# Sign Regulations in Morris Township, New Jersey

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Morris Township, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/morris-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/10355448#10355448)

## At a glance

Morris Township, New Jersey regulates 23 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the B-11 Zone zoning district are capped at 20 ft tall, 30 sq ft per side, and 30 ft (if double faced, both sides allowed 30 sq ft each) wide, with a At least 1/2 the required setback to abutting road right-of-way or property line setback (Sec. §95-41C). Most commercial signs in Morris Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential zones | 10 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| RG-5 Zone | 2 | — | 20 sq ft | — |
| B-11 Zone | 4 | 20 ft | 30 sq ft per side | — |
| I-21 Zone, OL-5 Zone, OL-15 Zone, OL-40 Zone, OS-GU Zone | 4 | 10 ft (sign face), 12 ft (top from ground) | 100 sq ft | — |
| Industrial and OL Zones (Retail uses) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Multi-use developments, shopping centers or industrial parks | 2 | 12 ft | 100 sq ft (may be up to 150 sq ft with Planning Board approval) | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | — | 32 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### Residential zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate/Identification Sign | 6 ft | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per dwelling unit | On single-family dwellings | — | §95-39A |
| Sales/Rental Sign - Single dwelling/lot | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per property | On property being sold/rented | — | §95-39B(1)-(3) |
| Sales/Rental Sign - Developments (4+ homes/lots) | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | On frontage; if more than one street, one per frontage | — | §95-39B(4) |
| Sales/Rental Sign - Land (5 acres+, 500 ft frontage) | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | On property for sale/lease | — | §95-39B(5) |
| Institutional Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | On property of schools, colleges, churches, and similar institutions | — | §95-39C(1) |
| Parking Entrance/Exit Sign | 6 ft | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entrance/exit | At each entrance or exit of parking area | — | §95-39D |
| Parking Conditions/Identity Sign | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per parking area | At parking area | — | §95-39D |
| Artisan Sign | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per artisan | On premises where work is performed | — | §95-39E |

### B-11 Zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | Up to 2 per establishment | Exterior wall of business establishment | — | §95-41A, §95-41B |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 ft | 30 sq ft per side | 30 ft (if double faced, both sides allowed 30 sq ft each) | At least 1/2 the required setback to abutting road right-of-way or property line | 1 per lot | On lot containing business | — | §95-41C |
| Sales/Rental Sign | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | — | On developed business property for sale/rent | — | §95-41D |
| Artisan Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per artisan | On premises while artisan is performing work | — | §95-41D |

### I-21 Zone, OL-5 Zone, OL-15 Zone, OL-40 Zone, OS-GU Zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (see General Regulations For All Zones for specifics) | — | — | — | — | — | Principal building wall | — | §95-42A |
| Freestanding Sign | 10 ft (sign face), 12 ft (top from ground) | 100 sq ft | 30 ft | 40 ft or 1/2 required setback (whichever is greater) to road right-of-way; must meet principal building side yard requirements. | 1 per single-tenanted building | Set in front of principal building, not closer than 40 ft or 1/2 the required setback to any road right-of-way, whichever is greater; must meet side yard requirements | — | §95-42B |
| Sales/Rental Sign (Property >5 acres, 500 ft frontage) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage over 500 ft | On property for sale/rent/lease with more than 5 acres and 500 feet of frontage | — | §95-42D |
| Artisan Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per artisan | On premises while artisan is performing work | — | §95-42D |

## Prohibited signs in Morris Township

- No flashing, moving or apparent moving signs, flags, pennants and streamers shall be permitted except for time and temperature.
- No sign shall project into the public right-of-way.
- Signs, whether portable, permanent or temporary, other than Township, county or state signs, shall not be erected within the right-of-way of any street or approved sight easements, nor shall any sign be located so as to constitute a traffic hazard.
- Advertising signs shall not be permitted in any zone district in the Township.
- Signs attached to a principal structure shall not extend above the roofline or bottom of the parapet.
- Only those signs identifying the name, business, occupant, service, address or product offered or sold on the premises shall be permitted to be erected (with exceptions for coming events, community bulletin boards, and time-and-temperature signs).
- Signs within the interior of a structure designed to be seen and read from the exterior shall be considered as part of any maximum sign area.
- No attached sign shall extend further than 15 inches from the face of the building upon which it is attached, unless specific clearance heights are observed.
- Signs shall not be located closer to street rights-of-way than the minimum distances specified (20 feet for less than 25 sq ft; 25 feet for 26–75 sq ft; 30 feet for 76 sq ft or more) unless waived by the Planning Board.
- Should a nonconforming sign be destroyed, it cannot be replaced except in a conforming manner.
- Any location where business goods are no longer sold or produced or where services are no longer provided shall have 90 days to remove any remaining or derelict on-premises signs after notification by the Township.
- The applicant shall also comply with all applicable county, state and federal sign regulations.

## Signs exempt from permit in Morris Township

- Directional signs having areas of less than three square feet are exempt from area and location regulations but shall be shown on an approved site plan and do not constitute a hazard to the traveling public.
- Township, county or state signs are exempt from prohibition against being erected within the right-of-way of any street or approved sight easements.
- Temporary signs for special events are permitted if they do not exceed 32 square feet, are approved by the Construction Official, and (except election signs) do not remain more than four weeks.
- Coming events, community bulletin boards and time-and-temperature signs are allowed in addition to on-premises identification.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Shopping centers, industrial parks, planned developments, multi-tenanted structures or multistructure uses are required to submit a signing plan to the Planning Board for approval. This signing plan must include letter style, lighting, color, construction and materials, height, height above grade or below roofline, location, and standards, and shall be based on an integrated design theme.
- Directional signs of less than three square feet are exempt from area and location regulations but must be shown on an approved site plan.
- The Planning Board is authorized to waive setback requirements for sign location if strict adherence would cause inconvenience to the public or create a hazard, unless otherwise specified or as indicated on an approved site plan.
- The Construction Official must approve the location of all signs unless otherwise specified or indicated on an approved site 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 7 zoning districts in Morris Township — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Morris+Township+NJ&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-morris-township

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