Haverhill, MA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 3.3.1(5) requires an as-of-right home occupation to show no exterior indication of its presence or any variation from residential appearance, which rules out any sign whatsoever for the more common, unpermitted home business. Only a home occupation approved by the Board of Appeals under § 3.3.2 gets a signage allowance, and even then Subsection 3 limits it to a sign or nameplate that complies with § 6.2, the citywide sign chapter. Turning to § 6.2.7, which governs signs in any R or S district, the relevant category is 'Professional identification': one professional or medical building accessory sign is allowed, capped at 7.5 square feet on any one face and 15 square feet total surface area, plus one professional nameplate per practitioner that cannot exceed 12 square inches and must be mounted flush with the wall or door.

Section 6.2.7 separately allows one wall, projecting, or freestanding sign in a residential district generally, but that sign cannot project beyond a point 10 feet inside any side or front lot line, and a freestanding version cannot exceed six feet in height. Any sign counts as a structure requiring a permit from the Building Commissioner under § 10.1.1 unless it falls within the temporary-sign exemption in § 10.1.2.