Brockton, MA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Brockton's sign code treats short-term window advertising as an exemption from the standard sign permit, not a separate license. Section 27-64(4)(e) waives the permit otherwise required by § 27-64(2) for 'temporary, non-illuminated window or building signs' as long as two conditions hold: the sign relates to a special sale or event lasting no more than 15 days, and its total area doesn't exceed 30 percent of the window it's placed in. A sign left up longer than 15 days, covering more than 30 percent of the glass, or illuminated from within loses the exemption and needs a standard sign permit from the superintendent of buildings under § 27-64(2), including the $10 base fee plus $0.25 per square foot.

The definition in § 27-63(m) is narrow: a window sign is one 'painted or placed on the inside or outside of the glass of a window for purposes of viewing from outside the premises,' and it specifically excludes merchandise displayed in the window and signs incidental to that merchandise display, so an ordinary window display of goods for sale isn't counted against the 30 percent cap at all.

Businesses in the C-3 downtown zone face a tighter, additional overlay under § 27-72(6)(g): window signs there are capped at 20 percent of the window area, limited to one letter style and one lettering color per building, and must be painted or gold-leafed unless the Board of Appeals grants a special permit for another method.