Boonton Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXXIII
Signs
§ 102-193 General regulations.
A.
Except for signs as permitted in Subsections B and D below, no sign shall be constructed or displayed unless a permit shall first have been obtained from the Construction Official.
B.
Temporary safety, traffic, directional and warning signs approved by the governing body, not exceeding four square feet, shall be permitted in all zones.
C.
Moving or rotating signs, as well as streamers, pennants and similar displays, are prohibited in all zones.
D.
Signs which are required by any provision of law may be located in any zone.
E.
No sign shall be placed as to interfere with or be mistaken for a traffic light or similar safety device or interfere with traffic visibility.
F.
All illuminated signs shall be either directly lighted or of the diffused lighting type. No sign shall be lighted by means of flashing or intermittent illumination. All lights used for the illumination of any use or building or the areas surrounding them or for the illumination or display of merchandise or products of business establishments shall be completely shielded from the view of vehicular traffic using the road or roads abutting such business properties. Floodlights used for the illumination of said premises or of any sign thereon, whether or not such floodlights are attached to or separate from the building, shall not project light above the highest elevation of the illuminated wall of the building.
§ 102-194 Residence districts.
The only signs permitted in the residential zones are:
A.
Nameplate signs not exceeding one square foot in area. Said signs may be placed anywhere in the front yard.
B.
Temporary real estate signs not more than four square feet in area advertising the sale, rental or lease of only the premises on which such signs are maintained or a subdivision of which said premises on which such signs are maintained or a subdivision of which said premises is a part. Not more than one such sign shall be permitted on each lot. All signs permitted by this subsection shall be removed within seven days after signing the contract of sale or the signing of a sale transaction or the execution of a lease.
C.
A sign deemed necessary to the public welfare by the Township Committee.
D.
A sign not more than 10 square feet in area advertising the name of a place of worship on the premises, its pastor and its present and future activities.
§ 102-195 Nonresidence districts.
[Amended 5-21-2001 by Ord. No. 637]
Unless otherwise provided, no sign shall be permitted in the OB, RB and BP Zones which is not accessory to the business conducted on the property and then only if the following requirements are met:
A.
Signs in the OB and BP Zones.
(1)
Only freestanding signs are permitted. For a single-use property, only one such sign is permitted. For a multiple-use property, there may be not more than one sign relating to the entire complex; provided, however, that a freestanding sign identifying the name and address of each business establishment may be located in front of the establishment. No such sign shall exceed an area of five square feet nor shall said sign extend more than four feet above grade.
(2)
The total surface area and size of all freestanding signs shall not exceed the following:
(a)
On properties less than 25 acres in size: 25 square feet, with no such sign to extend more than 10 feet above grade.
(b)
On properties of 25 acres or more in size: 25 square feet, plus one square foot for each acre over 25 acres, up to a maximum of 50 square feet. No such sign shall extend more than 10 feet above grade.
(3)
No freestanding sign shall be located closer to a street right-of-way line than one foot for each square foot of sign area, but in no event closer than 25 feet to the street right-of-way line. No such freestanding sign shall be located closer than 25 feet to any other property line.
B.
Signs in the RB Zone.
(1)
In the RB Zone, freestanding signs are permitted as regulated in Subsection A above.
(2)
Provided that there are no individual freestanding signs pertaining to individual establishments in a multi-use building, a retail business establishment shall be permitted one wall sign for each building wall of the establishment that faces on a street, subject to the following conditions:
(a)
Said sign shall be erected parallel to the face of the building except where otherwise hereinafter provided.
(b)
No sign shall extend farther than 12 inches from the face of the building upon which it is attached. Where a sign extends more than three inches from the face of a wall, the bottom of said sign shall not be closer than 10 feet from the ground level below said sign.
(c)
The maximum height of any sign shall not exceed five feet or 10% of the height of the wall to which it is attached, whichever is the lesser.
(d)
The maximum width of any sign shall not exceed 50% of the width of the wall of the establishment to which it is attached, but in no event greater than 20 feet.
(e)
The maximum area of any sign shall not exceed 100 square feet or 5% of the area of the face of the wall to which it is attached, whichever is the lesser.
(3)
Where a business establishment has a roof facia, canopy portico or similar structure constructed as an integral part of the building, a sign may be attached to the roof facia or other structure in place of a permitted wall sign, provided that:
[Amended 9-24-2001 by Ord. No. 644]
(a)
Signs attached to the roof facia or other structure shall not extend above, below or to the sides of the facia or other structure.
(b)
Maximum sign area and size shall be determined by the size and dimensions of the wall from which the roof facia extends or to which the structure is attached.
(4)
Where a business establishment has an awning attached to the building, said awning may display, in place of a permitted wall sign, only the name of the business conducted within the premises and the logo of said business. Said name and logo may be painted or otherwise permanently placed on the vertical front and side surfaces of the awning. The height of the lettering shall not exceed 16 inches except for a logo which shall not exceed a height of 24 inches. The width and the area of the sign shall satisfy the requirements for a wall sign.
[Amended 9-24-2001 by Ord. No. 644]
(5)
If a building contains more than one establishment, the signs permitted in Subsection B(2), (3) and (4) above shall be uniform in terms of design, colors, height of background, style and height of lettering and position on the building wall. In the case of a new sign for an individual establishment in a preexisting, multi-use building, the new sign shall be consistent with the design of existing signs where a uniform pattern has been established. If no uniform pattern has been established, the new sign shall, to the greatest extent possible, follow the pattern of the existing sign or signs which most closely fulfill the objectives of these regulations. The owner, as well as individual tenants, of a multi-use building shall be responsible for compliance with these regulations.
(6)
In addition to wall signs, the following signs are permitted as accessory to a business or commercial establishment.
(a)
One permanent window sign painted on the glass area of the building, which may consist only of the name of the establishment, the proprietor's name, the telephone number of the establishment and the days and hours of operation. The area of the sign shall not exceed 10% of the glass area to which it is attached. Window signs are permitted on the first floor of a building only.
(b)
Neon signs located in a window, but inside the building, subject to the following limitations:
[1]
There shall be no more than one neon sign per window and no more than two neon signs per business establishment.
[2]
A neon sign shall not exceed 5% of the area of the window in which it is displayed nor more than six square feet.
[3]
Neon signs shall contain no more than two colors, including white.
[4]
Neon signs shall not be operated with flashing or intermittent illumination.
[5]
The message or wording of the sign shall be limited to one of the following:
[a]
Establishment logo or emblem.
[b]
Name of establishment.
[c]
Name or identification of principal product or service provided.
[d]
Words of information or direction, such as, "open," "closed," "entrance" and the like.
(c)
Temporary signs attached to or painted on windows and doors are permitted for a period not to exceed 30 days.
(d)
The total of all signs listed in Subsections B(1), (2) and (3) above shall not exceed 20% of the glass area of any one window.
(e)
Arcades signs, as defined herein, shall be permitted on a multi-use retail building with a canopy subject to the following regulations and restrictions:
[1]
There may be only one sign for each business establishment.
[2]
Any such sign shall not extend beyond the edge of the canopy.
[3]
Said sign shall only contain lettering identifying the type of business establishment, i.e., "Pharmacy," "Florist," "Restaurant," etc., located opposite the sign.
[4]
Said sign shall have a maximum width of four feet, a maximum height of eight inches and shall have a minimum clearance below the sign of eight feet.
[5]
All arcade signs which are accessory to a particular building shall be uniform in terms of design, colors, height and style of lettering.
C.
No sign shall be lighted by means of flashing or intermittent illumination. Lighted red or green color signs are prohibited.
D.
Notwithstanding the foregoing regulations, a nonilluminated temporary sign pertaining to the lease or sale of the premises upon which it is placed, not exceeding four square feet in total area, shall be permitted. Said sign shall be removed within seven days after the consummation of a lease or sale transaction.[1]
[Amended 9-24-2001 by Ord. No. 644]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Article XXXIIIA, Affordable Housing, added 4-24-2018 by Ord. No. 865, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 4-13-2026 by Ord. No. 957. See now Ch. 101, Affordable Housing.
