[Ord. #700, S 87A-1; Ord. #737, S 2]
The following regulations shall apply to the construction and maintenance of signs in the Borough of Point Pleasant.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-2; Ord. #2014-01, S 2]
As used in this Section:
BILLBOARD
shall mean any structure or portion thereof upon which advertisements are used as an outdoor display not serving a business conducted on the same building lot. This definition does not include any signs used to display official court or government notices.
BUSINESS
shall mean any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or organization involved in the provisions of any goods or service, whether for profit or not.
DEVELOPMENT SIGN
shall mean an off-premises sign that (1) identifies a residential development; (2) which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by (3') feet; and (3) may be externally lighted.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN
shall mean any sign to direct or point to a place or one that points the way to either an unfamiliar or unknown place that obviously could not be easily located without such sign or device. Such signs shall carry no advertising copy describing the activities carried on at such places.
FACING or SURFACE
shall mean the surface of the sign upon, against or through which the message is displayed or illustrated on the sign.
FINANCING SIGN
shall mean a temporary sign identifying a financial institution participating in development of the property on which it is located which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
OFFICIAL SIGN
shall mean any sign erected and maintained by the Federal Government, State of New Jersey, County of Ocean or Borough of Point Pleasant, for the purpose of informing or guiding the public for the protection and promotion of health, safety, convenience and general welfare.
PERMANENT SIGN
shall mean any sign permanently affixed to ground or building. Including metal or wood awnings.
PORTABLE SIGN
shall mean signs constructed to withstand elements, but which are not permanently affixed to ground or building.
REALTY SIGN
shall mean a temporary sign used to advertise a real estate development site or to advertise that real estate is for sale, rent, or lease which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
SIGN
shall mean every sign, billboard, ground sign, wall sign, road sign, illuminated sign, sign painted on the exterior surface of a building structure, sign or awning or canopy, projecting sign and shall include any announcement, declaration, demonstration, display illustration or insignia used to advertise or promote the interest of any person when the same is placed out-of-doors in the view of the general public, or when of a permanent nature and placed within the window of a structure so as to be visible to persons from the outside.
TEMPORARY SIGN
shall mean any sign that will not stand elements for any extended period of time, including paper signs, cardboard placards, canvass awnings, advertisements painted on windows.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-3; Ord. #737, S 2; Ord. #2014-01, S 3]
a. 
Permit. No person shall erect, use or maintain any sign without first obtaining a sign permit therefor from the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer who shall not issue such permit unless approved by the Construction Official and the sign shall conform to the requirements of this Chapter and any other Borough ordinance not inconsistent herewith. Such permits shall be renewed at the time of the change of the business or its ownership and/or modification of the size or location of such sign.
b. 
Exceptions.
1. 
There shall be no sign permit required for any sign which has a total surface area of not more than two (2) square feet and is used exclusively to designate the home of any individual(s) or the office in any building occupied for such purpose by a professional as defined in Chapter XIX, Municipal Land Use Ordinance of the Borough of Point Pleasant.
2. 
There shall be no permit required for any signs which have a total surface area of not more than six (6) square feet and are used exclusively to advertise for sale or for rent. However, all such signs shall be fully subject to all other requirements of this Chapter.
3. 
There shall be no permit required for any sign which has a total surface area of not more than two (2) square feet and is used exclusively for the following purposes: no hunting or trespassing; mail and newspaper boxes; public and private schools; churches; service and charitable organizations; public and private hospitals; farm name signs. However, all such signs shall be fully subject to all other requirements of this Chapter. In addition, not more than two (2) such signs shall be allowed on any one (1) lot.
4. 
There shall be no permit required for any such sign which is recognized commonly as a memorial tablet, nor shall any permit be required where the names of buildings and dates of erection are cut into any masonry surface or other noncombustible material, such as bronze. However, all such signs shall be fully subject to all other requirements of this Chapter.
5. 
There shall be no permit required for any official sign or for any sign which constitutes a traffic or other municipal sign, legal notice, railroad crossing signs of a temporary nature, emergency sign, as may be erected by governmental or public utility employees in carrying out their official work.
6. 
There shall be no permit required for any development sign, financing sign, and/or realty sign advertising on a property for sale and/or the development of a residential neighborhood. Nothing herein shall prohibit a property from having one of each of the aforementioned signs, for a total of three (3) signs on the property.
[Ord. #700, S87A-5; Ord. #737, S 2]
a. 
Application for sign permits shall be made by the proprietor of the business upon form provided by the Construction Official and shall contain and have attached thereto the following information:
1. 
Name, home address, telephone number, business address and business telephone number of the applicant.
2. 
Address of building, structure or lot to or upon which the sign is to be attached or erected.
3. 
Plot plan of the sign in relation to nearby buildings, structures, sidewalks and stores.
4. 
A print or drawing of the plans and specifications and methods of construction and attachment to the building, structure or in the ground.
5. 
Surface area.
6. 
Written consent of the owner of the building, structure or land to which or in which the sign is to be erected.
7. 
Any electrical permit required for this sign.
8. 
Date of store opening, type of business and number of parking spaces.
b. 
It shall be the duty of the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer to examine the application and other data regarding the premises upon which it is proposed to erect the sign, and if it shall appear that the proposed structure is in compliance with all of the requirements of this Chapter, he/she shall then notify the construction Official who shall issue the sign permit along with a metal permit tag to be attached to the sign. The sign permit shall be issued or denied within fifteen (15) days of the date of the application.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-5; Ord. #737, S 2; amended 3-14-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-05]
The fee for a sign permit shall be fifty ($50.00) dollars. The fee for any renewal as specified hereunder shall be five ($5.00) dollars. The Borough of Point Pleasant, its agents, the volunteer First Aid Squad and the Fire Companies are exempt from paying this fee, but shall adhere to all other provisions hereof.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-6]
a. 
Whenever a violation of this Code takes place the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer shall proceed in accordance with the provisions contained in Chapter II, Section 2-15.
b. 
Subject to the provisions of subsection c., any sign now or hereafter existing which no longer advertises a business or profession conducting or a product sold shall have the message deleted or shall be taken down and removed within thirty (30) days after closure of the business. Failure to comply with this provision will cause the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer to authorize the removal of such sign, and any reasonable expense incurred for that purpose shall be paid by the permittee or owner of the premises where such sign is located.
c. 
Any sign now in existence except those provided for in paragraph d., which violates any of the provisions of this Section, shall be made to conform to all of the provisions hereof, or be removed. Owners of such signs have ninety (90) days after receiving a notice to assure compliance. Sign conditions which represent a threat to public health or safety must be abated immediately upon notice of the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer.
d. 
Large permanently installed, internally lighted signs now in existence are exempt from setback requirements, however, upon change of ownership or use, signs must be made to conform to this Section.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-7]
Any person after issuance of a summons or court order who shall violate, disobey, omit, neglect, or refuse to comply with any provisions of this Section shall be, upon conviction thereof, subject to a penalty as established in Chapter I, Section 1-5.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-8; Ord. #1999-21, S1]
a. 
In any of the Zoning districts of the Borough, the following restrictions and conditions shall apply:
1. 
No attached sign on the front of a building shall exceed twenty-five (25%) percent of the facing's square footage.
2. 
No sign shall be located within or hang-over the lines of any street or sidewalk area or project more than forty-eight (48") inches from the face of any building.
3. 
No sign shall contain red, green or amber illumination if it is located in such a way as to be confused with a traffic signal.
4. 
No sign shall obstruct with the ingress or egress of any building.
5. 
No sign shall be utilized which is not adequately anchored or secured to withstand the effects of weather and elements upon it. Signs must be able to withstand at least forty (40) pounds per square foot of pressure.
6. 
Electrical signs must be approved by the Ocean County Electrical Bureau.
7. 
No sign may be located within eight (8') feet of a primary power line.
8. 
No sign may be located closer than five (5') feet to any property line adjacent to a street or corner upon which such sign is located unless such sign is attached to a building which is closer than five (5') feet to said property line. One (1') foot setbacks are required for adjoining property lines.
9. 
No sign shall interfere with radio or television reception.
10. 
The bottom of no sign shall be lower than eight (8') feet unless that sign is set back at least ten (10') feet.
11. 
No billboards may be erected or utilized.
12. 
Sign structure support shall not obstruct view nor may there be writing on such supports.
13. 
Portable signs shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet in size.
14. 
Political signs may be erected no earlier than forty-five (45) days prior to an election and must be removed no later than fifteen (15) days after an election.
15. 
The person or organization distributing political signs shall obtain a sign permit and shall obtain the permission of private property owners before installing signs on private property.
16. 
Signs shall be maintained in good repair structurally and aesthetically.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-9]
a. 
All mirrors, incandescent bulbs and immediately adjacent reflecting surfaces must be shielded from view from the public right-of-way and adjacent dwelling lots. Illumination must be directed onto property on which signs or lighting are located.
b. 
Illumination of any kind visible from the public right-of-way, such as signs, buildings and display windows, must be erected so that the light intensity does not exceed fifty (50) footcandles on a standard Weston Photolight Source, illuminated surface or display window. Illumination visible on an adjacent dwelling lot may not exceed eight-tenths (0.8) footcandles with the meter reading at any point on the lot line.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-10; Ord. #2014-03 S 4]
It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any sign in any R-1 Residential District in the Borough, except:
a. 
Official signs.
b. 
Nameplate sign situated in the property lines and bearing only the name and address of the principal occupant, provided that the sign has a total surface area of not more than one (1) square foot.
c. 
One (1) realty sign indicating real property for sale or rent which shall be not larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet advertising the sale or letting of only the premises for which it is maintained.
d. 
Not more than two (2) temporary signs on a subdivision consisting of ten (10) or more lots which has been approved by the Borough, provided that each sign does not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in surface area. In no case is such sign to be located closer than thirty (30') feet to any street line. Temporary subdivision signs will not be permitted after residences have been constructed on seventy-five (75%) percent of the lot in the subdivision or after more than seventy-five (75%) percent of the lots have been sold by the developer.
e. 
Permitted signs erected and maintained by a religious, public or quasi-public institution, provided that such signs shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet in area and shall be located no closer than ten (10') feet to any street line.
f. 
Not more than two (2) "No Hunting" or "No Trespassing" signs, each of which has a total surface area of not more than two (2) square feet.
g. 
Mailboxes or newspaper delivery signs which consist of only name and number lettering for identification purposes upon a mailbox or delivery box. The total surface area of such signs shall not be larger than seventy-two (72) square inches.
h. 
Political signs.
i. 
One (1) development sign identifying the residential development which is in the process of construction or being developed which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
j. 
One (1) financing sign indicating the financial institution participating in the development and/or financing of the property on which it is located which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-11; Ord. #92-55, S 2; Ord. #1999-21, S 1; Ord. #2014-01 S 5]
It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any sign in any R-1A or R-2A Residential District in the Borough of Point Pleasant, except:
a. 
Any sign permitted in R-1 Residential District.
b. 
One (1) sign not larger than two (2) square feet advertising a permitted use or indicating the office of a professional as defined in Chapter XVIII, Land Use.
c. 
One (1) realty sign indicating real property for sale or rent which shall be not larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet advertising the sale or letting of only the premises for which it is maintained.
d. 
One (1) development sign identifying the residential development which is in the process of construction or being developed which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
e. 
One (1) financing sign indicating the financial institution participating in the development and/or financing of the property on which it is located which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-12; Ord. #94-8, S 1; Ord. #2014-01 S 6]
It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any sign in any R-3, Residential-Office District, R-4 Hospital-Residential District, R-4A Hospital Service Districts or R-5 Residence Multifamily Districts in the Borough, except:
a. 
Any sign permitted under Section 9-11 of this Section.
b. 
One (1) sign not larger than six (6) square feet and painted with nonluminous paint on the premises advertising any building for professional services, club or lodge, apartment building, medical clinic, hospital, convalescent center, bank or other financial institution, laboratory or company office, funeral parlor or nursing home. The sale of goods shall not be advertised on the exterior of the buildings. Any other advertisements shall not be visible from any point on the property line.
c. 
Directional signs, the surfaces of which do not exceed twelve (12) square feet.
d. 
No flashing or blinking signs are permitted.
e. 
A sign shall be permitted on the front of any building providing said sign does not exceed a total area of twenty (20) square feet and that the sum total of the area of all the signs on said premises including any sign on the front of a building shall not exceed twenty (20) square feet.
f. 
One (1) realty sign indicating real property for sale or rent which shall be not larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet advertising the sale or letting of only the premises for which it is maintained.
g. 
One (1) development sign identifying the residential development which is in the process of construction or being developed which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
h. 
One (1) financing sign indicating the financial institution participating in the development and/or financing of the property on which it is located which shall not be larger than two (2') feet by three (3') feet.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-13; Ord. #92-55, SS 3, 4]
It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any sign in any CM-Commercial Multifamily District, GC-General Commercial District, C-3 Commercial Multifamily District, or Waterfront Commercial and Manufacturing District in the Borough, except:
a. 
Signs whose total area does not exceed twenty (20%) percent of the total floor space of a business. For purposes of measuring footage, double-sided signs shall be measured as if one-sided. Temporary signs on the interior of buildings shall be excluded from measurement providing that they do not exceed fifty (50%) percent of the glass area.
b. 
Any signs permitted in Section 9-12.
c. 
Buffer screens shall not be used for attachment of any form of advertising signs, except for directional arrows and the name of the establishment on single signs, not exceeding two (2) square feet in area.
[Ord. #700, S 87A-14]
The setback requirements set forth in the Zoning Subchapter of Chapter XIX, Land Use, shall not be applicable hereto.
[Ord. #737, S 6]
All pending complaints, proceedings or investigations regarding the former business registration provisions of Chapter 87A of the Code of the Borough of Point Pleasant, 1968, shall be dismissed and terminated.
[Ord. #93-12, S 1]
Any person wishing to appeal the decision of the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer, with regard to either granting a permit allowing for the construction and location of a sign, or denying a permit application seeking approval to construct and install a sign, shall be given the right to appeal that decision of the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer to the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Borough of Point Pleasant Borough. Said appeal shall be made by the aggrieved person pursuant to and in accordance with the requirements set forth in subsection 19-22.7 (Appeals and Application) of the Codified Ordinances of the Borough of Point Pleasant Borough.