Brookhaven, NY Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Chapter 57A's § 57A-3 lists sign categories permitted town-wide, in every zoning district, without a permit unless otherwise stated. Subsection A, "Professional signs," allows one sign not exceeding two square feet per face, bearing only the name and profession of the "resident practitioner," meaning someone practicing from their home. If illuminated, the lamp must be contained within the sign itself and cannot exceed 15 watts. The sign's total height, including any supports, cannot exceed nine feet from grade. This sits alongside similar by-right categories in the same section: "Identification signs" under § 57A-3G, limited to bearing only the occupant's name and/or address and restricted to residential areas, and "Sale or rent signs" under § 57A-3B, capped at four square feet.

Because § 57A-3 signs are not otherwise specified as requiring a permit, no fee applies to a compliant professional sign. General illumination standards in § 57A-13 still apply across the chapter: light sources must be shielded so no glare crosses the property line or disturbs passing motorists, and flashing, rotating, or moving lights are barred outside narrow exceptions like time-and-temperature displays. Freestanding signs, including a professional sign placed on a post rather than mounted flat, must also meet the setback rules of § 57A-12, which scale from 10 feet off the side lot line up to 22 feet off the front line depending on the posted speed limit of the adjoining road.