No sign shall hereafter be erected, constructed, attached, changed, enlarged or reconstructed without a building or temporary sign permit being issued therefor by the Zoning Officer pursuant to Article IV, Permits.
A.
Permits shall be valid until such time as the sign
is structurally changed, enlarged or reconstructed.
B.
Permits for advertising signs and billboard shall
be renewed annually on or before March 31.
C.
Permits for temporary signs are valid for 20 days
and may be issued only three times within a 12 month period from the
date that the first temporary sign permit was issued. A period of
90 days shall elapse from the original issuance date to the date of
renewal.
[Amended 8-10-1998 by Ord. No. 2106]
A.
No sign shall be constructed, reconstructed, enlarged,
changed, erected, sited or illuminated so as to:
(1)
Cause confusion or hazard to motorists or conflict
with any traffic control signal.
(2)
Rotate, flash, have intermittent illumination or beacon-ray
characteristics, other than time and temperature signs.
(3)
Adversely affect vision within a clear site triangle.
(4)
Be within, project onto or over any street, highway,
road or alley right-of-way.
(5)
Be within 25 feet on any side or rear yard of a residentially
zoned or used lot, parcel or tract.
B.
All signs shall:
(1)
Conform with the provisions of the Outdoor Advertising
Act of 1971, as amended and other applicable State and Federal regulations.
(2)
Be constructed of durable material and kept in good
repair.
(3)
If an electrical sign, be designed, constructed, maintained
and used in strict conformity with the Township electrical code and
shall, in the discretion of the Township Electrical Inspector, be
periodically inspected and shall be certified by a national testing
laboratory.
C.
The maximum height of any sign is 35 feet above the
finished grade upon which the sign is sited.
D.
Establishments which have as a principal business
the sale of gas and fuel for automobiles may display other signs in
addition to the size and type of signs permitted by this section.
Such signs shall be limited to three in number, have a maximum sign
display area of 16 square feet each, and shall not be located closer
to a right-of-way than any gasoline pump. These signs are not subject
to the permit requirements of this section.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following
types of signs are permitted:
A.
Accessory use signs.
B.
Advertising signs or billboards.
C.
Business signs.
D.
Freestanding signs.
E.
Directional signs.
F.
Identification signs.
G.
Name signs.
H.
Professional signs.
I.
Real estate signs.
J.
Roof signs.
K.
Temporary signs.
L.
Wall signs.
M.
Under canopy signs.
[Amended 9-10-2001 by Ord. No. 2332]
N.
LED (light emitting diode) and electronic signs as
regulated herein. LED signs shall include those signs such as an electronically
or electrically controlled public service time, temperature and date
sign, message center or reader board, where different copy changes
are shown on the same lamp bank. Automatic changing signs such as
public service time, temperature and date signs or electronically
controlled message centers are classed as changing signs, not flashing
signs.
[Added 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2467]
[Amended 12-18-1989 by Ord. No. 1657]
One single-faced accessory use, name or professional
sign is permitted provided that the sign only indicates the name,
profession or activity of the occupant and has a minimum sign display
area of two square feet.
[Amended 12-1-2022 by Ord. No. 3296]
A.
Advertising signs and billboards shall:
(1)
Be located only in commercial or industrial zoning
districts.
(2)
Be located not less than 400 feet from any residential
zoning district.
(3)
Be located not less than 250 feet from any residence,
and not less than 200 feet from any building or structures.
(4)
Be located not less than 1,200 feet from another advertising
sign or billboard.
(5)
Not be erected parallel to or at an angle less than
45° to any right-of-way.
(6)
Not be erected on buildings or within any easement.
(7)
Not exceed 35 feet in height above ground and the
bottom of the sign display area shall be sufficiently high so as to
provide adequate traffic visibility.
(8)
Be illuminated internally or by reflected light, provided
that the source of light is not directly visible and is arranged so
as to cast light away from adjoining properties.
B.
Advertising signs and billboard shall have a maximum
sign display area of 360 square feet per side.
[Amended 12-18-1989 by Ord. No. 1657]
Signs which direct attention to a person, business,
profession, occupation or activity are permitted in any zoning district
provided that the sign is situate on the premises wherein the person,
business, profession or activity is situate and the maximum sign display
area is not more than two square feet.
A.
Freestanding signs shall:
(1)
Have a maximum sign display area equal to 1/2 square
foot for each lineal foot of lot frontage on a road, street or highway
(but not including alleys, private roads or drives) or 75 square feet
per side (150 square feet total), whichever is less; provided, that
for shopping centers or shopping malls constructed on tracts of land
containing 20 acres or more there may be one freestanding sign with
a maximum of 120 square feet per side, to identify the shopping center
or shopping mall and some or all of the tenants in the shopping center
or mall.
[Amended 4-8-1991 by Ord. No. 1729]
(2)
Meet all rear and side yard requirements for the zoning
district in which the sign is situate.
(3)
Not be located less than 25 feet from any right-of-way.
(4)
Not be located within any clear site triangle.
(5)
Not exceed 35 feet in height.
B.
Only one freestanding sign may be erected to service
one lot, regardless of the number of businesses conducted on said
lot.
Directional signs shall:
Identification signs for schools, churches,
hospitals, clubs, lodges, farms, estates or similar uses and structures
shall be limited to a single faced sign having a maximum sign display
area of 32 square feet.
A.
Real estate signs shall:
(1)
Include signs advertising the sale or lease of a building,
structure, lot, parcel or tract of land.
(2)
Have a maximum sign display area of 12 square feet
per side.
(3)
When indicating the location of or direction to a
building, structure, lot, parcel or tract of land being developed,
have a maximum sign display area of 24 square feet per side.
(4)
When denoting an "open house," be permitted only during
the time period for which the house is open for inspection.
(5)
Not be located in any right-of-way.
(6)
Not obstruct traffic visibility at driveways or intersections.
B.
Any one real estate-land for sale sign shall be permitted
along any lot, parcel or tract fronting a road, highway or street
and not more than two such signs per development.
A.
Roof signs may be used instead of a freestanding sign.
[Amended 8-10-1998 by Ord. No. 2106]
A.
Temporary signs shall have a maximum sign display area of 32 square
feet per side, with a maximum sign display area of 64 square feet
for a two-sided sign; and shall not be located closer than 10 feet
from any right-of-way.
[Amended 11-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2840]
B.
Election and campaign signs and signs advertising
special events for charitable organizations shall be removed within
15 days after the election or event for which such signs were posted.
C.
Temporary signs must be totally removed at the end
of the permit period. This means the entire sign structure shall be
remove, simply removing letters from a readerboard sign face will
not constitute removal of a sign.
D.
Temporary LED or electronic signs shall limit the sign face change
to a maximum of four changes per hour/once every 15 minutes. The message
shall not include any video. Such signs shall adhere to all other
provisions of this section and all others that pertain to temporary
signs.
[Added 11-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2840]
A.
Wall signs shall:
(1)
Be limited to one per business establishment and one
per tenant, except that two wall signs may be used if there is no
freestanding sign and the business establishment fronts on two streets.
(2)
Have a maximum sign display area of either two square
feet per lineal foot of building frontage or 150 square feet, whichever
is less.
(3)
Not project more than 15 inches from any wall.
B.
The maximum sign display area of a wall sign shall
be computed by drawing a rectangle around the perimeter of the attached
letters or symbols to form an enclosure. Such enclosure is deemed
the sign display area.
Nonconforming signs shall be regulated as nonconforming structures pursuant to § 27-106.
[Amended 6-14-1993 by Ord. No. 1839]
A.
Public notices by governmental bodies, traffic control
signs and other official signs and notices are exempt from the provisions
of this chapter.
B.
No permit shall be required for:
(1)
Signs advertising the sale or lease of real estate
having a maximum sign display area of 12 square feet or less.
(2)
Signs identifying any school, church or hospital,
provided said signs are located on the premises and have a maximum
sign display area of 32 square feet.
(3)
Signs directing individuals to a temporary activity
or point of interest, provided that the sign is located upon the premises
and has a maximum sign display area of two square feet or less.
C.
Advertising signs on public property owned by Whitehall
Township.
(1)
Signs not exceeding four feet by eight feet may be
placed at locations owned by Whitehall Township or by a Whitehall
Township recognized park or playground association for a permit duration
of one year under the following established standards:
(a)
The signs must be approved by the Director of
Recreation for appropriateness in a location frequented by children
and physical placement.
(b)
The signs shall be painted on or adhered to
suitable material such as plywood or other durable material kept in
good repair.
(c)
The signs shall not be mounted with the top
edge of the sign higher than five feet above ground level. Signs may
be attached to fences or walls so long as they do not obstruct clear
site triangles or create other safety hazards.
(d)
The signs must be kept in good repair and shall
be removed by the Township, Recreation Association or Playground Association
in the event that they fall into a state of disrepair or create a
danger. Sign faces shall be mounted toward the park or playing field
areas, and the backs of all signs, if visible, shall be of a uniform
color as determined by the Township or the recognized park or Playground
Association.
[Amended 9-10-2001 by Ord. No. 2332]
A sign which is mounted entirely under a canopy
or the roof of a covered walkway. Under canopy signs shall:
[Added 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2467; amended 12-1-2022 by Ord. No. 3296]
LED and electronic display signs shall:
A.
Be calculated as part of the overall permitted sign
display area, and shall be limited to the same square footage maximums
as all other signs.
B.
Only be permitted in C-2 and C-2A Zoning Districts.
C.
Be located not less than 30 feet from any street,
highway, or other public right-of-way (this includes wall signs);
and shall be not less than 10 feet from any side property line.
D.
Be located not less than 250 feet from any residence,
and not less than 400 feet from any residential zoning district.
E.
Limit the frequency of display changes to being every
15 seconds.
F.
Preclude the placement of any temporary sign on the
premises, including but not limited to banners, readerboard-type signs
and any other temporary display.
