distract the attention of users of a public highway.

## Signs exempt from permit in Plainville

- Existing nonconforming billboards.
- Content neutral time, date and temperature signs if the image is displayed in less than 2.5 square feet.
- Changeable copy sign at fuel filling stations for price information only, provided that only the price copy is illuminated on a black background, the sign illumination can be adjusted to be visible by day without creating glare at night, the sign does not flash intermittently, and the copy is not changed more frequently than twice per day.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The Commission may, by Special Exception, approve the location of more than one attached sign per business establishment if it determines that more than one attached sign is necessary to adequately identify the business and the proposed sign does not impair the character and appearance of the area.
- The Planning and Zoning Commission may grant a Special Exception for a detached sign which exceeds twenty-four (24) square feet in area.
- The Planning and Zoning Commission may grant a Special Exception for a detached sign which exceeds 12 feet in height, provided that the maximum permissible height shall not exceed thirty (30) feet in CC, GC, RI, GI, or TP Zones or sixty (60) feet in QI Zone.
- A sign identifying a Special Exception Use must be approved by the Commission as a Special Exception.
- The Commission may, by Special Exception, approve the relocation of a non-conforming detached sign on the same lot if it improves the aesthetic quality of the site and its surrounding properties, increases the distance from any property line, and improves vehicular and pedestrian safety.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Plainville, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Plainville+CT&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-plainville

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