# Sign Regulations in Beverly, Massachusetts

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Beverly, Massachusetts (MA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/beverly
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/29284814#29284814)

## At a glance

Beverly, Massachusetts regulates 34 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (single building with single business)s in the CG District, CC District, IR District, IG District zoning district are capped at 15 ft above grade tall and 10 sq ft, with a Building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography setback (Sec. §300-67A(2)(a)[1]). Most commercial signs in Beverly require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 14 | — | 12 sq ft | — |
| CG District, CC District, IR District, IG District | 17 | 15 ft above grade | 150 sq ft | — |
| CN District, HD District, BHD District | 13 | 15 ft above grade | 25 sq ft | — |
| Residential Districts | 3 | — | 6 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building name, date, monument citation, or commemorative tablet | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | — | Made a permanent and integral part of building or site | — | §300-68B |
| Warning, hazard, or public convenience sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-68E |
| Directional/safety signs (non-business) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-68F |
| House of worship/community building identification | — | 12 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-68G |
| Directional sign to house of worship or community building | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-68H |
| Home identification sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-68I |
| Gasoline pump sign | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | One per pump | On gasoline pump | — | §300-68M |
| Temporary window sign (nonresidential first floors) | — | 6 sq ft or 20% of the area of the window, whichever is less | — | — | — | First floor of nonresidential buildings | — | §300-68N |

### CG District, CC District, IR District, IG District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (primary facade >40 ft, 0-20 ft setback) | — | 25 sq ft | — | 0-20 ft from front lot line | One per ground floor business per primary facade | On building's sign band if present; otherwise, top not higher than sill of 2nd story windows or 15 ft above grade, whichever is lower | — | §300-67A(1), §300-67A(1)(a)[3][a], §300-67A(1)(b) |
| Wall Sign (primary facade >40 ft, 20.01-40 ft setback) | — | 30 sq ft | — | 20.01 - 40 ft from front lot line | One per ground floor business per primary facade | On building's sign band if present; otherwise, top not higher than sill of 2nd story windows or 15 ft above grade, whichever is lower | — | §300-67A(1), §300-67A(1)(a)[3][b], §300-67A(1)(b) |
| Wall Sign (primary facade >40 ft, 40.01-80 ft setback) | — | 60 sq ft | — | 40.01 - 80 ft from front lot line | One per ground floor business per primary facade | On building's sign band if present; otherwise, top not higher than sill of 2nd story windows or 15 ft above grade, whichever is lower | — | §300-67A(1), §300-67A(1)(a)[3][c], §300-67A(1)(b) |
| Wall Sign (primary facade >40 ft, >80 ft setback) | — | 150 sq ft | — | More than 80 ft from front lot line | One per ground floor business per primary facade | On building's sign band if present; otherwise, top not higher than sill of 2nd story windows or 15 ft above grade, whichever is lower | — | §300-67A(1), §300-67A(1)(a)[3][d], §300-67A(1)(b) |
| Freestanding Sign (single building with single business) | 15 ft above grade | 10 sq ft | — | Building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | One | Only permitted if building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | — | §300-67A(2)(a)[1] |
| Freestanding Sign (single building with several businesses) | 15 ft above grade | 30 sq ft | — | Building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | One | Only permitted if building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | — | §300-67A(2)(a)[2], §300-67A(2)(b) |
| Freestanding Sign (several buildings, several businesses) | 15 ft above grade | 35 sq ft | — | All buildings over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | One | Only permitted if all buildings over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | — | §300-67A(2)(a)[3], §300-67A(2)(b) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3.5 ft | — | 2 ft | Within 12 ft of main entrance | One | Sidewalk/grass strip of public right-of-way or on private property; within 12 ft of main entrance | — | §300-67A(9) |

### CN District, HD District, BHD District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | One per ground-floor use's primary facade | On building's sign band if present; otherwise, top not higher than bottom of 2nd story sills or 15 ft above grade, whichever is lower | — | §300-67B(1) |
| Freestanding Sign (single building with single business) | 15 ft above grade | 10 sq ft | — | Building >200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured | One | Only permitted if building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | — | §300-67B(2)(a)[1] |
| Freestanding Sign (single building with several businesses) | 15 ft above grade | 20 sq ft | — | Building >200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured | One | Only permitted if building over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | — | §300-67B(2)(a)[2], §300-67B(2)(b) |
| Freestanding Sign (several buildings, several businesses) | 15 ft above grade | 25 sq ft | — | All buildings >200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured | One | Only permitted if all buildings over 200 ft from front lot line or ≥75% obscured by topography | — | §300-67B(2)(a)[3], §300-67B(2)(b) |
| Window Sign (upper floor) | — | 3 sq ft | — | — | One per business | In window opening of business | — | §300-67B(3)(a) |
| Window Sign (ground floor) | — | 6 sq ft or 20% of window, whichever is less | — | — | One per business | In window opening of business | — | §300-67B(3)(b),(c) |
| Canopy Sign (Gasoline Station) | 12 in | — | 6 ft | — | Up to two per station | On gas station canopy | — | §300-67B(6)(a) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3.5 ft | — | 2 ft | Within 12 ft of main entrance | One | Sidewalk/grass strip of public right-of-way or on private property; within 12 ft of main entrance | — | §300-67B(9) |

## Prohibited signs in Beverly

- Any sign displaying flashing or intermittent lights, or lights of changing degrees of intensity, except a sign indicating time or temperature with changes alternating on not less than a five-second cycle when such sign does not constitute a public safety or traffic hazard.
- Any lighting by exposed tubing or string of lights outlining a part or all of a building or affixed to any ornamental feature thereof, except temporary items for particular seasons or universally celebrated holidays.
- Any sign that obscures a sign displayed by public authority for traffic instructions, directions, or other public information.
- Any sign that uses the word 'stop' or 'danger' or otherwise presents or implies the need or requirement of stopping or caution or the existence of danger, or which is a copy or imitation of, or likely to be confused with, any sign displayed by public authority.
- Any sign that obstructs light or impedes passage through any window, door, fire escape, stairway, ladder, or opening intended to provide light, air, ingress, or egress as required by law.
- Any sign or sign illumination that causes direct glare into or upon any street, or into or upon any building other than the building to which the sign is affixed.
- Any portable sign (except a sandwich board sign), with or without self-contained wheels, designed and constructed so as not to be permanently affixed to the land and moved from place to place. This includes removable signs displayed on a vehicle.
- Any sign that violates any provision of any state law relative to outdoor advertising.
- Signs constructed, erected, or maintained above the roofline of any building, except with Design Review Board approval.
- Any off-premises sign, such as a billboard, which indicates a use or product not available on the property where the sign is located.
- Any sign which advertises or calls attention to products, businesses, or activities no longer sold or carried on at the premises. Such signs shall not remain for more than 30 days beyond the date the business vacates the premises. Both the landlord and the lessee are individually responsible for removing such signs.
- Any right-angle wall sign that projects more than four feet from a building face or wall.
- Any sign which, due to its placement, obscures the visibility of motor vehicles, thus creating a traffic hazard.
- Any sign not expressly permitted by this chapter.
- No sign or any portion of any sign shall be allowed to have changeable messages, except for signs belonging to theaters, places of worship, nonprofit educational entities.
- Colored lighting, open flame, or bare bulbs shall not be used to illuminate signs.
- A sign shall not be placed so that it obscures architectural elements such as roofs, cornices, columns, arches, windows, details, or other building features or ornamentation.
- Exterior design features of a building or structure associated with a corporate image or identification of a business are considered a sign and subject to sign regulations.

## Signs exempt from permit in Beverly

- Signs erected by or on the order of a governmental agency when limited to governmental purposes and excluding any advertising.
- Names of building, date of erection, monument citation, and commemorative tablets made a permanent and integral part of a building or site, not exceeding five square feet.
- Banners or flags emblematic of or issued by national, state, or local governments.
- Holiday decorations and lights when in season.
- Signs not exceeding two square feet in size indicating warnings, hazards, or public conveniences such as 'trespass,' 'beware of dog,' and restroom signs.
- Signs not exceeding two square feet in size necessary for safety and direction of residents, employees, customers, and visitors, provided such signs do not carry the name or symbol of any product and the name or symbol of a business does not take up more than 30% of the sign space.
- Signs identifying a house of worship or community building, not exceeding 12 square feet in size and not internally illuminated.
- Signs not exceeding two square feet giving only direction and distance to a specified house of worship or community building, provided no such sign shall be illuminated.
- Home signs, not exceeding two square feet, indicating the name and address of the occupant(s) of a dwelling.
- A sign, not exceeding two square feet, indicating a permitted accessory use or home occupation.
- One temporary sign, not exceeding six square feet in residential districts or 24 square feet in other districts, announcing prospective sale, rent, lease, or trade of, or contracting work done on, the property. Such sign must be removed within three days after the completion of the event or work. Temporary 'open house' signs are subject to additional timing and quantity restrictions.
- Directory boards attached to buildings for the sole purpose of directing the public to, and identifying the location of, occupants or tenants within a building(s), with letters not exceeding one inch in height and total sign area not exceeding three square feet.
- One sign on a gasoline pump indicating types and prices of gasoline, provided the sign does not exceed one square foot.
- Temporary window signs on the first floors of nonresidential buildings, provided they do not exceed the smaller of six square feet or 20% of the area of the window and are up no longer than 14 days.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All applications for a building permit to erect or alter any sign shall be reviewed by the Design Review Board, except as provided for in the exemptions of § 300-68.
- No sign shall be erected or an existing sign altered in any way without review and approval by the Design Review Board and without issuance of a building permit as required by the Building Inspector, unless the sign qualifies for exemption under § 300-68.
- An applicant must submit to the Design Review Board an application including a description of the proposed sign, a colored scale drawing, a site plan if applicable, photographs of the existing building or site, and other materials as required.
- The Design Review Board has 60 days from receipt of a complete application to approve or disapprove the application. The applicant is suggested to be present at the meeting.
- Upon receiving approval from the Design Review Board, the applicant may then apply for a sign permit from the Building Inspector.
- The Design Review Board approves or disapproves all signs not expressly allowed by right in the code. Signs not expressly permitted require review and consideration of zoning district, surrounding uses and character, economic/business interests, and aesthetic appearance.
- Variances for deviation from sign requirements may be approved by the Zoning Board of Appeal by special permit when special circumstances exist, and such deviation will be in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the ordinance.
- For artist live/work, the special permit granting authority may modify sign standards as appropriate, pursuant to a recommendation by the Design Review Board.
- All signs for advertising businesses licensed under certain city codes must be approved by the Director of Municipal Inspections.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 4 zoning districts in Beverly — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Beverly+MA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-beverly

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