Perth Amboy, NJ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

The governing text is § 430-62 of the Perth Amboy City Code, the sign regulations in the Zoning and Land Development chapter. Subsection A(1) sets the baseline for the City of Perth Amboy: any signs not specifically permitted are hereby prohibited. Subsection G then lists signs prohibited in all zones. Item G(2) bans moving or revolving signs and signs using blinking, flashing, vibrating, flickering, tracer or sequential lighting. Item G(9) says billboards and other advertising signs, fixed or portable display, are prohibited in all districts, except where specifically permitted. The chapter's definitions describe a billboard as an outdoor display not related to a use on the lot, whatever its size, including signs advertising a product or service not sold on the premises.

The words digital and electronic message do not appear in the chapter. The code does not create a digital billboard category with brightness or dwell-time standards. The result is that an electronic display that changes its image on a timer, scrolls, or uses sequential lighting falls inside the G(2) ban on moving and sequential lighting signs, and an off-premises advertising display of any technology falls inside the G(9) billboard ban. Subsection A(2) also limits signs on private or public property to identifying a use conducted on the premises, apart from special event signs.

Other lighting rules in the same section apply to any sign that is allowed. Colored floodlights and indirect colored illumination are prohibited, neon lights are specifically prohibited except where specifically permitted, and signs using red, yellow and green lights that in the Chief of Police's judgment interfere with a traffic control signal are barred. If the Zoning Officer finds that sign lighting is a safety hazard to motor vehicle traffic, written notice goes to the property owner and the sign owner, who have fifteen days from mailing to correct it or appeal. Failure to do either is a violation by both.