Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

The Township Code defines an EMC sign as an electronically activated changeable-copy sign whose variable message or graphic presentation can be programmed by computer from a remote location, typically lit by light-emitting diodes. Under § 175-135(G)(4)(e), a changeable-copy or EMC sign cannot be used for any off-site advertising or messages, other than public service information approved by the Township. Billboards are off-premises by definition in § 175-91.2(B), so the EMC sign rules and the billboard rules meet at that bar. The billboard section does not use the word digital and contains no separate digital-billboard standard.

Where EMC signs are allowed at all, § 175-135(A) confines them to the Black Horse Pike corridor from Berlin-Cross Keys Road to the Folsom boundary and to State Highway Route 322 from the Glassboro boundary to its intersection with the Black Horse Pike. In the Pinelands Area they are limited to zones in the Regional Growth Area, and they are not permitted in the RD-C, FD-10 or FD-40 Zones.

The display standards are specific. The EMC portion of a sign cannot exceed 50 square feet. In nonresidential districts the minimum display time is eight seconds, with fade or dissolve transitions allowed. Automatic dimming controls are required, and illuminated signs must meet a maximum luminance level of 750 cd/m2 or nits starting 1/2 hour before apparent sunset. Before a permit issues, the applicant must provide written certification from the manufacturer that light intensity is factory preset within those levels. A malfunctioning EMC sign must be turned off or display a blank screen.

Section 175-91.2(D)(2) and (3) separately prohibit animated, moving and flashing off-premises billboards.