N.J. Admin. Code § 19:4-8.14

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 8, April 15, 2024

Section 19:4-8.14 - Signs

(a) No sign, unless exempt under (d) and (e) below, shall be constructed, erected, moved, remodeled, or expanded unless a zoning certificate for such sign has been issued by the NJMC.

(b) Signage types are as follows:

1. "Billboard sign" means a sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold, or offered at a location other than the premises on which the sign is located or to which it is affixed.

2. "Construction sign" means a temporary sign that displays information regarding a proposed development, including the names of individuals, organizations, or businesses involved in the design, construction, or financing of a project, during the construction period.

3. "Educational sign" means a sign that provides site users with cultural, historical or environmental information.

4. "Flashing sign" means any illuminated sign that exhibits changing natural or artificial light or color effects by any means more frequently than permitted in (g)4 below.

5. "Identification sign" means any sign indicating the name, address, service, or product of a business, building, or development. Such sign may be wholly or partly devoted to a readily recognized symbol.

6. "Nameplate sign" means any sign indicating only the name, address, or profession of an owner or occupant of a building or premises on which it is located.

7. "Reader board sign" means a sign with changeable copy, either manually or electronically (LED), including signs displaying the time and temperature.

8. "Real estate sign" means a sign pertaining to the sale or lease of the lot or tract of land on which the sign is located, or to the sale or lease of one or more structures or a portion thereof located thereon.

9. "Temporary sign" means any sign displayed for a limited period of time, not to exceed 30 days in a consecutive 90-day period.

(c) Structural sign types are as follows:

1. "Awning sign" means any sign mounted or painted on or attached to an awning or canopy, which is otherwise permitted by these regulations. No such sign shall project above, below, or beyond the physical dimensions of the awning or canopy.

2. "Banner sign" means a strip of cloth, vinyl, or similar material on which a temporary sign is printed, and is not permanently affixed to a frame.

3. "Ground sign" means any sign placed upon or supported by the ground independent of the building or structure on the property.

4. "Pole sign" means any sign mounted on a free- standing pole, where the bottom edge of the sign is six feet or more above ground level.

5. "Projecting sign" means any sign that is wholly or partly attached to a building for support and projects horizontally more than 12 inches from the building.

6. "Roof sign" means any sign fastened to or painted on the roof of a building or structure.

7. "Wall sign" means any sign, excluding banner signs, fastened to a wall or structure in such a manner that the wall becomes merely the supporting structure or forms the background surface, and which does not project more than 12 inches from such building.

8. "Window sign" means any sign placed on a window intended to be visible from the exterior of the building.

(d) The following signs shall be exempt from these regulations:

1. Flags or emblems of a government or of a political, civic, philanthropic, education, or religious organization, displayed on private property, provided that no sign exceeds 250 square feet;

2. Signs of a duly constituted governmental body including traffic or similar regulatory devices, legal notices, warnings at railroad crossings, and other instructional or regulatory signs having to do with health, hazards, parking, swimming, dumping, or similar activities;

3. Address numerals and other signs required to be maintained by law or governmental order, rule or regulation, provided that the content and size of the sign do not exceed the requirements of such law, order, rule or regulations;

4. Memorial signs and tablets, identifying the names of buildings, dates of erection, monumental citations, commemorative tablets, and the like when made an integral part of the structure;

5. Signs commonly associated with and limited to information and directions typically used for the convenience of the public, including signs identifying entrance and exit drives, parking areas, shipping and receiving doors, one- way drives, rest rooms, freight entrances, and refuse and recycling areas. Such signs are exempted, provided that each such sign is limited to wall, ground, or window, is 10 square feet or less in area, and is not illuminated except from a concealed light source;

6. Nameplate signs accessory to a dwelling not exceeding three square feet in area;

7. Identification signs accessory to a multiple-family dwelling not exceeding 20 square feet in area; and

8. Signs accessory to a house of worship, school, or public or non-profit organization not exceeding 20 square feet in area.

(e) The following signs are exempt from zoning certificate approval and shall not be included in sign calculations determining gross sign area or number of signs, but shall comply with all other requirements:

1. Temporary signs for the purposes of warehouse sales, temporary/seasonal outdoor sales, and the sale of Christmas trees, when approved in compliance with N.J.A.C. 19:4-6.3, and grand opening sales, shall be limited to one per lot and shall not exceed the maximum size of any single sign as listed in Table 8-5 below. These signs shall conform to the following:

i. Sale event signs or banners may be erected up to seven days before the scheduled event and shall be removed immediately following the event. Where approved sale dates occur more than seven consecutive days apart, the sign shall be removed in the interim time period and may be reposted in accordance with the aforementioned time frame;

ii. Grand opening signs may be erected within one month of occupancy certification, for up to seven days before the event, and shall remain no longer than 14 days;

2. A maximum of two construction signs per project, each having a maximum area of 32 square feet. The signs shall be confined to the site of the construction and shall be removed upon receipt of occupancy certification; and

3. Real estate signs, in accordance with the following:

i. Real estate signs in the Low Density Residential zone shall not exceed a total area of six square feet per side, with a maximum of two sides;

ii. Real estate signs in all other zones shall not exceed a total area of 24 square feet per side, with a maximum of two sides;

iii. There shall be no more than one real estate sign per front yard; and

iv. Signs shall be removed within 14 days of the sale, rental or lease of the subject property.

(f) The sign area shall be the area of the background structure that supports the message, including letters, logos, and/or symbols, except in the case of wall signs consisting of wall-mounted letters and symbols. The area of such wall signs shall be the area of the smallest rectangular figure that can encompass all of the letters, logos, and/or symbols and their supporting elements. The sign area shall not include any structural element lying outside the limits of the wall sign and that does not form an integral part of the display.

1. The gross area of a multi-faced sign shall be the total area of all faces of the sign. Multi-faced signs shall be considered to be one sign and their total area shall not exceed the maximum permitted sign area as per applicable zone regulations.

2. Window signs designed to be read from the exterior of a building shall be included as part of the maximum sign area and total number of signs permitted.

3. Sign height shall be measured from ground level at the base of or below the sign to the highest element of the sign.

4. The main building facade used for signage calculations shall be the largest facade of the principal structure(s). The area of the main building facade shall be the total area measured from side to side of the structure and from the ground level to the top of the roof on flat roof structures, excluding parapets, and to the top of the highest occupied story on peak roof structures.

(g) Safety and maintenance requirements for signs are as follows:

1. No sign shall be permitted where, by reason of its position, size, shape, or color, it may obstruct, impair, obscure, interfere with the view of, or be confused with any traffic control sign, signal or device, or where it may interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.

2. No sign shall be permitted on trees, radio towers and similar structures or elements.

3. No flashing or animated signs; rotating or moving signs; signs with moving lights; or signs that create the illusion of movement shall be permitted.

4. Electronic, LED, or digital signs may be permitted, subject to the limitations in (g)3 above and the following:

i. Such signs shall be prohibited in the Low Density Residential zone;

ii. Each message on a billboard sign subject to the provisions of (h)7 below shall be displayed for a minimum of eight seconds. Each message on any other electronic, LED, or digital sign shall be displayed for a minimum of 15 seconds. All static message changes shall be completed within one second;

iii. Each display shall be equipped with automatic dimming photocell technology that automatically adjusts the sign's brightness based on ambient light conditions; and

iv. Such signs shall not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 foot candles above ambient light, as measured using a foot candle meter at the following pre-set distances:

(1) 0-350 square foot sign to be measured 150 feet from the source;

(2) 351-650 square foot sign to be measured 200 feet from the source; and

(3) 651-672 square foot sign to be measured 250 feet from source.

5. Any illuminated sign located on a lot adjacent to or across a ROW from any permitted residential use shall not be illuminated between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. Such signs shall not have white illuminated backgrounds and shall be screened from residential uses where deemed necessary by the NJMC.

6. All signs shall be kept in good repair. Good repair shall include replacement or repair of broken or missing structural elements, casings, or faces, maintenance of legibility, and maintenance of all lighting elements.

7. Signs advertising a warehouse sale shall apply only to sale events approved in accordance with N.J.A.C. 19:4-6.3 and shall apply only to the dates approved by the NJMC to conduct a warehouse sale.

(h) The allowable signage per zone shall be as listed in Table 8-5 below, and the following:

1. For signage on any property designated as a conservation area, regardless of the zone, the sign regulations of the Environmental Conservation zone shall apply.

2. Signage for multi-tenanted structures or multi- structure development shall be considered in accordance with the prevailing regulations of (i) below.

3. For the purpose of sign calculations, no building shall have more than one main facade.

4. Maximum gross sign area permitted shall not exceed five percent of the main facade of the building, except as follows:

i. For vacant land, the maximum gross sign area shall be one square foot for each linear foot of street frontage, but not to exceed the maximum area of any single sign permitted in the zone;

ii. For permitted outdoor uses on properties not containing a principal structure, gross sign area shall not exceed five percent of the main facade of an accessory building or one square foot for each linear foot of street frontage, whichever is greater, but not to exceed the maximum area of any single sign permitted in the zone;

iii. Where additional sign area is permitted by (i) below; and

iv. Where otherwise permitted.

5. No part of a wall sign, where permitted, shall exceed the wall height of the structure on which it is placed.

6. All required setbacks shall be measured from the property line.

7. Concerning billboards:

i. Applications for zoning certificates for a proposed billboard shall receive the prior approval of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and other agencies having jurisdiction. A copy of such approval(s) shall accompany the application for the zoning certificate.

ii. The following concern billboard locations:

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Table 8-5, billboards shall only be permitted within a ROW having a posted speed limit of 55 mph or higher, or within 50 feet thereof, and shall be oriented towards such ROW.

(2) Billboards shall not be permitted within 500 feet of a residential zone or residence.

(3) Billboards shall not obstruct scenic view sheds within the District.

iii. The maximum permitted number of billboards is one per lot.

iv. Maximum permitted billboard dimensions shall be 14 feet by 48 feet per side, with a maximum of two sides.

v. The maximum permitted height shall be 30 feet above the grade level of the adjacent roadway surface.

vi. Billboard signage shall not be included in sign calculations related to allowable signage on the site.

vii. Billboards shall be appropriately landscaped and screened at grade level in accordance with N.J.A.C. 19:4-8.9.

viii. A report prepared by a New Jersey-licensed professional engineer shall be submitted to the NJMC and shall include an analysis of the safety, environmental, and visual impacts of the proposed billboard.

ix. Electronic, LED and/or digital billboards may be permitted subject to the limitations in (g)3 and (g)4 above.

Table 8-5

Allowable Signage by Zone

Data in image

N.J. Admin. Code § 19:4-8.14

Administrative correction.
See: 36 N.J.R. 2203(a).
Amended by R.2009 d.40, effective 1/20/2009.
See: 40 N.J.R. 4696(a), 41 N.J.R. 624(b).
In (e)1ii, inserted "within one month of occupancy certification, for", inserted a comma following "event"; rewrote (g)3; in (g)4, substituted "6:00" for "7:00"; added (h)7ix; in the header for Table 8-5, substituted "feet per" for "feet/"; in Table 8-5, substituted entry "Maximum number of signs per front yard<6>" for entry "Maximum number of signs per front yard"; in Note 3 of Table 8-5, inserted the last sentence; and added "Note 6" to Table 8-5.
Amended by R.2011 d.118, effective 4/18/2011.
See: 42 N.J.R. 2938(a), 43 N.J.R. 1044(a).
In (b)4, inserted "more frequently than permitted in (g)4 below"; rewrote (g)3; added new (g)4; recodified former (g)4 through (g)6 as (g)5 through (g)7; in (h)4i, inserted ", but not to exceed the maximum area of any single sign permitted in the zone"; added new (h)4ii; recodified former (h)4ii and (h)4iii as (h)4iii and (h)4iv; in (h)7ii(1), inserted ", and shall be oriented towards such ROW"; in (h)7ii(2), inserted "or residence"; and rewrote (h)7ix.
Petition for Rulemaking.
See: 44 N.J.R. 943(a).
Amended by R.2013 d.054, effective 4/1/2013.
See: 44 N.J.R. 2362(a), 45 N.J.R. 751(b).
Rewrote (g)4ii.