Borough of Seaside Heights, NJ Chapter 191 Signs

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Seaside Heights 2-19-1997 by Ord. No. 97-1. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 191-1 Compliance required; transformers.

Only electrical signs properly installed and encased in metal shall be used. Signs, must comply fully with the Electrical Bureau of Ocean County's Electrical Code. All transformers shall be metal encased within the sign itself and properly grounded.

§ 191-2 Hanging-type signs.

All hanging-type signs within the borough shall not extend beyond the allowed footage as hereinafter set forth:

A. On the Boulevard: six feet from the building line.

B. Ocean Terrace: three feet from the new setback line.

C. Central Avenue: three feet from the building line.

D. All other streets: six feet from the building line.

§ 191-3 Post-type signs.

All post-type signs shall be constructed inside the property line, and the sign shall have a minimum clearance of 10 feet above the ground level, a maximum height of 20 feet and shall not extend over the property line.

§ 191-4 Signs attached to buildings extending over property line.

[Amended 7-17-2013 by Ord. No. 13-18]

All signs attached to buildings or overhangs extending over property lines shall be a minimum of nine feet from the ground to the bottom of said sign, except signs extending over the boardwalk may be a minimum of seven feet from the boardwalk to the bottom of said sign.

§ 191-5 Right of Building Inspector to alter specifications.

In order to provide for the safety of persons and property, the Building Inspector may, with the approval of the Building Committee of the Council, alter specifications herein set forth concerning the construction of signs in the event that the sign to be constructed is on a narrow road or in a dangerous area.

§ 191-6 Certain signs restricted.

[Amended 5-3-2006 by Ord. No. 06-07]

A. Sign restrictions. No signs with automatic blinking lights shall be permitted within the Single-Family Zone, the Low-Density Residential Zone or the Residential Zone. All signs within the Single-Family Zone, the Low-Density Residential Zone or the Residential Zone are restricted to a maximum size of three feet by two feet. Commercial signs within all Residential, Commercial, Public and Recreational Zones are limited to advertisements of businesses located on that property, and the signs may not be lighted. Any approved signs existing at the time of adoption of this section which violate the maximum size restriction may remain until abandoned or destroyed, or the property upon which such signs are located comes before the Land Use Board, at which time the Land Use Board may condition approval on removal of the nonconforming sign.

[Amended 12-2-2015 by Ord. No. 15-19; 4-21-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-10]

B. Freestanding signs generally. A-frame or other freestanding signs shall not be permitted on any public property. Such signs may be placed on private property as long as they are no larger than three feet by four feet, and such signs are placed no closer than one foot to the public sidewalk or right-of-way.

C. Freestanding signs, boardwalk. From the Tuesday after Labor Day through May 31 of each year, businesses fronting on the boardwalk may place one A-frame or freestanding sign in front of their business when open. This sign can be no larger than three feet by four feet and shall not extend further than 10 feet from the front building line of the building on which the sign fronts. No such sign shall be permitted on the Saturday or Sunday of Palm Sunday, Easter weekend or Memorial Day weekend. The Seaside Heights Police Department is given the discretion to require the relocation or removal of any such sign because of excess crowds, weather conditions, or any other reason said sign shall become a safety hazard.

D. Temporary signs. In addition to signs otherwise permitted by this chapter, temporary signs, defined for purposes of this chapter as any sign constructed of weather-resistant materials, such as wood, plastic, metal or durable fabric, which is not permanently affixed to a building or a permanent freestanding structure, are permitted under the following conditions:

(1) No banners, defined for purposes of this chapter as an advertising or informational device constructed of cloth, canvas, fabric, plastic or other pliant materials without a structural frame, are permitted.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, all temporary signs are restricted to a total of six square feet for every 40 feet of lot frontage located within the Borough of Seaside Heights.

(3) Banners, and temporary signs not in compliance with the restrictions of this chapter, may be displayed in the Retail Business and Resort Recreational Zones during the time period specifically designated for banner and nonconforming temporary sign display by the terms of a municipal special event approval.

(4) A temporary sign must be made in a neat and professional manner.

(5) Political signs, defined for purposes of this chapter as a temporary sign on private property that consists of a poster, placard, board or other similar medium that contains a message related to a matter of public interest, including but not limited to a candidate for office or a ballot issue, but containing no commercial message, are exempted from the restrictions established regarding temporary signs.

§ 191-6.1 Signs located on Route 35 North.

[Added 4-4-2012 by Ord. No. 12-04]

Any sign located upon any property adjacent to Route 35 North shall not be subject to any restriction imposed by this chapter or any other chapter of the Borough Code of the Borough of Seaside Heights regarding the size of said sign, regardless of the position or exact location of the sign.

§ 191-7 Violations and penalties; compliance.

A. Any person violating or failing to comply with any other provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by a fine of no less than $100 and no more than $1,000, by imprisonment not to exceed 90 days or by community service of not more than 90 days or any combination of fine, imprisonment and community service, as determined in the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge. The continuation of such violation for each successive day shall constitute a separate offense, and the person or persons allowing or permitting the continuation of the violation may be punished as provided above for each separate offense.

B. The violation of any provision of this chapter shall be subject to abatement summarily by a restraining order or injunction issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.