Signs may be erected and maintained only when in compliance
with the provisions of this article and any and all other ordinances
and regulations of this Township which may be applicable.
The following signs shall be permitted in all districts and
shall not be subject to the provisions of this article unless otherwise
specifically cited herein:
A. Signs of a duly constituted local, state or federal governmental
body, including traffic or similar safety and regulatory devices,
legal notices, railway warning signals, memorial signs or tablets;
B. Small signs with a surface area not exceeding three square feet,
displayed for the direction or convenience of the public, which identify
landmarks, parking areas, convenience facilities and similar features;
C. One temporary nonlighted sign on a construction site, not exceeding
an area of 48 square feet, denoting engineer, architect, contractor
or funding agencies and related information regarding the development.
In the A-1, R-1 and R-2 Districts, the following requirements
shall apply.
A. The following signs shall be permitted:
(1) One permanent identification sign for each dwelling unit, which may
cite the name of occupant, address and other distinguishing features
of the structure or property. Such signs shall not exceed one square
foot in area.
(2) One temporary nonlighted real estate sign pertaining to either sale,
lease, hire or rental of property on which the sign is displayed,
not to exceed six square feet in area.
(3) One announcement sign designating professional uses, group residential
facilities, day care or home occupations, provided all such signs
shall be limited to three square feet in area.
(4) One permanent monument sign erected by places of worship, schools,
hospitals, cemeteries, municipal facilities or similar principal permitted
uses, which may include any appropriate message, provided that the
area of such sign shall not exceed 24 square feet in area. The sign
may include, in part or in total, an electronic message sign.
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
(5) Temporary signs advertising a garage sale, street fair or other temporary
activity, or a temporary sign directing persons to the location of
such activity. Signs must be removed within 24 hours of termination
of the activity and shall not exceed 12 square feet in area.
(6) Temporary signs relating to the sale of agricultural products produced
on the premises in residential districts and for roadside stands shall
be limited to a total of two such signs that do not exceed a cumulative
total of 20 square feet in area. Such signs shall be displayed only
when seasonal sales are taking place and removed when not applicable.
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
(7) Signs for private and commercial recreation in A-1 Districts shall
be established in accordance with the following requirements;
(a)
Signs shall be limited to the immediate site.
(b)
Signs shall relate only to the activities at the immediate site.
(c)
There shall be no more than two signs at each business site.
(d)
Individual signs shall not exceed 20 square feet in area.
(e)
Signs mounted or painted on a wall, canopy or other portion
of a principal site structure shall not protrude more than 18 inches
beyond the wall on which said signs are mounted.
B. Signs in all A and R Districts shall be located a minimum distance
of four feet from the street or road right-of-way if no sidewalk exists,
and four feet from the inside edge of the walk, if such a walk exists.
C. The bottommost part of a sign shall not be more than two feet above
ground level, except signs attached to a building. No sign shall project
above a roof or be mounted on a building above the eave line of a
roof or extended above a public sidewalk.
In the Business and Industrial Districts, the following requirements
shall apply.
A. The following signs shall be permitted:
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
(1) Signs advertising the sale or rental or development of property.
(2) Signs indicating the location of premises.
(3) Signs advertising business conducted or services, material or equipment
for sale on the premises.
(4) Business signs not to exceed one square foot of sign area for each
one lineal foot of lot frontage.
(5) Individual signs: One wall sign per wall visible from a street or
commercial access drive shall be permitted for each principal use
within the building to which it is attached. The total cumulative
area of signs per wall shall not exceed 15% of the area of the wall's
face. One monument sign shall be permitted for each parcel at one
square foot for every lineal foot of frontage up to 50 square feet.
The sign shall not exceed eight feet in height.
B. Signs shall be located a minimum distance of 10 feet from the street
right-of-way line.
C. No sign shall be mounted onto a building above the eave line of a
roof or extend above a public sidewalk or vehicular right-of-way.
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
Business signs established for shopping centers and integrated
industrial areas shall meet the following criteria:
A. Monument signs: one monument sign per frontage bearing an entrance
to the center or area. Said sign area shall not exceed 1/2 square
foot per lineal square foot of frontage up to 400 square feet in sign
area. Said sign shall not exceed 12 feet in height. Up to 50% of the
sign area may be comprised of an electronic message sign.
B. Pole sign: one pole sign within 50 feet of the I-70 or SR43 right-of-way
not exceeding 25 feet in height and set back at least 20 feet from
the I-70 or SR43 right-of-way and 50 feet from the remaining site
boundaries. Said sign area shall not exceed 1/2 square foot per lineal
foot of frontage on the preceding routes up to 200 square feet.
C. Wall signs and monument signs for individual establishments within the center or area shall be subject to the standards of §
400-21, Permitted signs in Business and Industrial Districts.
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
Portable or mobile signs and other similar advertising displays
may be used for special sales, announcements and related purposes,
except roadside stands, subject to the following provisions:
A. Display area of such signs shall not exceed 32 square feet.
B. No portion of the sign or its supporting structure shall occupy a
public right-of-way.
C. All lighting and illumination restrictions which apply to displays,
signs and structures under this chapter shall apply except that electronic
message signs shall be prohibited.
D. Permits for the placement of such signs shall be issued for a maximum
of 30 consecutive days and may be renewed no more than one time during
any consecutive one-hundred-eighty-day period.
The following standards shall apply to signs in all zoning districts
of the Township:
A. No sign shall be located or constructed to obstruct, or interfere
with any traffic control signal, sign, device or intersection sight
triangle.
B. All signs shall be constructed of durable materials; shall be kept
in good condition and repair; and shall not be permitted to become
unsightly or dilapidated.
C. No sign shall be permitted that is deemed to constitute a hazard
of any kind.
D. Signs shall not be attached to utility poles except for authorized
public purposes.
E. A sign shall be removed within 30 days when the circumstances that
led to its erection no longer apply or if safety violations occur.
Circumstances that dictate sign removal shall include, but not be
limited to, the following:
(1) The creation of a safety hazard.
(3) Vacancy or termination of the subject business for more than 90 days.
(4) Legal transfer of ownership of a property that involves a change
of name or business activity.
(5) The completion of an event, business transaction or other activity
for which the sign was originally installed.
(6) Any illegality under the provisions of this chapter or regulation
of a duly constituted governmental authority.
F. Signs shall be subject to the following regulations:
(1) All lighting and illumination of signs shall conform to regulations
regarding traffic hazards as specified in local and state regulations,
and shall not cause undue distraction, confusion or hazard.
(2) Signs or devices with flashing, moving or similar lighting or animation
are prohibited in all zoning districts.
G. Business signs not located on the premises of the business or industry
that they advertise shall be permitted only if they meet the following
requirements:
(1) Subject matter on the sign shall be limited to advertising products,
services, or attractions available within 10 miles of the location
of the sign.
(2) Signs shall be permitted only in those districts zoned for business
and industrial uses (B-1, I-1 and I-2).
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
(3) Signs shall be limited to 500 square feet in area.
(4) Signs shall not project over nor be located within public rights-of-way.
(5) The signs shall not be illuminated in any manner that has a potential
of causing undue distraction, confusion or hazard to vehicular traffic.
(6) Signs advertising the same products, services, or attractions shall
not be closer than 1/2 mile from one another.
H. Two menu boards may be authorized for drive-through facilities for
restaurants in the B and I Districts. Menu boards shall not exceed
more than 50 cumulative square feet and eight feet in height and shall
conform to the same setbacks required for the principal structure.
[Added 1-27-2016 by Ord.
No. 224]
I. A residential plan of more than six principal single-family buildings
or two or more multifamily buildings shall be authorized one monument
sign at each entrance not exceeding 15 square feet in sign area or
five feet in height, excepting an additional foot for decorative elements.
[Added 1-27-2016 by Ord.
No. 224]
J. Gas or service station signs.
[Added 1-27-2016 by Ord.
No. 224]
(1) Where a gas or service station is engaged in the on-premises retail
sale of gasoline or other motor vehicle fuels, the following signage
shall be authorized as an accessory use.
(2) Monument signs are authorized as follows:
(a)
In lieu of a freestanding or monument sign otherwise authorized
by this chapter, one monument sign bearing up to 75 square feet of
sign area is authorized on the premises of the gas or service station.
(b)
An automatic changeable copy sign may comprise up to 36 square
feet of said sign area when primarily used for the display of fuel
pricing.
(c)
The monument sign shall not exceed nine feet in height.
(d)
The monument sign shall be located at least 10 feet from the
front property line and 20 feet from side or rear property lines.
(e)
Where the gas or service station is located on a corner lot,
a second sign meeting the standards of this section may be located
on the secondary frontage, provided that both frontages border an
arterial street or an internal street within a retail center or office
park.
(f)
Where the parcel lies within a retail center or office park,
the authorized monument sign may be located within the front yard
adjoining an exterior arterial or collector street.
(3) A canopy sign not to exceed 50 square feet on each face of a canopy
covering fuel stations.
[Added 6-26-1996 by Ord. No. 138]
A. All signs used for political advertisement shall be subject to the
following rules, regulations and requirements:
[Amended 1-27-2016 by Ord. No. 224]
(1) All signs shall be removed within 30 days when the circumstances
that led to its erection no longer apply, such as, but not limited
to, the election for which the candidate or issue was voted upon.
Therefore, all political signs pertaining to a specific issue or candidate
shall be removed within 30 days of the election for which said candidate
or issue was on the ballot.
(2) A sign shall be removed immediately if a safety violation or danger
or hazard occurs.
(3) No sign shall be permitted; unless the same has been erected with
the express consent of all owners of the land upon which the same
is to be placed. Additionally, if ownership of the premises should
change after the erection of the sign(s), then permission must be
obtained from the new owner(s).
(4) Additionally, no sign shall be posted until such time as the candidate
or person responsible for the sign has posted and/or paid a bond or
security deposit in the amount specified hereinafter with the Township,
wherein said sum shall be repaid and/or refunded, without interest,
to the appropriate person within 30 days after it has been determined
that compliance with this chapter and/or amendment thereto and/or
any related provisions of the Zoning Ordinance has/have been made.
The amount of the bond or security deposit for Township, school district
and magisterial district elections, the bond or security deposit for
countywide elections, state senator and state representative, and
the amount of the bond or security deposit for all other elections
shall be subject to change by resolution.
B. All signs used for political advertisements must comply with §
400-24F.
C. Any person or entity violating these requirements, limits and/or
regulations shall be subject to the same penalties and/or enforcement
remedy contained in this chapter and/or as is otherwise available
pursuant to the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Act.
[Added 1-27-2016 by Ord.
No. 224]
Electronic message signs, where authorized, and all illuminated
signs shall be subject to the following standards:
A. Within the R Residential District, signs shall have a minimum display
time of 12 seconds. The transition time between messages and/or message
frames is limited to one second.
B. Where otherwise authorized by this chapter, within the B-1, I-1,
I-2 Districts or authorized shopping centers, electronic message signs
shall have a minimum display time of eight seconds.
C. The following display features and functions are prohibited: scrolling,
traveling, flashing, spinning, rotating, fade, dissolve, any other
moving effects, and all dynamic frame effects or patterns of illusionary
movement or simulated movement.
D. Signs may be illuminated at night. Signs that are illuminated at
night may not exceed a maximum luminance level of 250 cd/m2 or Nits, regardless of the method of illumination.
E. All signs must comply with the maximum luminance level of 750 cd/m2 or Nits at least 1/2 hour before sunset. All electronic
message signs must comply with this maximum luminance level throughout
the night, if the sign is energized, until sunrise, at which time
the sign may resume luminance levels appropriate for daylight conditions,
when required or appropriate.
F. Luminance levels of illuminated signs shall not otherwise exceed
5,000 Nits.
G. Signs that have external illumination, whether the lighting is mounted
above or below the sign face or panel, shall have lighting fixtures
or luminaires that are fully shielded.