This chapter shall be referred to as the "Sign Ordinance of
College Township."
It is not the purpose or intent of this sign ordinance to regulate
the message displayed on any sign; nor is it the purpose or intent
of this chapter to regulate any building design or any display not
defined as a sign, or any sign which is contained within a building.
The purposes of the regulations contained in this chapter are to:
A.
Regulate the number, location, size, type, illumination and other
physical characteristics of signs with the Township in order to promote
public health, safety and welfare.
B.
Maintain, enhance and improve the aesthetic environment of the Township
by preventing visual clutter resulting from competition among signs.
C.
Improve the visual appearance of the Township while providing for
effective means of communication, consistent with constitutional guarantees
and the Township's goals of public safety and aesthetics.
D.
Encourage signs which are attractively designed in order to enhance
the economic value as well as the visual character of the various
parts of the community.
All signs, as defined herein, shall comply with the regulations contained within this chapter. With the exception of signs listed in Article II, no sign may be constructed, installed, posted, displayed or modified without first obtaining a sign permit approving the proposed sign's size, design, and location, as well as a license in accordance with Article VI, Administration, of this chapter. In addition, all applicants proposing signs with electrical wiring must obtain a building permit through Centre Region Code Administration as applicable pursuant to Chapter 82, Building and Construction Code and Chapter 100, Electrical Standards.
The following words and phrases, when used in this chapter,
shall have the following meanings given:
A single- or double-faced sign used only on a temporary basis
and commonly called a "sandwich board." See Figure 1.
 Figure 1
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A major street with fast or heavy traffic of considerable continuity used primarily as a traffic artery connecting two or more neighborhood areas. Primary arterial streets extend through the entire urban area, while secondary arterial streets extend through only a portion of the area. Design, standards and classification as such shall be in accordance with Chapter 177, Streets and Sidewalks, as amended.
A roof-like shelter of canvas or other material extending
over a doorway, from the top of a window, over a deck, etc., in order
to provide protection from the weather.
Any sign made of cloth, plastic or similar material used
only on a temporary basis. See Figure 2.
 Figure 2
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Any sign affixed to a building or similar structure on a
permanent basis, including to a wall, parapet, canopy, roof or awning.
A rigid structure, other than an awning, that is permanently
attached to a building or structure, usually covering a sidewalk,
walkway, or drive-through area.
An exempt sign carried by a person on a temporary basis.
See Figure 3.
 Figure 3
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A major street which carries traffic from local streets to arterial streets. Design, standards and classification as such shall be in accordance with Chapter 177, Streets and Sidewalks, as amended.
The display of the name of any business, institution, or
professional establishment, logo of such or the description and/or
prices of items or services available.
Any subdivision or land development activity as defined by
the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.[1]
A development in which the use of land or structures does
not include any space designated to be used for human habitation with
the exception of hotels/motels, nursing and convalescent homes, hospitals
and other similar facilities. For the purposes of this chapter a building
with a mix of residential and nonresidential uses shall be considered
nonresidential if the entire ground floor is devoted to nonresidential
use.
A development which only contains one or more residential buildings. This term shall not apply to an individual lot containing a single-family house or duplex as defined in § 200-7, Definitions.
Any sign or portion thereof which is composed of a series
of lights, including light-emitting diodes, fiber optics, or other
similar technology which has the ability to change the message or
display of the sign face. See Figure 4.
 Figure 4
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A pole or staff from which a flag is hung.
Any fabric or other flexible material attached to or designed
to be flown from a flagpole or similar device.
A sign that is not attached to a building and which is supported
permanently upon the ground by poles, pedestals or braces. Such signs
include what are commonly called "ground pole and monolith signs."
The sum of the gross horizontal areas of all floors of a
building measured from the exterior face of exterior walls, or from
the center line of a wall separating two buildings, but not including
interior parking spaces, loading space for motor vehicles or any space
where the floor-to-ceiling height is less than six feet.
The vertical distance measured from the average ground level
immediately below a sign to the highest point of the sign and its
supporting structure.
A business or nonprofit establishment for the diagnosis,
treatment and other care of the general public through an organized
medical staff which is primarily engaged in providing twenty-four-hour-a-day
inpatient care. The establishment shall be licensed by the Pennsylvania
Department of Health, accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation
of Health Care Organizations as a hospital and have as its mission
the provision of acute care medical and nursing services to the injured,
disabled, pregnant, diseased, sick or mentally ill persons and/or
the provision of rehabilitation services for such persons and to provide
further services which promote good health and well-being of people.
An inflated, nonporous sign filled with air or other gas
that is mounted to a structure, cord, cable or rod or staked to the
ground. See Figure 5.
 Figure 5
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Any sign which is located in the interior of a building or
affixed to the inside of a window.
A unit of analysis for planning purposes, not to exceed a
certain acreage defined by district requirements. Boundaries of a
land planning unit are to be determined by natural or other physical
features that result in a contiguous land area.
A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by
a plat or otherwise as permitted by law and to be used, developed
or built upon as a unit.
A roof-like structure projecting from the wall of a building
(such as on a hotel or theatre), usually over the entrance to a building.
A sign which is erected upon a structure having wheels, rollers
or other means of facilitating movement from one location to another.
The measure of the light emanating from an object and is
used to quantify electronic sign brightness which is calculated by
the total amount of light emitted from a sign divided by the surface
area of the sign measured as candelas per square meter (cd/m2).
Any sign existing and lawful at the time of the passage of
this chapter that does not conform in use, location, height or size
with the regulations or district in which such a sign is located.
Includes all uses which do not include any space designated
to be used for human habitation with the exception of hotels/motels.
A building with a mix of uses shall be considered nonresidential for
the purposes of this chapter if the entire ground floor is devoted
to nonresidential use.
The legal or beneficial owner(s) of land, including the holder
of an option or contract to purchase, whether or not such option or
contract is subject to any condition; a lessee, if he is authorized
under the lease to exercise the rights of the owner; or other persons
having a proprietary interest in the land shall be deemed to be an
owner for the purpose of this chapter; landowner.
The extension of the main walls or a false wall of a building
above the roofline.
Any sign which remains in place for more than 60 days.
A privately owned corridor which provides motor vehicle access
to two or more lots.
An area of land held in single and separate ownership, with
a tax parcel code assigned, which may have one or more premises or
dwelling units located on it. "Property" includes "tract," "parcel,"
and "lot."
A corridor of land set aside for use, in whole or in part,
by a street.
A structural covering over any portion of a building or structure
including projections beyond the walls or supports of the building
or structure.
Any permanent or temporary structure or part thereof or any
device attached, painted or represented, directly or indirectly, on
a support structure or other surface that displays or includes any
letter, word, insignia, flag or representation used as or which is
in the nature of an advertisement, announcement, visual communication,
direction or which is designed to attract the eye or bring the subject
to the attention of the public.
The area of the sign face. All visible faces of a multifaced sign shall be counted separately and totaled together in calculating sign area. See § 170-5, Measuring sign area, for detailed information on measuring area of a sign face.
The surface area on a sign where advertising copy is displayed,
which shall include all lettering as well as any ornamental strip,
border or design around the edges of the lettering.
The portion of the sign which supports the sign face.
The division or redividing of a lot, tract or parcel of land
by any means into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other division
of land, whether immediate or future, of lease, partition by the court
for distribution to heirs or devisees, transfer of ownership or building
or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision by lease
of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than 10 acres
not involving any new street or easement of access or any residential
dwelling shall be exempted.
A sign which is not exempt pursuant to § 170-8, Exempt Signs, that is intended for a limited period of display, no greater than 60 days per calendar year. Such signs include but are not limited to A-frame signs, banners, blade signs, inflatable signs, movable signs and the like.
The vertical exterior surface of a building or structure.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
For the purposes of this chapter, calculating sign area, sign
height, and number of signs shall be calculated as follows.
A.
The area of freestanding sign shall include the entire area within
a single contiguous perimeter enclosing the outer limits of such sign.
This form is defined by the extreme limits of lettering, representations,
emblems or other figures together with all surrounding material, color,
lighting, trim or ornamentation that either form the integral part
of the display or differentiate the sign from the background where
it is placed. Architectural features, structural supports or other
similar sign embellishments that are part of the freestanding sign,
but are not an integral part of the sign shall not be included in
calculating the sign area. See Figure 6.
 Figure 6. Measuring the sign faces of freestanding signs
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B.
Unless specifically noted, all visible faces of a multifaced sign
shall be counted separately and totaled together in calculating area.
C.
When individual lettering, logos and/or figures are mounted and/or
painted directly on a wall, canopy, awning, marquee or parapet, the
sign area shall be measured by the smallest single geometric shape
that can circumscribe all of the lettering, logos and/or figures as
well as any ornamental strip, border or design around the edges of
the lettering. In the case of a sign with mixed case lettering, the
geometric shape shall be drawn around either the ascenders or descenders,
but not both. See Figure 7.
 Figure 7. Measuring the sign area of signs with no background
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D.
Double-faced freestanding signs shall be oriented in a manner that
the angle of orientation of each sign face is no greater than 90°
as measured from the back of each sign face. Where sign faces are
oriented in a manner greater than 90°, as measured from the back
of each sign face, the sign faces shall be treated as one and regulated
as such. See Figure 8.
 Figure 8. The interior angle of a double-faced sign must be
less than 90°, otherwise it will be considered a single-faced
sign
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E.
The height of signs shall not exceed the maximum height for each
sign type. The height shall be measured from the existing average
grade directly below the sign. Where the natural grade of the ground
where a freestanding sign is to be located is lower than that of the
adjacent street, the maximum height shall be measured from an elevation
equal to that of the adjacent street centerline. See Figure 9.
 Figure 9. Measuring the height of a freestanding sign when the
natural grade is lower than the adjacent street
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Signs that are not exempt as noted in § 170-8, exempt signs, shall fall into one of two classes: permanent or temporary. Temporary signs shall be those that are placed for a specific duration as permitted in Article IV, Temporary Signs, and then promptly removed upon expiration of the allowed time period. All other nonexempt signs shall be considered permanent signs and regulated as such pursuant to Article III, Permanent Signs.
The regulations herein shall not be interpreted to restrict the content of any message or graphic displayed within a sign face. The sign face may be changed between commercial and noncommercial advertisement or from one commercial advertisement to another as often as desired by the sign's owner provided that the sign is not prohibited by § 170-9 below and the sign continues to comply with the contents of this chapter.
