§ 410-88
Permitted signs by zoning district
[Amended 10-23-1997 by Ch. No. 2470; 3-22-2001 by Ch. No. 2592; 12-19-2003 by Ch. No. 2709; 9-21-2006 by Ch. No. 2825; 11-21-2007 by Ch. No. 2881; 2-25-2010 by Ch. No. 2934]
- A. Residential zoning districts – residential uses up to 12 units. In the zoning districts designated RL, RS, RT and RM, one of the following types of signs is allowed:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 2 5 2 -- Wall 2 -- -- -- Canopy Not permitted -- -- -- Monument Not permitted -- -- -- Projecting Not permitted -- -- -- Window 2 -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- - B. Residential Elevator District – residential uses. In the zoning district designated RE, the following types of signs are allowed. The maximum total area of all signs on any structure shall not exceed one square foot per one linear foot of building frontage. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 24 6 2 -- Wall 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- -- Canopy 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- 4 Monument 32 4 1 -- Projecting Not permitted -- -- -- Window 8 square feet, but no more than 25% of total glass area of window. Signs that are attached to the glassed area of doorways which obscure views from the public right-of-way are not permitted. -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- - C. Residential zoning districts – nonresidential uses and residential uses exceeding 12 units. In all residential zoning districts, the following types of signs are allowed for legal nonconforming nonresidential uses, nonresidential uses allowed by right and multifamily residential uses with more than 12 units. The maximum total area of all signs on any structure shall not exceed one square foot per two linear feet of building frontage. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 24 6 2 -- Wall 1 per 2 feet of building frontage -- -- -- Canopy 1 per 2 feet of building frontage -- -- 4 Monument 32 4 1 -- Projecting Not permitted -- -- -- Window 8 square feet, but no more than 25% of total glass area of window. Signs that are attached to the glassed area of doorways which obscure views from the public right-of-way are not permitted. -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- NOTES: 1. Only one freestanding sign is permitted per street frontage. 2. The City of Pawtucket can only permit projections over City-owned rights-of-way. - D. Commercial zoning districts.
- (1) In the Commercial Local, General and Downtown Zoning Districts (CL, CG and CD), the following types of signs are allowed, as listed under sign type. The maximum total area of all signs on one structure shall not exceed one square foot per one linear foot of building frontage. A building, a freestanding and a monument sign are considered as separate structures. An applicant may select either a freestanding sign or a monument sign, but not both types. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 72 20 -- -- Wall 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- -- Canopy 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- 4 Monument 32 5 2 -- Projecting 24 12 -- 4 Window 8 square feet, but no more than 25% of total glass area of window. Signs that are attached to the glassed area of doorways which obscure views from the public right-of-way are not permitted. -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- NOTES: 1. Only one freestanding sign is permitted per street frontage. 2. The City of Pawtucket can only permit projections over City-owned rights-of-way. - (2) In the Commercial General Zoning Districts, an electronic messaging center/electronic message board is allowed by special use permit. Because the EMC technology facilitates a display that is permitted to change 60 times each hour, each square foot of the electronic messaging center shall count as two square feet toward the calculation of maximum total area of all signs. EMCs which are used to attract attention to an object, person, product, institution, organization, business, service, event or location that is not located on the premises upon which the sign is located are billboards and are not permitted.
- (3) Where a structure has up to four separate businesses, wall sign area and freestanding sign area must be allocated equally to each business based upon building frontage occupied. For example, a commercial structure with 72 feet of building frontage and three commercial uses occupying 24 feet of building frontage each shall allocate 24 square feet per establishment for wall signs and three signs of 24 square feet per establishment on a freestanding or monument sign. Note also § 410-89 for shopping center signs for five or more establishments.
- (1) In the Commercial Local, General and Downtown Zoning Districts (CL, CG and CD), the following types of signs are allowed, as listed under sign type. The maximum total area of all signs on one structure shall not exceed one square foot per one linear foot of building frontage. A building, a freestanding and a monument sign are considered as separate structures. An applicant may select either a freestanding sign or a monument sign, but not both types. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
- E. Industrial zoning districts.
- (1) In the Manufacturing Built-Up and Open Zoning Districts, the following types of signs are allowed. The maximum total area of all signs on any one structure shall not exceed one square foot per one foot of building frontage. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 72 20 -- -- Wall 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- -- Canopy 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- -- Monument 32 5 -- -- Projecting 24 -- -- 6 Window 8 square feet, but no more than 25% of total glass area of window. Signs that are attached to the glassed area of doorways which obscure views from the public right-of-way are not permitted. -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- NOTES: 1. Only one freestanding sign is permitted per street frontage. If the lot has more than one street frontage, only one freestanding sign is permitted. - (2) In Industrial Open Zoning Districts, an electronic messaging center/electronic message board is allowed by special use permit. Because the EMC technology facilitates a display that is permitted to change 60 times each hour, each square foot of the electronic messaging center shall count as two square feet toward the calculation of maximum total area of all signs, with wall-mounted EMCs not to exceed 72 square feet in maximum area. EMCs which are used to attract attention to an object, person, product, institution, organization, business, service, event or location that is not located on the premises upon which the sign is located are billboards and are not permitted.
[Added 11-23-2016 by Ch. No. 3117]
- (1) In the Manufacturing Built-Up and Open Zoning Districts, the following types of signs are allowed. The maximum total area of all signs on any one structure shall not exceed one square foot per one foot of building frontage. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
- F. Public open and public cemetery. In the zoning districts Public Open and Public Cemetery, the following types of signs are allowed. The maximum total area of all signs on any structure shall not exceed one square foot per one foot of building frontage. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 72 15 -- -- Wall 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- -- Projecting Not permitted -- -- -- Canopy 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- 4 Monument 32 5 2 -- Window 8 square feet, but no more than 25% of total glass area of window. Signs that are attached to the glassed area of doorways which obscure views from the public right-of-way are not permitted. -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- - G. Riverfront Public Open, Riverfront Industrial and Riverfront Mixed Use. In the zoning districts designated RD1, RD2 and RD3, the following types of signs are allowed. The maximum total area of all signs on any one structure shall not exceed one square foot per one foot of building frontage. The maximum area of any individual sign shall be limited as follows:
Sign Type Area
(square feet)Height
(feet)Setback
(feet)Projection Over
Public Right-of-WayFreestanding 72 20 -- -- Wall 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- -- Canopy 1 per 1 foot of building frontage -- -- 4 Monument 32 5 2 -- Projecting 24 12 -- -- Window 6 square feet but cannot exceed 25% of total window area. Signs that are attached to the glassed area of doorways which obscure views from the public right-of-way are not permitted. -- -- -- Roof Not permitted -- -- -- NOTES: 1. The maximum total area of all signs on one structure shall not exceed one square foot per one linear foot of building frontage. A building, a freestanding and a monument sign are considered as separate structures. An applicant may select either a freestanding sign or a monument sign, but not both types. 2. No sign may be painted on the building.