New Milford City Zoning Code
§ 30-29.3
Permitted Signs.
[Ord. No. 2001:14; Ord. No. 2010-15]
The following signs shall be permitted in all zones of the Borough.
a.
A nonilluminated nameplate, with the name of the principal occupant or the street number or name of a private dwelling, with an area of not more than one square foot. The title or profession of the principal occupant may also be on such sign.
b.
A single-faced sign or bulletin board for a church, school, library, club or other public or quasi-public building or use, with an area of not more than 18 square feet and a maximum length of six (6') feet. Such signs shall not be lighted between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m.
c.
A nonilluminated job site sign giving the names of architects, engineers, landscapers, general contractors, subcontractors, project title and sponsor, owner or tenant, located on a lot during actual construction or work on the premises for a period not to exceed 180 days. Only one such location for a sign shall be permitted which shall be at the principal entrance but at least ten (10') feet from the street property line. The sign shall be removed within seven days after the completion of the construction work. The total area of such sign shall not exceed six square feet in area.
d.
One temporary sign, properly affixed, shall be permitted for a period of no more than 30 days. Such temporary displays shall be permitted for any business on no more than four occasions in any calendar year. The total area of such sign on a lot shall not exceed 16 square feet.
e.
A nonilluminated temporary sign for advertising the immediate premises for sale or lease which is located upon the premises may have an area of not more than four square feet in surface area. Said sign shall not remain for more than 180 consecutive days for commercial premises and not more than 180 days for residential premises and must be set back a minimum of ten (10') feet from the street property line.
f.
All temporary real estate signs and wayfinding directional signs for which a permit is required shall have an area of not more than four square feet in surface area.
1.
Once registered, such signs may be displayed only on the Saturday and Sunday of an open house, between the hour of 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
2.
Such signs shall not impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic in any way and may be located (a) within the public right-of-way, but not upon or within the travel portion of any street or sidewalk, within a required sight triangle, or on any pole, tree, fire hydrant, traffic or parking sign, public waste receptacle, bus shelter or other structure located within the public right-of-way; or (b) or other property provided there exists a written agreement signed by the owner.
3.
Such signs must be maintained in good condition and repair, be of sound construction such as a metal "A" frame design, or secured to the ground with metal stakes, the total height not to exceed thirty-six (36") inches above the ground, and contain not more than two sign faces.
4.
Every such sign shall identify, at a minimum, the real estate broker or homeowner sponsoring the open house.
5.
The real estate broker or homeowner sponsoring an open house shall be responsible for complying with the provisions of this section, particularly the installation and removal of such signs within the designated times provided for in paragraph 1, above.
6.
A permittee who will sponsor an open house shall file, before a permit shall be issued, (a) a permit application form and fee with the Zoning Official to obtain a permit; (b) a certificate of insurance with the Zoning Official evidencing that liability insurance is in effect in an amount of not less than one million ($1,000,000.00) dollars and naming the Borough as an additional insured, issued by an insurance company authorized to do business within the State of New Jersey; and (c) with the Borough Clerk a signed indemnification and hold harmless agreement, in a form acceptable to the Borough Attorney, agreeing to indemnify and hold harmless the Borough, its officers, elected officials, agents, employees and assigns, from any and all claims, suits or causes of action for damages or injuries resulting from the placement of such signs upon the public right-of-way.
g.
Portable signs, such as sandwich board signs, shall be permitted under the following conditions: at commercial establishments in commercial zones; shall have a maximum dimension of thirty by forty-eight (30" x 48") inches on each face when folded; shall be professionally manufactured; shall not be illuminated; shall not be located in the public right-of-way nor be placed as to pose a danger to vehicles or pedestrians and must be properly secured. Only one such sign shall be permitted per establishment. All portable signs shall be removed at the end of the business day. Portable signs shall be permitted at establishments without an existing front yard only after application and approval from the Construction Code Official.
h.
Wall signs for retail use shall be limited to one illuminated or nonilluminated sign on the principal front facade of the building, provided that where a retail use is located on a corner lot, it may have a second sign on the wall facing the side street which second sign shall not exceed 50% of that permitted on the principal front facade. The front facade sign shall not exceed a size of 24 square feet. The lettering on retail signs shall be limited to the principal name of the company and its principal product of sale or occupation and/or logo or address.
i.
In the event of multiple use of a retail building, one sign shall be permitted for each such use on the first floor of the front facade. The sign for each such retail use shall not exceed 24 square feet or one and one-half (1.5) square feet of sign area for each linear front foot of the building, whichever is less. Where a retail use is located on a corner, such use may have a second sign on the wall facing the side street, which second sign shall not exceed 50% of that permitted on the principal front facade.
j.
Wall signs for office buildings, laboratories or nonretail commercial uses shall have the same requirements as the signs for retail uses covered under this section, with the exception that its lettering shall be limited to the names of the occupants, a numerical sign indicating the street address of the building and the name of the building. Also, buildings exceeding 10,000 square feet can increase their sign size to 5% of the area of the front facade or a size of 100 square feet, whichever is less.
k.
Ground signs for office buildings, laboratories, nonretail commercial or retail uses are permitted with the limitation of one double-faced illuminated or nonilluminated sign allowed per building at a location at least ten (10') feet back from the street property line and of a size not to exceed 18 square feet on each side and/or nine (9') feet in length. The top of the sign shall not exceed six (6') feet above the average grade at the sign location. Multi-use buildings will be permitted to list their occupants; however, no increase in size from a single occupancy will be permitted.
l.
Directory signs are permitted. The total area shall not exceed eight square feet. The directory sign shall not be included in computing the footage of ground and/or facade signs.
m.
A double-faced or single-faced entrance/exit sign shall be permitted for any building. The square foot area of the sign will not be deducted from the allowed square footage for other permitted signs on the property. Such signs shall be uniform in size, comply with the standards of the "Uniform Manual of Traffic Control Devices" and shall as a minimum meet the following requirements:
1.
Size. The size shall be one (1') foot in height; two (2') feet in length; twelve (12") inches in depth.
2.
Lettering shall be limited to only the name of the principal occupant and the word "Entrance" or "Exit."
3.
Illumination. The sign must be reflective surfaced or of illumination which shall conform to the standards established for outdoor lighting under this chapter.
4.
Height. The height of the sign from mean ground level shall not exceed four (4') feet.
5.
Location. The sign shall be placed on the far side of the entrance driveway relative to the direction of the traffic flow and shall be located on the owner's property with no required setback from the property line.
n.
Canopy and awning signs shall be permitted, provided that the proposed canopy or awning is complementary in color, and proportionate in shape and size, with the building to which it is affixed. The metal or rigid frame portion of the canopy or awning shall be a minimum of eight (8') feet in height from grade and not extend over public property. The lettering on a canopy or awning shall be limited to the name, address, logo and phone number of the occupant. The area of such lettering shall be included in the total sign calculations. In the event a building has more than one canopy or awning, all shall be uniform in color, shape, and design.