# Sign Regulations in Totowa Borough, New Jersey

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Totowa Borough, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/totowa-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/10392686#10392686)

## At a glance

Totowa Borough, New Jersey regulates 18 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Shopping Center Use)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 30 feet tall and 50 square feet per side, with a 25 ft from street line, 20 ft from other lot line setback (Sec. § 415-107D(1)). Most commercial signs in Totowa Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential districts | 3 | — | 72 square inches | — |
| B-2 District, B-4 District, B-5 District, B-6 District | 4 | 15 inches | 15 square feet or 15% of front facade area (whichever is less) | — |
| B-3 District | 5 | 30 inches | 30 square feet or 30% of the front facade area (whichever is less) | — |
| I-1 Industrial District, I-2 Industrial District, I-3 Industrial District | 2 | 15 feet | 50 square feet per side | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 7 | 30 feet | 90 square feet (total), each component max 50 square feet | — |

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

### B-2 District, B-4 District, B-5 District, B-6 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Street Address Sign | 15 inches | — | — | — | — | Facade or door | — | § 415-107B(2), (2)(a)-(b) |
| Wall Sign (Sign Board, Ground Floor) | — | 15 square feet or 15% of front facade area (whichever is less) | — | — | 1 per use or activity | Attached to ground floor facade, not more than 15 feet above ground, not projecting over eight inches | — | § 415-107B(3), (3)(a)-(d), § 415-107E |
| Directory Sign (Upper Floors) | — | 3 square feet | — | — | 1 per entrance | Street level at each entrance to upper story establishments; top edge not more than 6 ft above sidewalk | — | § 415-107B(4), (4)(a)-(c) |
| Temporary Sign (Other than Business Uses) | — | 15 square feet | — | — | 1 per use or activity | — | — | § 415-107B(1); § 415-107F |

### B-3 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Street Address Sign | 30 inches | — | — | — | — | Facade or door | — | § 415-107B(2), (2)(b) |
| Wall Sign (Business and Office Use, Front Facade) | — | 30 square feet or 30% of the front facade area (whichever is less) | — | — | 1 per use or activity | Front facade | — | § 415-107B(5), § 415-107E |
| Freestanding Sign (In lieu of Wall Sign, Business & Office Use) | 30 feet | 30 square feet | — | — | 1 per use or activity | Within property line, no overhang into right-of-way | — | § 415-107B(6) |
| Directory Sign (Upper Floors) | — | 3 square feet | — | — | 1 per entrance | Street level at each entrance to upper story establishments; top edge not more than 6 ft above sidewalk | — | § 415-107B(4), (4)(a)-(c) |
| Temporary Sign (Other than Business Uses) | — | 15 square feet | — | — | 1 per use or activity | — | — | § 415-107B(1); § 415-107F |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Shopping Center Use) | 30 feet | 50 square feet per side | — | 25 ft from street line, 20 ft from other lot line | 1 per shopping center | No closer than 25 feet to street line and 20 feet to any other lot line | — | § 415-107D(1) |
| Wall Sign (Individual Store in Shopping Center) | — | Same as B-2, B-4, B-5, B-6 regulations (sign board) | — | — | 1 per store | — | — | § 415-107D(1) |
| Freestanding Identification Sign (Gasoline Service Station) | — | 90 square feet (total), each component max 50 square feet | — | — | 1 per station | — | — | § 415-107D(2) |
| Facade or Canopy Sign (Gasoline Service Station) | — | 15 square feet or 10% of wall area (whichever is less) | — | — | 1 per building face | Each building face fronting on a street | — | § 415-107D(2) |
| Directional/Customary Pump Signs (Gasoline Service Station) | — | — | — | — | — | Pumps, site | — | § 415-107D(2) |
| Wall Sign (Side or Rear Wall) | — | 10 square feet or 2% of the wall area (whichever is less, per separate business use) | — | — | Per separate business use | Side or rear wall adjoining parking area | — | § 415-107E(3)-(4) |
| Banner/Temporary Sign/Flag/Similar Advertising Device | 3 feet (banner) | Banner: 20 ft length x 3 ft width (60 sq ft max) | 20 feet (banner) | — | — | Across roadways, driveways, or vehicular traffic locations | — | § 415-107E(9), (9)(a)-(g), § 415-107F |

## Prohibited signs in Totowa Borough

- The public posting of signs for garage sales throughout the Borough is prohibited, except on the property registered for the sale.
- All signs must be removed at the end of each sale day (for garage sales).
- The following signs are prohibited in all zones in the Borough: signs using red, yellow and green lights which might be confused with traffic control signals.
- Moving or revolving signs and signs using blinking, flashing, vibrating, flickering, tracer or sequential lighting are prohibited.
- Any sign which unreasonably tends to distract drivers or constitutes a traffic hazard, or which uses words such as 'stop,' 'look,' 'danger,' etc., in a manner that constitutes a traffic hazard or interferes with traffic or pedestrians, is prohibited.
- Roof signs and sidewalk sandwich signs are prohibited.
- Signs obstructing doors, fire escapes or stairways, or keeping light or air from windows used for living quarters are prohibited.
- Flags, banners, strings of banners and similar advertising devices used for commercial advertising purposes in excess of 15 days are prohibited.
- Any sign which obscures more than 20% of a glassed window or door area is prohibited.
- The outlining of any window, door, facade or roof with neon lights or other lighting is not permitted (except with restrictions in the B-3 zone).
- No temporary signs, flags, similar advertising devices or structures shall be erected, hung, mounted or placed upon utility poles, lighting structures or the like without a permit.
- All illuminated signs must be either indirectly lighted or of the diffused-light type. No sign shall be lighted by means of flashing, revolving or intermittent illumination.
- Lighting for signs shall not shine onto residential properties or cause glare, and all lights for sign illumination or display must be completely shielded from view of vehicular traffic.
- Except as provided, not more than one sign shall be permitted for each use or activity. No sign shall project more than eight inches beyond the wall nor extend above the height of the vertical wall.
- No awning can be used for signage.

## Signs exempt from permit in Totowa Borough

- Regulatory and warning signs authorized by the Department of Transportation may be erected and maintained.
- Temporary emergency no-parking signs may be posted upon declaration of an emergency by the Mayor or Council President.
- Signs conforming to state law (N.J.S.A. 40:67-16.9) are allowed for street closings.
- Historical or ceremonial event banners, charitable event and bona fide nonprofit organization fund raiser banners, and municipal event banners may be erected by permit and approval.
- Street address signage is required for all buildings containing businesses and offices.
- Required 'NO SMOKING' signs in carnivals, circuses, and certain public venues.
- Required 'EXIT' signs over doors and exits in carnivals and circuses.
- Required signs for identifying massage establishments and required exit identification signage, when posted in accordance with municipal ordinances.
- No Parking signs as required by ordinance, provided they are in conformance with specifications.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No explicit reference to the requirement for a master sign plan, sign plan, or similar coordinated plan for signs is made in the provided ordinance sections.
- Certain types of banners and temporary signage require written application (permit) and in some cases, approval from the Mayor and Council and possibly other authorities.
- A permit is required for any temporary sign, flags, banners, string of banner, similar advertising device, or freestanding structure; the fee for the permit is $25.
- A permit to erect or maintain a sign may be revoked if information used to obtain it is knowingly false or if any provisions of the article are violated.

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

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