# Sign Regulations in Canandaigua, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Canandaigua, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/canandaigua
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/11936928#11936928)

## At a glance

Canandaigua, New York regulates 39 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Portable A-frame (Sandwich Board) Signs in the C-1, C-2, C-L, MU-2, MU-3 zoning district are capped at 3 feet tall, 3 feet by 2 feet per side, and 2 feet wide, with a 0 (per footnote 5) setback (Sec. § 850-73 Sign Schedule; § 850-64). Most commercial signs in Canandaigua require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 12 | 10 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| Any Residential Zone District, M-H, MU-1, R-O, R-I | 2 | 6 feet for ground signs | 12 square feet | — |
| H-R | 5 | 15 feet | 75 square feet per side | — |
| C-1, C-2, C-L, MU-2, MU-3 | 11 | 25 feet | Max 130 sq ft per sign; total 250 sq ft per business | — |
| C-3, M | 7 | 25 feet | Max 200 sq ft for single sign; total 400 sq ft per business for all sign types | — |
| P-R | 3 | 25 feet | 75 square feet per side | — |
| BH | 1 | — | — | — |
| Business Improvement District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Planned Unit Development | 1 | — | — | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Billboard | — | — | — | — | — | Billboards are prohibited citywide. | — | § 850-58.A |
| General Sign Placement | — | — | — | — | — | No sign shall block ventilation, ingress or egress of doors, windows, fire escapes, or roof access; no sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape. | — | § 850-58.C |
| Signs in Right-of-Way | — | — | — | — | — | Shall not be placed within the right-of-way lines of any street except traffic/official signs, bus stop signs, or portable signs as otherwise permitted. Must not impede/interfere with traffic devices or vision. | — | § 850-58.D |
| Temporary Sign | 5 feet above grade | 6 square feet | — | — | — | Not on trash receptable, natural landscape, public building/structure/property, utility pole, or within ROW of any public street. | — | § 850-65.A |
| Temporary Sign (Nonprofit/Noncommercial Event) | — | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 | On premises where event occurs. | — | § 850-65.B |
| Development Sign | 10 feet | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 | On the premises of active construction with a valid building permit. | — | § 850-66 |
| Real Estate Sign | 5 feet | 6 square feet per side | — | — | One real estate sign per street frontage | Per street frontage of parcel; on-premises. | — | § 850-65.C |
| Accessory Ground Sign | 5 feet | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per driveway, one per parking area | At driveways or parking areas | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |

### C-1, C-2, C-L, MU-2, MU-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Primary Wall Sign | Top of wall | Max 130 sq ft per sign; total 250 sq ft per business | — | None | 1 per wall facing street or parking lot | 1 per business per wall facing street or municipal parking lot. | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Ground Sign (MU-2, MU-3) | 10 feet | 20 square feet per side | — | 10 feet | 1 per business | 1 per business | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Ground Sign (C-L) | 10 feet | 70 square feet per side | — | 10 feet | 1 per business | 1 per business | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Projecting Sign | — | 15 square feet | — | — | 1 in lieu of each permitted primary sign | 1 in lieu of each permitted primary sign | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Roof Sign | May not project above highest point of roof structure | — | — | None, except roof sign may not project beyond wall plane | 1 in lieu of each permitted primary wall sign | 1 in lieu of each permitted primary wall sign; only on one-story buildings | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Flag (Commercial, Attached) | — | 15 square feet | — | — | 1 per business | 1 per business; attached to building | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Flag (Commercial, Freestanding) | 25 feet | 40 square feet | — | 12 feet | 1 per business | 1 per business; 12-ft setback | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Portable A-frame (Sandwich Board) Sign | 3 feet | 3 feet by 2 feet per side | 2 feet | 0 (per footnote 5) | 1 per business | Placed in public ROW abutting the structure, projecting no more than 2 feet into public ROW; only during hours of operation | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule; § 850-64 |

### C-3, M

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Primary Wall Sign | Top of wall | Max 200 sq ft for single sign; total 400 sq ft per business for all sign types | — | — | 1 per business per wall | 1 per business per wall facing street or parking area | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Primary Pole Sign | 25 feet | 75 sq ft per side | — | 12 feet | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage; 12 feet setback | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Directory Style Pole Sign | 25 feet | 125 sq ft per side (no business/plaza name exceed 50 sq ft) | — | 12 feet | 1 per property | 1 per property (major commercial development) | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Under Canopy Sign | 12 inches | 12 inches in height × 30 inches in length | 30 inches | — | 1 per business | 1 per business | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Motor Fuel Sign (Service Stations) | 25 feet | 18 sq ft per side | — | 12 feet | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage; 12 feet setback | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |
| Portable A-frame (Sandwich Board) Sign | 3 feet | 3 feet by 2 feet per side | 2 feet | 0 | 1 per business | Public right-of-way abutting business, projecting max 2 feet into ROW; during hours of operation. | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule; § 850-64 |
| Projecting Sign | — | 15 square feet | — | — | 1 in lieu of each permitted primary sign | 1 in lieu of each permitted primary sign | — | § 850-73 Sign Schedule |

## Prohibited signs in Canandaigua

- No sign shall be erected or maintained on any building or structure, except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter (§ 850-58).
- No billboard shall be permitted (§ 850-58A).
- No sign shall be painted directly upon the surface of a building wall or other structure, except that signs may be painted directly on glass surfaces of windows (§ 850-58B).
- No sign shall be erected or maintained so as to block ventilation or prevent ingress or egress from any door, window, or fire escape, or prevent free access from one part of a roof to any other part; no sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape (§ 850-58C).
- Signs, other than traffic or other official signs, 'bus stop' signs, or portable signs as otherwise provided, shall not be placed within the right-of-way lines of any street (§ 850-58D).
- No sign shall impede or interfere with the operation of a traffic light, traffic directional signal, or general traffic vision (§ 850-58D).
- Signs erected within the street right-of-way must conform to the NYS Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (§ 850-58D).
- No primary sign shall contain more than four lines of copy, except for directory-style and changeable copy signs (§ 850-60B).
- No primary wall or ground sign shall contain letters or characters smaller than 4.5 inches in height (§ 850-60C).
- No sign shall be illuminated by or contain flashing intermittent lights; only constant intensity lights may be used (§ 850-61C).
- No illuminated sign or lighting device shall be placed or directed so as to beam light on public streets, highways, or adjacent premises to cause glare or traffic hazard (§ 850-61D).
- No electric sign shall be erected unless constructed to Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. standards and bearing the UL label (§ 850-61E).
- No sign in a residential district may project into a public right-of-way (§ 850-73A1).
- No off-premises or directional sign shall be erected parallel to, or at an angle less than 45° with, the right-of-way upon which it faces, except at street intersections (§ 850-73A6).

## Signs exempt from permit in Canandaigua

- Signs may be maintained without the issuance of a permit; maintenance is any repair or replacement that does not change design, material, or outward appearance (§ 850-59E).
- Window signs do not require a permit except for window signs displayed more than 30 days within the Business Improvement District (§ 850-63A).
- Temporary signs may be erected without a permit, provided they meet the conditions specified in § 850-65A (duration, placement, size, illumination, owner consent, etc.).
- One temporary sign advertising a campaign, drive, activity or event by a nonprofit organization may be erected without a permit on the premises of the event for up to 60 days (§ 850-65B).
- One real estate sign per street frontage may be erected without a permit (must meet size, height, non-illumination standards) (§ 850-65C1).
- Directional signs for open houses may be displayed without a permit during the period of the open house and 24 hours before, for up to 5 days, with specific size and placement conditions (§ 850-65C2).
- One development sign may be displayed without a permit on the premises of an active construction site (§ 850-66).
- Flags, pennants, insignias of any nation, state, city, or listed organizations and decorative flags not conveying a commercial message may be displayed in any commercial and residential district without a permit (§ 850-67A).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The design of any sign, other than a temporary sign, must be approved by the City Planning Commission before a permit may be issued (§ 850-59D).
- For any new major commercial development or new commercial/office building including space for five or more individual business tenancies, an overall signage design plan (sign master plan) is required and must be approved by the City Planning Commission prior to issuance of any sign permit for the property (§ 850-62).
- A permit for banners across Main Street must be approved by the Planning Commission for design appropriateness, size, and material before issuing a permit to a nonprofit organization (§ 600-16C1).

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

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