62-Foot-High Route 202 Billboard Triggers Lawsuit Against Raritan

RARITAN, NJ — A lawsuit was filed against Raritan Borough and its Planning Board following its denial of an application looking to erect a 62-foot-high double-sided digital billboard on Route 202.

IAAT Services LLC filed the lawsuit in Somerset County Superior Court on Dec. 15, claiming the Planning Board's denial on Sept. 25 "is arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, unconstitutional, unsupported by substantial evidence, and must be reversed."

The six-story digital billboard was being proposed at 605 Route 202 or the corner of 2nd Avenue and Route 202 North, where Papa John's and Angelone's Florist is located.

The double-sided billboard would have been 14 feet by 48 feet in size with a pole of 50 feet and a maximum height of 62 feet.

A billboard is not a permitted use of the property, and the applicant was seeking preliminary and final minor site plan approval, as well as several variances.

The lawsuit claims IAAT Services LLC presented substantial credible testimony from its witnesses —including professional engineering, traffic engineering, and professional planning — establishing that the proposed billboard satisfied the positive and negative criteria of the Municipal Land Use Law

(“MLUL”).

The suit also claims IAAT also produced a valid NJDOT Outdoor Advertising Permit confirming
compliance with State and federal requirements governing billboards along State highways.

Following the planning board's denial, the Borough introduced Ordinance 2025-18, "expressly acknowledging its intent to 'update regulations on outdoor advertising signage.' This
post-denial legislative action further confirms that the Board failed to apply the law as it existed
when Plaintiff’s application was filed and heard," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks to reverse the Planning Board's denial and also grant the requested variances, site-plan approva,l and issue all permits required for construction of the proposed billboard.

Raritan Borough did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.

See the full lawsuit below:

Billboard Lawsuit by Alexis Tarrazi

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