Planning & Zoning Director Laurence Bradley reminds residents that fines up to $150 per day can be issued for zoning violations as stated in the Town of Westport Municipal Citation Ordinance which became effective earlier this year.

"The Planning and Zoning Department is actively responding to zoning complaints and is seeking voluntary compliance from property owners before issuing any citations. Many complaints received concern excessive and/or illegal commercial signage, and business owners should be aware of the sign regulations to avoid receiving a zoning citation," said Bradley.

The following guidelines for commercial signage are offered to raise awareness:

• Permanent signs require a permit from the Planning and Zoning Department.
• No more than three signs are permitted for any one business located in the General Business District, which encompasses most of the Post Road.
• For new businesses, temporary signs located on the face of a building are allowed, but only during the first 30 days following the opening of the business.
• For existing businesses, temporary signs located on a window are allowed for up to 30 days so long as no more than 25 percent of the window is occupied with signage.

Bradley stated, "The Planning & Zoning Office has already seen positive results from its efforts to enforce the sign regulations and we are aiming for similar success with other aspects of the zoning regulations."

Copies of the full text of the Municipal Citation Ordinance, the Zoning Enforcement Policy, and the sign regulations are available from the Planning & Zoning Department’s section of the Town Web site.