Bill Text: NJ A293 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Clarifies authority of municipalities to utilize zoning authority to regulate billboards or outdoor advertising bearing commercial advertisements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-16 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [A293 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A293-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman DAVID C. RUSSO
District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Clarifies authority of municipalities to utilize zoning authority to regulate billboards or outdoor advertising bearing commercial advertisements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act affirming municipality's authority to regulate billboards or outdoor advertising bearing commercial advertisements and amending P.L.1975, c.291.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 49 of P.L.1975, c.291 (C.40:55D-62) is amended to read as follows:
49. Power to zone. a. The governing body may adopt or amend a zoning ordinance relating to the nature and extent of the uses of land and of buildings and structures thereon. Such ordinance shall be adopted after the planning board has adopted the land use plan element and the housing plan element of a master plan, and all of the provisions of such zoning ordinance or any amendment or revision thereto shall either be substantially consistent with the land use plan element and the housing plan element of the master plan or designed to effectuate such plan elements; provided that the governing body may adopt a zoning ordinance or amendment or revision thereto which in whole or part is inconsistent with or not designed to effectuate the land use plan element and the housing plan element, but only by affirmative vote of a majority of the full authorized membership of the governing body, with the reasons of the governing body for so acting set forth in a resolution and recorded in its minutes when adopting such a zoning ordinance; and provided further that, notwithstanding anything aforesaid, the governing body may adopt an interim zoning ordinance pursuant to subsection b. of section 77 of P.L.1975, c.291 (C.40:55D-90).
The zoning ordinance shall be drawn with reasonable consideration to the character of each district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses and to encourage the most appropriate use of land. The regulations in the zoning ordinance shall be uniform throughout each district for each class or kind of buildings or other structure or uses of land, including planned unit development, planned unit residential development and residential cluster, but the regulations in one district may differ from those in other districts.
b. No zoning ordinance and no amendment or revision to any zoning ordinance shall be submitted to or adopted by initiative or referendum.
c. The zoning ordinance shall provide for the regulation of any airport safety zones delineated under the "Air Safety and Zoning Act of 1983," P.L.1983, c.260 (C.6:1-80 et seq.), in conformity with standards promulgated by the Commissioner of Transportation.
d. The zoning ordinance shall provide for the regulation of land adjacent to State highways in conformity with the State highway access management code adopted by the Commissioner of Transportation under section 3 of the "State Highway Access Management Act," P.L.1989, c.32 (C.27:7-91), for the regulation of land with access to county roads and highways in conformity with any access management code adopted by the county under R.S.27:16-1 and for the regulation of land with access to municipal streets and highways in conformity with any municipal access management code adopted under R.S.40:67-1. This subsection shall not be construed as requiring a zoning ordinance to establish minimum lot sizes or minimum frontage requirements for lots adjacent to but restricted from access to a State highway.
e. The zoning ordinance may provide for the regulation, including prohibition, of construction or erection of billboards and outdoor advertising signs bearing commercial advertisements if the governing body determines that such regulation is necessary to maintain or improve aesthetics or highway safety.
(cf: P.L.1991, c.445, s.9)
2. This act shall take effect immediately and is applicable to zoning ordinances adopted prior to or after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill affirms the authority of municipalities to use their zoning powers to regulate billboards and outdoor signs bearing commercial advertising.
