This site is for informational purposes only. Contact the Watertown Zoning Office at (617) 972-6417 with any inquiries. Got it!

MapLink™ | Signs

Hello! Content on this website is provided as a convenience and is for informational use only. Be sure to review the Terms of Use for all of the details related to your use of this website.
Accept
ACCESSORY SIGN
Any sign relating to business, service, or products including national brand products, supplied on the premises on which the sign is located.
ANIMATED OR FLASHING SIGN
Any sign or attention-catching device which in part or whole moves or flashes or contains traveling lights or gives the impression of any movement or flashing whether such effect is generated by natural or artificial forces.
AREA, FLOOD, OR UP-LIGHTING
Area, Flood Light - Any luminaire that is designed to direct the output of a lamp in a specific single direction utilizing reflective elements external to the lamp. Such luminaires may be manufactured with or without mounting hardware that can be swiveled, and are not equipped to be aimed straight down. Up-Lighting - Any luminaire that is aimed or capable of being aimed above the horizontal plane. Excluded from the definition of Up-Lighting is any luminaire aimed upwards into an enclosed space.
BANNER SIGN
Any piece(s) of fabric displaying a distinctive insignia, identifying wording and/or symbolic representation of a business, service or activity.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN
Any sign whose only purpose is to direct traffic to proper entrance or exit.
EMERGENCY EGRESS LIGHTING
Luminaires designed to illuminate emergency egress doors and where such luminaires are connected to and activated by the emergency activation/fire alarm system.
FREESTANDING SIGN
Any sign not attached to a building or other improvement but instead permanently erected upon or standing in the ground and usually supported from the ground by one or more poles, columns, uprights, braces or cement anchors. Freestanding signs include monument signs but do not include portable signs.
IDENTIFYING SIGN
Any permanent structure or building surface, or part thereof or device attached thereon or other outdoor surface or any combination of one or more of the foregoing containing any word, letter, symbol, drawing, model, banner, picture or design, or any device used for visual communication which identifies or calls attention to any premises, person, product, activity, service, or business, directing the subject thereof to the attention of the public. Signs do not include non-commercial murals.
ILLUMINATED SIGN
Any sign which is lighted by artificially generated light, either directly or indirectly.
MARQUEE SIGN
An identifying sign hanging from or supported by a permanent marquee or overhang.
NON-ACCESSORY SIGN
Any billboard; or any sign or advertising device advertising a business, service, product or activity at other locations.
PROJECTING SIGNS
Any non-translucent sign which is affixed at a right angle to the building wall, which include fin, blade, and symbol signs.
SIGN
Sign shall mean and include any permanent or temporary structure or building surface, or part thereof or device attached thereon or other outdoor surface including billboards or any combination of one or more of the foregoing containing any word, letter, symbol, drawing, model, banner, picture or design, or any device used for visual communication which identifies or calls attention to any premises, person, product, activity, service or business, directing the subject thereof to the attention of the public.
SIGN, AREA OF
(a) For a sign, either free-standing or attached, the area shall be considered to include all lettering, accompanying designs and symbols, together with the background, whether open or enclosed, on which they are displayed, but not including any supporting framework and bracing which are incidental to the display itself.
(b) For a sign painted upon or applied to a building, the area shall be considered to include all lettering, accompanying designs or symbols together with any backing of a different color than the finish material of the building face.
(c) Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached to or painted on a surface, building, wall or window, the area shall be considered to be that of the smallest rectangle or other convex shape which encompasses all of the letters and symbols.
STRUCTURE
A combination of materials assembled at a fixed location to give support or shelter, such as a building, bridge, trestle, tower, framework, retaining wall, tank, tunnel, tent, stadium, reviewing stand, platform, bin, fence, sign, flagpole or the like. The word "structure" shall be construed, where the context allows, as though followed by the words "or part thereof."
SYMBOL SIGN
Any non-translucent sign which is a three-dimensional representation or illustration of the activity of the business or service.
TEMPORARY SIGN
Any sign constructed of light material which is intended to be displayed for a short period of time only. A Temporary Accessory Sign is one which is accessory to an activity on the premises, such as the temporary sign of a real estate agent, architect, contractor, painter or other artisan or advertising a sale or other temporary activity in progress, and such sign may be placed on the ground or attached to a wall. A Temporary Non-Accessory Sign refers to an event not related to the premises and may also be in the form of a placard or banner attached to posts or trees on private property only. A Temporary Identifying Sign is one which identifies the business at the location where it is, or will be, erected during the period of construction, or alteration, or during the replacement of an obsolete or inapplicable sign.
TRANSLUCENT SIGN
Any sign illuminated from the interior by an even light.
WALKWAY ACCENT LIGHTING
Luminaires that are up to 42 inches tall in total height, and are used to illuminate walkways, curbs, or similar situations, but not landscaping.
WALL SIGN
A sign painted on or attached and parallel to the wall of a building, but not including signs attached to fences unless set back from all lot lines as required for a building in a district.
Signs in all districts.
(a) Placement of Signs.
(1) Any building or tenant occupancy with more than one occupancy frontage may have attached signage on each occupancy frontage facing a street, parking lot, or in each yard facing a street, and/or free-standing signage for each street frontage of the lot. A building may also have separate identifying signage. In no instance shall any signage directly front on or be directed to face Greenough Boulevard.
(2) A sign, other than traffic control and route signs authorized by public agencies, shall not be placed within a public right of way, except permitted wall sign, banner projecting and symbol signs adjacent to a sidewalk.
(3) A sign shall not be designed or colored or so placed as to endanger, obscure, confuse, blind by glare or otherwise create a hazardous condition to motor vehicle traffic.
(4) Directional signs necessary to give clear direction to a parking lot or building entrance on the premises are permitted. Such signs shall not exceed three feet in any dimension nor more than (4) feet high on a pole or pylon unless placed on a permitted wall or building.
(5) A free standing pole or pylon, or wall sign or any part thereof, shall not exceed 20 feet in height above ground level, and any ground mounted monument sign shall not exceed four feet in height, except by Special Permit and adhering to the adopted Design Guidelines.
(6) Roof signs of any type, in any district, are prohibited.
(b) Projection of Signs.
(1) A wall or building mounted sign or symbol shall not project above the building wall to which it is attached, and shall not obscure any part of the roof of the building except when integral to the design and character of the sign, in which case it will be allowed by Special Permit only and adhering to the adopted Design Guidelines.
(2) A sign, except for a projecting sign such as a symbol, accessory, marquee, or banner, shall not project more than six inches from the building wall.
(3) A projecting sign and support thereof, must be set back at least two feet from the curb line and be at least nine feet above ground level.
(4) A projecting banner sign must be set back at least two feet from the curb line and be at least nine feet above ground level. The total area of a banner may not exceed 50 square feet. In no instance shall the vertical length of a Banner Sign exceed 50% of the total height of the structure to which it is attached and the width of a Banner Sign shall not exceed 15% of its height.
(5) Permanent awnings on store fronts shall be at least 9 feet above any public walkway; any information on said awning which is consistent with the definition of the term Accessory Sign shall be considered as Accessory Signs.
(c) Conditions of temporary signs. One temporary sign is permitted, as follows:
(1) A temporary identifying sign, not exceeding the permitted size for a permanent sign, may be erected for not more than 60 days.
(2) A temporary accessory sign shall not exceed six square feet and shall be removed from public view by those responsible for its erection within seven days after the activity advertised has ceased or after substantial damage to the sign, whichever comes first.
(3) A temporary non-accessory sign is limited to a period of 45 days preceding and not over seven days after the relevant event and may not exceed 50 square feet.
(d) Calculation of sign area.
(1) For a wall or marquee sign, the calculation of sign area in the NB, LB, CB and I districts shall be a percentage of the building facade. The dimensions used in calculating this percentage shall be the horizontal measure of the frontage of the business and the vertical measure not exceeding the top of the second story of a building.
(2) For a monument, pole or pylon sign, the calculation of sign area shall use the dimensions of one surface only to comply with the limits of § 7.03 through 7.07.
(e) Gasoline station signs. Regulations governing the size of identifying signs and the size of accessory signs for gasoline stations may be reversed. If the regulations are reversed, the identifying sign must comply with the regulations for accessory signs and the accessory sign must comply with the regulations for identifying signs.
(f) Maintenance of signs. It shall be the responsibility of sign owners to provide proper and continual maintenance for their sign(s) and sign structure(s).

Permitted illumination.
(a) In all districts, any lighting of a sign or advertising device shall be continuous and installed in a manner that will prevent direct light from shining onto any street or adjacent property.
(b) In residential districts, all signs or advertising devices shall be stationary and may not contain any visible moving or movable parts; no sign or advertising device shall be of neon type or exposed gas-illuminated tube type; no sign or advertising device shall be illuminated during hours when the establishment is closed to the public.
(c) In NB, LB, CB, I, and PSCD districts, the following signs, in addition to the above are permitted:
(1) Translucent.
(2) Signs of neon or exposed gas-illuminated tube type.
 
In no instance may the gross area of all signs including accessory signs on one building exceed 200 square feet in area on a single lot, except in the case of multiple buildings where each building may have up to a maximum of 200 square feet including accessory signs on each building.

Notwithstanding the above, any non-residential or mixed use site with cumulative building footprints in excess of 100,000 square feet may not exceed 350 square feet of signage per building, except in the RMUD, where the maximum identifying signage shall be limited to 100 square feet of building mounted signage per tenant. Further, an increase in the total building signage may be permitted by Special Permit and adhering to the adopted Design Guidelines.

Exceptions: Freestanding and directional signs shall not reduce signage otherwise allowable under § 7.06(e), but shall be subject to limitation identified in § 7.03(a) and 7.05(b).

 
Prohibited signs and conditions.
(1) No animated or flashing signs or attention-catching devices shall be permitted.
(2) No non-accessory signs other than permitted temporary non-accessory signs shall be permitted.
(3) No interior and/or supporting infrastructure of a sign shall be exposed to public view other than permitted projecting symbol signs. No exposed conduit, junction boxes, or transformers shall be exposed to public view.
 
Non-conformance.

(a) Any sign erected after the date that this Article VII was originally adopted (June 30, 1982) which because of a change in occupancy ceases to refer to a permitted business being conducted, or product sold, on the premises, shall be removed at the expense of the owner, agent, or person having the beneficial use of the building or property upon which the sign is located within 60 days after written notification from the Inspector of Buildings or within such longer period not exceeding one year as the Inspector of Buildings may determine.

(b) Any signs legally erected before the date that this Article VII was originally adopted (June 30, 1982) may continue to be maintained, provided however, that no such sign shall be permitted if, after such date, it is enlarged, or altered in any substantial way, except to conform to the requirements of this Zoning Ordinance. Notwithstanding this, the panels of such sign may be changed to reflect a changed product line. Further, any such sign which has deteriorated to such an extent that the cost of restoration would exceed 35% of the replacement cost of the sign at the time of the restoration shall not be repaired or rebuilt or altered except to conform to the requirements of this Zoning Ordinance. Any exemption provided in this § 7.09(b) shall terminate with respect to any sign that:
(1) Shall have been abandoned,
(2) Advertises or calls attention to any products, businesses or activities which are no longer sold or carried on, whether generally or at the particular premise, or
(3) Shall not have been repaired or properly maintained within 30 days after notice to that effect has been given by the Inspector of Buildings.

(c) The erection of non-accessory signs is prohibited.
 

 
Intent and purpose.

A sign is a unique type of accessory structure, which because of its potential impact on adjacent lots and on adjacent public street and land, warrants the regulation contained in this Zoning Ordinance. It is recognized that signs perform important functions in communicating messages which are essential for public safety and general welfare, provide information about types of goods and services available at permitted uses, and provide orientation. Therefore, it is hereby found and declared that regulation of signs is necessary to promote the health, safety and general welfare by:

(a) Lessening hazards to vehicular and pedestrian traffic;
(b) Preventing unsightly and detrimental development which is a potential blighting influence upon residential, institutional, public business and industrial uses, and detrimental to property value;
(c) Preventing signs from becoming so excessive in number, size, intensity, brilliance, or impact that they obscure or distract from 1) public signs essential to the orderly and safe movements of goods and persons in the City, or 2) one another to the detriment of all concerned;
(d) Facilitating easy recognition and immediate legibility of permitted signs; and
(e) Securing certain fundamentals of good design for the City.

The provisions of this article are complementary to, and shall not be construed as inconsistent with, or in contravention of, Sections 29 to 33 of Chapter 93 of the General Laws of Massachusetts.