Irvington, NJ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Article VII of Chapter 650 defines an OUTDOOR DISPLAY STRUCTURE or BILLBOARD in Sec. 650-31B as any sign advertising a product, service, business, or entertainment not sold or offered on the premises where the sign sits, or any sign unrelated to that premises, and Sec. 650-31E(17) then states flatly that no sign may be an outdoor display structure or a billboard. That single sentence forecloses freestanding digital billboards, LED message boards, and any off-premises advertising structure Township-wide, in every zoning district, with no conditional-use or variance path written into the article.

A second, independent ban reaches the technology itself: Sec. 650-31E(15) prohibits any sign that is a flashing sign or has exposed high-intensity illumination, exposed neon tubes, reflective material, or neon tubes encased in a transparent material, and the article's own definition of FLASHING SIGN in Sec. 650-31B covers any sign the illumination of which is not kept constant in intensity at all times when in use, language broad enough to catch a scrolling or color-changing LED display even on an otherwise permitted, on-premises sign. The code does permit a CHANGEABLE SIGN, defined as one whose informational content can be altered by electronic means, but that definition only covers content changes; it does not override the flashing/high-intensity ban, so an electronic reader board must hold a static, non-flashing display to stay legal. Sec. 650-31E(7) separately bars animation on any sign except clocks, weather displays, or special-event banners, closing off animated digital content as well.