North Hempstead, NY Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 70-196 lists the signs every use district permits without a special exception, and Subsection A is written specifically for home-based professionals: in residential districts, professional nameplates bearing the name and profession of the resident are limited to not exceeding two square feet in area or more than one such sign in number, and may be illuminated by an electric lamp not exceeding 15 watts of power contained within the sign. The two-square-foot cap and one-sign limit apply no matter which residence district the home sits in, from Residence AAA down through the multiple-residence districts, and the sign can only carry the resident's name and profession, not a broader business logo or a list of services.

Illumination is optional but capped at a 15-watt lamp built into the sign itself; a separately mounted floodlight or spotlight aimed at the nameplate isn't what the section allows. The rule is distinct from the office-building nameplate rule in the same subsection, which lets a nonresidential professional building with two or more tenants post one wall or ground sign naming every occupant, since that version applies only outside residential districts. A home business that wants anything larger, illuminated further, or plural, such as a second sign or a lit business logo, needs relief from the Board of Zoning and Appeals under Article XXIV rather than relying on § 70-196A alone.