Lindenwold City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
Signs
§ 365-85 Purpose.
The purpose of this article shall be the creation of a system of regulations for the review, erection and maintenance of signs within the Borough of Lindenwold.
§ 365-86 Definitions.
For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall apply:
BANNER SIGN
A temporary sign composed of lightweight material either enclosed or not enclosed in a rigid frame secured or mounted so as to allow movement of the sign caused by movement in the atmosphere.
BUILDING FACADE and BUILDING FACADE AREA
That portion of any exterior elevation of a building extended from grade to the top of the parapet wall or eaves and the entire width of the building elevation.
CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN
A sign which by manual, mechanical or lighting effects can have its copy or message changed apart from any reworking of the sign.
FREESTANDING SIGN
A pole, ground or pylon sign not attached to a building or structure.
FUNCTIONAL SIGN
A directional sign; a sign indicating the location of rest rooms, telephones, first aid stations and similar public convenience facilities; and signs located on mechanical dispensing equipment that identify a product.
MARQUEE OR CANOPY SIGN
Any sign attached to a fixed shelter or roof extending over a building line which is supported by the building to which it is attached.
MOBILE SIGN
A sign not permanently attached to the ground or a building, including any sign mounted on or attached to a vehicle which is not capable of self-propulsion and registered with the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles.
PARAPET
That portion of a building wall that rises above the roof level.
POLE OR PYLON SIGN
A sign mounted on or supported by or suspended from a freestanding column, pipe or pole.
PROJECTED SIGN
A sign cast, reflected or shown on a wall, screen or other surface, whether for a continuous period or not.
ROOF SIGN
A sign erected upon, against or directly above a roof or on top of or above the parapet of a building.
SIGN
A name, identification, description, illustration or any other visual display which is affixed to, painted on or represented directly or indirectly upon any building, structure or land and which directs attention to an organization, business, product, service or individual.
SIGN AREA
The entire space within a sign's continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of all words, devices or emblems but not passing through or between any adjacent elements. In computing the area of a sign with two display surfaces, the area of the larger surface shall be considered the sign area. In computing the area of signs with three or more display surfaces, the area shall be computed by adding the total surface area of the sign and dividing by the number of display surfaces utilized by the sign. The display surface of a sign shall mean all sides and faces of a sign that can be viewed from one location.
UNDERCANOPY SIGN
A sign attached to the underside of a canopy.
WALL SIGN or FACADE SIGN
A sign attached to or erected against the wall of a building with the face in a parallel plane to the plane of the building wall.
§ 365-87 General regulations.
[Amended 4-20-1987 by Ord. No. 741]
The following regulations shall govern signs for all uses within the Borough:
A.
All signs shall be subject to the provisions of the Building Construction, Maintenance and Fire Codes of the Borough.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 119, Construction Codes, Uniform; Ch. 160, Fire Prevention; and Ch. 240, Property Maintenance Code.
B.
The text of all signs shall be limited to identification and functional purposes only. Identification signs shall contain the principal name of the establishment, firm or proprietor, its address and a brief description of the principal goods or services offered. The text of a sign may also include a logogram or symbol of the use which it identifies.
C.
The provisions of this article shall not apply to works of art, statues, sculpture, fountains, holiday decorations and similar objects which do not fall within the definition of a sign contained in § 365-86 of this article.
D.
Maintenance. The area surrounding a sign shall be kept clean, free of litter and landscaped. Whenever a sign shall become structurally unsound or a hazard to the public or a building, the Building Inspector shall order that the sign be made safe or removed. Such order shall be complied with within 10 days of the receipt thereof by the person owning or using the sign or by the owner of the building or premises on which such unsafe sign is affixed or erected.
E.
No sign except functional signs shall be located within 20 feet of the existing or proposed right-of-way of any public road or street.
F.
No sign shall exceed 20 feet in height.
G.
No wall sign shall extend beyond three feet of the building facade on which it is mounted.
H.
All signs shall conform to the provisions of Title 27 of the New Jersey Statutes Annotated.
I.
No sign shall be erected or placed in a position which will cause danger to traffic on a street or within a parking lot by limiting the vision of drivers or obstructing the flow of traffic.
J.
Signs advertising or identifying a business or use no longer in existence or a product no longer available shall be promptly removed.
K.
No sign shall be erected containing information on it which states or implies that a property may be used for any purpose not permitted under the provisions of this chapter as it applies to the property on which the sign is located.
§ 365-88 Permitted signs.
The following signs shall be permitted within the Borough of Lindenwold in accordance with the provisions of this article:
A.
Signs erected by governmental agencies; court or public notices; traffic control devices approved or installed by the appropriate governmental agencies; and flags, emblems and insignias of governmental and religious institutions.
B.
One nonilluminated or white-light sign, not exceeding nine inches by 18 inches, and either freestanding or affixed to a building, which:
(1)
Contains a message of caution, pertains to trespassing, identifies a driveway or bears a related cautionary text; or
(2)
Identifies the name and occupation of the practitioner of a profession or trade.
C.
One nonilluminated or white-lighted nonflashing sign for schools, churches, hospitals, clubs, lodges or other similar use, provided that the size of any one side of the sign shall not exceed 12 square feet. When a building or lot fronts on more than one street, an additional sign may be erected which meets the requirements of this subsection.
D.
One nonilluminated real estate sign advertising the sale or rental of a building or lot, provided such sign does not exceed 12 square feet. When a building or lot fronts on more than one street, an additional sign may be erected which meets the requirements of this subsection.
E.
One nonilluminated real estate sign bearing the word "sold" or "rented" with the name of the person or firm effecting the sale or rental, provided that such sign does not exceed 12 square feet.
F.
One nonilluminated sign bearing the name and profession or trade for each person or firm performing construction or repair work on the premises, provided that such individual signs do not exceed 12 square feet in area and are promptly removed upon completion of the work.
G.
For business, office, commercial/industrial and institutional uses: functional signs as defined in § 365-86, provided that no functional sign shall exceed 12 square feet in sign area and that no functional sign shall contain advertising.
H.
For business, office, commercial, institutional and industrial uses: one wall sign on each side of a building which faces an approved public street, provided that the sign area does not exceed 10% of the building facade area, as defined in § 365-86, on which it is mounted.
I.
For business, office, commercial and industrial uses: one freestanding sign, provided that the sign area does not exceed 10% of the building facade area, as defined in § 365-86, which it adjoins, or a maximum sign area of 200 square feet. No shopping center, office complex or other business or industrial development or property shall have more than one freestanding sign.
J.
For shopping centers or strip stores: one undercanopy sign for each business use, provided that the dimensions of the sign shall not exceed one foot in width or four feet in length.
K.
For movie theaters, theaters and sports areas: those signs permitted by Subsections H and I above plus one changeable-copy sign with a maximum sign area of 100 square feet.
L.
Temporary signs announcing or advertising any political, educational, charitable, civic, professional, religious or like campaign or event for a consecutive period not to exceed 30 days in any calendar year, provided that they do not exceed 50 square feet in size, and must be removed five days after the date of event.
[Amended 4-8-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-6]
(1)
Temporary election signs shall not be erected, installed, posted and/or placed on any municipal, property or municipal right-of-way.
(2)
Temporary election signs shall be limited to one sign per lot per campaign and shall contain no commercial message or logo. For purposes of this section, the term "campaign" shall mean a candidate or group of candidates running together for one office or position or several seats on one governmental or quasi-governmental body or board.
(3)
All temporary election signs shall be ground-mounted. No temporary sign shall be temporarily or permanently affixed to a utility pole, telephone pole, light standard, traffic sign, fire hydrant, fence or other public utility or structure or posted, painted or otherwise affixed to trees, rocks or other natural features on any lot or within any street right-of-way or in another manner placed within any street right-of-way or placed on any property owned by the Borough.
M.
Signs identifying a residential area or apartment complex, provided that not more than one sign shall be located at each principal entrance to the project, not more than three signs shall be permitted for any one project, and the sign shall contain only the name of the development, a logogram or symbol, the address, and the phone number, and provided that its size not exceed 50 square feet in sign area.
[Amended 4-23-2001 by Ord. No. 1092]
§ 365-89 Prohibited signs.
Although it should be understood that any sign not complying with the provisions of this article is prohibited, the following types of sign are specifically prohibited:
A.
Flashing, moving or apparently moving signs, except the changeable-copy signs permitted by § 365-88 and time-and-temperature signs.
B.
Signs with any lighting or control mechanism which may cause radio or television interference.
C.
Any series of two or more signs or sign units placed in a line along a roadway or in similar fashion, all carrying a single message, part of which is contained on each sign.
D.
Any sign which in any way simulates official, directional or warning signs erected or maintained by the federal or any state, county or local government or by any railroad or public utility or similar agency concerned with the protection of the public health or safety.
E.
Any sign located on a lot other than the lot occupied by the use, event or product which the sign advertises. All signs within the Borough shall be limited to on-premises signs only.
F.
Any sign attached to or painted on trees, fences, utility poles, rocks, curbs, walls, lamps, hydrants, benches or bridges.
G.
Banner signs, as defined in § 365-86.
H.
Mobile signs, as defined in § 365-86.
I.
Projected signs, as defined in § 365-86.
J.
Roof signs, as defined in § 365-86.
§ 365-90 Nonconforming signs.
All signs which do not conform to the provisions of this article shall be subject to the provisions of Article XXI, Nonconforming Uses and Buildings.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 205-71, Design and site location review, which immediately followed this section, was repealed 3-16-1987 by Ord. No. 738.
