# Sign Regulations in Elmwood Park Borough, New Jersey

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Elmwood Park Borough, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/elmwood-park-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/35172788#35172788)

## At a glance

Elmwood Park Borough, New Jersey regulates 18 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Real Estate Signs in the R Districts zoning district are capped at 6 sq ft, with a At least 1/2 the required front yard depth setback (Sec. §34-30.1.b).

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R Districts | 6 | — | 12 sq ft | — |
| C-L District, C-O District, N-C District | 3 | — | 24 sq ft (unless increased by frontage to 48 sq ft max) | — |
| C-G District, POP District, I-R District | 3 | 25 ft | — | — |
| I-G District | 4 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | 50% of primary sign area | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### R Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Occupant Identification Sign | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Affixed to dwelling unit | — | §34-30.1.a, §34-30.7.a |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | At least 1/2 the required front yard depth | 1 | Set back at least 1/2 the required front yard depth | — | §34-30.1.b |
| Temporary Construction Sign | — | — | — | At least 1/2 the required front yard depth | 1 | Set back at least 1/2 the required front yard depth | — | §34-30.1.c |
| Nonresidential Use Sign | — | 12 sq ft | — | At least 1/2 the required front yard depth | 1 | Set back at least 1/2 the required front yard depth | — | §34-30.1.d, §34-30.7.a |
| Accessory Professional Office or Home Occupation Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | At least 1/2 the required front yard depth | 1 | Set back at least 1/2 the required front yard depth | — | §34-30.1.e |
| Holiday or Seasonal Decoration | — | — | — | — | — | Not within the right-of-way of any street, road, or highway | — | §34-30.1.f |

### I-G District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Advertising Sign (Aggregate Area Option 2) | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | §34-30.4.a |
| Freestanding Sign (On-site Advertising) | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | §34-30.4.a |
| Freestanding Billboard (Off-site Advertising) | — | — | — | — | — | Lot with street frontage of 150 ft or greater | — | §34-30.4.d |
| Projecting Sign (Wall Attached) | — | — | — | — | — | Attached to building wall; shall not project more than 4 ft from wall | — | §34-30.4.b |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Secondary Sign (Multi-Entrance) | — | 50% of primary sign area | — | — | Per wall/public entrance | Affixed to wall at each public entrance, or to each building in multi-building use | — | §34-30.5 |
| Directory Sign | — | — | — | — | Per public entrance | Affixed to exterior wall at each public entrance | — | §34-30.5 |
| Illuminated Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Exterior or interior (if visible through windows/doors) | — | §34-30.7 |
| Sign Area Determination | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §34-30.9 |

## Prohibited signs in Elmwood Park Borough

- No signs shall be fastened to any telephone poles within the Borough.
- No signs shall be posted, attached, located, displayed on a right-of-way, street, or alley without obtaining the consent of the abutting property owner in writing, if any, prior to the posting, attaching, locating or displaying of the sign.
- No sign shall be located, posted, attached or displayed on private property without the written consent of the private property owner.
- No sign shall be posted, attached, located or displayed without the name and address of the person running the sale and the permit number, where required.
- No signs shall be permitted in the area of the outdoor cafe except signs on the awnings complying with the Sign Ordinance of the Borough.
- No roof signs shall be permitted (in certain non-residential/commercial and industrial districts).
- No red and green lights shall be used if, in the opinion of the Chief of Police, such colors would create a driving hazard.
- No sign shall contain any flashing lights, except such portions of a sign indicating solely time and temperature.
- No illumination shall be permitted which casts glare onto any portion of any public street, or onto any residential premises.
- No holiday or seasonal decorations shall be placed within the right-of-way of any street, road, or highway located within the Borough.
- No holiday or seasonal decorations shall have lights that interfere in any manner with the operation of motor vehicles on any street, road, or highway.

## Signs exempt from permit in Elmwood Park Borough

- Outdoor umbrellas located in the outdoor cafe shall be exempt from the Sign Ordinance of the Borough of Elmwood Park.
- Holiday or seasonal decorations that are intended to be displayed for a short period of time not to exceed 75 days after the holiday, provided they are not advertising signs disguised as seasonal decorations.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No mention of a master sign plan, general sign plan submittal, or sign variance meeting requirement is made in the provided ordinance text for all signs across all zones.
- Planning Board approval is not needed for four temporary signs provided by the Borough in connection to sales, per § 4-21.5.a.

## 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 5 zoning districts in Elmwood Park Borough — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Elmwood+Park+Borough+NJ&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-elmwood-park-borough

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