# Sign Regulations in Hadley Town, Massachusetts

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Hadley Town, Massachusetts (MA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/hadley-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/13511088#13511088)

## At a glance

Hadley Town, Massachusetts regulates 17 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Wall Sign (Single-Tenant Property)s in the Limited Business Districts, Local Business Districts zoning district are capped at 40 square feet (total on all wall signs per business establishment), with a Signs must be farther than 20 feet from the front lot line setback (Sec. § 7.6.3.1, § 7.6.2, § 7.6.3.2). Most commercial signs in Hadley Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 6 | Freestanding or movable signs: 15 feet, unless greater height is granted by sign permit authority; Building-mounted: May not exceed roof line | 40 square feet, except as otherwise allowed in Limited Business, Local Business, Business, and Industrial zones | — |
| Residence Districts, Agricultural-Residence Districts | 2 | — | 4 square feet | — |
| Limited Business Districts, Local Business Districts | 9 | — | 40 square feet (total on all wall signs per business establishment) | — |
| Business Districts, Industrial Districts | 9 | — | 64 square feet (total on all wall signs per business establishment) | — |

_1 additional zoning district is covered in PermitPal (free account)._

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Traffic, Public Safety, Informational or Directional Sign (Governmental Agency) | — | — | — | — | — | Owned and installed by a governmental agency, including light-emitting signs. | — | § 7.4.1 |
| Sign (General, All Zones) | Freestanding or movable signs: 15 feet, unless greater height is granted by sign permit authority; Building-mounted: May not exceed roof line | 40 square feet, except as otherwise allowed in Limited Business, Local Business, Business, and Industrial zones | — | — | — | — | — | § 7.3.1, § 7.4.2, § 7.4.3, § 7.4.4, § 7.4.5, § 7.4.7 |
| Sign to Warn of Hazard or Post Land | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 7.4.6.2 |
| Temporary Sign (Architect, Engineer, Contractor) | — | 10 square feet | — | At least the minimum setback for the district | — | On premises during work | — | § 7.8.4 |
| Temporary Sign (Sale or Lease of Premises) | — | 10 square feet | — | — | One per lot | On-site | — | § 7.8.5 |
| Temporary Sign (Religious or Charitable Campaign/Event) | — | 12 square feet | — | — | One per lot unless special permit | — | — | § 7.8.2 |

### Limited Business Districts, Local Business Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Single-Tenant Property) | — | 40 square feet (total on all wall signs per business establishment) | — | Signs must be farther than 20 feet from the front lot line | Up to four wall signs per establishment | Attached and parallel to the walls of the building | — | § 7.6.3.1, § 7.6.2, § 7.6.3.2 |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (Single-Tenant Property) | — | 40 square feet | — | Must be farther than 20 feet from front lot line | One per business establishment | On lot | — | § 7.6.3.3 |
| Wall Sign (Multi-Tenant Property) | — | 20 square feet per tenant | — | Must be farther than 20 feet from front lot line | One per tenant | Each tenant with access and frontage along a street, right-of-way, or parking area; attached and parallel to the walls | — | § 7.6.4.1, § 7.6.4.2 |
| Freestanding Ground Sign or Directory Sign (Multi-Tenant Property) | — | 40 square feet | — | Must be farther than 20 feet from front lot line | One per lot | One per lot | — | § 7.6.4.3 |
| Canopy (No Sign) | — | — | — | — | — | Limited to canopies not appearing as internally lit signs | — | § 7.6.6.1 |
| Gas Station Pricing Pod | — | 16 square feet | — | — | — | May be incorporated on same post or pylon as the freestanding stand | — | § 7.6.6.2 |
| Open Flag | — | 15 square feet | 3 feet by 5 feet | — | One per business | — | — | § 7.6.6.3 |
| Light-Emitting Sign (Window, Business Use) | — | 6 square feet per sign; max two per business | — | — | No more than two per business | Behind an exterior-facing window | — | § 7.6.7.1 |

### Business Districts, Industrial Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Single-Tenant Property) | — | 64 square feet (total on all wall signs per business establishment) | — | Signs must be farther than 20 feet from the front lot line | Up to four wall signs per establishment | Attached and parallel to the walls of the building | — | § 7.6.3.1, § 7.6.2, § 7.6.3.2 |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (Single-Tenant Property) | — | 64 square feet | — | Must be farther than 20 feet from front lot line | One per business establishment | On lot | — | § 7.6.3.3 |
| Wall Sign (Multi-Tenant Property) | — | 40 square feet per tenant | — | Must be farther than 20 feet from front lot line | One per tenant | Each tenant with direct exterior entrance available for public use along a street, right-of-way or parking area; attached and parallel to main wall | — | § 7.6.5.1, § 7.6.5.2 |
| Freestanding Ground Sign or Directory Sign (Multi-Tenant Property) | — | 64 square feet | — | Must be farther than 20 feet from front lot line | One per lot | One per lot | — | § 7.6.5.3 |
| Canopy (No Sign) | — | — | — | — | — | Limited to canopies not appearing as internally lit signs | — | § 7.6.6.1 |
| Gas Station Pricing Pod | — | 16 square feet | — | — | — | May be incorporated on same post or pylon as the freestanding stand | — | § 7.6.6.2 |
| Open Flag | — | 15 square feet | 3 feet by 5 feet | — | One per business | — | — | § 7.6.6.3 |
| Light-Emitting Sign (Window, Business Use) | — | 6 square feet per sign; max two per business | — | — | No more than two per business | Behind an exterior-facing window | — | § 7.6.7.1 |

## Prohibited signs in Hadley Town

- No sign larger than two square feet shall be erected, altered or enlarged without a permit.
- All signs must comply with the State Building Code.
- No freestanding or movable signs will extend more than 15 feet above ground level except where physical characteristics of the lot require otherwise and approval is granted.
- No sign affixed to a building may project above the roof line onto which the sign is affixed.
- No private sign shall be placed on public property.
- No sign may be placed in a side yard or a rear yard as required for the particular district.
- No sign shall constitute a nuisance to abutters or hazard to pedestrian or vehicular traffic because of intensity or direction of illumination, animation or moving parts.
- Light-emitting signs and internally lit signs, including signs with reflective elements, will not be permitted except as described for governmental/public safety or certain exceptions.
- Signs displaying animation, movement or changing messages (by flashing or blinking lights or other electrical means) and signs designed to attract attention by a change of light intensity, repeated or intermittent motion will not be permitted except as described for governmental/public safety or certain exceptions.
- Signs containing moving parts, such as moving signs, swinging signs, revolving signs, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, strings of light bulbs, inflatable signs, tethered balloons or other distracting devices, will not be permitted for reasons of safety.
- Interior signs visible from the street which do not comply with this bylaw are prohibited.
- Any sign advertising or identifying a business or organization which is defunct or no longer located on the premises is prohibited, except landmark signs.
- Any trailer-style movable sign or vehicle used primarily or intentionally as a sign is prohibited.
- No new billboards or nonaccessory signs will be permitted.
- Off-premises signs are prohibited.
- No sign shall be attached to, or leaned against, any street furniture, utility facility (including poles and boxes), street light or any other sign.
- No sign shall be placed in such a manner as to reduce or obstruct the path of travel on any road, sidewalk ramp or any Town- or state-owned sidewalk.
- There shall be no illumination of any type on signs placed on public property, external nor internal.
- No sign shall be placed in such a manner that it impedes the visual ability or line of sight of vehicles or pedestrians exiting or entering any public or private way.
- No person shall post or affix or cause to be posted or affixed upon any tree, stone, telegraph, telephone, electric light, or other pole, post or structure, within the boundaries of any street, lane, common or other public place, any sign, playbill, poster, notice, advertisement, or printed paper of any description, except caucus or election notices.
- No person shall cut, paint or mark any such stone, tree, pole, post or structure except for the purpose of protecting the same.
- It is unlawful to place or maintain or to display upon or in view of any street any unofficial sign, signal or marking which imitates or resembles an official traffic sign or signal, attempts to direct traffic, or hides any official sign or signal.
- It is unlawful to willfully deface, injure, move, obstruct or interfere with any official traffic sign, signal or marking.

## Signs exempt from permit in Hadley Town

- Any traffic, public safety, informational, or directional sign owned and installed by a governmental agency is permitted, including light-emitting signs.
- Signs that are necessary to warn of a hazard or to post land are permitted as required to accomplish these purposes.
- Temporary signs relating to a religious or charitable campaign or event are allowed in all districts up to 12 square feet in area and one per lot (except by special permit for more).
- Temporary signs of an architect, engineer or contractor during the period such person is performing work on the premises are permitted (not to exceed 10 square feet, set back per district).
- One sign pertaining to the sale or lease of the premises is permitted on site (not to exceed 10 square feet).
- Caucus or election notices are exempted from the prohibition on posting signs on public trees, poles, etc.
- Legally existing signs at the time of adoption of the bylaw may continue as nonconforming uses, subject to certain conditions.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- For uses requiring a special permit/site plan approval as identified in Section III of the Hadley Zoning Bylaw, Planning Board approval is required before a sign permit is issued.
- A permit is required for any sign larger than two square feet; compliance with all applicable provisions of the bylaw must be determined before issuance.

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

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