The following signs shall not be permitted to remain or to be
erected:
A. Signs which are obsolete structures not meeting construction standards,
out-of-date political billboards, signs advertising defunct businesses
and signs which have been erected without a building permit having
been issued therefor.
B. Signs which are illegal under state law or regulations.
C. Signs that are not securely fixed on a substantial structure.
D. Signs which attempt or appear to attempt to regulate, warn or direct
the movement of traffic or which interfere with, imitate or resemble
any official traffic sign, signal or device.
E. Signs that prevent free ingress or egress from any doors, window
or fire escape; or that are attached to a standpipe or fire escape.
F. Signs advertising a use no longer in existence or a product no longer
available.
G. Banners, spinners, flags, pennants, or any moving objects used for
commercial advertising purposes, whether containing a message or not,
except as specifically allowed in this Part 5.
H. Flashing, blinking, twinkling, animated, or moving signs of any type,
except those portions of signs which indicate time and temperature.
I. Real estate signs except for signs on the property for sale as noted in §
455-160D.
J. Signs located or arranged in such a manner to interfere with traffic
through glare, through blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets,
sidewalks, or driveways, through confusion with a traffic control
device (by reason of color, location, shape, or other characteristic),
or through any other means.
[Amended 8-19-2014 by Ord. No. 1035]
A. Signs necessary for direction, regulation, and control of traffic;
street name signs; legal notices; warnings at railroad crossings;
and other official federal, state, county and Borough governmental
signs.
B. Temporary signs announcing or advertising any educational, charitable,
civic, professional, religious or similar campaign or event may be
permitted, providing they do not exceed 32 square feet in area and
are removed promptly after the conclusion of the campaign or event.
This does not include "A" type sandwich sidewalk or curb signs used
for commercial businesses.
C. Temporary political signs announcing political candidates seeking
office, political parties and/or political and public issues contained
on a ballot shall be subject to the following:
(1)
On private property, each political sign shall not exceed an
aggregate gross area of six square feet per side or 12 square feet
in aggregate.
(2)
On private property, temporary political signs may be located
in any front, side or rear yard areas.
(3)
The top of temporary political signs shall not project higher
than three feet, as measured from the grade at the base of the sign
to the top of the sign.
(4)
No temporary political sign shall be located within 20 feet
of any street intersection or any intersection between a street and
an alley or planting strip area. Temporary political signs shall not
interfere with the visibility or effectiveness of an official traffic
sign, signal or device, nor shall any temporary political sign obstruct
or physically interfere with a driver's view of approaching or intersecting
traffic.
[Amended 11-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1099]
(5)
Temporary political signs may be erected or maintained for a
period not to exceed 60 calendar days prior to the date of the election
to which such signs are applicable, and shall be removed within seven
calendar days following such election.
D. Signs advertising the sale, lease, or rental of property, provided
that the area of any such sign shall not exceed six square feet. No
more than one such sign shall be placed on property held in single
and/or separate ownership unless such property fronts on more than
one public street, in which case one such sign may be erected on each
public street frontage. All signs shall be removed within seven days
after settlement or rental has been entered into. All signs shall
be located within the lot lines and outside of the street right-of-way.
E. No Trespassing signs and signs indicating the private nature of a
road, driveway, or premises, provided that the area of any such sign
shall not exceed two square feet.
F. Where a real estate developer is engaged in selling lots only, then temporary signs advertising the sale of lots in the subdivision shall be permitted during the initial period of the development project, which period shall commence with the recording date of the subdivision plan and shall end 12 months thereafter. The permit for such signs may be renewed at the end of each twelve-month period. For construction and construction related signs, refer to §
455-161D.
[Amended 8-19-2014 by Ord. No. 1035]
A. No sign shall be erected containing information on it which states
or implies that a property may be used for any purpose not permitted
under the provisions of this chapter in the zone in which the property
to which the sign relates is located.
B. All signs except temporary signs shall be constructed of durable
material and kept in good condition and repair. Electrical signs shall
be subject to the performance criteria of the Underwriters Laboratory,
Incorporated, or to applicable Borough codes, whichever is more stringent.
C. Signs may be illuminated by direct lighting but shall have such lighting
shielded so no direct light will shine on abutting properties or in
the normal line of vision of the public using the streets or sidewalks.
No flood or spotlights shall be mounted higher than 15 feet above
ground level.
D. Nonilluminated temporary signs may be permitted on new construction
sites, if such signs do not exceed 32 square feet in total area and
if they are removed within seven days after completion of the construction
work. Not more than one sign shall be placed on each street frontage
of the construction site. For renovations or repairs to existing buildings
or residences, nonilluminated temporary signs noting individual contractors
are permitted only on the specific property where work by said contractor
is being performed. These signs may be no larger than four square
feet, shall not be installed more than seven calendar days prior to
the start of the work on the site, and shall be removed within seven
calendar days of the completion of the work. These signs are not permitted
on the sites of construction projects where there are multiple contractors
performing the project work.
E. No signs except those of a duly constituted governmental body, including
traffic signs and similar regulatory notices, shall be allowed within
street lines unless specifically authorized by the Borough and in
compliance with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regulations.
F. If a building has facades fronting on two or more public streets
or access drives available to the public, the sign area for each building
facade shall be computed separately.
G. No sign, except such directional devices as may be required by the
Federal and State Aviation Authorities, shall be placed, inscribed,
or supported upon the roof or upon any structure which extends above
the roof of any building.
H. Any vehicle to which a sign is affixed in such a manner that the
carrying of such sign or signs no longer is incidental to the vehicle's
primary purpose, but becomes a primary purpose in itself, shall be
considered a freestanding sign and, as such, be subject to the provisions
regarding freestanding signs in the district in which such vehicle
is located.
I. Pennants, flags, banners, balloons and similar temporary signs shall
be permitted only for a new business for a period of one month and
for existing businesses in the Central Business District, the General
Business District, and the Light Industrial District for special occasions
not more than four times per year for a period of no more than 20
days per occurrence up to a maximum annual total of 60 days per calendar
year. Temporary and banner signs shall be a maximum of 20 square feet
per occurrence.
J. "A" type sandwich signs shall be permitted for use on sidewalks by
businesses in the Central and General Business Districts at all times,
but must be located no more than three feet from the facade of the
establishment for which the advertisement is being displayed, unless
otherwise approved by the Borough. The signs may only be displayed
during the regular business hours of the establishment and shall not
exceed 12 square feet in area. Permits must be obtained for these
signs. Signs are to be displayed at the location noted on the permit
application. Any changes to the sign location shall require the submission
of a new permit application.
K. Wall signs shall not extend beyond the edge of any facade or other
surface to which they are mounted.
L. Projecting signs shall not extend more than four feet from the wall
or surface to which they are mounted. No projecting signs shall interfere
with normal pedestrian or vehicular traffic or be closer than six
feet to the property line.
M. Unless otherwise provided in this chapter, no sign except a wall
sign or projecting sign, as defined herein, shall be permitted to
have any portion thereof extending into the public right-of-way in
excess of four feet, except as hereinafter modified, and shall be
at least 10 feet above the pavement or ground.
N. All sign provisions shall apply to signs on smokestacks, water towers,
and other similar structures.
O. Canopy or awning signs shall state only the name, address, or both,
of the resident of the property where the sign is located. Logos of
the resident business shall be permitted on the canopy/awning. The
canopy/awning shall provide a minimum clearance of eight feet from
the bottom of the canopy/awning to the sidewalk. Fixed or retractable
canopies or awnings shall not project more than four feet into any
street right-of-way. No portion of any awning structure, brace or
pole shall interfere with the use of a public sidewalk.
P. Electronic signs are permitted only in the Central Business District and the General Business District. Electronic signs must comply with all provisions of Part
5, Articles
XXV,
XXVI and
XXVII, of this chapter. Electronic signs may not contain flashing, blinking, scrolling or moving lights, text or graphics, or any full-motion video. An electronic sign must remain static for a minimum period of 10 seconds during which the display may not transition to display new information. A maximum transition interval of one second, during which period the sign display transitions to another display, is required.