Howell, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Howell Township, New Jersey, has no billboard-only lighting table. Lighting is controlled through Chapter 256 (Signs), and § 188-98.2 prints no illumination standard of its own. Chapter 256 defines BILLBOARD or COMMERCIAL SIGN as a sign, so the illumination rule that covers any sign reaches billboards too.

Section 256-6C lets the Code Enforcement Officer or any employee of the Construction Department permit a sign to be artificially illuminated where the applicant demonstrates that illumination is necessary for the public convenience and welfare and to reasonably convey the advertising message. The actual source of illumination must be shielded from public view, with the exception of neon. Under no circumstances can a sign be lit in any way prohibited by § 256-7.

Section 256-7 prohibits, in all areas of the Township, signs using red, amber or green lights within 100 feet of a light-controlled intersection; signs using blinking, flashing, vibrating or flickering lights; reflective material that sparkles, glitters or reflects light so as to create a traffic hazard; and signs with any lighting or control mechanism that can cause radio or television interference.

A lit billboard also has to exist legally. Billboards without a Planning Board or Board of Adjustment approval, or a pending application before those boards, on or before 11-1-2011 are prohibited in all zones under § 188-98.2C. Section 256-7K bars commercial signs and billboards in the Township but lets lawfully existing ones continue. A billboard destroyed by casualty, taken by condemnation or losing its landowner's permission can be relocated on the property only in the highway commercial and industrial zones, with Planning Board review. Relocated signs need side and rear setbacks equal to the sign height but not less than 20 feet, front setbacks equal to the height plus 15 feet but not less than 35 feet, and a height no greater than the maximum building height permitted in the zone. Section 256-6A caps any sign at 45 feet in height, inclusive of the advertising structure.