Bristol, PA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Bristol Borough Code § 27-320, Use 7G(4) sets the sign rule for a home occupation: a sign indicating products made or services rendered shall not exceed 200 square inches in any district. Only one on-premises sign is permitted. The limit is the same in every zoning district, so a home occupation in the borough's riverfront or commercial areas gets no larger sign than one in a residential block.

Use 7G(6) closes the other routes for advertising. There shall be no outdoor storage or display and no change in the existing outside appearance of the building or premises or other visible evidence of the conduct of the home occupation or home professional office, other than a sign in accordance with Subsection 7G(4). A window display of goods, a painted storefront, or a second sign on a fence or vehicle would each be visible evidence of the business and fall outside what Borough Council allowed.

The no-impact home-based business under Use 7J is stricter. It must have no outside appearance of a business use including, but not limited to, parking, signs or lights, so the 200 square inch sign is not available to it. A resident choosing between the two categories in Bristol Borough should decide first whether the business needs any exterior sign.

The Zoning Officer enforces the rule, and the sign is judged against the Use 7G text rather than against the general sign provisions that apply to commercial properties. Because the limit is stated in square inches, a plaque or a small hanging sign near the entrance is the practical scale the code contemplates.