Plainfield, NJ Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Section 17:9-51 of the Plainfield Municipal Code treats electronic signs and billboards as two different things. A billboard is a sign that directs attention to anything except the business or function offered on the premises where the sign is located, and the code lists off-premises sign, third-party sign, billboard and outdoor advertising as the same family. The prohibited-signs list names pylon signs, roof signs and billboard signs, except those that are preexisting and permitted in the City of Plainfield.

A digital display sign is defined as an on-premises sign, or portion thereof, that displays electronic static images, static graphics and/or static texts, changeable by electronic means on a fixed display screen using LED, cathode ray, plasma, LCD, fiber optic, light bulbs or other electronic technology. Because that definition covers only on-premises signs, an electronic sign advertising something off the premises falls under the billboard prohibition. The operating standards sit in the illumination subsection: digital display signs are limited to nonresidential zone districts and to one per site, each message has a minimum duration of eight seconds, only one message may appear per screen, and the transition (dwell) time between messages is one second or less, without special effects such as visual dissolve, fading, flashing or video.

Other illumination rules apply on top. Lighting sources must be completely shielded from the view of vehicular traffic, and no illuminated sign can be of a color or in a location that would be confused with a traffic signal or similar official safety or warning device. An illuminated sign adjacent to or across the street from a residential district and visible from it stays dark between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. unless the use is open for business. Internally illuminated box signs are not permitted. Property owners need a development permit from the Zoning Officer for all signs that are not exempt, and any nonconforming sign is prohibited.