# Sign Regulations in Cumberland Town, Rhode Island

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Cumberland Town, Rhode Island (RI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/rhode-island/cumberland-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/30187746#30187746)

## At a glance

Cumberland Town, Rhode Island regulates 28 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Portable/Sandwich Board Signs in the Commercial District, Industrial District zoning district are capped at 5 ft tall, 10 sq ft, and 2 ft wide (Sec. §13-7(a-f)). Most commercial signs in Cumberland Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Agricultural District, Residential District | 11 | — | 25 sq ft | — |
| Commercial District, Industrial District | 13 | 8 ft | 50 sq ft per building | — |
| Historic District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Overlay and Special Districts | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | 1 sq ft per business entrance | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### Agricultural District, Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate | — | 1.5 sq ft per dwelling unit | — | — | 1 per dwelling unit | Affixed to building | — | §13-4(c) |
| Temporary Sign - Event Sign | — | 12 sq ft | — | At least 8 feet from street line; or more if required by Zoning Official | — | Minimum 8 ft from street line | — | §13-4(i)(1) |
| Temporary Sign - Rental or Sale Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | Freestanding or attached; on premises only | — | §13-4(i)(2)a |
| Temporary Sign - Construction or Grand Opening Sign | — | 12 sq ft | — | Minimum 10 ft from any property line | 1 per street frontage per project | Freestanding or attached | — | §13-4(i)(3) |
| Temporary Sign - Replacement Sign | — | 25 sq ft | — | Minimum 10 ft from property line | — | — | — | §13-4(i)(5) |
| Temporary Sign - Yard Sale Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | May be installed on another's property with permission | — | §13-4(i)(6), §8-214 |
| Bulletin Board | — | 10 sq ft | — | 10 ft from any property line abutting a residential use | — | Minimum 10 ft setback from property line if abutting a residential use | — | §13-4(g) |
| Farm Retail Sign (Freestanding or Wall-Mounted) | — | 12 sq ft | — | — | 1 per farm | Freestanding or affixed to farm retail sales building/farm stand | — | §13-4(h), §7-7 |

### Commercial District, Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 8 ft | — | — | Min 4 ft from right-of-way/property line | One allowed per premises, except multi-tenant buildings (see directory sign) | Not closer than 4 ft to any street right-of-way or property line | — | §13-6(b), §13-8(f)(1) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 24 sq ft | — | — | Each business allowed one | Perpendicular to building, not closer than 2 ft to curb line | — | §13-6(c), §13-8(f)(3) |
| Wall Sign (Single Business) | — | 50 sq ft per building | — | — | — | Affixed/painted on exterior wall or door, parallel to wall | — | §13-6(e), §13-8(f)(5), §13-8(e)(2) |
| Wall Sign (Multi-tenant Building, Entrance Facade) | — | 18 sq ft per entrance facade | — | — | 1 per entrance facade | Each entrance facade in multi-tenant building | — | §13-8(f)(5), §13-8(e)(2) |
| Wall Sign (Additional Wall Sign for Second Public Entrance) | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | 1 per qualifying entrance | Second public entrance on side or rear | — | §13-8(e)(2)a |
| Freestanding Directory Sign | 8 ft | — | — | Min 4 ft from ROW/property line | 1 per parcel | For multitenant building or parcel | — | §13-8(e)(2)c, §13-8(f)(1) |
| Portable/Sandwich Board Sign | 5 ft | 10 sq ft | 2 ft | — | 1 per business | Within 5 ft of business entrance; must maintain 4 ft wide accessible path | — | §13-7(a-f) |
| Temporary Sign - Construction or Grand Opening Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding or attached | — | §13-4(i)(3) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| On-premises Commercial Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On premises only; must be permanent construction | — | §13-4(a) |
| Government Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §13-4(b) |
| Credit Card Sign | — | 1 sq ft per business entrance | — | — | 1 per business entrance | Per entrance | — | §13-4(f) |
| Hours of Operation Sign | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §13-4(e) |

## Prohibited signs in Cumberland Town

- Signs determined by the Chief of Police to constitute a traffic or other safety hazard by reason of size, location, or type of illumination.
- Animated and moving signs, including any sign with intermittent or sequential flashing lights (other than permitted static electronic message signs), or those depicting action, motion, light or color changes through electrical or mechanical means, video, text, graphics, artistic display, commercial message flags, whirligigs, inflatable signs, spinning signs, and banner flags.
- Billboards and off-premises signs, including freestanding and roof-mounted billboards, or signs advertising or promoting products or services not on the premises displaying the sign.
- Roof signs: signs that are mounted upon, or project above, the roof, parapet, or ridgeline of a building.
- Signs or messages placed on utility poles owned by any governmental agency or utility company other than those specifically installed by such agencies or companies; signs may not be installed on trees or fences.
- Abandoned signs, which are unused or advertise an activity or product no longer conducted or produced on the premises for a period of 90 days or more.
- No person shall place, maintain, or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device which is supposed to be or resembles an official traffic control device, railroad sign, or signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic, or interferes with the effectiveness of official traffic signs or signals.
- No person shall place or maintain nor shall any public authority permit upon any roadway, street or highway any traffic sign or signal bearing any commercial advertising.
- All signs must conform to the provisions of the sign article; no sign is permitted as a main or accessory use except as permitted by this ordinance.

## Signs exempt from permit in Cumberland Town

- Signs of every kind and nature installed by or on behalf of any federal, state, or local government agency, including official traffic control or informational signs, hazard warning signs, legal notices, railroad crossing signs, or other similar signs required by law.
- Temporary signs as defined in §13-4(i) do not require a permit.
- Nameplates for each dwelling unit, not internally illuminated and not exceeding 1.5 square feet.
- Building identification signs, wall signs that are not internally illuminated, affixed to buildings for identification, date of construction, or historical information, meeting material requirements.
- Credit card signs, non-illuminated, limited to one square foot per business entrance.
- Hours of operation signs, limited to one square foot.
- Farm retail signs: one non-illuminated sign per farm up to 12 square feet, per Article 7.
- Event signs (as specified), rental or sale signs, construction and grand opening signs, political signs, replacement signs, and yard sale signs, as specified in §13-4(i), provided they comply with stated limits on size, duration, location, and illumination.
- The erection upon private property, adjacent to highways, of signs giving useful directional information and of a type that cannot be mistaken for official signs or signals (per §38-28(c)).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Prior to the installation, relocation, or alteration of any sign, a permit shall be obtained from the Building Official, unless the sign is specifically exempted (such as certain temporary signs).
- Whenever a new development is proposed which consists of a building with multiple businesses, and/or buildings as part of a multi-business commercial center, the applicant shall submit a common signage plan to the Planning Board which provides standards for the design, style, and placement of all proposed tenant signage.
- In a new development requiring Planning Board review, a waiver exceeding the dimensional sign requirements may be granted by the Planning Board, only if it is demonstrated that the proposed signs will promote the safety of drivers and pedestrians.

## 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 5 zoning districts in Cumberland Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Cumberland+Town+RI&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-cumberland-town

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/rhode-island/cumberland-town