# Sign Regulations in Southold Town, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Southold Town, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/southold-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/5162996#5162996)

## At a glance

Southold Town, New York regulates 25 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Business Center Directory Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 15 ft tall and Each business establishment name: up to 3 sq ft, plus 20% additional total area for business center name, with a 15 ft from street line setback (Sec. § 280-85(A)). Most commercial signs in Southold Town 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 | 15 | 15 ft | 24 sq ft | — |
| A-C, R-40, R-80, R-120, R-200, R-400, HD, AHD | 8 | — | 24 sq ft | — |
| RR, RO, LB, HB, B, MI, MII, LIO, LI, Hamlet Business District, General Business District | 11 | 15 ft | 24 sq ft | — |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Center Directory Sign | 15 ft | Each business establishment name: up to 3 sq ft, plus 20% additional total area for business center name | — | 15 ft from street line | 1 per business center | On premises, at least 15 ft from street line | — | § 280-85(A) |
| Contractor Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street line | 1 per entity during construction | On site of construction, at least 15 ft from street line | — | § 280-81(B)(2)(a), § 280-85(B) |
| Freestanding Sign | 15 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from pavement or 5 ft from sidewalk, whichever is greater | 1 per frontage | On property, inside property line, at least 15 ft from pavement or 5 ft from sidewalk (whichever greater), not in public ROW | — | § 280-85(D) |
| Nonprofit Organization Directory Sign | 15 ft | Follows business center directory sign requirements | — | Follows business center directory sign requirements | One per hamlet | One in each hamlet | — | § 280-81(B)(2)(h), § 280-85(H) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | 15 ft from public right-of-way | One per property | On the property being sold/leased, at least 15 ft from public ROW | — | § 280-81(B)(2)(b), § 280-85(I) |
| Subdivision Sign | — | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street line | One per subdivision | On property, at least 15 ft from street line | — | § 280-85(K) |
| Temporary Sign - Exterior (General, Option 1) | — | Up to 24 sq ft for events, 6 sq ft for building/approved sign, 6 sq ft for sandwich board | — | 15 ft from all property lines for sandwich/A-frame | No more than 1 exterior temporary sign per parcel at a time | On premises, 15 ft from all property lines for sandwich/A-frame, may hang from exterior if other sign exists | — | § 280-85(L) |
| Wall Sign | 3 ft | 1 sq ft per horizontal ft of business wall facing street | 100% of horizontal linear ft of wall | — | — | Attached or incorporated into wall facing street; may be on canopy/awning | — | § 280-85(N) |

### A-C, R-40, R-80, R-120, R-200, R-400, HD, AHD

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate | — | 2 sq ft (per sign) | — | — | No more than 2 nameplates per property | — | — | § 280-86(A)(1) |
| Neighborhood Identification Sign | — | 18 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street | One per neighborhood | At least 15 ft from street | — | § 280-86(A)(2) |
| Contractor Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street line | 1 per entity during construction | On site of work, see general for details | — | § 280-86(A)(3), § 280-85(B) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | 15 ft from ROW | One per property | On property, 15 ft from ROW | — | § 280-86(A)(3), § 280-85(I) |
| Subdivision Sign | — | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street line | One per subdivision | At least 15 ft from street line | — | § 280-86(A)(3), § 280-85(K) |
| Yard Sale Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 280-86(A)(3) |
| Other Sign (by ZBA variance) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 280-86(A)(4) |
| Farm, Garden or Nursery Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 280-86(B), § 280-85(C), § 280-87(C) |

### RR, RO, LB, HB, B, MI, MII, LIO, LI, Hamlet Business District, General Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Option 1) | 15 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from pavement or 5 ft from sidewalk, whichever greater | One per frontage | One per frontage, on property, not in public ROW, at least 15 ft from pavement or 5 ft from sidewalk (whichever greater) | — | § 280-86(C)(1)(a), § 280-85(D), § 280-87(B) |
| Business Center Directory Sign (Option 2) | 15 ft | Each business name up to 3 sq ft, plus 20% of total for center name | — | 15 ft from street line | One per business center | On premises, at least 15 ft from street line | — | § 280-86(C)(1)(b), § 280-85(A), § 280-87(B) |
| Wall Sign (Option 4) | 3 ft | 1 sq ft per horizontal ft of business wall facing street | 100% of horizontal linear feet of wall | — | — | On street-facing wall | — | § 280-86(C)(1)(d), § 280-85(N), § 280-87(B) |
| Temporary Sign | — | See General: up to 24 sq ft external (event), 6 sq ft for exterior temporary, 6 sq ft sandwich/A-frame, up to 25% window area for special events | — | Exterior sandwich boards: 15 ft from property lines | One exterior temporary sign per parcel at a time | Exterior or interior per § 280-85(L) | — | § 280-86(C)(2), § 280-85(L) |
| Contractor Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street line | One per entity during construction | On construction site | — | § 280-86(C)(3), § 280-85(B) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | 15 ft from right-of-way | One per property | On property, at least 15 ft from right-of-way | — | § 280-86(C)(3), § 280-85(I) |
| Subdivision Sign | — | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street line | One per subdivision | At least 15 ft from street line | — | § 280-86(C)(3), § 280-85(K) |
| Marina Wall Sign | 3 ft | 1 sq ft per horizontal ft of wall facing waterfront (in addition to wall sign for street frontage) | 100% of horizontal wall frontage | — | One per wall (waterfront frontage) | On wall facing waterfront area served | — | § 280-86(D), § 280-85(N) |

## Prohibited signs in Southold Town

- Nonaccessory signs, billboards, off-premises signs and mobile signs are prohibited in all districts unless otherwise provided.
- Flashing signs or any sign/attraction device with non-stationary, non-constant light intensity or color are prohibited.
- Signs that compete with or may be mistaken for traffic signals, or that obstruct, mislead, or confuse traffic, including those using certain words, phrases, symbols, or red, green, or amber lighting or reflection, are prohibited.
- Balloons or other gas-filled figures as signs are prohibited.
- Permanent exterior signs made out of cardboard, paper, canvas or similar impermanent material are prohibited.
- Signs or attraction devices with visible moving, revolving or rotating parts, such as flags, banners or pennants, are prohibited.
- Except for holiday seasons or for 15 days from the date of a grand opening, no sign or portion may consist of pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, or other similar moving, fluttering or revolving devices.
- Signs noting that a property has been sold are prohibited.
- No portable or temporary sign shall be placed on the front face of any building or upon any lot, except as provided in §280-85G.
- No signs other than those placed by government agencies shall be erected on public property without consent of the Building Department. No sign shall be placed on private property without the owner's consent. No sign shall be placed or painted on any tree or rock. No sign shall be placed on any utility pole except for utility identification or similar purposes.
- Information displayed on signs shall be limited to the name, address, logo and nature of the business and products available or activity for which the building or premises is used.
- The owner of property upon which a sign is erected, or any person that erects, installs or maintains a sign in violation of these provisions shall be guilty of an offense punishable by up to a $500 fine per sign or imprisonment up to 15 days, or both.

## Signs exempt from permit in Southold Town

- Operations not considered as creating a new sign and not requiring a new sign permit: replacing copy (changing the name, advertising or message on an approved sign); maintenance such as painting, cleaning, and other normal maintenance and repair (unless there is a structural change in configuration); movement of a sign farther from the right-of-way (provided it stays Code-compliant and Building Department is notified in advance).
- The following signs are exempt from the permit requirement (but subject to other Code requirements): contractor signs, real estate signs, holiday lights/signs customary to holidays and not displayed for more than 60 days per year, informational/directional signs, nameplates, temporary interior signs, window signs covering 10% or less of the window area, nonprofit organization directory signs.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Except as otherwise provided, all signs to be erected, structurally altered, enlarged, moved or reconstructed require a permit from the Building Inspector.
- Application for a sign permit must include: applicant info, sign maker info, site location, building color photo, sign size, construction details, sketches to scale, material samples if required, property owner consent, fee, and any additional information required by the Building Inspector.
- The Planning Board may approve signs that differ from quantitative requirements in the site review process if the sign(s) conform to the general design principles (§280-82) and do not violate general prohibitions and restrictions (§280-83).
- If a sign does not comply with the Code, application for a variance may be made to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
- A permit may only be issued for a sign that conforms to this Code unless within the six-month transition period from adoption.
- Alteration of nonconforming signs (enlargement, reconstruction, or relocation) is not permitted unless brought into compliance and a new permit is obtained.

## Full detail

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

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