No sign shall be hung, placed or painted in any district except
as hereinafter provided.
All signs, except for temporary signs, shall require a permit.
Applications for permits shall be submitted in triplicate to the Construction
Official. Each application shall be accompanied by a description of
the sign and/or a sketch or plan showing the size, location and other
pertinent data required by the Construction Official.
Any sign in a sight triangle shall not create any unsafe condition
for vehicular traffic. Whenever a freestanding, overhanging or attached
sign becomes structurally unsafe, the Construction Official shall
order that such sign be made safe or removed. Such order shall be
complied with within 10 days of receipt thereof by the person, corporation
or other body owning the sign or owning the building or structure
to which it is attached.
Any sign erected, hung or otherwise displayed prior to the adoption
of this article which does not conform to these provisions shall not
be altered by changing the overall dimensions. If deteriorated or
damaged to the extent of 1/2 of its replacement value, such sign shall
not be rebuilt and shall be removed within 60 days following notice
to do so by the Construction Official; provided, however, that nothing
contained herein shall prevent maintenance, repainting or posting
of such signs.
A.
In all cases where illumination of signs is necessary and is permitted
under the terms of this article, such sign shall not be illuminated
by other than a shielded or otherwise indirect, nonflashing light,
preferably a white light, or a light from the interior of a sign with
a translucent face.
B.
In no event will red or green illumination be permitted, whether
flashing or not, on any sign located in the same line of vision as
a traffic control signal. The Borough shall have the authority to
compel the removal or correction of such sign within 60 days of notification
of its decision, whether or not such sign existed at the time of enactment
of this Part 3.
C.
In no event will any illumination of any sign be so arranged as to
produce undue glare or offensive light annoying to residents in the
surrounding area. The Borough shall have the authority to compel the
removal or correction of such sign within 60 days of notification
of its decision, whether or not such sign existed at the time of enactment
of this Part 3.
A temporary sign is one which shall remain standing for a period
not to exceed six months, provided that, in the case where such a
sign advertises an event or occurrence, including political campaigns,
charitable drives, rental of apartments, sale of homes and like activities,
such signs shall be removed within 15 days of the closing of the event
or occurrence advertised thereon. Any temporary sign that remains
in place for 12 months or more shall not be deemed a temporary sign.
A.
For a sign, either freestanding or attached, the area shall be considered
to include all lettering, wording and accompanying designs and symbols,
together with the background, whether open or enclosed, on which they
are displayed, but not including any supporting framework and bracing
which are incidental to the display itself.
B.
For a sign painted upon or applied to a building, the area shall
be considered to include all lettering, wording and accompanying designs
or symbols, together with any backing of a different color than the
finished material of the building face.
C.
Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached
to or painted on a surface, building, wall or window, the area shall
be considered to be that of the smallest quadrangle which encompasses
all of the letters and symbols.
A.
In the case of a sign attached flat against the face of a building
or other structure, such signs shall not extend or project beyond
the face of such building or other structure located in any residential
district a distance of more than six inches, and in no event shall
such projection be any greater than 18 inches in any other district
where signs are permitted.
B.
No freestanding sign in excess of 10 square feet shall be located
within five feet of any lot line.
Nothing herein shall be construed to affect in any way any directional,
informational or street name signs erected by any municipal, county,
state or federal government agency or utility in connection with street
identifications, public buildings, railroad crossings, electric utility
lines and installations and other like uses, buildings or activities
or any nonilluminated nameplate or plaque of less than two square
feet in area, or any directional signs on premises, less than one
square foot in area, indicating traffic movements, exits and entrances.
No sign shall be located so as to obstruct any door, fire escape,
stairway or opening intended to provide light, air, ingress or egress
for any building or structure. No sign shall be permitted where such
sign would obstruct vision at a street intersection or at any curve
in any street. Such signs where they exist are subject to action by
the Borough and must be corrected or removed within 60 days of the
notification to do so.
Unless otherwise provided, no more than one ground sign on any
street frontage shall be permitted on any premises in a residential,
commercial or industrial district. This section shall not apply to
signs indicating the entrance to or exit from a premises, or any such
similar permitted signs. For properties on corner lots, one sign may
be permitted on each street frontage, providing that the aggregate
area of signs is not greater than 1 1/2 times the area of a single
sign as hereinafter specified. In addition to any permanent ground
sign, one temporary sign up to 10 square feet shall be permitted on
each frontage.
A.
The following types of signs shall not be permitted in any zone:
(1)
A flashing, fluttering, animated, moving, vibrating, sequential,
tracer, electronic or rotating sign.
(2)
Signs with any lighting or control mechanism that may cause radio
or television interference.
(3)
Any sign so erected, constructed or maintained as to obstruct or
be attached to any fire escape, window, door or opening used as a
means of egress or ingress or for firefighting purposes or placed
so as to interfere with any opening required for legal ventilation.
(4)
Any sign which is of such a form, character or shape as to confuse
or dangerously distract the attention of the operator of a motor vehicle,
including but not limited to signs visible from the street using the
word "stop" or "danger" or any other word, phrase, symbol or character
with the effect of simulating a public safety warning or traffic sign.
(5)
Any advertisement which uses a series of two or more signs or units
placed in a line parallel to the highway, or in similar fashion, all
carrying a single advertising message, part of which is contained
on each sign.
(6)
Signs which in any way simulate official, directional or warning
signs erected or maintained by the State of New Jersey, a county or
municipality thereof, or by any railroad or public utility or similar
agency concerned with the protection of the public health or safety.
(7)
Billboard and/or outdoor display structures not associated with a
business on the same lot.
(8)
Roof signs and signs on the side of any structure extending above
the edge of the roof.
(9)
Signs on railroad or vehicular overpasses.
(10)
Any use of flags or similar displays, not otherwise referenced in
this section, to attract attention, except in connection with a particular
holiday or season of the year.
(11)
Any use of pennants or similar displays, not otherwise referenced
in this section, to attract attention.
(12)
Any commercial exterior use of outdoor icicle or string lighting.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, icicle or string lighting is permitted
when such lights are used to illuminate merchandise on display or
for purposes of indicating that a commercial establishment is open,
subject to the following:
(a)
Such lights are to be small, white and unblinking.
(b)
No such lights may be used when the exterior of the building
is floodlit, "floodlit" being defined as a strong beam of light that
is used to illuminate a substantial portion of a building exterior
or grounds.
(c)
All such lights must be turned off at the close of business
for an establishment using such lights.
(13)
Signs tacked, pasted, painted or otherwise attached to or inserted
into public buildings, poles, posts, trees, fences, sidewalks or curbs.
(14)
Signs which obstruct driving vision, traffic signals, sight triangles
and traffic direction and identification signs.
(15)
Ionized inert gas sign lighting where the light source tubing is directly exposed to view, except neon "open" signs as permitted by § 120-31.13B(9).
(16)
(Reserved)[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 225-388P, regarding banner-type signs, previously included in this subsection, was repealed at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II). See § 120-31.12A(18).
(17)
Signs projected by light onto the facade of a building.
(18)
Banner-type signs, except in celebration of a public event or to
call attention to holidays of public significance and, in such cases,
only when erected by the Borough itself or authorized by the Mayor
and Council and to announce a "grand opening" of a business, provided
that the banner is affixed to the building of the business celebrating
its grand opening, the banner is erected for a period not to exceed
30 days, and the banner is no more than two feet high and no longer
than 3/4 of the width of the side of the building to which it is affixed.
B.
The term "internally illuminated sign" shall include awnings and
vending machine displays which are translucent or transparent and
which meet the definition of sign as contained herein which are illuminated
from the rear so that such awning or vending machine display acts
as an internally illuminated sign.
C.
Any sign advertising a use or business that is no longer in existence
at that location shall be removed within 30 days of the close of the
business.
D.
Any sign indicating commercial property is for rent or for sale shall
conform to the size limitations as if it were a permanent sign.
E.
Any type of sign not specifically permitted is hereby prohibited.
A.
Residential districts.
(1)
Signs advertising a premises for sale or rent, provided that
such sign shall not exceed 10 square feet in area. No permit fee shall
be required.
(2)
One temporary sign, not exceeding 16 square feet, identifying
a project, provided such sign shall be removed promptly after completion
of the project and shall be set back at least five feet. No permit
fee shall be required.
(3)
One sign or bulletin board for a permitted nonresidential use,
provided that such sign shall not exceed 16 square feet and shall
be set back at least 1/2 the required front yard depth.
(4)
One sign identifying a permitted accessory professional office
or home occupation, provided that such sign shall not exceed two square
feet.
(5)
Decorative, nonilluminated signs showing the name and/or address
of the house or family, not to exceed two square feet in area and
shall be attached to the dwelling. Not more than one such sign shall
be erected for each dwelling unit, up to a total of two for any one
lot.
(6)
A sign indicating parking lot usage and tow company information
of no less than nine square feet and no more than 12 square feet is
allowed in any residential zone at each entry to any parking area.
(7)
One sign announcing the sale of an individual's personal property.
Such signs shall not exceed 12 square feet and shall not be displayed
for a period exceeding 31 days in any calendar year.
(8)
Any sign not expressly permitted above is prohibited.
B.
Nonresidential zone districts.
(1)
Any sign permitted in residential districts shall be permitted.
(2)
One sign advertising services offered or goods sold or produced
on the premises shall be permitted. Such sign shall not exceed 10%
of the area of the facade of the building on which the sign is located,
up to a maximum of 200 square feet.
(3)
No roof signs shall be permitted.
(4)
Freestanding signs shall only be permitted for the purpose of
identifying automobile filling stations or integrated shopping units
consisting of four or more individual shops or offices. Such signs
shall not have an area of more than 24 square feet; for automobile
filling stations, a height in excess of 20 feet; and for integrated
units, a height of greater than 10 feet.
(5)
One temporary sign, not exceeding 16 square feet, identifying
a project, provided such sign shall be removed promptly after completion
of the project and shall be set back at least five feet. No permit
fee shall be required.
(6)
A permanent sign or rigid awning sign shall be mounted above
the front entrance. Such sign must indicate the trade name of the
establishment. Office buildings may include a directory of all tenants.
Businesses must have a street number on the front of the building
visible from the street. A sign mounted above the front entrance shall
not exceed a height of 36 inches nor an area equal to 1.5 square feet
per linear foot of building width, with a maximum of 50 square feet.
No sign mounted above the front entrance shall be closer than 2 1/2
feet to the end of the front wall to which it is attached. A rigid
awning may extend the entire front of the building, but no signage
on the awning shall be within 2 1/2 feet of each end of the awning
or 20 feet, whichever shall be the lesser.
(7)
In addition to a sign or rigid awning sign on the front facade of a building, a sign on each other side of a building visible from a public street is permitted. Such sign shall not be larger than eight square feet unless there is an entrance accessible from a rear parking lot, in which case such sign shall comply with the requirements of § 120-31.13B(6).
(8)
A sign centered above the rear entrance door is permitted on
any building with an entrance accessible from a rear parking lot intended
for patron parking. Such sign shall not be larger than four square
feet.
(9)
One nonflashing sign of neon tubing stating only the word "open"
is permitted in a window near the principal entrance. The word "open"
may be enclosed in a border of neon tubing. Such sign, including any
border, shall not exceed six inches high by 12 inches wide.
(10)
Any office building is permitted to display a directory sign
visible from the roadway listing the names and/or types of business
of all tenants. Each sign shall be no larger than eight square feet
and each listing shall be not more than six inches high.
(11)
A directory sign bearing the name and/or type of business of
the principal tenants renting space in the rear or the upper floors
of the building may be located at the principal entrance of such rented
areas. The area of such sign devoted to each such tenant shall not
exceed four square feet.
(12)
Credit card signs and trading stamp signs may be displayed on
windows, provided that the total area of all such signs shall not
exceed two square feet in area.
(13)
Signs required by law to be exhibited by the occupant of the
premises may be displayed, provided that the same do not exceed six
square feet in total area.
(14)
Special signs indicating public conveniences, such as "notary
public," "public telephone," "public restrooms" or words or directions
of similar import may be displayed, provided that each such sign does
not exceed 72 square inches in total area and only one sign of each
type is displayed.
(15)
Nonilluminated signs displayed on the interior of windows to
give notice of sales or special functions shall be permitted. No more
25% of the total area of the window on which such signs are displayed
shall be covered. Such temporary signs shall be removed after 30 days.
(16)
On parking lots or parking facilities which are not adjacent
to the business or commercial buildings or structures which they serve,
a freestanding sign for the entrance to the separate parking lot or
parking facility, which shall not exceed eight square feet in area,
shall be permitted. In no case shall the base of such sign be less
than eight feet from ground level, and in no case shall the top of
such sign be greater than 11 feet from ground level. The purpose of
this sign shall be to show that the parking lot or parking facility
is available for use by the patrons or employees of the business or
commercial enterprise so identified.
(17)
A sign indicating parking lot usage and tow company information
of no less than nine square feet and no more than 12 square feet is
allowed in any zone at each entrance to the parking area.
(18)
Gasoline stations. A gasoline station may have one freestanding,
stationary sign identifying only the company name or brand name of
the gasoline sold, including any associated insignia or emblem, provided
that such sign shall not exceed 45 square feet in area and that the
top of such sign shall not be more than 20 feet above the ground surface.
Such sign may be two-sided. Signs affixed to the exterior surfaces
of gasoline pumps shall be permitted, limited to identification of
the company name or brand name of the gasoline sold, including any
associated insignia or emblem, gasoline type and/or grade and such
other information as may be required by law. Such signs shall not
extend or project beyond the surfaces on which affixed more than 15
inches. In addition, price indicator signs not exceeding 150 square
inches in area may be attached to, supported by or suspended from
each gasoline pump.
(19)
Painted window signs. Signs may be permanently painted on windows
so long as the letters are not painted on any background and no more
than 25% of the window surface consists of the painted sign.
(20)
Any sign not expressly permitted above is prohibited.
(21)
Any sign advertising a use that is no longer in existence shall
be removed within 30 days.
(22)
Signage may be replaced on a one-for-one basis without site
plan or other relief required. Any change to a sign in size, shape,
illumination or style shall require a commercial sign permit and any
other relief necessary.
A.
Each application filed with the Construction Official for a sign permit shall be accompanied by a fee payable to the Borough in accordance with the schedule of fees set forth in Article 6.
B.
There shall be no fee charged for permits for temporary signs advertising
school board elections, municipal elections, and charitable functions
or activities; provided, however, that such signs shall only be permitted
to be posted for a period 15 days prior to and seven days after the
date of the election, event or occurrence advertised thereon.
