# Sign Regulations in Norwood Town, Massachusetts

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Norwood Town, Massachusetts (MA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/norwood-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/42518479#42518479)

## At a glance

Norwood Town, Massachusetts regulates 15 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Standing Signs in the Nonresidential Districts zoning district are capped at 10 ft tall, 50 sq ft (can be up to 100 sq ft and 25 ft tall by increased setback formula in BPH; see BPH zone); 10 ft height/width max for standard, and 10 ft wide, with a 20 ft from property line (front); can be special permitted to be as close as 5 ft from side property line. setback (Sec. §6.2.15.3). Most commercial signs in Norwood Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Central Business District | 3 | — | 30% of window area | — |
| Residential Districts (General Residence (G), Single Residence (S), Single Residence 1 (S1), Single Residence 2 (S2), Multifamily (A)) | 3 | — | 6 sq ft | — |
| Nonresidential Districts | 7 | 10 ft | 50 sq ft, or up to 5% of facade area | — |
| Business Districts | 4 | 20 ft | 50 sq ft, 20 ft max dimension, max 20 ft above grade | — |
| Office Research Districts | 3 | 20 ft | 50 sq ft, 20 ft any dimension, not higher than 20 ft above grade | — |
| Limited Manufacturing Districts, Life Science Development and Manufacturing Districts | 3 | 10 ft | 50 sq ft, or up to 5% of facade area | — |
| BPH District | 2 | 10 ft increases by 0.5 ft per foot of setback; max 25 ft | 50 sq ft increases by 1.66 sq ft for every foot of setback from 20 ft; max 100 sq ft | — |
| Priority Development Site (PDS) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | 6 sq ft for residential; 10 sq ft for nonresidential; 40 sq ft for Route 1 frontage | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 9 zones)

### Nonresidential Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Principal) | — | 50 sq ft, or up to 5% of facade area | — | — | 1 per occupant per lot | On leased or owned portion of facade. | — | §6.2.15.2 |
| Standing Sign | 10 ft | 50 sq ft (can be up to 100 sq ft and 25 ft tall by increased setback formula in BPH; see BPH zone); 10 ft height/width max for standard | 10 ft | 20 ft from property line (front); can be special permitted to be as close as 5 ft from side property line. | 1 per occupant per lot | Front edge not within 20 ft of property line (except by special permit closer by formula for side property lines). | — | §6.2.15.3 |
| Monument Sign | 5 ft | — | 10 ft | 5 ft | — | May be located 5 ft from front and side property line; BPH integration required in BPH zone. | — | §6.2.15.5 |
| Directory Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entrance | Each public entrance to building | — | §6.2.14.2 |
| Window Sign | — | 30% of window area | — | — | — | On window | — | §6.2.14.3 |
| Wall Sign (Secondary) | — | 30 sq ft | — | — | 2 per lot | Relating to separate building, entrance, or frontage | — | §6.2.15.4 |
| Temporary Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §6.2.7.3, §6.2.14.1 |

### Business Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Principal) | — | 30 sq ft (may exceed if 5% of facade is larger) | — | — | 1 per occupant per lot | On leased or owned portion of facade. | — | §6.2.16.2 |
| Standing Sign (by Special Permit) | 20 ft | 50 sq ft, 20 ft max dimension, max 20 ft above grade | 20 ft | 15 ft; may reduce to 5 ft by formula | 1 per lot (in addition to one wall sign per occupant) | Not within 15 ft of property line. May be reduced to 5 ft with sign area reduction: for every foot within the 15 ft setback, 2 sq ft must be reduced. | — | §6.2.16.3 |
| Wall Sign (Secondary) | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | 2 per lot | Relating to separate building, entrance, or frontage | — | §6.2.16.4 |
| Window Sign | — | 30% of window area | — | — | — | On or inside window | — | §6.2.14.3 |

### Office Research Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Principal) | — | 30 sq ft (may exceed if 5% of facade is larger) | — | — | 1 per occupant per lot | On leased or owned portion of facade | — | §6.2.16.2 |
| Standing Sign (by Special Permit) | 20 ft | 50 sq ft, 20 ft any dimension, not higher than 20 ft above grade | 20 ft | 15 ft; may reduce to 5 ft by formula | 1 per lot (in addition to one principal wall sign per occupant) | Not within 15 ft of property line. May be reduced to 5 ft with sign area reduction: for every foot within setback, 2 sq ft must be reduced. | — | §6.2.16.3.a |
| Wall Sign (Secondary) | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | 2 per lot | Relating to separate building, entrance, or frontage on street or parking area | — | §6.2.16.4 |

## Prohibited signs in Norwood Town

- No person shall place or maintain over any sidewalk, any awning, shade, shade frame, canopy, sign or signboard without a permit from the Board of Selectmen.
- No such awning, shade, shade frame, canopy, sign or signboard shall be less than seven feet from the ground in the lowest part nor extend beyond the line of the sidewalk.
- No sign shall be erected, placed or improved prior to the issuance of a sign permit issued by the Inspector of Buildings, except as exempted herein.
- No sign shall extend above the wall to which it is attached.
- No sign shall be located on the roof of any structure in any district, except for decorative roof-like structures with pitch no less than 20 vertical in 12 horizontal.
- No sign parallel to the wall to which it is attached shall project more than twelve inches from the face of that wall and no sign perpendicular to the wall shall project by more than four feet from it.
- No sign, any part of which moves, or is designed to move or to be moved by any means, shall be erected or maintained in any district, except such portions of a sign that is designed to be changed or altered by manual or electronic means in accordance with restrictions on changeable copy area.
- Changeable portions of a sign shall not exceed 25% of the allowable sign area.
- No sign shall be painted or posted directly on the exterior surface of any wall but must be attached to a substantial intermediary removable surface, except for signs consisting of individual letters or devices securely affixed to the exterior wall.
- Non-accessory signs are not allowed in any district in the Town of Norwood.

## Signs exempt from permit in Norwood Town

- This Bylaw may not be enforced against the display of political signs and other signs expressly protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 16 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Application for a sign permit shall include plans as required and a fee as established.
- The Planning Board issues site plan approval for projecting signs in the Central Business District as part of Section 6.2.6(3)(h).
- The Inspector of Buildings may as a condition of site plan approval allow the placement of a banner on the premises for a period not to exceed two weeks when a business newly opens.
- For signs requiring a special permit or site plan approval, the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals shall be the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) as set forth in Section 6.2.21.
- Where a proposed use or structure requires site plan review from the Planning Board, the Planning Board serves as the SPGA and may, by special permit, authorize relief from the sign regulations.
- For applications at a Priority Development Site (PDS), application for a sign permit shall be submitted simultaneously with any required permit applications or upon issuance of a special 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 9 zoning districts in Norwood Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Norwood+Town+MA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-norwood-town

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/massachusetts/norwood-town