Jersey City, NJ Holiday Decorations: Lawn Ornament Rules (2026)

Jersey City's Chapter 345 Zoning does not regulate lawn ornaments, statuary, religious displays, or yard art at owner-occupied single- and two-family properties with private yards. The Ch. 345 sign provisions govern commercial signage and political signs (with state-law and First Amendment protections); non-commercial decorative items are not regulated as signs. The reality of Jersey City's housing stock is that most residents live in attached row houses, brownstones, or high-rise condos with no private front yard - the public sidewalk and street tree pit are public right-of-way administered by the Department of Public Works, and unauthorized items there are subject to removal. Items in private rear yards or postage-stamp front yards are typically unregulated by the city. Primary restrictions: (1) Condominium master-deed and co-op proprietary-lease provisions in Downtown high-rises (Newport, Powerhouse Arts District, Exchange Place, Liberty Harbor, The Beacon, Trump Plaza area), townhouse developments, and stoop-front buildings - these are private covenants enforceable in NJ Superior Court; (2) HOA covenants in subdivision developments in Greenville, Bergen-Lafayette, and the Heights; (3) Historic Preservation Commission jurisdiction over locally designated historic districts (Van Vorst Park, Hamilton Park, Harsimus Cove, Paulus Hook, Bergen Hill) for permanent installations - temporary or removable items are typically not regulated; (4) Property maintenance code Ch. 232 if items create rodent harborage or drainage issues (rarely enforced for decorative items). NJ HB 1990s-era zoning enabling act gives municipalities authority over signs but not non-commercial decorative items. First Amendment protections apply to religious and political expression; the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in City of Ladue v. Gilleo (1994) prohibits municipalities from broadly banning yard signs in residential areas.