# Sign Regulations in Highlands Borough, New Jersey

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Highlands Borough, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/highlands-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/35388846#35388846)

## At a glance

Highlands Borough, New Jersey regulates 22 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Single Tenant Building)s in the Highway Oriented Business District zoning district are capped at 10 ft tall and 24 sq ft, with a 5 ft minimum setback (Sec. §21-103D(2)). Most commercial signs in Highlands 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 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Neighborhood Preservation District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Residential Districts | 5 | 6 ft | 15 sq ft per entrance | — |
| Business Districts | 11 | — | 30% of aggregate window space of front face | — |
| Highway Oriented Business District | 3 | 12 ft | 48 sq ft | — |
| Waterfront Districts | 2 | No more than 5 ft above the highest point of the roof nor exceed the height limit for the zone | 50 sq ft | — |

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

### Residential Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate Sign (Residential Use) | — | 1 sq ft per residential unit | — | — | — | Within property lines | — | §21-103A(1) |
| Professional/Home Occupation Sign (Nonresidential Conditional Use) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | Within property lines | — | §21-103A(2) |
| Institutional Use Sign | — | 10 sq ft per sign; 25 sq ft total | — | — | — | — | — | §21-103A(3) |
| Temporary Lease/Sale Sign | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §21-103A(4) |
| Ground Sign (Multifamily Developments and Mobile Home Parks) | 6 ft | 15 sq ft per entrance | — | — | One per entrance | At each entrance | — | §21-103A(5) |

### Business Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On front building wall | — | §21-103B(2) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §21-103B(3) |
| Ground Sign | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §21-103B(4) |
| Window Sign | — | 30% of aggregate window space of front face | — | — | — | Front window | — | §21-103B(5) |
| Nameplate Sign (Upper Floor Tenant) | — | 1.5 sq ft | — | — | — | For upper floor tenants | — | §21-103B(7) |
| Sandwich Board Sign (Portable) | — | 8 sq ft per side | — | — | — | Displayed during business hours only | — | §21-103B(10) |
| Special Sign (Menus, Plaques, Chalkboards) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | On building wall or in window | — | §21-103B(11) |
| Off-premises Sign | — | 24 sq ft | — | — | — | Nonresidential zone | — | §21-103B(13) |

### Highway Oriented Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On building wall | — | §21-103D(1), §21-103B(2) |
| Freestanding Sign (Single Tenant Building) | 10 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 5 ft minimum | 1 per property | — | — | §21-103D(2) |
| Freestanding Sign (Multiple Tenant Building) | 12 ft | 48 sq ft | — | 10 ft minimum | 1 per property | — | — | §21-103D(3) |

## Prohibited signs in Highlands Borough

- Signs, except for a traffic, regulatory or informational sign, containing words 'stop,' 'caution,' or 'danger' or incorporating red, amber or green lights resembling traffic signals, or resembling any official traffic sign by its location, color, size, shape, nature or message.
- Signs or lights that revolve or use blinking, flashing, vibrating, flickering, tracer or sequential lighting.
- Signs or banners spanning a public street or highway, unless given special permission by the mayor and council.
- Signs or advertising matter of an indecent or obscene nature.
- Any sign so erected, constructed or maintained as to obstruct or be attached to any fire escape, window, door or opening used as a means of egress or ingress, or for fire-fighting purposes, or placed so as to interfere with an opening required for legal ventilation.
- Signs with a lighting or control mechanism which may cause radio, television or communication system interference.
- Signs placed upon or across public property such as hydrants, lampposts, trees, telephone or light poles, or fences, or attached to signs, buildings or other property owned by others.
- No signs for advertising or directing customers are to be posted on any public property (per §4-12.8).

## Signs exempt from permit in Highlands Borough

- Any sign(s) having an aggregate area of less than two (2) square feet.
- Nonilluminated directional signs, not exceeding four (4) square feet, which identify parking areas, loading zones, entrances, exits and similar locations and may contain either the company name or logo, but no advertising.
- Signs for the public convenience and welfare erected by a governmental agency; traffic controls; and legal notices, posters, directions, or warning, no trespassing or other regulatory signs, as may be required by law.
- Signs indicating public transportation stops, not to exceed two (2) square feet.
- Historical tablets, cornerstones, memorial plaques, and emblems, not to exceed six (6) square feet, installed by governmental, civic or religious organizations, and including flags or emblems flown from the buildings or grounds of such organizations.
- Signs which are an integral part of vending machines, including gasoline pumps, which do not exceed two (2) square feet per machine or pump.
- Temporary real estate signs pertaining to the lease or sale of the premises, in conformance with Section 21-104 above.
- Temporary signs for charitable, educational, or religious events, erected for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days in any calendar year.
- Political signs (no permit shall be required for political signs per §21-104D).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Site plan applications shall provide a signage plan that includes all signs proposed on site, including their location, size, shape, color, and copy style; the visibility of the proposed signs for the intended sight distance; and the impacts of the proposed signs on existing signs on or adjacent to the site.
- A sign permit shall be required for all signs having a total area of two (2) square feet or more, in accordance with the procedures of Section 21-104.
- A sign permit shall be required for any sign to be erected, displayed, altered or enlarged that has not been approved as part of a site plan application and erected as part of site plan construction.
- All sign permit applications shall comply with the requirements of this chapter and of NJDOT's outdoor advertising standards if applicable.
- Temporary signs are subject to the same permit requirements as permanent signs, with the exception of political signs.
- Site plan applications (which may require approval by the Planning Board) trigger the need for a signage plan.

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

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