A. 
This Part 5 recognizes that signs perform an important function, but that a minimum control of signs is necessary to promote the health, safety and general welfare by lessening hazards to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, by preserving property values, by preventing unsightly and detrimental development which has a blighting influence upon residential, business and industrial uses, by preventing signs from reaching such excessive size that they obscure one another to the detriment of all concerned, and by securing certain fundamentals of design for the Borough.
B. 
Those elements excluded from sign controls include:
(1) 
Flags of any governmental unit or branch or of any charitable or religious organization;
(2) 
Directional flags or signs posted by religious organizations, schools, or hospitals;
(3) 
Interior signs not visible from a public right-of-way or adjoining property;
(4) 
Cornerstones built into or attached to a wall of a building commemorating a person or event;
(5) 
Official notices of any court of public office;
(6) 
Legal notices posted pursuant to law; and
(7) 
Public service company signs as aids to safety or service.
C. 
In all permitted districts, signs may be erected, altered, maintained, used, removed, or moved only if they comply with the provisions of this section and other regulations of the Borough relating to such activities.
D. 
All signs shall require the issuance of a sign permit before erection or replacement. All signs must comply with all of the regulations contained herein, regardless or whether or not a permit is required. A new permit must be obtained before a copy change takes place. No permit shall be required for copy changes on a changeable copy sign.
[Amended 8-19-2014 by Ord. No. 1035]
E. 
Signs existing at the time of passage of this chapter and which do not conform to the requirements of this chapter shall be considered nonconforming signs. Nonconforming signs may be repainted or repaired (including lighting), provided that a repainted or repaired sign does not exceed the dimensions of the existing sign. Copy may also be changed, but a new permit must be obtained before such copy change takes place.
F. 
Signs shall conform to the general character of the neighborhood in which they are located.
A. 
The area of any sign shall be computed by multiplying its greatest height by its greatest length, exclusive of supporting structures, unless such supporting structure is illuminated or is in the form of a symbol or contains advertising copy. In the case of signs that have no definable edges, such as raised letters attached to a building facade, the sign size shall be that area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of the actual message or copy area.
B. 
The area of a sign shall be construed to include all lettering, wording, and accompanying designs and symbols, together with the background, whether open or enclosed, on which they are displayed.
C. 
Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached to or painted on a surface, building, wall, or window, the area shall be considered to be that of the smallest rectangle which can encompass all of the letters and symbols.
D. 
In computing square foot area of a double-faced sign, only one side shall be considered, provided both sign faces are identical. If the interior angle formed by the two faces of a double-faced sign is greater than 45°, then both sides of such sign shall be considered in calculating the sign area.
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.