# Sign Regulations in Galway Town, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Galway Town, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/galway-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/7010581#7010581)

## At a glance

Galway Town, New York regulates 20 sign types across 5 zoning districts. On-Premises Sign - Professional Office or Home Occupations in the AR District, RC District, RH District, L District zoning district are capped at 5 ft (freestanding) tall and 2 sq ft, with a 10 ft from highway right-of-way setback (Sec. §115-30E(1)). Most commercial signs in Galway 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 | 7 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| AR District, RC District, RH District, L District | 4 | 10 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| C1 District | 6 | 10 ft | 30 sq ft | — |
| Commercial Districts (Portable Signs) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Shopping Centers or Multibusiness Structures | 2 | 10 ft | 36 sq ft/side (double-faced); 36 sq ft (single-faced) | — |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All Permanent Signs | — | — | — | — | Limits may exist per sign type or use; see specific sign type regulations. | — | — | §115-30B, §115-30C, §115-30D, §115-30K |
| Temporary Sign - Announcing Sign | — | 16 sq ft (residential); 32 sq ft (other areas) | — | — | 1 per project | On-premises at location under construction/alteration. | — | §115-31A(1), §115-31B |
| Temporary Sign - Real Estate | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per property | On-premises for property sale/lease | — | §115-31A(2), §115-31B |
| Temporary Sign - Garage/Lawn Sale | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | On-premises for temporary household sale | — | §115-31A(3), §115-31B |
| Temporary Sign - Community Event | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | On-premises of event | — | §115-31A(4), §115-31B |
| Temporary Sign - Political Event | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | On-premises | — | §115-31C |
| Occupational Sign | 6 ft | 3 sq ft | — | — | 1 per permitted use | Attached to premises | — | §115-32 |

### AR District, RC District, RH District, L District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| On-Premises Sign - Professional Office or Home Occupation | 5 ft (freestanding) | 2 sq ft | — | 10 ft from highway right-of-way | 1 per permitted professional office or home occupation | On-premises, either freestanding or attached | — | §115-30E(1) |
| On-Premises Sign - Agricultural Operations | 6 ft | 15 sq ft | — | 15 ft from highway right-of-way | 1 per farm operation | On-premises for customary agricultural operations selling farm products grown on the premises | — | §115-30E(2) |
| On-Premises Sign - School/Institution | 10 ft | 15 sq ft | — | 15 ft from highway right-of-way | 1 per school/institution | On premises | — | §115-30E(3) |
| Business Sign (Legal Nonconforming Use) | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per legal nonconforming use | On-premises only | — | §115-30E(4) |

### C1 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign - Option 1 | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business or office use | Flush and connected to building | — | §115-30F(1) |
| Freestanding Sign - Option 1 | 6 ft | 10 sq ft | — | — | 1 per principal business or office use | On-premises, may identify any or all business uses in structure | — | §115-30F(1) |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per principal use | Adhered to building and advertises the principal use | — | §115-30F(1) |
| Wall Sign - Option 2 | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | Flush and connected to building | — | §115-30F(2) |
| Freestanding Sign - Option 2 | 10 ft | 30 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | On premises | — | §115-30F(2) |
| Banner (Temporary) | — | 16 sq ft/side | — | — | 2 per year per business | On premises | — | §115-30F(5) |

## Prohibited signs in Galway Town

- No person, firm or corporation shall hereafter erect, re-erect, construct or structurally alter a sign or sign structure without first obtaining a permit issued by the Code Enforcement Officer unless signage is approved as part of site plan review by the Planning Board.
- No sign shall be erected which, in the opinion of the Code Enforcement Officer, may cause hazardous or unsafe conditions.
- No sign, other than an official traffic sign, shall be erected within the right-of-way of any public street or highway.
- No sign shall project beyond property lines or over public sidewalk areas or vehicular traffic areas.
- No sign shall be located higher than the building to which it is attached.
- Illumination of any sign shall not produce a direct glare beyond the limits of the property.
- All wiring to freestanding signs shall be underground and/or concealed within the sign structure.
- No sign shall be illuminated by or contain flashing, intermittent, rotating, or moving lights except to show time, date, and temperature.
- No sign shall contain any moving parts.
- No sign shall impair or cause confusion of vehicular or pedestrian traffic in its design, color or placement.
- No sign shall consist of banners, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners or similar moving, fluttering or revolving devices.
- No off-premises signs shall be allowed other than as permitted under the exempt signs provisions of this section.
- No sign shall be allowed which causes a traffic, health or safety hazard or creates a nuisance due to its placement, display or manner of construction.
- No sign shall be located so as to obstruct views of traffic.
- No moving signs, flashing signs or attractors shall be permitted.
- Portable signs shall not be permitted (except as conditionally allowed for temporary use in certain districts).

## Signs exempt from permit in Galway Town

- Public service signs; promotional and directional signs.
- Historical markers, tablets and statues, memorial signs and plaques; names of buildings and dates of erection when cut into any masonry surface or when constructed of bronze, stainless steel or similar material; and emblems installed by governmental agencies, religious or nonprofit organizations, not exceeding six square feet.
- Flags and insignia of any government, except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion.
- On-premises directional signs for the convenience of the general public, identifying public parking areas, fire zones, entrances and exits, internally illuminated or nonilluminated, not exceeding four square feet per face and four feet in height. Business names and personal names shall be allowed, excluding advertising messages.
- Number and name plates identifying residences or home occupation businesses mounted on the house, building, apartment or mailbox, not exceeding two square foot in area.
- Lawn signs identifying residences, not exceeding one square foot per side if double-faced. Such signs are to be nonilluminated except by a light which is an integral part of a lamppost if used as a support, with no advertising message thereon.
- Private-owner merchandise sale signs for garage sales and auctions located on the premises, not exceeding four square feet for a period not exceeding seven days in any one month.
- Religious holiday decorations, including lighting, displayed for the period from three days before Thanksgiving until the first week of the following year.
- Political signs not to exceed 60 days.
- Announcing signs, real estate signs, garage and lawn sale signs, and community event signs meeting the requirements of § 115-31A (allowed in all zones; no permit required).
- Temporary, unlighted signs not over 32 square feet pertaining to political events (to be removed within six business days after event).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Signs may be subject to site plan approval by the Planning Board as part of site plan review if signage is part of an application for a use requiring Planning Board approval. Otherwise, the Code Enforcement Officer will have the authority to issue permits for signs.
- Every application for a sign permit shall be accompanied by plans to scale showing the area of the sign; the position of the sign in relation to nearby buildings or structures; the location of the building, structure or lot to which or upon which the sign is to be attached or erected, and the method of illumination, if any.
- An application for all permanent signs must be filed with the Planning Board for review and approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. Signs shall be subject to site plan approval by the Planning Board.
- Permit application must include a sketch to scale of the proposed sign which indicates the graphic design, visual message, text, size, height, content of the sign, proposed lighting of the sign, and any proposed landscaping or other amenities prior to erection, alteration or relocation to the issuing authority (Code Enforcement Officer or Planning Board) for site plan review and approval by the Planning Board.
- The Zoning Administrator shall issue a sign permit to the applicant upon satisfaction of any site plan approval.

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

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