# Sign Regulations in Union Town, New York

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Union Town, New York (NY)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-york/union-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/15526254#15526254)

## At a glance

Union Town, New York regulates 26 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Off-Premises Sign (Nondigital)s in the General Commercial Zoning District zoning district are capped at 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder tall and 300 sq ft, with a 8 ft from property line setback (Sec. §300-52.6(C)). Most commercial signs in Union Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 18 | 5 ft from surrounding grade | 64 sq ft | — |
| Residential districts | 2 | — | — | — |
| Nonresidential districts | 2 | — | 80 sq ft (4 businesses or fewer); +15 sq ft per business above 4, max 300 sq ft | — |
| General Commercial Zoning District | 3 | 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder | 450 sq ft | — |
| Industrial Zoning Districts | 2 | 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder | 450 sq ft | — |
| Central Business Zoning District | 1 | — | 6 sq ft | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Construction Sign (Residential Districts) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | One per contractor | Confined to construction site | — | §300-52.3(G) |
| Construction Sign (All Other Districts) | — | 64 sq ft | — | — | One per contractor | Confined to construction site | — | §300-52.3(G) |
| Directional Sign | — | 4 sq ft | — | Allowed in setbacks | — | Street setbacks and side/rear yards permitted | — | §300-52.3(H) |
| Drive-In Facility Sign | — | 24 sq ft per lane | — | — | One per lane | Adjacent to drive-in lane | — | §300-52.3(I) |
| Home Occupation Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | 10 ft minimum from street | One per dwelling unit | — | — | §300-52.3(M) |
| "No Trespassing" or "No Dumping" Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | Allowed in setbacks | — | Permitted within street setback and side/rear yards | — | §300-52.3(P) |
| Multifamily Retail and Subdivision Sales Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | One | Any lot within subdivision/multifamily area (not public ROW) | — | §300-52.3(Q) |
| Political or Campaign Sign (General) | 5 ft from surrounding grade | Total: 32 sq ft per parcel; Individual sign: 16 sq ft in residential districts | — | — | Unlimited, with max total area | Not within or over public right-of-way | — | §300-52.3(S) |

### General Commercial Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Message Monument Style Sign | — | See General Monument Sign Maximums, minus 25% reduction (use allotted sign area * 0.75) | — | — | — | Not within 500 ft of residential zone along street line | — | §300-52.7A(5)(c), (1)-(4) |
| Off-Premises Sign (Nondigital) | 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder | 300 sq ft | — | Minimum setback: 8 ft from property line | One per lot or parcel | Within 500 ft of ROW of NYS Route 17/Interstate 86; not within 500 ft of another off-premises sign facing same direction; not within 100 ft of residential zone boundary; not within 500 ft of schools, libraries, hospitals etc. fronting same street. | — | §300-52.6(C) |
| Off-Premises Sign (Digital) | 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder | 450 sq ft | — | Minimum setback: 8 ft from property line | One per lot or parcel | Within 500 ft of ROW of NYS Route 17/Interstate 86; digital signs per NYSDOT/federal rules. | — | §300-52.6(C) |

### Industrial Zoning Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Off-Premises Sign (Nondigital) | 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder | 300 sq ft | — | Minimum setback: 8 ft from property line | One per lot or parcel | Within 500 ft of ROW of NYS Route 17/Interstate 86 (excluding Johnson City & Endicott); at least 500 ft from another off-premises sign facing same direction; 100 ft from residential; 500 ft from schools/hospitals/libraries. | — | §300-52.6(C) |
| Off-Premises Sign (Digital) | 35 ft above nearest highway shoulder | 450 sq ft | — | Minimum setback: 8 ft from property line | One per lot or parcel | Within 500 ft of ROW of NYS Route 17/Interstate 86 (excluding Johnson City & Endicott); digital signs per NYSDOT/federal rules. | — | §300-52.6(C) |

## Prohibited signs in Union Town

- Signs cannot be located on a public right-of-way or public property and must be located on the property on which the business is located unless it is a legally established billboard.
- No sign shall obstruct the view at the intersection of any streets or be confused with traffic management signs or signals.
- Any sign that no longer advertises the use of the property must be removed within 30 days after written notification from the Code Enforcement Officer.
- No temporary sign is allowed for more than 30 days with no more than one thirty-day extension.
- Any sign requiring electricity must conform to requirements for permanent signs requiring electricity under this chapter.
- Signs shall not be placed on fences.
- Any sign for which no permit was issued or for which a permit has been revoked.
- Any sign that has been abandoned/obsolete or is not properly maintained, considered structurally unsound, hazardous or otherwise unsafe.
- Any sign that contains words or pictures of an obscene or pornographic nature.
- Any sign that emits audible sounds, odor, or visible matter.
- Any sign that may be confused with a traffic control sign, signal or device or the light of an emergency or road equipment vehicle or bears the words 'stop' 'go slow,' 'caution,' 'danger,' 'warning' or other similar words or hides from view any traffic or street sign, signal or device.
- Signs that interfere with official traffic lights or traffic control devices.
- Flashing, rotating, revolving signs/lights, except barber poles or holiday decorations which do not violate prohibitions on obscenity, emitted matter, or confusion with traffic signs.
- Any sign with unshielded lighting devices or reflectors placed to outline or provide the background of a sign.
- Animated signs.
- Signs with mirrors.
- Permanent banner, pennant, windblown, feather or inflated signs. (These may only be permitted as a temporary sign and under specific conditions.)
- Any portable sign attached to or placed on an unregistered vehicle parked on private property for the primary purpose of being viewed by motorists within the right-of-way.
- Pennants, not affixed to the face of a building.
- Any sign placed on a curb, sidewalk, hydrant, utility pole, trees or other objects located on or over any street unless otherwise permitted.
- Full motion or interactive signs.
- Roof signs.
- No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent ingress to or egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
- No sign shall be located within six feet of an electrical conductor, light pole, streetlamp, traffic light, or other utility pole.
- A sign may not obstruct a fire escape.
- No illuminated sign located on a lot adjacent to or across the street from any residential district, zone or use shall be illuminated between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., unless the use to which the sign pertains is open for business during those hours.
- No flashing, rotating, intermittent or moving light sources are permitted.
- No person shall maintain or permit to be maintained on any premises one owns any sign which is dangerous or in a defective condition.
- Distribution or placement of any commercial or political sign, advertisement, etc., within a park is prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Union Town

- Official sign, public notice sign, or warning sign supported by federal, state or local law.
- Any sign within a building not legible from the street or adjacent lots.
- Any sign within an enclosed outdoor space, such as an athletic field, where the sign is not legible beyond the property lines.
- Works of art not displaying a commercial message.
- Banners not displaying a commercial message.
- Holiday decorations not displaying a commercial message.
- Construction signs (with specified size and removal timing; confined to construction site).
- Directional signs (for directions, not advertising a business and not exceeding four square feet; details provided).
- Drive-in facility signs (meeting criteria for location, size, content).
- Flags: the flags, emblems or insignia of any nation, political subdivision or corporation flag (subject to height and other requirements).
- Gasoline service station price signs (when attached to a gasoline pump or service island; not exceeding three square feet).
- Government signs erected and maintained pursuant to and in discharge of any government function.
- Home occupation signs (one per dwelling unit; limited to two square feet).
- House numbers and nameplates (not exceeding two square feet per dwelling unit).
- Memorial signs or tablets, names of buildings and date of erection, when cut into masonry or constructed of bronze or other similar noncombustible material; historical markers.
- 'No Trespassing' and 'No Dumping' signs not to exceed two square feet in area per sign.
- Multifamily retail and subdivision sales signs (one sign per subdivision/project area, up to 32 square feet, not on right-of-way).
- Notice bulletin boards not over 24 square feet in area for public, charitable or religious institutions located on premises.
- Political and campaign signs as regulated, but not requiring a permit.
- Portable signs for new businesses awaiting a permanent sign or businesses with sign loss due to catastrophe (limited to 30 days).
- Real estate signs: one per lot or parcel, subject to size, illumination, and removal timing requirements.
- Sandwich board signs: one per business, not exceeding six square feet, removed daily, not on public right-of-way except as specified.
- Signs and notices advertising open house, garage sale or similar event, with time and location limits.
- Signs or notices advertising events/activities of churches or other not-for-profit organizations under certain timing and location constraints.
- Changing the advertising copy or message of an existing approved sign designed for manually replaceable copy does not require permit.
- Painting, repainting, cleaning or other normal maintenance and repair of a sign not involving structural changes does not require permit; replacement of sign face due to breakage/deterioration (not for new/different advertisers) is exempt.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The Table of Sign Regulations (Table 52-1) lists requirements for different types of permitted signs by zoning category, including number, size, setbacks, and lighting; refer to the table for zone-specific sign plans.
- A permit is required for most signs unless specifically exempted under § 300-52.3 and § 300-52.9.
- All applicants for sign permits must submit detailed information including plans/specs (see § 300-52.10).
- Applications for signs 150 square feet or more require submission of stress sheets and load calculations.
- When contiguous businesses or multiple signs are located on a lot (e.g., shopping center, multi-tenant/face buildings), reference Table 52-1 and zoning-specific regulations to determine compliance, which may require a sign plan.
- A sign permit is not required for activities listed under exemptions (e.g., exempt signs and maintenance operations) but must be in conformance with all other regulations.
- Changes to the structure or size of a nonconforming sign, or relocation/replacement, will result in loss of nonconforming status and may trigger new permit and plan requirements.

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

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