# Sign Regulations in Thompson, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Thompson, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/thompson
- **Data last verified:** 2025-08-14
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/11125375#11125124)

## At a glance

Thompson, New York regulates 12 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Signs Advertising Product or Activity Not Conducted On Premises in the Highway Commercial Districts (HC-1, HC-2) zoning district are capped at 20 feet tall, up to 40 feet in length, and 20 feet in height, and 40 feet wide, with a No sign within 25 feet of ROW or 200 feet of intersection setback (Sec. §250-30; Table: Sign and Dimensional Regulation by Zoning Districts; HC-1, HC-2). Most commercial signs in Thompson require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Suburban Residential (SR) | 4 | — | 12 square feet | — |
| Rural Residential (RR) | 5 | — | 20 square feet | — |
| Commercial Industrial District (CI) | 4 | Freestanding: Max 20 feet in height (must be constructed as a monopole if over 10') | 20 square feet (on wall or freestanding); for freestanding sign, max 40 square feet in area | — |
| Highway Commercial Districts (HC-1, HC-2) | 5 | 20 feet, must be constructed as monopole for heights greater than 10 feet | up to 40 feet in length, and 20 feet in height | — |
| Extractive Industry District (E) | 3 | — | 20 square feet | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 30 feet | Large: 32 sq ft, max 8 ft height; Small: 16 sq ft, max 6 ft height; see zone-specific for exceptions | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### Rural Residential (RR)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Address Sign | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per parcel | On parcel | — | §250-30; 250 Attachment 8; Table: Signage Area; Rural Residential |
| Sign Identifying Permitted Use | — | 20 square feet | — | — | 1 per parcel | On parcel | — | §250-30; 250 Attachment 8; Table: Signage Area; Rural Residential |
| Announcement Sign for Institutional Uses | — | 12 square feet | — | Must not be closer than 15 feet to any lot line (if freestanding) | 1 per parcel | On parcel, must not be closer than 15 feet to any lot line (if freestanding) | — | §250-30; 250 Attachment 8; Table: Signage Area; Rural Residential |
| Limited-term Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per parcel | On parcel | — | §250-30; 250 Attachment 8; Table: Signage Area; Rural Residential |
| Directional Sign (For Off-Street Parking Area) | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per off-street parking area | At off-street parking area | — | §250-30; 250 Attachment 8; Table: Signage Area; Rural Residential |

### Highway Commercial Districts (HC-1, HC-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Address Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | — | 1 per parcel | On parcel | — | §250-30; Table: Sign and Dimensional Regulation by Zoning Districts; HC-1, HC-2 |
| Directional Sign (For Off-Street Parking Area) | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per off-street parking area | At off-street parking area | — | §250-30; Table: Sign and Dimensional Regulation by Zoning Districts; HC-1, HC-2 |
| Sign Identifying Permitted Use | — | 20 square feet per building | — | — | 1 per building | On building | — | §250-30; Table: Sign and Dimensional Regulation by Zoning Districts; HC-1, HC-2 |
| Business Signs (Related to a Use on Same Lot) | 20 feet, must be constructed as monopole for heights greater than 10 feet | — | — | — | As per allowable area | On building walls or on parcel | — | §250-30; Table: Sign and Dimensional Regulation by Zoning Districts; HC-1, HC-2 |
| Signs Advertising Product or Activity Not Conducted On Premises | 20 feet | up to 40 feet in length, and 20 feet in height | 40 feet | No sign within 25 feet of ROW or 200 feet of intersection | Not more than one per 1,000 ft of road frontage | On parcel but not within 25 feet of ROW or within 200 feet of intersection | — | §250-30; Table: Sign and Dimensional Regulation by Zoning Districts; HC-1, HC-2 |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flag Sign | 30 feet | 24 square feet (residential), 35 square feet (all other zones) | — | — | Maximum 2 per residential lot, maximum 3 per other lots | Not located within any right-of-way | — | §250-30C(12) |
| Personal Expression Sign | — | 3 square feet per side | — | — | — | On parcel | — | §250-30C(5) |
| Temporary Sign | Large: 8 feet; Small: 6 feet | Large: 32 sq ft, max 8 ft height; Small: 16 sq ft, max 6 ft height; see zone-specific for exceptions | — | — | 1 large, 1 small per parcel (more allowed only for qualifying parcels) | On private property; not within ROW | — | §250-30J |
| Limited-duration Sign | — | Large: 32 sq ft, max 8 ft height (nonresidential); Small: 16 sq ft, max 6 ft height; see zone-specific for exceptions | — | — | See zone-specific and parcel size rules | On private property; not within ROW | — | §250-30I |
| Directional Sign | 5 feet | 4 square feet | — | — | As needed per functional area | On site or by entrance/parking/driveway | — | §250-30C(19) |

## Prohibited signs in Thompson

- Signs shall be permitted only in connection with a permitted use or for the purposes of specifically directing travelers to businesses or services.
- Abandoned signs shall be removed at the expense of the sign owner or property owner.
- Signs shall not be permitted on the roof or above the roofline of the building to which they are attached.
- No part of any sign shall project above the top or beyond the ends of the wall surface on which it is located.
- No sign, except a public sign, visible from the public street, shall use the words 'stop,' 'danger' or any other word, phrase, symbol or character which could be interpreted by a motorist as being a public safety warning or traffic sign.
- No light shall be permitted that by reason of intensity, color, location, movement or direction of its beam may interfere with public safety, and must be shielded so as not to interfere with a driver's vision.
- No sign shall be attached to any tree, utility pole or other object not intended for such use.
- No sign shall exceed in height 1/2 its distance from the highway right-of-way, notwithstanding any other height limitation which may also be applicable.
- Flashing signs, including any sign or device on which the artificial light is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color at all times when in use, are prohibited (except signs giving public service information such as date, time, temperature).
- Signs which compete for attention with or may be mistaken for a traffic sign are prohibited.
- The outlining by direct illumination of all or any part of a building such as a roof, gable, wall, side or corner is prohibited.
- Paper-pasted billboards, being billboards where the advertising material is made of a paper derivative and is pasted to the billboard, are prohibited.
- Vehicular signs on parked vehicles used primarily for advertising and not for transportation are prohibited (business logos/vehicle identification used for business/personal transportation are allowed).
- Inflatable signs and balloon signs are prohibited.
- Any sign not covered under this section is prohibited.
- Roof signs, signs extending above the top or end of exterior walls by any means, freestanding signs over 10 feet in height from grade level, portable sign structures, signs extending over public rights-of-way, signs resembling traffic signals or official traffic signs, signs unrelated to permitted uses on a property, signs not specifically allowed or permitted, flashing, oscillating, revolving or moving signs are prohibited (per district-specific schedules, but repeated as global prohibitions in multiple districts).
- The sign must not present an overhead danger or obstacle to persons below.
- The sign should never block the view of any other signs.
- Freestanding signs other than billboards shall generally require landscaping around the base of the sign.
- Illumination of temporary and limited-duration signs is prohibited.
- No signs are allowed within the road right-of-way (ROW) (applies to temporary, limited-duration, and flag signs).

## Signs exempt from permit in Thompson

- Official traffic signs.
- Government/regulatory signs.
- Signs inside a building, or other enclosed facility, which are not meant to be viewed from the outside, and are located greater than three feet from the window.
- Holiday and seasonal decorations.
- Personal expression signs of any sign type, provided they do not exceed three square feet in area per side, are noncommercial in nature, well maintained and not illuminated.
- Address signs: one sign stating address, number and/or name of occupants of the premises and does not include any commercial advertising or other identification, not to exceed two square feet in area in residential districts nor four square feet in commercial or industrial districts.
- Public signs that are erected or required by government agencies or utilities, including traffic, utility, safety, railroad crossing, and identification or directional signs for public facilities.
- Identification signs or emblems of a religious, civil, philanthropic, historical or educational organization that do not exceed four square feet in area.
- Private drive signs; one per driveway entrance, not to exceed two square feet in area.
- Incidental signs, including window incidental signs (site information, instructions, directives).
- Nonpermanent temporary signs in compliance with regulations at Subsection K.
- Flags (with certain limitations on height, number, and size; includes both governmental and noncommercial personal expression flags as exempt).
- Security or warning signs: 'no trespassing' and conventional warning signs subject to size limits.
- Legal notices.
- Vending machine signs.
- Memorial signs, public monument or historical identification sign erected by the Town, including plaque signs up to three square feet in area.
- Signs which are a permanent architectural feature of a building or structure, existing at the time of adoption of this section.
- Signs advertising the variety of crop growing in a field, provided they are removed after the growing season.
- Directional signs, provided they do not contain commercial messaging, and are size/height limited and not illuminated.
- Art and murals, provided such signs do not contain any commercial messaging.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Certain signs, as indicated on the Schedule of Sign Regulations, must be submitted to the Planning Board (serving as Design Review Board) for approval; no permit shall be granted for these signs without Planning Board approval.
- All applications submitted to the Planning Board for signs must be acted upon within a reasonable time from receipt; permits are issued by the Building Department.
- The Design Review Board (typically the Planning Board) must review and approve any sign not clearly allowed without a permit or allowed by Enforcement Officer; this is required in all zones as noted on the Schedule of Sign Regulations.
- Subject to maximum sign surface area limits for all signs combined, any sign may be permitted following review and approval by the Design Review Board using criteria found in § 189-18E; no sign shall exceed 20 feet in height for any reason (except certain billboards, etc.).
- Landscape plans must be submitted for signs of 32 square feet or more in size, and must be approved as part of the sign permit process.
- Where the proposed sign is to be constructed in conjunction with a new building project, landscaping shall be designed as part of the overall site plan for the activity, and all authority for site plan approval shall rest with the Planning Board. Evidence of sign approval by the Building Department is required before Planning Board grants approval.
- Replacement banners erected under a Master Signage Plan require no permits (CI, HC, and certain districts); does not exempt from total sign area limitations.
- Major site plans, new commercial projects, or situations where multiple/complex signage is proposed will typically require submittal of a Master Sign Plan or coordinated sign plan for Planning Board or Design Review Board approval.
- Variances for signs may only be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals after obtaining the recommendation of the Building Department (if none within reasonable time, Board may act without).
- No sign not specifically listed in the sign code is permitted; if a sign type is not listed, it is prohibited; to allow such a sign a review and approval by the Design Review Board (Planning Board) is required.
- Landscape plan requirements (for sign landscaping and site plan) may be enforced as part of the Planning Board's sign review process.
- Signs in conjunction with new buildings must be included in site plans reviewed by the Planning Board.

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

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