No New Jersey statute limits residential political signs, and Somerset municipalities reach signs only through zoning ordinances. Those ordinances must stay content-neutral: New Jersey's free-speech clause and Reed v. Town of Gilbert bar a town from singling out political signs by their message.
Signs are a municipal matter in New Jersey; the county has no role. A Somerset town may set neutral limits on a yard sign's size, height, and placement under its zoning ordinance, but it cannot treat a political sign worse than other temporary signs because of what it says. New Jersey's Constitution protects speech more broadly than the First Amendment, and in Reed v. Town of Gilbert the U.S. Supreme Court held that content-based sign rules almost never survive. Courts have repeatedly struck down local caps on the number, size, or display period of residential political signs. A homeowner may post political signs on the lawn, subject only to neutral size and setback limits.
An ordinance that limits political signs by their message — a shorter display window, a special size cap, or a permit aimed at political content — is unconstitutional and unenforceable. Neutral size and placement limits still apply.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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