East Brunswick, NJ Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

The sign rule for home businesses is part of the HOME OCCUPATION definition in East Brunswick Township Code § 228-3. Condition 3 says "No advertising sign may be displayed." The sentence has no exception for a small plaque, a window card or a vehicle-mounted notice, and it is not tied to a size or lighting limit. A home occupation that qualifies under the definition therefore operates without a sign at the dwelling.

Condition 5 closes the related loophole: "There shall be no external display of goods." Merchandise cannot be set on a porch, driveway or lawn to catch the eye of passers-by. Condition 7 adds that there shall be no outside storage of any kind related to the home occupation, and condition 8 says no such use shall require external alterations to the dwelling other than those necessary to provide barrier-free access, which rules out building a storefront-style entrance or display window for the business.

The Zoning Ordinance elsewhere defines several sign types, including a FACADE SIGN (a sign attached to, painted on or erected against the exterior wall or window of a building or an awning), a FREESTANDING SIGN (a sign supported by poles, columns, upright or foundations affixed to the ground but not attached to any part of any building) and a FEATHER FLAG SIGN (a temporary advertising sign made of lightweight cloth supported by a lightweight freestanding pole or frame). Because condition 3 bars any advertising sign, none of those forms is available at a home occupation address.

A business owner in East Brunswick Township who wants a visible sign has to move the operation into a commercial district rather than rely on the home occupation definition. Customers learn about a home occupation through other means, and the other conditions, such as the 10:00 P.M. limit on dealing with the public, still apply.