All ordinances dealing with the regulation and/or construction
of signs, billboards or other advertising display within the Borough
are hereby repealed and replaced by this chapter.
The purpose of this chapter is to cover construction, erection,
use, maintenance, regulating, restricting, limiting, prohibiting signs
(both indoor and outdoor), billboards, lights, outdoor display structures,
and certain outdoor advertising to minimize the abuses and hazards
incident to the use of such signs and which would be injurious to
property in the vicinity and to the public interest and to prevent
the danger to public health, safety and morals.
a. SIGN – Shall mean and include every sign, billboard poster,
symbol display, advertising or advertising device for visual communication,
either indoor or outdoor (which may be viewed from outdoors), that
is used for the purpose of bringing the subject thereof to the attention
of the public, but not including any flag, badges or insignias of
any government or governmental agency or of any civic, charitable,
religious, patriotic, fraternal or similar organization. A sign is
any structure or part thereof, or any device attached to a structure
or painted or represented on a structure, whether inside the structure
or on the outside thereof, which shall display or include any letter,
work model, banner flag, pennant, insignia, device or representation
used as, or which is in the nature of, an announcement, direction
or advertisement.
b. ILLUMINATED SIGN – Shall mean any sign designed to give forth
any artificial light or designed to reflect such light deriving from
any source which is intended to cause such light or reflection. See
also Chapter 9-19 entitled "Lighting Restrictions."
c. FLASHING SIGN – Shall mean any illuminated design on which
the artificial light is not maintained stationary and constant in
intensity and color at all times, when in use.
d. ROOF SIGN – Shall mean a sign erected, constructed and maintained
above the roof of any building.
e. BUSINESS SIGN – Shall mean a sign which directs attention to
a business or profession conducted or to products sold upon the same
lot. A premises sign is a business sign.
f. ADVERTISING SIGN – Shall mean a sign which directs attention
to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold
or offered elsewhere than upon the same lot.
g. OFF-SITE ADVERTISING BILLBOARDS – Shall mean and include any and all erections annexed to the land or building in the nature of a fence, structure or a wall for the purpose of posting advertising bills and posting other than those defined in Subsection
h defining on-site advertising billboards.
h. ON-SITE ADVERTISING BILLBOARDS – Shall mean and include any
and all erections annexed to the land or building in the nature of
a fence, structure or a wall for the purpose of posting advertising
bills and posters which advertise the business which the owner or
lessee of the lands are conducting: or advertise the products sold
by the owner or lessee of the land on the land.
No sign shall hereafter be erected, constructed or maintained
except as provided in these requirements and until a permit for the
same has been issued by the Building Subcode Official. The application
for a permit shall be in such form as the Building Subcode Official
may prescribe and shall include such information and drawings as may
be required by the Building Subcode Official for a complete understanding
of the proposed work. No sign permit shall be issued until the written
permission of the owner or proof of a bona fide lessee of the property,
upon which it is to be erected, has been filed with the Building Subcode
Official.
a. Exemptions.
1. An occupancy sign, such as used for professional, religious, fraternal
or charitable purposes, containing not more than two square feet.
Said sign shall be at least 10 feet from any lot line.
Political campaign signs on commercial properties and on residential
properties so long as the signs on residential properties are no larger
than nine square feet in area.
Signs in residential zones indicating the name or addresses
of the occupant provided that they shall not be larger than two square
feet in area. Only one such sign per dwelling unit shall be permitted.
Signs accessory to parking areas, provided that they designate
entrances or exits to or from a parking area, and are limited to one
sign for each such exit or entrance, with a maximum size of four square
feet for each sign.
A memorial sign or tablet, which indicates the name of the building
and/or date of erection, when cut into any masonry surface or when
constructed of bronze or other, incombustible materials.
[Amended 7-10-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-09]
2. The exemptions permitted in Subsection
a1 of this section shall apply only to the requirement of a permit and shall not be construed as relieving the owner of the sign for erection of the sign in a good and safe condition.
Every sign, billboard light or structure erected for advertisement
or display purposes upon completion shall be inspected by the Building
Subcode Official and in case of projecting signs, annually thereafter.
All signs, billboards, lights or structures erected for advertising
or display purposes shall be properly secured, supported and braced
and shall be kept in perfect structural condition, clean and well
painted at all times. The Building Subcode Official may order the
removal of any sign(s) that are not maintained in accordance with
the provisions of this chapter.
No person shall paint, post, place or affix any business or
commercial advertisement, house numbers or markings, or cause same
to be done on or to any curb stone, flagstone or any other portion
of any street or sidewalk, or upon any tree, lamp post, telegraph,
electric light, telephone pole, hydrant within the limits of any street
within the Borough unless by special permission from the construction
code official.
Danger, warning, automobile director, street, safety signs and
signs designated primarily to indicate the location on the premises
of utility facilities for the use of the general public shall be subject
to the supervision of the Mayor and Council and Police Department.
No sign erected before September 15, 1980, shall be rebuilt
or relocated without conforming to these requirements except as otherwise
provided by law or by this chapter.
All electrical equipment used in connection with outdoor advertising
display signs, shall, in the absence of specific requirements, be
installed in accordance with the National Electrical Code, American
Standard CL - 1946, of the latest edition thereof approved by the
American Standards Association Incorporated, and certification from
the construction code official will be required showing compliance.
All temporary signs used as accessory to new construction or
alteration on the premises are permitted only after a building permit
for said construction and sign has been issued; provided, however,
that said temporary sign shall not be larger than 12 square feet and
must be removed prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy
for said construction.
It shall be unlawful for any person to construct or erect an
off-site sign or billboard as defined herein within the Borough of
Englewood Cliffs.
Every sign, billboard, poster, or structure erected for advertisement
pertaining to any candidate or organization for a local, county, State
or National elective office shall be removed by the person or persons
responsible for the erection of such sign, billboard, poster or structure
within 10 days after the date of the election to which such sign,
billboard, poster or structure pertains.
It shall be unlawful for any person to:
a. Erect an off-site billboard.
b. Equip with electrical lights, battery operated light or illumination
of any other type than by natural means, any off-site billboard, as
defined herein, now in existence.
c. Equip any sign, as defined herein, with an artificial light which
is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color at
all times when in use.
d. Erect or equip any sign or advertising that employs flashing, intermittent
illumination, rotating or other movement.
e. Erect any illuminated sign.
Signs in residential districts. The following kinds of signs
shall be permitted in residential districts known as R-B and R-B1
Residential Zones, upon payment for a permit as hereinafter provided.
a. One sign advertising a permitted use or indicating the home or office
of a member of a recognized profession provided that such sign shall
not exceed a size of one foot in length and four inches in height.
b.
(1) One temporary sign indicating real property for sale or rent which
shall be not larger than four square feet maximum advertising the
sale or letting of only the premises on which it is maintained. The
sign may remain on the property until a certificate of occupancy is
issued in regard to the rental of the property. In the event that
there is a sale and not a rental, the sign may remain until the actual
closing of the property.
(2) An additional Open House sign shall be allowed on the property on
the day and during the hours of a scheduled Open House, but it shall
be removed at the end of the day. The maximum size shall be four square
feet.
c. One temporary sign shall be permitted bearing the builder's
or general contractor's name and other pertinent information.
Prior to obtaining the certificate of occupancy, the sign must be
removed and the sign shall not be larger than four square feet (24
inches by 24 inches). No subcontractor's sign shall be permitted.
The following kinds of signs and advertising shall be permitted
in B-1, B-3 and B-4 Zones, upon payment for a permit as hereinafter
provided:
a. All types of signs permitted in residential districts:
b. Signs attached to buildings (whether inside or outside of the structure,
permanent or temporary).
1. A premises sign or sign advertising either a business conducted or
products made or sold or services rendered upon the premises, or on
the lot adjacent thereto.
2. Signs attached to and parallel to buildings shall not exceed 32 square
feet of total sign area and in no event shall exceed four feet in
height or 16 feet in length.
3. Only one sign shall be permitted for each building; however, where
a building has frontage of 200 feet or more, one additional sign shall
be permitted for every 100 lineal feet of building facing the front
street side. Where two signs are permitted, they shall be at least
100 feet apart from each other.
4. Signs shall not extend above the parapet or the main roof level,
as distinguished from towers, pylons or other similar structures.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 16; Ord. No. 9303 § 1; Ord. No. 9601; Ord. No. 9705]
The following kinds of signs and advertising shall be permitted
in the B-2 Zones:
a. All types of signs permitted in residential districts.
b. All types of signs permitted in B-1, B-3 and B-4 Zones.
c. Billboards or ground signs shall be permitted provided they do not
exceed 32 square feet total sign area and shall in no event exceed
four feet in height or eight feet in length and shall contain only
the advertisement of the person owning the property and/or the occupancy(s)
of the premises. In no event shall the total height of the sign, and
any stand or base upon which the sign rests, exceed the height of
six feet, to be measured from the ground. Only one billboard or ground
sign shall be permitted within the property boundary lines of any
business establishment. No billboard or ground sign shall be located
closer than 30 feet of any street or avenue line or within 20 feet
of any lot line.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 17]
Signs may project from the walls of buildings provided they
shall be so fastened so as to be at right angles to the building line
of same. No such sign shall be more than one foot in thickness and
may not project more than one foot from the building line. Total area
of advertisement shall not exceed 16 square feet on each face.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 18]
Any sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service
or entertainment conducted, sold or offered elsewhere than upon the
premises is hereby prohibited in all cases except those provided for
in this chapter.
[Ord. No. 2016-03]
a. Advertising signs may be placed on the interior portion of the fences
surrounding the Borough's recreation fields.
b. Advertising may be placed on the scoreboards on the Borough's
recreation fields.
c. Any sign placed pursuant to Subsections
a and
b above can be no bigger than 16 square feet.
d. A sign placed pursuant to Subsections
a and
b above cannot be illuminated.
e. The Borough shall be permitted to accept donations for the signs placed pursuant to Subsections
a and
b above. Said donations shall be dedicated to the Englewood Cliffs Parks and Recreation Donations Trust.
f. The terms and conditions relating to the placement of signs on municipal
recreation fields shall be governed by a recreation field advertising
policy that is to be adopted by the Mayor and Council.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 19]
The construction of all advertising signs in the business and
industrial districts shall meet the standards of the American Standard
Building Code requirements for sign and outdoor display structures
approved April 6, 1949, by the American Standard Association, Inc.,
and these building code requirements are incorporated in this chapter
and made a part hereof, except wherein there is any conflict with
any of the terms of this chapter, in which event the terms of this
chapter shall supersede and make null and void any of the requirements
of the American Standard Association, Inc.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 20]
No sign shall hereafter be erected, constructed or maintained
except in compliance with the terms of this chapter.
a. No sign of any type whatsoever shall be constructed which in any
manner projects over or upon any public sidewalk or thoroughfare.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 21]
a. A permit fee for all types of signs of $10 shall be paid to the construction
code official before any permit is granted or sign erected.
b. There shall be a monthly fee of $5 for any temporary sign accessory
to construction.
[Ord. No. 8102 § 22]
Any person, including any business or entity, violating the
provisions of this chapter may be fined a sum not to exceed $100.
A violation of the provisions herein shall be deemed continuing, and
for each and every day or part thereof that a violation of this chapter
is found to exist, the court may impose a separate penalty as stated
herein.