# Sign Regulations in Framingham, Massachusetts

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Framingham, Massachusetts (MA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/framingham
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/41372670#41372670)

## At a glance

Framingham, Massachusetts regulates 22 sign types across 10 zoning districts. Wall Signs in the Highway Corridor/Regional Center (HC/RC) zoning district are capped at Letter height per setback: 12-48 in (see Chart 1); above 4th floor: max 42 in tall, 1 sq ft per linear foot of frontage, min 30 sq ft, max 200 sq ft, and Max horizontal dimension 50 ft wide, with a Letter height based on setback from curb/pavement (Chart 1) setback (Sec. §373-10B, Chart 1). Most commercial signs in Framingham require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (10 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Highway Corridor/Regional Center (HC/RC) | 9 | 20 ft (face of sign); base height up to 3 ft also included | 40 sq ft | — |
| Business Districts (B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B1-B4), Central Business/Mixed Use (CB), General and Light Manufacturing (M, M-1, M/M1) | 6 | Letter height per setback: 12-48 in (see Chart 1); above 4th floor: max 42 in | 30 sq ft | — |
| Office and Professional (P) | 2 | 6 ft | 18 sq ft | — |
| Technology Park (TP), Office/Technology Park (All underlying districts) | 5 | 10 ft | 150 sq ft | — |
| Residential and General Residence (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, G, R1-R4, G) | 3 | 10 ft | 25 sq ft (primary), 15 sq ft (additional) | — |
| Geriatric and Planned Unit Development (G-E, PUD) | 1 | 6 ft | 30 sq ft | — |
| Open Space and Recreation (OSR) | 1 | 6 ft | 30 sq ft | — |
| Planned Reuse (PR) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Shopper's World (special sign requirements) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | Depth 6 in; min 10 ft (walk) or 15 ft (driveway) clearance | 30 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 10 zones)

### Highway Corridor/Regional Center (HC/RC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Letter height per setback: 12-48 in (see Chart 1); above 4th floor: max 42 in | 1 sq ft per linear foot of frontage, min 30 sq ft, max 200 sq ft | Max horizontal dimension 50 ft | Letter height based on setback from curb/pavement (Chart 1) | 1 per street frontage, 2 on corner lot intersecting 2 public streets | On building facade, in sign band if present | — | §373-10B, Chart 1 |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 ft (face of sign); base height up to 3 ft also included | 40 sq ft | 12 ft between support poles | N/A beyond 10 ft min from curb; must not obstruct driver vision; must not overhang lot line | 1 per single business, up to 2 for business complex >30,000 sf (must be 200 ft apart); see Option notes in 373-10C(1)(g) | Entirely on business premises, min 10 ft from curb; not allowed if building is less than 10 ft from curb | — | §373-10C, Chart 2 |
| Monument Sign | 8 ft | 40 sq ft | 8 ft | See general placement restrictions for freestanding signs | 1 per single business; see complex/business center exceptions | On business premises, subject to freestanding sign placement rules | — | §373-10C(2), Chart 3 |
| Multiple Business Sign (MBS) | 20 ft (25 ft for centers >20,000 sq ft & 4+ tenants) | 40 sq ft standard; up to 200 sq ft for eligible centers | 12 ft between support poles | Same as freestanding signs | 1–2 depending on business center type, see §373-10C(1)(g), (3)(g) | On business premises, sign placement as for freestanding sign | — | §373-10C(3), Chart 4 |
| Banner Sign | — | 30 sq ft | — | — | 1 at any time per business/org | Attached only to building surfaces | — | §373-9A |
| Bracket/Projecting Sign | Depth max 6 in; clearance bottom min 10 ft above walkway/15 ft above driveway | 12 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | Perpendicular to wall, hung 90 degrees from face | — | §373-9B |
| Window Sign | — | 10% of glass area on facade | — | — | — | Within 4 ft of any glass area | — | §373-9N |
| Parking Lot/Directional Sign | 5 ft (entrance/exit), 6 ft (interior) | 3 sq ft (entrance/exit), 4 sq ft (interior) | — | — | 1 per driveway (entry/exit); additional allowed interior | Driveway entrances/exits; within parking lots | — | §373-9H |

### Business Districts (B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B1-B4), Central Business/Mixed Use (CB), General and Light Manufacturing (M, M-1, M/M1)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Letter height per setback: 12-48 in (see Chart 1); above 4th floor: max 42 in | 1 sq ft per linear foot of frontage, min 30 sq ft, max 200 sq ft | Max horizontal dimension 50 ft | Letter height based on setback | 1 per street; 2 at corner/intersection per 373-10B(1)(b)-(c) | On building facade, in sign band if present; in CB must be in sign band and uniform | — | §373-10B, CB: §373-9D(1)-(2) |
| Freestanding Sign | 10 ft (includes base up to 2 ft in height) | 30 sq ft | 6 ft between support poles | See placement and minimum distance from curb | 1 per business; up to 2 for business complex >30,000 sf w/ 4+ tenants, 200 ft apart (see 373-10C(1)(g)) | Entirely on site, min 10 ft from curb | — | §373-10C, Chart 2 |
| Monument Sign | 6 ft | 30 sq ft | 6 ft | See placement rules for freestanding | See freestanding sign rules | On site, as substitute for free-standing; see general sign placement rules | — | §373-10C(2), Chart 3 |
| Multiple Business Sign (MBS) | 10 ft | 30 sq ft | 6 ft | See placement rules | — | On site | — | §373-10C(3), Chart 4 |
| Bracket/Projecting Sign | Depth 6 in; must clear 10 ft above walk/15 ft above driveway | 8 sq ft (CB); 12 sq ft (all other) | — | — | 1 per business | Perpendicular to building surface | — | §373-9B |
| Banner Sign | — | 30 sq ft | — | — | 1 at any one time | On building, not on freestanding sign | — | §373-9A |

### Technology Park (TP), Office/Technology Park (All underlying districts)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign (Single Business) | 6 ft | 30 sq ft | 6 ft | — | See usual business center/complex rules | On site, must comply with monument sign parameters | — | §373-10C(2), Chart 3 |
| Office/Technology Park Entrance Sign | 10 ft | 150 sq ft | 15 ft | — | 1 per entrance | At park entrance; max 1 per entrance | — | §373-10C, Chart 8 |
| Interior Wayfinding Sign | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | 8 ft | — | 6 | Inside park, directional | — | §373-10C, Chart 8 |
| Single Corporate Sign | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | 8 ft | — | 1 per building | At building for single business | — | §373-10C, Chart 8 |
| Multiple Corporate Sign | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | 8 ft | — | 1 per building | At building for multiple businesses | — | §373-10C, Chart 8 |

## Prohibited signs in Framingham

- All off-premises signs are prohibited, with exceptions for nonprofit civic, educational, or religious use directional signs and management signs.
- Balloons, inflatable devices, or flags used for advertising or commercial purposes are prohibited (note: provision suspended until 9-20-2024 per ordinance).
- Banners on freestanding signs are prohibited.
- Billboards are prohibited.
- Bracket signs for businesses located above the first floor are prohibited.
- Changeable copy signs are prohibited except when used on an institutional/civic sign, a gasoline price pod, in conjunction with a movie theater, for a drive-thru car wash or fast-food restaurant, or by restaurants (with additional restrictions).
- Circulars, placards or flyers placed on vehicles or on the exterior of any building are prohibited.
- Flashing/rotating, animated, moving or changing signs, including parked mobile changing signs and billboards, are prohibited except as provided in §373-9L.
- Pennants are prohibited.
- Portable signs are prohibited, except A- or T-frame, menu and sandwich board signs up to 24"x36" are allowed; signs attached to/painted on vehicles or trailers parked to draw attention are prohibited unless vehicle is registered and used in normal business operations; exceptions are made for washable markers on car lot windshields and institutional/civic uses limited to 14 days.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Signs and/or flags placed on property without the owner or agent's permission are prohibited.
- Signs mounted perpendicular to a building wall are prohibited, except as allowed for bracket signs under certain conditions.
- Signs painted directly on a building surface are prohibited.
- Signs painted on or attached to utility poles, rocks, boulders, trees, fences, utility boxes, benches, dumpsters (other than identifying the dumpster service), trash barrels, water towers, storage tanks, chimneys, radio towers, roof towers and sidewalks are prohibited.
- Signs placed on or attached to any sloped surface are prohibited, with the exception of an awning sign.
- Street banners for a commercial business are prohibited.
- Wall or freestanding signs for individual businesses that do not have building frontage and a separate exterior public entrance into the business, and are not completely separated by interior walls with no access from any adjacent business are prohibited unless a variance is granted.
- Wind-driven, whirling or spinning signs are prohibited.
- No sign, including a window sign, shall interfere with traffic or be confused with or obstruct the view or effectiveness of any official traffic sign, signal, or marking.
- No sign (building surfaces with illuminated gaseous tube or similar lights with a message or trademark) may have additional neon or lighting except as internal illumination or attached external illumination designed to primarily illuminate the sign face area.
- Signs must not reflect or shine light onto neighboring premises, into residential lots, or impair vehicle operator vision on public roadways.
- Obsolete signs must be removed or (if compliant) covered within 30 days of business closing. Obsolete noncompliant signs, including structural supports, must be removed within 30 days of business closing, except if a permit is applied for and replacement with compliant signage occurs within 60 days.
- Temporary business banners and signs have limits on concurrent display (cannot display separate banner sign while using a temporary sign identifying a business).
- Signs must comply with Massachusetts State Building Code and Electrical Code for structural integrity.
- Unauthorized signs, signals, or markings that imitate or resemble official traffic devices are prohibited (§550-8).
- No person may deface, injure, move, obstruct, or interfere with any official sign, signal, marking or device (§550-10).
- No person except City employees/agents shall deface or remove City-owned signs (§373-14).

## Signs exempt from permit in Framingham

- The flag of any governmental organization or nonprofit charitable organization (one flag per organization); does not require a permit.
- The flag of a single corporation occupying 50,000 square feet or more of nonretail space when not displayed in connection with a commercial promotion or as an advertising device (one flag per corporation); does not require a permit.
- The American flag; does not require a permit.
- Political signs; do not require a permit.
- Roadwork signs; do not require a permit.
- Real estate signs less than six square feet; do not require a permit.
- Residential signs; do not require a permit.
- Religious symbols are not deemed to constitute a sign.
- Street banners allowed for civic and institutional organization events only (not for commercial business); limited to 30 days at a time.
- Vertical pole flags are allowed for Town of Framingham events and districts, subject to size and content limitations.
- Washable markers on windshields of vehicles for sale or lease in car lots are exempt from prohibition on signs on vehicles.
- Signs for institutional/civic uses allowed for up to 14 days and constructed per Building Department standards are exempt from portable sign prohibition.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All exterior signs and interior window signs require a permit unless specifically exempted in §373-5.
- Applications for sign permits in historic districts require a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic District Commission.
- Sign variances require an application to be filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals, followed by a public hearing and public notification.
- All proposed signage related to subdivision review, site plan review, special permit review, or any other applicable review by the Planning Board is subject to Planning Board approval to determine compliance with this chapter. (A sign plan may be reviewed as part of site plan or special permit process.)
- Applications for a sign permit require a plot plan, scaled drawings of facades and sign(s), materials, lighting specs, and other details. Some submittal requirements may be waived by the Building Commissioner or Planning Board, based on sign type.
- A sign permit is only issued after a field survey by the Building Commissioner.
- After sign installation, a final inspection by the Building Commissioner is required, including a survey and photographs.
- A variance for a prohibited sign is not allowed except for wall or freestanding signs for businesses lacking building frontage and a separate public entrance; variances otherwise may not override prohibitions in §373-6.
- Subdivisions, site plan reviews, and special permits may include sign plans subject to Planning Board approval under §373-11A(4).
- Appeals and variances require submittal of sign plans and any supporting materials to the Zoning Board of Appeals prior to hearing.

## 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 10 zoning districts in Framingham — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Framingham+MA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-framingham

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