# Sign Regulations in Bellmawr Borough, New Jersey

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Bellmawr Borough, New Jersey, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Bellmawr Borough, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/bellmawr-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/29176814#29176814)

## At a glance

Bellmawr Borough, New Jersey regulates 22 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Civic, Institutional, Church)s in the Office, institutional and municipal government and educational districts zoning district are capped at 10 ft tall and 12 sq ft, with a 25 ft from all street rights-of-way and lot lines setback (Sec. § 260-90C(1)). Most commercial signs in Bellmawr Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 15 ft (except as otherwise allowed for billboards in the Limited Access Highway Proximity Zone) | 2 sq ft | — |
| Residence districts | 2 | — | 9 sq ft per side, 2 sides | — |
| Business districts | 7 | 6 ft | 30 sq ft (side street sign limit) | — |
| Office, institutional and municipal government and educational districts | 5 | 10 ft | 25 sq ft | — |
| Industrial districts | 6 | 12 ft (upper edge); lower edge at least 4 ft above ground | 25 sq ft (per side) | — |
| Limited Access Highway Proximity Zone | 1 | Only as high as necessary for visibility to the main traveled way of the limited access highway | 1,000 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### Business districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate (See Residence districts) | — | 2 sq ft | — | At least 15 ft from curbline or 5 ft from street line if no curb | — | On premises, bearing name and profession or home occupation of resident | — | § 260-90B(2)(a) |
| Real Estate Sign (Temporary, See Residence districts) | — | 9 sq ft per side, 2 sides | — | Setback at least 10 ft from all street lines | — | On premises, advertising sale, rental or lease, not attached to building | — | § 260-90B(2)(a), § 260-90B(2)(g) |
| Business Sign (Facade) | — | Not specified (based on formula), see formula | — | Protrude no more than 12 inches; at least 15 ft from curbline or 10 ft from street line if no curb | One per permitted use or activity | Front facade of building | — | § 260-90B(2)(b) |
| Business Sign (Side Street Facade) | — | 30 sq ft (side street sign limit) | — | — | One additional per side street facade, where applicable | Side street facade of building, if building fronts more than one street | — | § 260-90B(2)(b) |
| Advertising Sign (Facade) | — | 3 sq ft | — | — | — | Front facade of building | — | § 260-90B(2)(c) |
| Freestanding Sign | — | 25 sq ft (per side) | — | Not within 20 ft of street or 25 ft of a residence district | One per building | To identify permitted buildings and their occupants | — | § 260-90B(2)(e) |
| Freestanding Sign (Traffic Directional) | 6 ft | 4 sq ft per side, 2 sides | — | — | — | Necessary to control traffic movements within, onto, and off premises | — | § 260-90B(2)(f) |

### Office, institutional and municipal government and educational districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Civic, Institutional, Church) | 10 ft | 12 sq ft | — | 25 ft from all street rights-of-way and lot lines | One per building | Set back 25 ft from all street rights-of-way and lot lines | — | § 260-90C(1) |
| Attached Sign (Civic, Institutional, Church) | — | 25 sq ft | — | — | One per building | On building | — | § 260-90C(1) |
| Freestanding or Attached Sign (Office Building) | — | 5% of first floor facade or 25 sq ft (whichever smaller) | — | — | One per office building | On front facade or freestanding near office building | — | § 260-90C(2) |
| Attached Sign (Individual Office Unit) | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | One per office entrance | At entrance of individual office unit with direct outside access | — | § 260-90C(2) |
| Real Estate Sign (Temporary) | — | 9 sq ft per side, 2 sides | — | At least 10 ft from all street lines | — | Advertising sale, rental or lease; not attached to building | — | § 260-90C(3) |

### Industrial districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Sign (Facade) | — | — | — | — | One per facade (maximum two per building) | Each of two facades of a building | — | § 260-90D(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | — | 25 sq ft (per side) | — | Not within 20 ft of street or driveway or within 75 ft of a residence district | One per 200 ft of frontage | To identify permitted buildings and occupants; on property | — | § 260-90D(2) |
| Freestanding Sign (Traffic Directional) | 6 ft | 4 sq ft per sign | — | — | — | On premises; for traffic direction only | — | § 260-90D(3) |
| Freestanding Business Sign (Clearance) | 12 ft (upper edge); lower edge at least 4 ft above ground | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 260-90D(4) |
| Advertising Sign (Facade) | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | Front facade of building | — | § 260-90D(5) |
| Real Estate Sign (Temporary) | — | 25 sq ft per side, 2 sides | — | At least 10 ft from all street lines | — | Advertising sale, rental or lease; not attached to building | — | § 260-90D(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Bellmawr Borough

- The posting or placing of signs of any type, except for information signs posted by the Borough of Bellmawr or its subdivisions, on utility poles or any other structures or fixtures in the public right-of-way is prohibited.
- No billboards shall be erected except in permitted zoning district.
- No sign of any type shall be permitted to obstruct driver vision, traffic signals, traffic directional and identification signs, other places of business, other signs or windows of the building on which they are located.
- Signs shall not be attached to trees, fence posts, stumps, utility poles, bridges, culverts or other signs but shall be freestanding or attached to buildings in an approved manner.
- Signs using mechanical or electrical devices to revolve, flash or display movement or the illusion of movement are prohibited.
- No freestanding sign shall exceed the maximum height of 15 feet, except for billboards in the Limited Access Highway Proximity Zone.
- No attached sign shall be higher at any point than the roofline of the building.
- No attached sign shall project into or hang over a street right-of-way.
- No sign shall project beyond a building in a manner placing it above an area traversed by motor vehicles.
- No sign with red, green or blue illumination in a beam, beacon or flashing form resembling an emergency light shall be erected in any location where it may be confused with a railroad, traffic control or emergency signal.
- No sign shall be exhibited which is portable, i.e., fixed on a movable stand, self-supporting without being firmly embedded in the ground, supported by other objects, mounted on wheels or movable vehicles or made easily movable in some other manner.
- No business sign or advertising sign shall protrude more than 12 inches beyond the building.
- No portion of any billboard sign shall be located within 200 feet of any residential use within the Borough of Bellmawr.
- The distance from any billboard sign to any other billboard sign shall in no case be closer than 500 feet.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bellmawr Borough

- Information signs posted by the Borough of Bellmawr or its subdivisions on utility poles or other structures or fixtures in the public right-of-way are permitted.
- Street number designations, postal boxes, on-site directional and parking signs, warning signs and signs posting property as 'private property,' 'no hunting' or similar signs are permitted in all zones, are not to be considered in calculating sign area, and may not exceed two square feet in area.
- Signs required by a governmental unit in the exercise of its governmental functions are exempt.
- Temporary real estate signs advertising the sale, rental or lease of premises may not need a building permit in certain cases (as specifically detailed in zoning districts).
- Signs required to be posted for compliance with local ordinances (such as 'No Smoking' signs and temporary emergency no-parking signs) are exempt as required by those respective regulations.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The area surrounding the base of billboard signs in the Limited Access Highway Proximity Zone shall be suitably landscaped as directed by the Bellmawr Planning Board in the site plan process.
- All billboard signs shall conform to state and federal rules, including the requirement for an off-site premises sign permit.
- No explicit general requirement for a master sign plan or sign plan is referenced for all signs across all zones, but site plan review may apply in billboard and development contexts.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 6 zoning districts in Bellmawr Borough — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Bellmawr+Borough+NJ&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-bellmawr-borough

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