Revere, MA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 17.44.060, titled 'Residential character, Appearance,' is Revere's catch-all rule against a home business advertising itself the way a commercial storefront would. It states that the appearance of the site or building in which the home occupation is conducted shall not be altered in a manner which would change the residential character of the premises, whether by the use of colors, patterns, materials, construction, signs or lighting, and that this includes banning any open storage of motor vehicles. Signage is named directly in the list of prohibited alterations, so a home occupation cannot install a lit sign, a large identification sign or any exterior display that reads as a business front rather than a private residence.

The rule works alongside the general sign chapter, 17.36, which allows only narrow residential accessory signage such as a one-square-foot nameplate under Section 17.36.050, but Section 17.44.060 goes further for a home occupation specifically by tying the ban to the broader goal of preserving the residential look of the block, not just capping square footage. Because the standard is 'residential character' rather than a fixed dimension, the building inspector has discretion to require removal of any exterior marker, including paint schemes or lighting fixtures, judged to make the home look like a place of business rather than a dwelling.