A.
To provide opportunities for a variety of sign types and to encourage
sign designs which meet local resident and business needs in a manner
which is compatible with the locality, enhances the economic value
and visual character of the lot and adjacent and nearby lots, and
contributes to rather than detracts from the character and visual
environment of the Township.
B.
To provide for the regulation of sign size, illumination and placement
as a proper exercise of the police power and to protect the public
health, safety, and general welfare.
C.
To reduce hazards to pedestrian and vehicular traffic caused by visual
distractions and sight distance obstructions as relate to sign size,
commercial sign content, illumination, and placement.
D.
To assist in carrying out the goals of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Advertising
Control Act, 36 P.S. § 2718.101 et seq., as amended.
E.
To establish a process for the review and approval of sign permit
applications.
A.
To install a new sign, to replace or add to an existing sign, or
to apply for temporary signage, a zoning permit is required, except
for signs that are exempt from needing a permit under § 803.
B.
Only signs allowed by this article meeting the requirements of this
article and, where required, for which a zoning permit has been issued
are permitted.
C.
A lawfully existing sign, including nonconforming signs, may be repaired
or painted, or the message changed without requiring the issuance
of a zoning permit, provided that the change does not increase the
sign area or height or otherwise result in noncompliance with the
requirements of this article.
No zoning permit shall be required in order to erect any of
the following signs in any zoning district; however, such signs shall
conform to the requirements set forth in this section:
A.
Official highway route number signs, street name signs, or other
official government (federal, state, county, or Township) signs.
B.
Signs located in the interior of a building, except window signs.
C.
Building identification sign.
D.
A sign that does not qualify as an on-premises or off-premises sign,
provided that:
(1)
The sign does not exceed four square feet in area.
(2)
The sign is erected no earlier than one month before and removed
no later than one week after the purpose of the sign is fulfilled.
(3)
There are no more than two signs regulated by this section on
a lot.
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For explanatory purposes only, such signs include, but are not
limited to, a political sign; event sign; instructional sign; directional
sign; and signs of a religious, civil, philanthropic, historical or
education organization.
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E.
Freestanding or wall sign identifying a residential or building development,
for which subdivision and/or land development plans have been approved
by the Mount Joy Township Board of Supervisors, by name and/or logo,
not exceeding a maximum sign area of 25 square feet and a maximum
height of eight feet. One such sign may be located at each entrance
to the development.
A.
Any nonconforming sign which is damaged to the extent of 50% or more
of its cost of replacement or whose face and support are removed shall
only be replaced with a sign that conforms to the requirements of
this article.
A.
A lawfully existing nonconforming nonresidential use in the A or
OC Districts may have one on-premises freestanding sign with a maximum
sign area of five square feet and a maximum height of six feet; provided,
however, such sign shall not be permitted under this section where
one or more nonconforming signs exist on the lot.
B.
A lawfully existing nonconforming nonresidential use in the BPC Districts may have one sign meeting the area requirements of § 110-809B(2).
The following signs are prohibited in the Township:
B.
A device emitting smoke, visible vapor, odor or sound for the primary
purpose of attracting the attention of pedestrians and motorists.
C.
A sign of such character, form, shape or color that imitates or resembles
an official traffic sign, signal or device.
D.
Signs with moving and/or animated parts.
E.
A sign containing or to which is affixed or erected in close proximity
reflective materials to give the appearance of flashing, blinking
or twinkling or which is illuminated by or by which attention is brought
to the sign by lasers and floodlights.
F.
Signs having more than two faces.
G.
Changing message signs, excepting signs providing public service
information such as time, date, temperature, weather or similar information.
H.
A sign containing a message, word or image that is obscene or otherwise
highly offensive to public decency.
I.
Vehicular signs.
J.
Sandwich board signs.
K.
Roof signs.
L.
Portable signs.
A.
The message on an on-premises sign, which sign conforms to the requirements
of this article that relates to a lawfully existing use that has ceased
shall be removed from the sign within 60 days of the cessation of
the use.
B.
An on-premises sign relating to a nonconforming use that has been
abandoned shall be removed within 60 days of the abandonment of the
nonconforming use.
For purposes of this article, the following words shall have
the following definitions:
A sign intended to be hung with or without a frame, and possessing
characters, letters, illustrations, or ornamentations applied to plastic
or fabric of any kind, excluding flags and emblems of political, fraternal,
religious, or civic organizations.
An off-premises sign which directs attention to or communicates
information about a business, commodity, service or event that exists
or is conducted, sold, offered, maintained or provided at a location
other than the lot where the sign is located.
A freestanding or wall sign which gives the name of the building
itself, as opposed to the name of the occupant or business or activity
carried on therein, not exceeding four feet in area.
A sign attached to, painted, or printed onto a roof-like
cover, whether freestanding or affixed, to a building and serving
to shield persons from the elements when entering, exiting, standing
in front of or passing by the building. This shall be considered a
type of wall sign.
A sign on which message copy can be changed through use of
attachable letters, numerals, symbols and other graphics or by electronic
switching of lamps, LED, illuminating tubes or another electronic
or electrical method.
A temporary type of sign containing the name and contact
information for a contractor performing work on the land or building(s)
upon which such signs are displayed.
A sign containing the name, logo or symbol of a business
or institutional use or building, and a directional arrow and/or distance
to the proposed use.
A sign with two parallel and opposite-facing sides which
are attached to and supported by the same structure. Such signs shall
be designed and placed such that only one side of the sign is visible
from any given direction of traffic flow.
A temporary sign announcing a community event, such as a
fish fry, a fishing derby, a bike race, a school play or concert,
or similar event. Such sign may include the name of the event, the
event sponsor, date of the event and the location of the event (including
a directional arrow and/or distance to the event site) and shall not
exceed six square feet in area. Such sign may be displayed no earlier
than 30 days in advance of the event and removed within three calendar
days after the event.
A temporary sign for a community event, such as a fish fry,
a fishing derby, a bike race, a school play or concert, or similar
event, that contains the name and location of an event and a directional
arrow and/or distance to the proposed event. Such sign shall not exceed
six square feet in area, may be displayed no earlier than 24 hours
in advance of the event, and shall be removed within three calendar
days after the event.
A detached sign erected and maintained on a freestanding
frame, mast, or pole and not attached to any building, including a
vehicular sign.
A type of freestanding sign that is placed directly on the
ground.
The vertical distance from the grade at the base of the sign
support to the uppermost portion of the sign structure.
A sign which displays only the name, address, and/or crest,
insignia, or trademark, major occupation or profession of an occupant.
An on-premises sign designed to guide vehicular and/or pedestrian
traffic by using such words as "Entrance," "Exit," "Parking," "No
Parking," "One Way," "Warning," "No Trespassing," or similar instruction,
and including signs within a residential or business development directing
service personnel and guests to a building, area or use within the
development.
A sign lawfully existing at the time of enactment of this
chapter, but which does not conform to the requirements of this chapter.
A sign that draws attention to or communicates information
about a business, service, or commodity, that exists or is conducted,
sold, offered, maintained, or provided at a location other than the
premises where the sign is located.
A sign that draws attention to or communicates information
about a business, service, or commodity that exists or is conducted,
sold, offered, maintained, or provided on the premises where the sign
is located.
A sign which is affixed to the ground or a building by enduring
means, and is not readily relocatable.
A temporary sign that advertises a candidate(s) for public
elective office(s), supports a political party, or promotes a position
on a public or ballot issue, so long as it is not exceeding four square
feet in area and removed within seven calendar days of the election.
A sign which is designed to be relocated and is not permanently
affixed to the ground or a structure.
A sign affixed to a wall or other vertical surface at an
angle.
A temporary type of sign pertaining only to the lease, sale
or rental of the land(s) or building(s) upon which such signs are
displayed.
A sign erected or maintained in whole or in part upon or
over the roof or parapet of a building.
A temporary sign which is not secured to the ground or any
structure and forms an inverted "V" or is supported by or affixed
to an easel.
Any object, display or structure, or part thereof, which
is used to advertise, identify, display, direct, or attract attention
to an object, person, institution, organization, business, product,
service, event or location by any means, including words, letters,
figures, symbols, insignia, fixtures, colors, illumination, or projected
images. The term "sign" does not include the flag or emblem of any
nation, organization of nations, state, political subdivision, municipality,
or any fraternal, religious or civic organization; works of art which
in no way identify a product or business; scoreboards located on athletic
fields; or religious symbols.
A sign intended for short-term use, such as political signs,
holiday and special event signs, grand opening/going-out-of-business
signs, construction/contractor identification signs, and sandwich
board signs.
A sign affixed or painted on a parked vehicle, so sited as
to be visible from the public right-of-way, for the basic purpose
of providing advertisement of a product(s) or directing people to
a business or activity located on the same or nearby lot and the vehicle
is not essential or integral to the normal day-to-day operations of
said business or primarily used for transportation purposes. Such
sign is a freestanding sign.
A sign directly attached to or painted on an exterior wall
of a building or dependent upon a building for its support, with its
exposed face parallel or approximately parallel to the plane of the
building.
A sign which is located on the inside or outside of a window
or door and is readable from outside of the building.
A.
Location.
(1)
No off-premises signs shall be permitted, except as otherwise
permitted by this article.
(2)
No sign shall be placed within the sight distance triangle as
defined by this chapter.
(3)
Except where specifically authorized by this chapter, no sign
shall be erected within the legal or ultimate right-of-way of any
public or private street.
(4)
A sign may be located within a required front setback, provided
that it meets the additional requirements of this section.
(5)
No sign shall be erected or maintained so as to prevent free
ingress or egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
(6)
No sign shall be permitted which obscures or otherwise interferes
with an official traffic sign, signal or device or which obstructs
or interferences with the driver's view of approaching, merging or
intersecting traffic.
(7)
No sign shall be permitted to be erected or maintained upon
utility poles, streetlights, or trees, or painted or drawn upon rocks
or other natural features.
B.
Area.
(1)
For the purposes of this chapter, the area of a sign shall be
calculated as follows:
(a)
Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, sign area shall
include all lettering, pictures, graphics, symbols, three-dimensional
displays, and background illumination within the smallest rectangle
of background area on which displayed, but not including a supporting
structure or area clearly incidental to the sign.
(b)
In the case of a freestanding sign, the sign area is equal to
the entire area of the sign face and the area of the horizontal or
vertical projections from the sign face. In computing the sign area
of a double-sided freestanding sign where both faces are parallel
and back-to-back, only the largest sign face shall be considered.
(2)
An on-premises sign permitted on a lot in the AC and OC Districts
shall not exceed eight square feet and, in the BPC and BPC-O Districts,
shall not exceed 15 square feet.
[Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-05]
(3)
A sign, other than an on-premises sign or an off-premises sign
as defined in this article, may not exceed four square feet in area.
For explanation only, signs regulated by this subsection would include
signs commonly recognized to be a political sign, event sign, instructional
sign, directional sign, real estate sign, or contractor sign.
C.
Height.
(1)
A sign permit shall not be issued for a lot regraded or improved
with a berm for the purpose of elevating an allowed sign.
(2)
For signs to be placed on a lot having an existing grade below
the adjacent road grade, minor variations in height up to 25% of the
height requirement may be allowed by the Zoning Officer to achieve
a maximum sign height consistent with the allowed height had the lot
grade continued the road grade.
[Amended 9-3-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-05]
D.
Illumination.
(1)
Signs shall be illuminated only by white, stationary external
lights or back-lighted by an interior stationary light, and only so
long as such illumination does not cause glare for motorists, pedestrians,
or neighboring lots, or impair the vision of a driver or otherwise
interfere with a driver's operation of a motor vehicle.
(2)
No sign shall be illuminated by flashing, intermittent or moving
type lights. This requirement is not applicable to holiday displays
between October 15 and January 15.
(3)
Illumination shall be shielded and directed so that the source
of light shall not be visible from any point off the lot on which
the sign being illuminated is erected, and so that only the sign is
directly illuminated thereby.
(4)
Illumination and wiring of all electric signs shall comply with
the then-current electrical code.
(5)
Signs located within 200 feet of a dwelling or a lot line in
the AC and OC Zoning Districts shall not be illuminated within the
hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
E.
Number of signs.
(1)
On any lot of record, no more than one on-premises freestanding
sign is permitted per lot frontage.
(2)
On any lot of record, no more than one off-premises sign is
permitted.
(3)
On any lot of record, no more than two signs not meeting the
definition of off-premises or on-premises signs are permitted. For
explanation only, signs regulated by this subsection would include,
but are not limited to, signs commonly recognized to be a political
sign, event sign, real estate sign, or contractor sign.
F.
Sign supports. All freestanding signs shall be erected on either
a single or two supports, which supports shall be constructed of metal
or weather-treated wooden posts of sufficient diameter to support
and secure the sign to prevent the sign from collapse and from being
borne away by wind.
G.
Maintenance. All signs, including any support structures, shall be
maintained in good repair and a structurally sound condition.
Signs within 660 feet of the right-of-way of US Route 15 shall
be governed by then-current Pennsylvania and federal requirements
regulating sign size and placement. Demonstration of compliance with
these requirements shall be submitted to the Township prior to erecting
the sign.
Any billboard sign erected after the effective date of this
chapter shall comply with the following standards and the requirements:
A.
Billboards shall be permitted only in the BPC-O District, subject
to the requirements set forth in this section.
B.
A billboard is not permitted on a lot already occupied by a roofed
structure, telecommunications tower, wind turbine, solar energy system,
or another billboard.
C.
A billboard facing an expressway, as classified in the Mount Joy
Township Comprehensive Plan Roadway Classification Map, shall not
exceed 672 square feet in total surface display area per face. A billboard
that faces an arterial or collector road, as classified in the Mount
Joy Township Comprehensive Plan, Roadway Classification Map, shall
not exceed 300 square feet in total surface display area per face.
No billboard may face a local/minor road as classified in the Mount
Joy Township Comprehensive Plan, Roadway Classification Map.
D.
The maximum number of faces on a billboard shall be two, provided
that not more than one face is visible to an individual viewer at
one time.
E.
No billboard shall exceed 40 feet in height. The distance shall be
measured from the ground level at the base of the billboard's support
system to the highest point of the billboard.
F.
No billboard shall be located within:
Off-premises directional signs for a business or institutional
use shall be allowed within the Township-owned public road rights-of-way
subject to the following standards and requirements:
A.
A license issued by the Township allowing placement of the sign in
the Township-owned public road right-of-way.
B.
Signs subject to this section shall be purchased and installed by
the Township, upon advance payment to the Township of the actual cost
of the construction of the sign plus an administrative fee for maintenance
of the sign as is established by resolution adopted by the Mount Joy
Township Board of Supervisors.
C.
The location of such signs shall be subject to review and recommendation
by the Mount Joy Township Roadmaster and approval by the Mount Joy
Township Board of Supervisors upon consideration of local road conditions,
hazards and obstructions.
D.
No sign may be erected within a clear sight triangle.
E.
Such signs shall be 12 inches by 36 inches in dimension.
F.
Such signs shall be metal, sage green in color, and have bright white
reflective lettering.
G.
The height of the letters on such signs shall not exceed six inches.
H.
Such signs shall be installed and supported by two metal posts.
I.
The height of the directional sign support shall be determined by
roadway conditions, but in no event shall exceed eight feet.
J.
Up to four individual directional signs are permitted on a single
support.
K.
No more than one directional sign support structure is permitted
per street intersection.
L.
An individual business or institution may apply for a directional
sign at each compass point from the business or institution and placed
at a location not more than one road mile from the business or institution.
