# Sign Regulations in Thomaston, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Thomaston, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/thomaston
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/7735630#7735630)

## At a glance

Thomaston, New York regulates 10 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Ground Signs in the Office Building District (OB, OB-A) zoning district are capped at 9 feet tall and 30 square feet, with a At least 3 feet from any street line; 100 feet from any residential district boundary setback (Sec. § 203-85.7B; § 203-85.7E). Most commercial signs in Thomaston require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |
| Residence District | 2 | — | 72 square inches | — |
| Business District, Public Use District | 5 | 18 feet above ground level at highest point | Total area of all such signs not to exceed 110 square feet or 2 ft x 50% of street frontage, whichever is greater. | — |
| Office Building District (OB, OB-A) | 3 | 18 feet above ground level at highest point | 30 square feet | — |

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

### Residence District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Small, Front Line) | — | 72 square inches | — | At least 10 feet from front property line | 1 | Within 10 feet of front building line; at least 10 feet from front property line. | — | § 203-85.5A |
| Window Sign (Temporary) | — | 4 square feet per sign | — | — | 2 (standard), up to 3 by Board of Trustees | Inside the dwelling, visible from exterior | — | § 203-85.5B |

### Business District, Public Use District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Main Building Face) | 18 feet above ground level at highest point | — | Horizontal dimension not exceeding 50% of length of building face | — | One per street-facing side of main building | On each side of main building facing a public street from which access is obtained. | — | § 203-85.6A; § 203-85.6E |
| Freestanding Sign (Street Frontage Calculation) | 12 feet | 10 square feet per 20 linear feet of street frontage | — | — | — | Along the longer street frontage (for corner lots), on the lot/premises | — | § 203-85.6B; § 203-85.6E |
| Wall Sign (Door/Window/Street Frontage ≤ 25 ft) | — | — | Horizontal 80% of street frontage | — | 1 | On walls, doors or windows facing public streets with frontage ≤ 25 feet. | — | § 203-85.6C(1); § 203-85.6E |
| Wall Sign (Door/Window/Street Frontage > 25 ft to ≤ 75 ft) | — | Total area of all such signs not to exceed 40 square feet or 2 ft x 70% of street frontage, whichever is greater. | Horizontal 20 ft | — | At least 1; more may be permitted by Board of Trustees | On walls, doors or windows facing public streets with frontage > 25 ft to ≤ 75 ft. | — | § 203-85.6C(2); § 203-85.6E |
| Wall Sign (Door/Window/Street Frontage > 75 ft) | — | Total area of all such signs not to exceed 110 square feet or 2 ft x 50% of street frontage, whichever is greater. | Horizontal 20 ft | — | At least 1; more may be permitted by Board of Trustees | On walls, doors or windows facing public streets with frontage > 75 ft. | — | § 203-85.6C(3); § 203-85.6E |

### Office Building District (OB, OB-A)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Main Building Face) | 18 feet above ground level at highest point | — | Horizontal dimension not exceeding 50% of length of building face | — | One per street-facing side of main building | On each side of main building facing a public street from which access is obtained. | — | § 203-85.7A; § 203-85.7E |
| Ground Sign | 9 feet | 30 square feet | — | At least 3 feet from any street line; 100 feet from any residential district boundary | Not more than one per street-facing side | Erected on each side of a main building facing a public street from which access is obtained. | — | § 203-85.7B; § 203-85.7E |
| Directional Sign | 4 feet | 2 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | § 203-85.7C; § 203-85.7E |

## Prohibited signs in Thomaston

- It is unlawful to erect, construct, paint, post, hang, display, maintain or use any sign, or permit the same, except as permitted by this article or as otherwise required by law.
- No sign shall be placed, displayed or maintained on any premises unless the sign relates to a lawful principal or accessory use of the premises.
- All signs other than those expressly permitted by this Code are unsuitable uses of property in the village.
- No sign shall be placed, displayed or maintained on any public property in the Village, including any public right-of-way, without the express written permission of the owner of such property.
- No sign may contain any obscene content nor advocate or otherwise encourage any illegal activity.
- No sign may be so located such that it covers more than 33% of the surface area of any window or other opening in or on which it is placed. Aggregate visible sign area through windows or doors may not exceed 40% of the window area.
- No sign may be illuminated, except where expressly permitted by law; illumination must be by internal source, backlighting with nonglaring lights, or shielded floodlights; no lighting source shall be visible from off the property or project light onto adjacent property; no illuminated sign shall face properties in an adjacent residential district.
- No sign may contain any flashing or intermittent lights or lighting or moving or animated parts or displays, or create the illusion of movement by synchronization, sequencing, or otherwise.
- No sign may emit any sound audible to, nor odor or vibration detectable by, a reasonable person off the premises where the sign is located.
- No sign shall be so placed or illuminated as to create a hazardous condition for traffic, or so as to unreasonably annoy or disturb the occupants of any other building.
- No sign advertising or pertaining to an event or series of events shall be displayed on any property in the Village on or after the 14th calendar day after the conclusion of such event or series of events.

## Signs exempt from permit in Thomaston

- The provisions of this article shall not be applicable to any sign located entirely within an enclosed building or structure, provided that such sign is not visible from outside the building or structure, and provided that such sign does not emit any sound, odor or vibration detectable by a reasonable person outside such building or structure.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Where a permit is required, the application must include a detailed plan for each such sign, including a drawing and specifications showing the proposed sign and its location.
- If there is no official application form, the applicant must provide at minimum a detailed sign plan as described.

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

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