# Sign Regulations in Cohasset Town, Massachusetts

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Cohasset Town, Massachusetts (MA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/cohasset-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/31654287#31654287)

## At a glance

Cohasset Town, Massachusetts regulates 15 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Freestanding or Attached Sign (per Lot Frontage)s in the Business Districts, Light Industry Districts zoning district are capped at 20 ft (except for directional: 4 ft) tall and 40 sq ft per 200 ft lot frontage, with a No sign may be located closer than 15 ft to any property line setback (Sec. §300-6.6A(2); §300-6.6B(2)). Most commercial signs in Cohasset Town 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 | 5 | Height limit of signs in district | 2 sq ft | — |
| Residential Districts | 4 | 10 ft | 6 sq ft | — |
| Business Districts, Light Industry Districts | 7 | 20 ft (except for directional: 4 ft) | 40 sq ft per 200 ft lot frontage | — |
| Industrial Districts | 2 | 20 ft (except for directional: 4 ft) | 40 sq ft per 200 ft lot frontage | — |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Political or Noncommercial Sign | Height limit of signs in district | Area of largest sign allowed in district | — | — | — | — | — | §300-6.4(A) |
| Street Banner or Temporary Nonaccessory Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Location must be approved by the Building Inspector | — | §300-6.4(B) |
| Temporary Accessory Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §300-6.4(C) |
| Posting Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-6.4(D) |
| Directional Sign | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §300-6.4(E) |

### Residential Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accessory Sign (Identifying Home Occupation/Accessory Use) | — | 2 sq ft (within 15 ft of lot line, unless attached to building); 6 sq ft overall max | — | No sign larger than two sq ft within 15 ft of any property lot line, unless attached to a building; temporary signs excluded | 2 | On premises | — | §300-6.5A(1); §300-6.5B |
| Temporary Sign Advertising Sale/Lease/Construction/Repair | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On premises | — | §300-6.5A(2); §300-6.5B |
| Identification Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | At front entrance to principal building or in front yard | — | §300-6.5A(3); §300-6.5B |
| Freestanding Sign | 10 ft | 6 sq ft | — | No sign larger than two sq ft placed within 15 ft of lot line unless attached to a building | — | On premises | — | §300-6.5B(2)-(3) |

### Business Districts, Light Industry Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Accessory Sign for Each Tenant) | — | 25 sq ft per tenant; 10% of wall area for all tenants | — | — | 1 per tenant | Flat against wall of building | — | §300-6.6A(1) |
| Freestanding or Attached Sign (per Lot Frontage) | 20 ft (except for directional: 4 ft) | 40 sq ft per 200 ft lot frontage | — | No sign may be located closer than 15 ft to any property line | As calculated by frontage (1 per 200 ft, or 1 if <200 ft) | On premises | — | §300-6.6A(2); §300-6.6B(2) |
| Directory Sign | — | 1 sq ft per establishment per entrance | — | — | One at each public entrance | At each public entrance to building | — | §300-6.6A(3) |
| Identification Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | At front entrance to each building on premises | — | §300-6.6A(4) |
| Temporary Sign Advertising Sale or Lease | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | §300-6.6A(5) |
| Cloth Flag (Decorative or Emblematic, Non-advertising) | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Over sidewalk (Business Districts only) | — | §300-6.6A(6) |
| Freestanding Directional Sign | 4 ft | — | — | — | — | — | — | §300-6.6B(2) |

## Prohibited signs in Cohasset Town

- No person, firm, association, or corporation shall erect, display, or maintain a billboard, sign, or other outdoor advertising device except those authorized by MGL c. 93, §§ 30 and 32, or by additions to or amendments of said sections.
- Signs which advertise an activity, business, product, or service no longer produced or conducted on the premises where the sign is located are prohibited and must be removed no more than 30 days after the activity ceases.
- Billboards and other permanent, nonaccessory signs are prohibited.
- Promotional signs consisting of pennants, streamers, ribbons, spinners or other similar moving devices are prohibited.
- Except for digital displays of time, temperature or fuel prices, mechanical signs, signs with moving parts, changing or scrolling images or parts, and signs which create the illusion of movement are prohibited.
- Signs with blinking, flashing, or fluttering lights or other illuminating devices with changing light intensity, brightness, or color, and fluorescent, exposed gaseous tube type and neon signs are prohibited, whether exterior to a building or visible through a door or window.
- Signs illuminated by other than a stationary white or off-white steady light are prohibited.
- Signs painted directly on a wall, rock, tree, or pole are prohibited.
- Portable signs are prohibited except as temporary signs.

## Signs exempt from permit in Cohasset Town

- This chapter does not apply to signs or other devices erected and maintained in conformity with law which advertise or indicate either the person occupying the premises or the business transacted thereon, or advertising the property itself as 'for sale' or 'to let' and which contain no other advertising matter.
- This chapter does not apply to billboards, signs, or other advertising devices legally maintained at the time this chapter was originally approved by the Attorney General.
- This chapter does not apply to signs used exclusively for municipal, religious or charitable purposes.
- Signs erected and maintained by the Town, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or the federal government on any land, building or structures in use by such entities are exempt from regulation under this article.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Signs are also subject to Article 6, Sign Regulations, of Chapter 300, Zoning.
- No sign other than a posting sign or an identification sign not exceeding two square feet in area, a temporary real estate for sale or lease sign, or a temporary political or noncommercial sign, may be erected, altered, or relocated without a permit issued by the Building Inspector.
- The Building Inspector may require a drawing and other pertinent information before issuing a permit.

## 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 Cohasset Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Cohasset+Town+MA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-cohasset-town

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