Elizabeth, NJ Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

070. Item O of Schedule III permits billboards in any zoning district, but only where the sign sits on or within 300 feet of a state or federal highway route or a passenger rail facility, tying freeway-facing placement directly to major transportation corridors rather than ordinary city streets. Any billboard system must follow a siting plan that keeps signs out of residential areas, with visibility mitigated within 600 feet of them, away from places of assembly like churches, schools, playgrounds or parks within 1,000 feet, clear of designated scenic vistas, and outside a 250-foot buffer around traffic signs and safety devices.

Billboards and freestanding signs larger than 300 square feet are separately classified as a conditional use requiring planning board approval, must be spaced at least 2,000 feet from any other billboard or freestanding sign, and must sit more than 500 feet from any residential use. Once approved, the operator needs a square-footage license from the city and must pay an annual fee of 80 cents per square foot of advertising space, with a minimum annual fee of $240, a fee structure set under Ordinance No. 3273 in 2000 and carried forward through Ordinance No. 4373 in 2013.