# Sign Regulations in Hudson, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Hudson, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/hudson
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/5081298#5081298)

## At a glance

Hudson, New York regulates 23 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Marquee Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 5 feet (height of sign) tall, Height: max 5 ft, Width: max 12 ft (rectangular); triangular: width up to 18 ft, and 12 feet (rectangular); 18 feet (triangular) wide, with a Must not extend beyond 3 ft inside curbline. setback (Sec. §244-36A-F). Most commercial signs in Hudson require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 18 | 20 feet above street or ground level | 100 sq ft; no temporary sign of combustible material shall exceed 4 ft in one dimension; Temporary election signs: 32 sq ft max and completely prohibited in residential zones; special exceptions by Agency(s). | — |
| Urban Renewal and Community Development Areas (Urban Renewal Project No. 1, NYR-244) | 3 | — | 12 sq ft | — |
| Local Waterfront Revitalization Area boundary | 2 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 20 feet above street or ground level | 16 sq ft (except up to 50 sq ft for public, charitable, or religious institution premises) | — | Minimum 15 feet from curbline; no sign within 40 ft triangle at street corners | — | Supported by uprights/braces upon the ground and not attached to a building. | — | §244-3, §244-29A-E, §244-22, §244-24 |
| Projecting Sign | — | 12 sq ft | — | — | One projecting sign per business | Attached to building or structure extending beyond the line/surface of building/structure | — | §244-32 |
| Portable Sign | 3 feet | 12 sq ft (3 ft x 4 ft) | 4 feet | — | 1 per 100 ft street frontage; max 2 per premises | Not located on sidewalk or driveway areas and not to obstruct traffic/motorist vision. | — | §244-35 |
| Marquee Sign | 5 feet (height of sign) | Height: max 5 ft, Width: max 12 ft (rectangular); triangular: width up to 18 ft | 12 feet (rectangular); 18 feet (triangular) | Must not extend beyond 3 ft inside curbline. | — | Above entrance, attached to building, at least 10 ft above sidewalk or public thoroughfare, not extending beyond 3 ft inside curbline. | — | §244-36A-F |
| Street Clock Sign | — | — | — | See above (location) for setback/placement details. | One street clock per place of business/location | On sidewalk: min 15 ft high, not more than 20 inches from curb, at least 20 ft from street intersection (measured parallel); on wall: 15-20 ft above sidewalk, not projecting more than 5 ft | — | §244-39A-H |
| Real Estate Sign (Permit Exempt) | — | 8 sq ft (24 sq ft if parcel >1 acre, but must be 35 ft from street line) | — | 15 ft from street line (8 sq ft sign); 35 ft from street line (24 sq ft sign) | — | At least 15 feet from street line unless attached to building closer than 15 ft; larger signs (for parcels >1 acre) must be 35 ft from street line | — | §244-14A |
| Professional Nameplate (Permit Exempt) | 6 inches | 6 in x 18 in | 18 inches | — | — | Lawful occupancy of premises | — | §244-14B |
| Contractor/Architect Sign (Permit Exempt) | — | 32 sq ft | — | 15 ft from curb | — | Set back at least 15 feet from curb; must be removed within 24 hours of final certificate of occupancy | — | §244-14D |

### Urban Renewal and Community Development Areas (Urban Renewal Project No. 1, NYR-244)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Urban Renewal Area) | — | — | — | — | — | Affixed to each facade of main building(s). | — | §244-39.1A(1), §325-25C(1)(a), (3) |
| Overhanging Sign (Urban Renewal Area) | — | 12 sq ft | — | — | One overhanging sign per business conducted on premises | Related solely to business conducted on premises. | — | §244-39.1A(2), §325-25C(1)(b), (3) |
| Temporary Sign (Urban Renewal Area) | — | 12 sq ft (except signs for sale/lease by Hudson Urban Renewal Agency or successor—size as determined by Agency) | — | — | — | Installed for the prospective sale/lease of premises, or identification of use/contractor/architect during construction. | — | §244-39.1A(3), §325-25C(1)(c), (2)(g), (3) |

### Local Waterfront Revitalization Area boundary

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Waterfront Area) | — | — | — | — | — | Design must be consistent and integrated into architectural design of associated building. | — | §244-39.2A-C, §325-25D |
| Wall Sign (Waterfront Area) | — | — | — | — | — | Design must be consistent and integrated into architectural design; shall not obscure/cover architectural features of the building facade. | — | §244-39.2A-D, §325-25D |

## Prohibited signs in Hudson

- It is unlawful to erect, repair, alter or relocate any sign or advertising structure within the City of Hudson without first obtaining a permit from the Building Inspector (except as exempted in § 244-14).
- No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door, window or fire escape. No sign of any kind shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape (§ 244-18 and similar rules for all wall and temporary signs).
- No utility pole or tree located in any public right-of-way or public easement shall be used for the posting of signs, except traffic enforcement signs (§ 244-16).
- No sign on the inside of a window shall occupy more than 33 1/3% of the aggregate area of said window. Temporary window signs shall not remain more than 30 days (§ 244-19).
- No sign shall be erected, relocated or maintained at the intersection of any street in a manner that obstructs free and clear vision, interferes with, obstructs the view of, or is confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device, or uses certain words or symbols that mislead or confuse traffic (§ 244-20).
- No sign shall be displayed containing any obscene, indecent or immoral matter (§ 244-25).
- Any sign of which all or any part is in motion by any means, or fluttering, rotating or other moving devices, is prohibited. This includes spinners, banners, nongovernmental flags, etc. (§ 244-27; also applies to artificial light that is not stationary and constant).
- No illuminated sign shall be of the flasher or speller type or interfere with radio, television or electrical appliances or with road visibility (§ 244-28).
- In no event shall red or green illumination be permitted, whether flashing or not, on any sign located in the same line of vision as a traffic control signal (§ 244-24B).
- Highly reflective glass or fluorescent paint in red or green is prohibited (§ 244-24D).
- Illuminated tubing outlining roofs, doors, windows, wall edges of buildings or strings of lights are not permitted (§ 244-24E).
- All lighting in connection with signs must be extinguished by 11:00 p.m., prevailing time, or at the close of the business serviced by said signs or lights, unless authorized by the Building Inspector for security (§ 244-24F).
- Roof signs are prohibited (§ 244-31B).
- Billboard signs are prohibited unless specifically permitted as a ground sign (§ 244-33B, § 325-25B(1), § 325-25C(2)(a)).
- Flashing signs and outlining by direct illumination of parts of a building are prohibited (§ 325-25B(2), (5), § 244-24E).
- Signs which project above the roofline are prohibited (§ 244-39.1B(2), § 325-25C(2)(b)).
- Moving, rotating, or flashing signs, including those where artificial light is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color, are prohibited (§ 244-39.1B(3), § 325-25C(2)(c)).
- Beacons and flashing lights are prohibited except where necessary for public safety and welfare by authorities (§ 244-39.1B(4), § 325-25C(2)(d)).
- Signs or illumination which may compete for attention with or be mistaken for a traffic signal are prohibited (§ 244-39.1B(5), § 325-25B(4), § 325-25C(2)(e)).
- The outlining by direct illumination of all or any part of a building such as a gable, roof, side, wall or corner is prohibited (§ 244-39.1B(6), § 325-25B(5), § 325-25C(2)(f)).
- Signs made of cardboard, paper, canvas or similar impermanent material are prohibited in certain areas (§ 244-39.1B(7), § 325-25C(2)(g)).

## Signs exempt from permit in Hudson

- The provisions and regulations regarding permits and fees do not apply to the following signs, provided they comply with identification requirements in § 244-10 (§ 244-14):
- Real estate signs advertising the sale or rental of the premises, subject to size and location restrictions.
- Professional nameplates not exceeding six inches in height or 18 inches in length for lawful occupants.
- Bulletin boards or signs (up to 50 square feet) for public, charitable, or religious institutions, on their premises.
- Signs denoting architect, engineer, contractor, or prospective use placed upon work under construction (up to 32 square feet; must be removed after certificate of occupancy).
- Occupational signs denoting only the name and profession (up to 2 square feet) in commercial buildings, public buildings, or dwellings.
- Memorial signs or tablets, names of buildings and erection date when cut into masonry or made of incombustible materials.
- Traffic or municipal signs, legal notices, railroad crossing signs, danger signs and certain temporary emergency or nonadvertising signs as approved by the Building Inspector.
- Flags of the United States, State of New York, or other governmental or quasi-public agencies.
- Christmas decorations and lights on residential premises.
- Signs of governmental agencies deemed necessary to the public welfare.
- Signs to control movement of traffic on premises, for direction only (not for advertising), up to four square feet in area, approved by Planning Board.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- There is no explicit requirement in the text for a 'sign plan,' 'master sign plan,' or required variance/public meeting prior to obtaining a sign permit for standard sign types across all zones.
- Extraterritorial sign designs (such as in Urban Renewal areas or Waterfront Revitalization Area) require approval of the design and specifications by the Hudson Urban Renewal Agency or equivalent body (§ 244-39.1C, § 325-25C(3)).
- All signs, except those exempt in § 244-14, require a permit application including two blueprints or ink drawings of plans and specifications (which can serve as a de facto sign plan for individual signs) (§ 244-4D).
- The Building Inspector may require additional information to show full compliance with all regulations (§ 244-4I).

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Hudson, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Hudson+NY&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-hudson

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