New Bedford, MA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

" Unlike commercial sign rules elsewhere in the ordinance that set maximum square footage or height, this section does not permit a small identification sign, a window sticker, or a driveway placard for a home business; it bars signage of any kind. The prohibition extends past signs to any exterior storage, such as stacking inventory, equipment, or supplies outside or in a visible spot in the yard or driveway, and to any other visible change that would tip off a passerby that the house hosts a business, from a dedicated customer parking area to a distinctive exterior paint scheme tied to the business.

The purpose, read together with the rest of Section 2510's conditions on floor area, employees, and client visits, is to keep the property looking and functioning like an ordinary single-family or two-family residence from the street. Section 2515 sits among the six conditions in Sections 2511 through 2518 that all must be satisfied together for a home occupation to qualify as of right, so a sign violation alone is enough to take a business out of that as-of-right status even if every other condition is met.