Lakewood, NJ Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

UDO § 18-1019, governing Digital Billboards, sets specific light-emission standards separate from its size and placement rules. Subsection J requires every digital billboard to have a default mechanism that freezes the sign on a static message if it malfunctions, plus a mechanism able to automatically adjust display brightness to ambient light conditions using a light detector or photocell. 2 foot-candles over ambient light levels measured within 150 feet of the sign. Each billboard operator must certify to the Township board handling its approval that the sign is preset to automatically hold to that level or lower, and the Township reserves the right to verify brightness at any reasonable time.

2 foot-candles or less, the sign is properly adjusted. This paired-reading protocol, tied to a fixed numeric ceiling and a certification requirement, is the Township's specific answer to nighttime billboard glare, layered on top of the general no-glare standard that already applies to automobile repair lighting and other conditional uses elsewhere in the UDO.