West Hartford, CT Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Section 177-33E(10) of the West Hartford Zoning Code creates a single, narrow category of freeway-facing sign for a one-family residence district: a common directory sign posted near each exit ramp of an expressway or near each major highway close to the Town line. The sign may only list civic, educational and religious organizations located in West Hartford; it is not available to commercial businesses or private advertisers. Each participating organization is allotted no more than six square feet of the directory's face, and the schedule caps the overall sign at 100 square feet with only one such sign permitted per specified location.

The sign must sit back of the street line, mirroring the setback that applies to every other residential sign category in Section 177-33E, and unlike the unpermitted categories in the same subsection, this directory sign requires a zoning permit, and its erection is subject to the site plan and application procedures of Section 177-42A, meaning the Town Plan and Zoning Commission or its designee reviews the specific location, design and organization list before the sign goes up. Because the category is defined around expressway exit ramps and major highways at the Town line rather than any highway frontage generally, an ordinary commercial or residential property along an interior arterial road cannot use this provision to erect highway-facing signage; the directory sign is a Town-sanctioned wayfinding aid for nonprofit and civic institutions rather than a general freeway-advertising allowance.