# Sign Regulations in West Milford Township, New Jersey

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

- **Jurisdiction:** West Milford Township, New Jersey (NJ)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/new-jersey/west-milford-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/6400053#6400053)

## At a glance

West Milford Township, New Jersey regulates 19 sign types across 12 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Local Commercial (LC) Zone District zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 20 sq ft, with a 6 ft front yard setback (Sec. §500-162B(1-4)). Most commercial signs in West Milford Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (12 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Village Center (VC) Zone District | 8 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| Neighborhood Commercial (NC) Zone District | 8 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| Local Commercial (LC) Zone District | 9 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| Planned Neighborhood (PN) Zone District | 4 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| Community Commercial (CC) Zone District | 8 | 12 ft | 50 sq ft | — |
| Office Transition (OT) Zone District | 4 | 5 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| Light Manufacturing/Industrial (LMI) Zone District | 9 | 5 ft | 50 sq ft | — |
| Special Economic Development (SED) Zone District | 8 | 5 ft | 50 sq ft | — |
| Office Research (OR) Zone District | 8 | 10 ft | 50 sq ft | — |
| Highway Commercial (HC) Zone District | 11 | 15 ft | 75 sq ft | — |
| All Residential Zone Districts | 2 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | — | 75 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 12 zones)

### Local Commercial (LC) Zone District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Not permitted to extend into right-of-way/public street or within cartway of lane/driveway; must be at least 5 ft from property boundaries; minimum vertical clearance of 9 ft above walkway | — | §500-162A |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — | 6 ft front yard | 1 | Front yard setback: 6 ft | — | §500-162B(1-4) |
| Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On canopy | — | §500-162C |
| Suspended Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | One per entrance | One per entrance; minimum vertical clearance of 9 ft if over pedestrian walkway | — | §500-162D |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On wall | — | §500-162E(1) |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On window | — | §500-162F(1)(b) |
| Portable Sign | 4 ft | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | — | — | §500-162G |
| Roof Integral Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per lot frontage | On roof; 1 sign per lot frontage | — | §500-162O |

### Light Manufacturing/Industrial (LMI) Zone District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Not permitted to extend into right-of-way/public street or within cartway of lane/driveway; must be at least 5 feet from all property boundaries; minimum vertical clearance 9 ft over walkway | — | §500-162A |
| Freestanding Sign | 5 ft | 50 sq ft | — | 12 ft front yard | 1 | Front yard setback: 12 ft | — | §500-162B(1-4) |
| Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On canopy | — | §500-162C |
| Suspended Sign | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | One per entrance | One per entrance; minimum vertical clearance 9 ft if over walkway | — | §500-162D |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On wall | — | §500-162E(2) |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On window | — | §500-162F(1)(b) |
| Portable Sign | 4 ft | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | — | — | §500-162G |
| Roof Integral Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per lot frontage | On roof; 1 sign per lot frontage | — | §500-162O |

### Highway Commercial (HC) Zone District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Not permitted to extend into right-of-way/public street or within cartway of lane/driveway; must be at least 5 ft from property boundaries; minimum vertical clearance 9 ft over walkway | — | §500-162A |
| Freestanding Sign (Single Use) | 15 ft | 60 sq ft | — | 12 ft front yard | 1 | Front yard setback: 12 ft | — | §500-162B(3)(c) |
| Freestanding Sign (Two or More Uses) | 15 ft | 75 sq ft | — | 12 ft front yard | 1 | Front yard setback: 12 ft | — | §500-162B(3)(c) |
| Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On canopy | — | §500-162C |
| Suspended Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | One per entrance | One per entrance; minimum vertical clearance 9 ft if over walkway | — | §500-162D |
| Portable Sign | 4 ft | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | — | — | §500-162G |
| Roof Integral Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per lot frontage | On roof; 1 per lot frontage | — | §500-162O |
| Billboard | 12 ft | — | 24 ft (length) | — | — | — | — | §500-162Q |

## Prohibited signs in West Milford Township

- A sign may be erected, placed, established, painted, created, or maintained in the Township only in conformance with the standards, procedures, exemptions, and other requirements of this article.
- All signs not expressly permitted by this article are prohibited.
- All signs not expressly permitted under this chapter or exempt from regulation hereunder in accordance with the previous section are prohibited in the Township.
- No signs other than 'No Trespassing' signs not exceeding one square foot in size shall be attached to trees, fence posts, utility poles, or other signs.
- No person in an open space and recreation area shall paste, glue, tack or otherwise post any sign, placard, advertisement or inscription.
- No person in an open space and recreation area shall announce, advertise or call the public attention in any way to any article or service for sale or hire, or distribute circulars in connection therewith.
- No person in an open space and recreation area shall expose or offer for sale or hire any article or thing, nor station or place any stand, cart or vehicle for the transportation, sale or display of such article or thing, except as authorized.
- All persons are prohibited from making, causing to be made or erecting signs other than those signs provided by the Township for garage sales.
- Any sign installed or placed on public property, except for those signs specifically exempted, shall be forfeited to the public and subject to confiscation.

## Signs exempt from permit in West Milford Township

- Any public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.
- Any sign inside a building, not attached to a window or door, that is not legible from a distance of more than three feet beyond the lot line of the lot or parcel on which such sign is located.
- Works of art that do not include a commercial message.
- Traffic control signs on private property, such as stop, yield, and similar signs, the face of which meet Department of Transportation standards and which contain no commercial message of any sort.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Upon adoption of this chapter, no sign permit of any kind shall be issued for a proposed sign unless such sign is consistent with the requirements of this chapter in every respect and with the Master Signage Plan or Common Signage Plan in effect for the property.
- When applying for a new sign (except as otherwise provided), applicants must provide specified plans to the Construction Code Official or Zoning Officer as outlined in §500-154.
- For sign modification, change, or addition to a preexisting developed or otherwise occupied lot, the applicant shall submit a master signage site plan indicating location, size, and height of all existing and proposed signs on the site.
- If owners of two or more contiguous lots or a single lot with more than one building submit a common signage plan conforming to the requirements, a 25% increase in the maximum total sign area is allowed for each included lot.
- The master or common signage plan must be signed by all owners or their authorized agent.
- A master or common signage plan may be amended by filing a new master or common signage plan that conforms to all requirements.
- If any new or amended common signage plan is filed for a property with existing non-conforming signs, it must include a schedule for bringing those signs into conformance within three years.
- After approval of a master or common signage plan, no sign shall be erected, placed, painted, or maintained except in conformance with such plan.
- All applications for approval of a master or common signage plan must be submitted to the Construction Official or designee.
- An application for construction, creation, or installation of a new sign or for modification of an existing sign must be accompanied by detailed drawings unless such details are already contained in a master signage plan or common signage plan in effect for the lot.

## 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 12 zoning districts in West Milford Township — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=West+Milford+Township+NJ&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-west-milford-township

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