# Sign Regulations in Lowville, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Lowville, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/lowville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/12674858#12674858)

## At a glance

Lowville, New York regulates 24 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Village Center zone zoning district are capped at 20 feet tall and 80 square feet, with a 10 feet from any property boundary, except signs attached to buildings less than 10 feet from property boundary; not in side/rear yards setback (Sec. §201-735(C)(1); §201-715C, D). Most commercial signs in Lowville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Village Center zone | 5 | 20 feet | 80 square feet | — |
| Neighborhood Commercial Zones | 5 | 20 feet | 80 square feet | — |
| Residential Zones | 1 | 8 feet | 16 square feet | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 17 | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### Village Center zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | — | 16 square feet | — | — | One per business | Projecting from the building; may encroach on public right-of-way if a minimum of 8 feet off the ground | — | §201-735(C)(3); §201-715(B) |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | One per business | Mounted on wall facing street | — | §201-735(C)(2) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 80 square feet | — | 10 feet from any property boundary, except signs attached to buildings less than 10 feet from property boundary; not in side/rear yards | One per lot | On-premises; setback per §201-715C & D | — | §201-735(C)(1); §201-715C, D |
| Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | One per canopy side | On canopy, one per side | — | §201-735(C)(4) |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | One per awning | On awning, one per awning | — | §201-735(C)(5) |

### Neighborhood Commercial Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (On-Premises Business) | 20 feet | 80 square feet | — | 10 feet from any property boundary; not in side/rear yards | One per lot | On-premises; not in side/rear yards | — | §201-735(C)(1); §201-715C, D |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | One per business | On wall facing street; not in side/rear yards | — | §201-735(C)(2); §201-715D |
| Projecting Sign | — | 16 square feet | — | — | One per business | Projecting from building, 8 feet minimum above ground; not in side/rear yards | — | §201-735(C)(3); §201-715D |
| Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | One per canopy side | On canopy, one per side; not in side/rear yards | — | §201-735(C)(4); §201-715D |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | One per awning | On awning, one per awning; not in side/rear yards | — | §201-735(C)(5); §201-715D |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Off-Premises Advertising Freestanding Sign | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — | 10 feet from any property boundary (except signs attached to building less than 10 feet); not in side/rear yards | One per lot | Off-premises, setback per §201-715C, D | — | §201-735(B)(1) |
| Temporary Contractor Sign | — | 24 square feet | — | — | — | On premises of work | — | §201-725(B) |
| Temporary Off-premises Directional Sign | — | 12 square feet | — | — | One per 500 feet of street frontage | Private property; not required to be set back from street rights-of-way | — | §201-725(E) |
| Temporary On-premises Seasonal Advertising Sign | — | 24 square feet | — | 10 feet from street rights-of-way | One per 500 feet of road frontage | On-premises, setback 10 feet from street rights-of-way | — | §201-725(F) |
| Temporary Pennant | — | — | — | 10 feet from road right-of-way | — | Set back 10 feet from right-of-way | — | §201-725(G) |
| Temporary Personal Message Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | — | Private property; not set back from right-of-way required | — | §201-725(H) |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | 10 feet from property line | One per road frontage | One per road frontage on property being advertised; 10 feet setback from any property line | — | §201-725(I) |
| Temporary Subdivision Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | One per road entrance | One per road entrance to subdivision; on property being subdivided | — | §201-725(K) |

## Prohibited signs in Lowville

- No sign shall be designed and located so as to impair public safety, restrict clear vision between a sidewalk and street, be confused with any traffic sign or signal, or prevent free access to any door, window, or fire escape.
- No portion of any sign shall encroach upon any public right of way, except for projecting signs in the Village Center zone, which must be no lower than eight feet off the ground.
- Signs shall be set back 10 feet from any property boundary, except for signs attached to buildings less than 10 feet from the boundary.
- Signs shall not be placed in side or rear yards in all Neighborhood Commercial and Residential Zones.
- Signs must be designed to withstand a wind pressure load of at least 30 pounds per square foot.
- All signs must comply with the New York State Building Code and maintain clearances from overhead electrical conductors in accordance with the National Electric Code, with no sign installed closer than 10 feet horizontally or vertically from any conductor.
- No sign shall have more than 20% of its display area, reverse side, or structure missing or covered with disfigured, chipped, cracked, ripped, or peeling paint or poster paper for more than 30 successive days.
- No sign shall remain with a bent or broken display area, broken supports, loose appendages or struts, or stand more than 15 degrees away from perpendicular for more than 30 successive days.
- No sign shall have weeds, trees, vines, or other wild vegetation growing upon it for more than 30 successive days.
- No indirect or internally illuminated sign shall have only partial illumination for more than 30 successive days.
- No signs shall be erected or remain erected that, in the opinion of the Code Enforcement Official or Public Works Department, is structurally unsafe and constitutes a danger to public safety.
- Any sign that fails to comply with the above requirements must be immediately removed by the owner or responsible person.
- Audible signs are prohibited; no sign may emit any sound detectable on a public street or adjoining property.
- Flashing signs are prohibited; no sign may utilize flashing, strobe-type, pulsating or moving lights, except electronic message boards as allowed.
- Signs attached to or painted on utility poles, street signs, tree trunks, rocks, or other natural objects are prohibited unless it is the personal property of the person/business applying the sign.
- No sign imitating traffic or emergency signals is allowed, or any sign with words or symbols that may mislead or confuse drivers, or which displays intermittent lights resembling traffic or emergency signals, except as part of a permitted traffic control sign.
- No rooftop signs are permitted, except grandfathered existing rooftop signs.

## Signs exempt from permit in Lowville

- Architectural features that are integral and decorative or architectural features of buildings, except for trademarks, moving parts, or moving lights.
- Address signs bearing only property numbers, post box numbers, or occupant names not exceeding two square feet.
- Official government flags and weather condition flags, and flags of on-premises religious, charitable, public, and nonprofit organizations.
- Incidental signs used in conjunction with equipment or functional elements of a use or operation, including menu boards, signs on ATMs, gas pumps, vending machines, newspaper boxes.
- Parking signs that direct and guide traffic and parking on private property, bearing no advertising matter.
- Commemorative plaques placed by agencies recognized by local or state government.
- Public or noncommercial signs, such as community service information signs, public transit signs, public utility information signs, safety signs, danger signs, trespassing signs, signs indicating scenic or historic points of interest, traffic control signs, and signs erected by a public officer in the performance of public duty.
- Window signs intended for viewing from the exterior of a window or door within buildings.
- Certain temporary signs do not require permits, including: contractor signs, election signs, off-premises directional signs, on-premises seasonal advertising signs, pennants, personal message signs (short-term), real estate signs, sponsorship signs, and subdivision signs, subject to associated limitations described in §201-725.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Placement of permanent murals requires a site plan review.
- Permanent signs as listed in §201-735 require a zoning permit from the zoning enforcement officer.
- Some temporary and permanent signs do not require a permit; refer to Appendix A for more information regarding permits.
- Signs intended to be in place longer than described as temporary may require a permit under §201-735.
- Subdivision signs may have their display period extended upon approval of the Planning Board.
- Banners over public rights-of-way and inflatable signs require placement permits.
- Street name signs in subdivisions require Planning Board approval for naming, type, size, and location.

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

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