The purposes of this article are to provide
for and control the type, dimensions, and other features of signs,
to recognize the commercial communication needs of the business community,
to protect the public from damage or injury attributable to distractions
and obstructions from improperly designed or located signs, to safeguard
property values, and to assure that signs are consistent and harmonious
in relation to the scale, appearance, and character of buildings where
they are placed and neighboring areas.
The size of any sign shall be determined in
accordance with the provisions of this article and the following:
A. When a sign consists of letters, numbers, and/or logos
and not a lettered board and such sign is erected on or attached to
a building wall, petroleum storage tank, or other similar surface,
the size of such sign shall be measured by the geometric shape formed
by the extreme outside edge of the largest letters, numbers, or logos
contained in the sign.
B. When a sign consists of a lettered board and such
sign is erected on or attached to a building wall, petroleum storage
tank, or other similar surface, the size of such sign shall be determined
by calculating the area of the lettered board.
The following signs are exempt from the need
to secure a permit but are subject to all other applicable provisions
of this article:
A. Public notice, warning, or official traffic sign required
by a federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.
B. Any sign inside a building not attached to a window
or door that is not legible from a distance of more than three feet
beyond the lot line of the property on which such sign is located.
C. Building markers that only include building name,
date of construction, or historical data on an historical site, provided
that there is only one per building with a maximum area of six square
feet.
D. Flags of the United States, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
foreign nations having diplomatic relations with the United States,
or any other flag adopted or sanctioned by an elected legislative
body of competent jurisdiction, provided that such flag does not exceed
60 square feet in area and shall be flown from a pole not more than
40 feet in height.
E. Decorative flags, not exceeding 12 square feet.
F. Incidental signs containing no commercial message
of any kind, provided that such signs do not exceed eight square feet.
G. Signs advertising the sale or rental of the premises
or lot upon which they are erected, provided that there is not more
than one such sign per street frontage. Such sign shall be neither
illuminated nor exceed eight square feet in residential districts
and 32 square feet in nonresidential districts. All such signs shall
be removed on or before the date of settlement.
H. Signs advertising the development of the premises
where they are erected. Such signs shall not exceed 16 square feet
in residential districts and 40 square feet in nonresidential districts.
All such signs shall be removed on or before the date of settlement.
I. Nameplate signs on private residences, provided that
they do not exceed 144 square inches.
J. Decorations for a recognized officially designated
holiday, provided that they do not create a traffic or fire hazard.
K. Yard sale or garage sale signs, provided that they
do not exceed two square feet and are removed within 24 hours after
such sales.
L. Signs announcing educational, charitable, civic, religious,
or similar campaigns or events, provided that such signs are erected
for a period not to exceed 30 days or more than four times in any
calendar year for a maximum annual total of 120 days. Such signs shall
not exceed eight square feet.
M. Changeable copy signs for churches, schools, and other
uses which by their nature require changeable copy signs, provided
that only one such sign shall be permitted. However, in the case of
a corner property, one additional sign is permitted on the side of
the property. The size of such signs shall not exceed 16 square feet.
O. Freestanding signs of an official nature identifying
a civic event.
P. Signs for the Industrial Heritage Parkway and East
Coast Greenway. These signs shall be consistent with the Delaware
County Route 291/13 Industrial Heritage Parkway and Greenway Landscape
and Signage Guidelines Manual of 2005.
The following signs, as described under each zoning district or group of districts, are permitted, provided that they meet the conditions in §
196-100 and a sign permit has been obtained:
A. Signs in residential districts. The following types
of signs that require a permit and no others shall be permitted in
the R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4 Residence Districts:
(1)
Identification signs for apartment buildings
or complexes, residential developments, schools, churches, and similar
permitted uses other than individual dwellings, provided that:
(a)
Such signs shall be freestanding signs, ground
signs, or wall signs only.
(b)
Not more than one wall sign and one freestanding
or ground sign shall be permitted for each frontage.
(c)
The size of freestanding, ground, and wall signs
shall not exceed 16 square feet.
(2)
Signs identifying nonresidential uses permitted as valid nonconforming uses, provided that they meet the same requirements as Subsection
A(1), above.
(3)
Signs identifying no-impact home-based businesses.
(a)
Types of signs permitted shall be wall signs.
(b)
These wall signs shall be nonilluminated and
not exceed two square feet.
(4)
Illumination of signs in Subsection
A above shall be by external white light only.
B. Signs in the Central Retail District. The following
signs and no others shall be permitted in the Central Retail District,
subject to the following requirements:
(1)
Any sign permitted in a residential district with the requirements in that district, as noted in Subsection
A.
(2)
Wall signs, canopy/awning signs, window signs,
and freestanding signs.
(3)
Freestanding signs that do not advertise a business
shall be permitted, provided that they do not exceed six square feet.
(4)
There shall be not more than one wall sign for
each frontage. However, for buildings that have a front width of 100
feet or more, two wall signs shall be permitted at that frontage.
In this case, a special exception shall be required.
(5)
The size of wall signs shall not exceed one
square foot of sign area for each linear foot of building width.
(6)
On corner lots, signs fronting on side streets
along the long side of a building shall not exceed 1/2 square foot
of sign area for each linear foot of building width. However, where
the side street is an arterial street, the size of the wall sign shall
be the same as on the front street.
(7)
Awning or canopy signs may be substituted for wall signs with the same requirements as noted in Subsection
B(5).
(8)
The awning or canopy on which a canopy or awning
sign is depicted or placed shall not extend more than five feet from
the front wall of the building.
(9)
Where there is a business on the second floor,
one additional wall sign, not greater than eight square feet, shall
be permitted. Such signs shall be located on the second story.
(10)
Signs identifying individual tenants in a multitenant building, as defined in Article
II, shall be wall signs permitted in addition to the principal permitted wall sign. Such additional wall signs shall not exceed four square feet.
(11)
Applications for proposed signs shall be submitted to the Zoning Officer who shall have the option of referring the permit request to the Planning Commission for its evaluation as to whether the proposed sign complies with the purposes of the Central Retail District, as stated in Article
VII and in the most recently adopted Marcus Hook Comprehensive Plan. The Planning Commission may offer suggestions to modify the proposed sign so that it is in accordance with the goals for the retail shopping area as noted in the Comprehensive Plan.
(12)
Any illuminated sign lit by any means other
than neon.
C. Signs in the Planned Business Park District. The following
signs and no other shall be permitted in the Planned Business Park
District:
(1)
Wall signs, awning signs, freestanding signs,
and ground signs.
(2)
Wall signs identifying individual establishments.
(a)
Not more than one wall sign shall be permitted.
(b)
The size of wall signs shall not exceed 1/2
square foot of sign area for each linear foot of frontage of the establishment.
(c)
Wall signs shall not be placed within one foot
of the edge of the front wall of the building.
(d)
Awning signs may be substituted for wall signs with the same requirements as noted in Subsection
C(2)(b) directly above.
(3)
Freestanding signs or ground signs identifying
developments.
(a)
Not more than one freestanding sign or ground
sign identifying the development shall be erected at the principal
exterior road.
(b)
Individual establishments may be identified
on the same sign structure as that listing the name of the development.
(c)
The size of the sign identifying the development
shall not exceed 60 square feet along the principal exterior road.
(d)
The size of the signs identifying individual
establishments shall not exceed 10 square feet.
(e)
Not more than one freestanding sign or ground
sign identifying the development may be placed along an interior road.
Names of the individual establishments may be placed on the same sign
structure.
[1]
The size of the sign identifying the development
shall not exceed 50 square feet.
[2]
The size of signs identifying individual establishments
shall not exceed six square feet.
D. Signs in the Recreational Business Campus District.
(1)
Permitted signs shall include only wall signs,
canopy signs, freestanding signs, and ground signs.
(2)
Wall signs identifying individual establishments
that occupy an entire principal building shall not exceed one square
foot of sign area for each foot of building width.
(3)
Wall signs identifying an establishment that
is only a part of an existing building shall not exceed one square
foot of sign area for each foot of the establishment width.
(4)
Awning signs may be substituted for wall signs, in accordance with the requirements for wall signs per Subsection
D(2) above.
(5)
Freestanding signs or ground signs identifying
the establishment(s) on the parcel shall be permitted along the exterior
road. Such signs shall be placed behind the right-of-way line.
(6)
Only one such freestanding sign or ground sign,
the size of which shall not exceed 30 square feet, shall be permitted
along the exterior road.
E. Signs in the Downtown Mixed Use District.
(1)
Permitted signs shall include only wall signs,
canopy signs, and freestanding signs.
(2)
Wall signs identifying individual nonresidential
establishments may be placed on not more than two sides of a principal
building.
(3)
The size of such wall signs identifying an individual
establishment shall not exceed 1/2 square foot of sign area for each
foot of establishment frontage.
(4)
Awning signs and canopy signs shall be permitted in place of wall signs, in accordance with the requirements for wall signs in Subsection
E(3) above.
(5)
Not more than one freestanding sign or ground
sign identifying the commercial and/or residential development shall
be placed along the exterior roadway.
(6)
The size of such freestanding signs or ground
signs shall not exceed 50 square feet; however, signs identifying
individual establishments may be placed on the freestanding sign structure.
These signs identifying the establishment shall be not larger than
10 square feet. This area for the individual establishments shall
be in addition to the size allotted for identifying the development.
F. Signs in the Waterfront Mixed Use District.
(1)
Permitted signs shall include only wall signs,
awning signs, canopy signs, freestanding signs, and ground signs.
(2)
With the exception of permitting canopy signs,
all other provisions of the Recreational Business Campus District
shall apply to the Waterfront Mixed Use District.
G. Signs in the Transit-Oriented Development District. Same as the regulations in Subsection
C relating to the Planned Business Park District.
H. Signs in the Industrial Transition District and the
Heavy Industrial District.
(1)
Any sign permitted in a Planned Business Park District with the requirements noted in Subsection
C.
(2)
Wall signs, freestanding signs, ground signs,
awning or canopy signs, and window signs.
(3)
There shall be not more than one wall sign for
each frontage.
(4)
The size of wall signs shall not exceed 1 1/2
square feet of sign area for each foot of building width.
(5)
Not more than one freestanding sign or ground
sign for each 350 feet of frontage shall be permitted.
(6)
The size of freestanding signs and ground signs
shall not exceed 60 square feet in the Heavy Industrial District and
40 square feet in the Industrial Transition District.
(7)
Awning or canopy signs may be substituted for wall signs with the requirements noted in Subsections
D(3) and
(4) above.
Signs that are nonconforming or identify nonconforming
uses shall be governed by the following requirements:
A. A sign which is nonconforming at the effective date of this chapter may be continued although such sign does not conform with the provisions of this chapter, but the size of any such nonconforming sign shall not be enlarged, except as permitted in §
196-147.
B. A nonconforming sign may be changed to or replaced
by another nonconforming sign, provided that the degree of nonconformity
is not greater than that of the original sign. Whenever a nonconforming
sign has been changed to a more restricted nonconforming sign, such
sign shall not thereafter be changed to a less restricted nonconforming
sign.
C. Where the name of the establishment is changed, any
nonconforming sign at such establishment must be removed, and any
new sign must conform to the provisions of this chapter.
D. No nonconforming sign which has been damaged to more
than 50% of its value or has been removed or discontinued for 90 days
shall be repaired, rebuilt, or replaced, except as a conforming sign.
E. If a nonconforming use of a building ceases or is discontinued for a continuous period of one year or more and such nonconforming use is deemed to be abandoned as per §
196-150 of this chapter, any nonconforming sign on the premises shall also be considered abandoned, and any subsequent signs erected or maintained on the premises shall be in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.