# Sign Regulations in Fairfield Township, New Jersey

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Fairfield Township, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/fairfield-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/35316045#35316045)

## At a glance

Fairfield Township, New Jersey regulates 29 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Temporary Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 4 ft (residential) tall and 4 sq ft, with a 25 ft from property line setback (Sec. § 45-62.2(g); § 3-9.2/3.9.3). Most commercial signs in Fairfield Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 10 | 4 ft (residential) | 6 sq ft | — |
| R-1, R-2, A-C | 5 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| C-1, C-2, C-3, H-D | 8 | 25 ft (bottom edge at least 10 ft above ground); EMC: see below | 200 sq ft per face | — |
| Special Highway Development Zones (H-D U.S. Route 46 Special Highway Development Zone) | 1 | — | 32 sq ft (per sign); lots with >=300 ft frontage: 2 signs permitted, each 32 sq ft | — |
| L-1, L-2, L-3, O-P | 5 | 25 ft or height of principal building, whichever is less | 100 sq ft per side | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Warning/No Trespassing Sign | — | 1 sq ft (each side) | — | — | — | — | — | § 45-62.2(b) |
| Name and Number Plate (Residential) | — | 1 sq ft (each side) | — | — | — | House, apartment, mailbox | — | § 45-62.2(c) |
| Lawn Sign (Resident ID) | — | 2 sq ft (1 side); 3 sq ft (double-sided) | — | — | — | — | — | § 45-62.2(d) |
| Flag or Emblem (Non-commercial, organizational/religious/educational/governmental/individual) | — | — | — | — | — | Building or grounds | — | § 45-62.2(e) |
| Temporary Sign | 4 ft (residential) | 4 sq ft | — | 25 ft from property line | 1 per property | — | — | § 45-62.2(g); § 3-9.2/3.9.3 |
| Historical Tablet / Cornerstone / Memorial Plaque / Charity/Nonprofit Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | — | — | § 45-62.4(a) |
| Residential Real Estate Sign | — | 4 sq ft per side | — | >=1/2 distance from lot line to building setback | 1 per lot | On property for sale/rent/lease | — | § 45-62.4(b); § 45-62.14(a) |
| Traffic Directional Sign | — | — | — | — | — | As required by Planning Board or governmental agency | — | § 45-62.4(c) |

### C-1, C-2, C-3, H-D

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Any sign permitted in R-1, R-2, A-C | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 45-63.2(a) |
| Wall Sign (Commercial/Business use) | — | 10% of area of face attached | — | — | Multiple (1 per street frontage) | Face of building; 1 per side facing street (corner lot: signs on each street-facing side) | — | § 45-63.2(b) |
| Freestanding Sign (Commercial/Industrial) | 25 ft (bottom edge at least 10 ft above ground); EMC: see below | 20–65 sq ft depending on frontage; Double-faced: max area per face same | — | >=1/2 distance from lot line to required setback; Not within 50 ft of residential zone | 1, unless lot frontage over 200 ft (see table) | On lot, not within 50 ft of a residential zone | — | § 45-63.2(c), (d), (h) |
| EMC (Electronic Message Center), Building/Freestanding | — | As per associated freestanding/wall sign maximums | — | — | 1 EMC per lot | Building or freestanding sign (as permitted) | — | § 45-63.2(c), (h) |
| Entrance/Exit Sign | 3 ft | 6 sq ft per face | — | — | 1 per entrance/exit | At each driveway, one per entrance/exit | — | § 45-63.2(e) |
| Industrial Park Freestanding Sign (for parks with multiple buildings) | 15 ft | 200 sq ft per face | — | 50 ft from property line | 1 per industrial park | Minimum 50 ft from any property line | — | § 45-63.2(f) |
| Tenant Wall Sign (Industrial Park tenant) | — | 5% of occupied floor area | — | — | 1 per tenant | Front or side facade of tenant's building | — | § 45-63.2(f) |
| Noncommercial Sign (Commercial/Industrial) | 25 ft or building height (lesser) | 100 sq ft (permitted vacant: 1/acre for first acre, then 1/2 acres; developed: 1/2 acres) | — | 25 ft from lines; 25 ft from curbline; 1,000 ft between signs | 1 per specified acreage | Not within public right-of-way; min 25 ft setback from property lines, min 25 ft from curbline or greater as required for safety, 1,000 linear ft between signs | — | § 45-63.4(c)(1–5,8); § 45-63.2(g) |

### L-1, L-2, L-3, O-P

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Occupant Identification/Principal Product) | — | 10% of front wall elevation area | — | — | — | Front of principal building | — | § 45-63.3(a) |
| Freestanding Sign (Industrial/Company Identification) | 6 ft | 20–65 sq ft per table (per face); 1 per lot | — | 50 ft from residential zone; 1/2 distance between lot line and required setback | 1 per lot | No closer than 50 ft to residential zone line or 1/2 distance from lot line to required building line | — | § 45-63.3(b) |
| Freestanding Industrial Park Sign (Identification for Multiple Building Parks) | 15 ft | 100 sq ft per side | — | 25 ft from lot line | 1 per planned industrial park | At least 25 ft from any lot line | — | § 45-63.3(c) |
| Directional Sign (Entrance/Exit/Shipping/Receiving) | — | 5 sq ft per side | — | — | — | — | — | § 45-63.3(e) |
| Noncommercial Sign (Industrial/Office) | 25 ft or height of principal building, whichever is less | 100 sq ft (see C-1/C-2/C-3) | — | 25 ft from property lines; 25 ft from curbline; greater if needed for safety | As specified by acreage | Not in public right-of-way, not within 25 ft of property lines | — | § 45-63.4(c)(1–5,8); § 45-63.3(f) |

## Prohibited signs in Fairfield Township

- No sign of any type shall be permitted to obstruct driving vision, traffic signals and signs or similar safety devices, nor other places of business.
- No sign of any type shall be moving with the exception of clocks or thermometers. Reader board signs are prohibited.
- Signs and sign structures and display of all types shall be set back or elevated sufficiently to allow a clear unobstructed line of sight from any point of ingress or egress for at least 1,000 feet along all abutting streets and highways.
- All signs shall be set back at least 25 feet from the nearest property line.
- No sign shall extend or project at any point above or outside the limits of the wall to which it is attached.
- No sign shall be permitted on roofs or accessory buildings, except that water towers may be used for unlighted signs.
- Signs must be constructed of durable materials adequately maintained and not allowed to become dilapidated.
- No sign shall extend farther than 18 inches from the face of the wall to which it is attached; where a sign extends more than three inches from the face of the wall, the bottom of the sign shall not be closer than eight feet to the ground level below the sign.
- All illuminated signs shall be either indirectly lighted or of the diffused-lighting type. No sign shall be lighted with flashing, flickering or intermittent lighting.
- No signs shall be lighted, directly or indirectly, in a residential zone between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
- Signs using reflective material which sparkles, glitters or reflects light in such a manner as to be deemed a traffic hazard.
- Signs using wording such as 'stop,' 'look' or 'danger.'
- Any sign which causes confusion with official signs.
- Signs causing radio, television or other communication systems interference due to light or control mechanisms.
- Signs obstructing doors, fire escapes, fire zones or stairways or keeping light or air from the windows used for living quarters.
- Flags, banners, strings of banners, pinwheels, A-type signs, sidewalk signs, curb signs or similar advertising devices are prohibited except as specifically permitted in this chapter.
- Signs or poles maintained by public utilities, or on trees and fences or attached to signs or buildings owned by other persons.
- Signs advertising any business function or commodity and the location of any business or function not conducted on the premises on which the signs shall be located, except as permitted elsewhere in this chapter.
- No parked automobile, truck, bus or other vehicle may be used for advertising purposes, inclusive of all advertising for political campaigns and elections, by displaying banners, placards, flags, strings of banners or similar advertising devices, nor shall vehicles be displayed with 'for sale' signs on nonresidential properties within the Township. [Only one for sale sign on a resident's own vehicle in a driveway is permitted in residential zones.]
- Signs advertising contractor's business on property where contractor is working are prohibited.
- No temporary signs shall be displayed in or affixed to any parked automobile, truck, bus or other vehicle.
- No person in a park shall paste, glue, tack or otherwise post any sign, placard, advertisement or inscription whatever, nor shall any person erect or cause to be erected any sign whatever on any public lands or highways or roads adjacent to a park.

## Signs exempt from permit in Fairfield Township

- Official signs.
- Warning and no-trespassing signs, not to exceed one square foot in surface area on any one side.
- Name and number plates identifying the residents, on a house, apartment or mailbox, not to exceed one square foot in area on any one side.
- Lawn signs, identifying residents, not to exceed two square feet in surface area or, if double-faced, a total of three square feet for both sides; nonilluminated except by integral lamppost light; no advertising messages permitted.
- Flags or emblems of religious, educational, governmental or service organizations or individuals, flown from suitable supports on the building or grounds being occupied by the organization. [Permit required for the structure, not the flag or emblem itself.]
- Seasonal displays and decorations, such as Christmas, etc. [Must comply with safety and general welfare regulations.]
- Temporary signs as regulated by § 3-9 and § 45-62.14.
- No fee is required for historical tablets, cornerstones, memorial plaques and emblems (not exceeding six square feet) installed by government agencies or religious organizations, and signs identifying charity or nonprofit service organizations (limited to one sign per lot, not exceeding six square feet).
- No fee for residential real estate signs (not exceeding four square feet per side, nonilluminated, setback at least half the distance from the building line to the lot line, one per lot).
- No fee for traffic directional signs as required by the Planning Board or other governmental agency.
- A legally existing sign may be refaced and/or have its message changed provided a permit has been obtained from the Zoning Officer for which no fee is required.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No direct mention of a master sign plan, sign plan, or required variance meeting was found in the general, fee, or permit-required sections of the ordinance text provided.
- Some provisions (such as plans for sign location and size) require information or sketches to be submitted to the Zoning Officer along with a permit application, and all signs not conforming to new regulations must be registered with the Zoning Officer (including submission of picture, sketch with dimensions, setbacks, and height), but these are not described as a 'master sign plan' or equivalent.

## 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 Fairfield Township — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Fairfield+Township+NJ&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-fairfield-township

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/fairfield-township