[Ord. No. 17-89, § 8.1]
It is the purpose of these regulations to place certain minimum limitations on the display of signs as to assure that they will be appropriate to the land, building or use to which they are appurtenant and be adequate but not excessive for their intended purpose; and to avoid excessive competition among sign displays in their demand for public attention.
No sign shall be erected, displayed, replaced or structurally altered except as provided by these regulations, and unless a Sign Permit has been issued by the Building Department.
[Ord. No. 17-89, § 8.2]
All signs shall be kept in good repair and in safe condition, and shall be reinspected by the Building Department on the fourth anniversary of the issuance of the sign permit. The owner of the premises on which a sign is erected shall be directly responsible for keeping such sign in a safe, neat and clean condition.
Any sign now or hereafter existing which no longer identifies or advertises a bona fide business conducted, product sold, or activity or campaign being conducted shall be taken down and removed by the owner, agent or person having beneficial use of the building, structure, or lot upon which sign is located within ninety (90) days of the cessation, of any business. No new sign permit shall be issued until all existing or previous signs have been removed.
[Ord. No. 17-89, § 8.4]
Unless specified, no sign permit is required for the following signs which are permitted in any zone in which the appurtenant use is allowed and the specified signs shall be included when computing the maximum sign area permitted:
a. 
One identification sign stating the name and address of the occupant, not exceeding two (2) square feet.
b. 
Any sign erected by the Borough, County, State or Federal Government.
c. 
Church, school or library exterior bulletin-board, not exceeding ten (10) square feet.
d. 
Any "No Trespassing", "Private Parking", "Exit", or "Entrance" signs, not exceeding two (2) square feet for each sign.
e. 
Informational or directional signs or historical markers authorized or erected by a public agency.
f. 
Display of the National, State, County or Borough flag.
g. 
Any flag, badge or insignia customarily displayed by any governmental agency, civic, fraternal, religious or similar organization.
h. 
Temporary displays or lighting as a customary part of holiday decorations.
i. 
One temporary "For Sale", "For Rent" or "For Lease" sign not exceeding four (4) square feet.
j. 
One temporary "Opening", "Closing", "Under New Management" or similar sign in any commercial or district, shall not exceed twenty (20%) percent of the individual window area or displayed for more than thirty (30) days, providing a sign permit is issued.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection j, regarding lettered window signs in any commercial district, was repealed 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04. This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of subsequent subsections.
k. 
Temporary political signs displayed during election campaigns.
l. 
A temporary construction sign not exceeding thirty-two (32) square feet.
m. 
All filling stations in a commercial zone are allowed one free standing sign, not to exceed thirty-two (32) square feet of sign area and shall not exceed eighteen (18) feet in overall height and be at least ten (10) feet from any property line. A minimum clearance of eight (8) feet, above ground level shall also be required.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 18-8.3, Sign Measurement, Location and Illumination, was repealed 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04. This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former §§ 18-8.4 through 18-8.7 as §§ 18-8.3 through 18-8.5, respectively.
[Ord. No. 17-89, § 8.6]
The following signs are prohibited in all zones:
a. 
No sign, shall be located in any street right-of-way.
b. 
No sign or advertising device shall be erected, used or maintained which in any way simulates official directional or warning signs erected or maintained by a governmental agency for the protection of the public health and safety.
c. 
No sign or advertising device shall be erected or maintained in such a manner as to obstruct or interfere with the free and clear vision on any street or driveway.
d. 
No illuminated sign or lighting device shall be placed or directed in manner that would permit the light beams and illumination to be directed or beamed onto a public street, sidewalk or adjoining properties so as to cause glare or reflection that might constitute a traffic hazard or public nuisance.
e. 
Any moving sign or device designed to attract attention, including fluttering or rotating devices, such as but not limited to pennants, flags, propellers, discs, etc.
f. 
Any sign or device with flashing or intermittent lights of changing degrees of intensity.
g. 
Any strings of lights or illuminated tubing outlining property lines, open sales areas, wall edges, roof lines, doors or windows of a building.
h. 
All portable signs, including but not limited to any sidewalk display free standing and any sign displayed on a vehicle when such vehicle is used for the purpose of such display.
i. 
No sign shall be erected or attached to the roof of a building.
j. 
No commercial building on Anderson and/or Palisade Avenue shall be monochromatically painted in any color excepting white, black or washing and sealing of the original brick façade. All other colors are prohibited without approval from the sign committee.
[Added 4-5-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-04]
k. 
Redundant signs naming the type of business more than once shall not be permitted on the storefront, excepting the original name of the type of business in the main “header” sign.
[Added 4-5-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-04]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 18-8.5, Signs Permitted in Commercial Zones, was repealed 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04. This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former §§ 18-8.6 through 18-8.7 as §§ 18-8.5 through 18-8.5, respectively.
[Added 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
AWNINGS AND CANOPIES
The ground level of a building in a business district may have awnings or canopies to complement the architectural style of a building. Canvas or cloth awnings may also be used on the upper levels of a building. Signage on awnings is to conform to the herein sign standards. Standards applicable to awnings and canopies are as follows:
a. 
The maximum height from ground level to uppermost portion of such awning or canopy should not exceed the height of the sill or bottom of any second story window or 14 feet, whichever is less. In the case of single-story buildings, maximum height is limited to the lesser of 12 feet or the top of the wall.
b. 
A minimum height of eight feet from ground level to lowermost portion of an awning or canopy is to be maintained.
c. 
The maximum horizontal project dimension of an awning from the building wall, including any appurtenances, is not to exceed two feet. Such awning may project over a public sidewalk.
d. 
An awning's surfacing material should be constructed of canvas, cloth or vinyl.
e. 
The awning may have up to two colors, to include the color of any sign, and is to be compatible with the architectural color scheme of the entire building.
[Added 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
a. 
Wall signs may only display the name, with or without a logo, products or services relating to uses occupying the building on which the sign is placed.
b. 
A wall sign may be placed on the building wall on which the main entrance is located and on any wall having street frontage. Where an on-site parking area abuts a building, a wall sign may also be placed at the building entrance from the parking area, provided the parking area is not situated between the building and a street line.
c. 
Wall signs may not cover any portion of a wall opening and may not be erected in a manner which would impede egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
d. 
Wall signs are not to extend above the first story of the building or 14 feet, whichever is the lesser, and in any case, are not to extend above a roofline.
e. 
A minimum height of eight feet is to be maintained from grade to the bottom of the sign, which sign is not to project more than nine inches from the facade.
f. 
Maximum area is limited to 10% of the first-floor area of the facade to which affixed; further providing, the maximum vertical dimension of the sign does not exceed 24 inches. The maximum horizontal dimension is limited to 75% of the facade width. Where a building may have more than one wall sign, the dimensions of any such sign, located on other than the facade having the main entrance, are limited to 75% of the dimensions of wall signs on the main entrance facade.
g. 
Wall signs at a building entrance from an on-site parking area, which is not situated between the building and a street line, are limited to an area of 12 square feet and a vertical dimension of two feet.
[Added 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
a. 
Window signs may be displayed in windows of facades having a street frontage and are limited to display in first-story windows.
b. 
Signs are limited to those indicating membership in a retail or professional organization, credit card or credit association, manufacturers, required licenses, or advertisements relating to the sale, products, or services of the establishment.
c. 
Only one sign is permitted per window to a maximum of two such signs per business use.
d. 
Maximum sign area is limited to 20% of the window area.
e. 
The signs may be internally illuminated.
[Added 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
a. 
Awning/canopy signs may be placed on the first story of a facade having street frontage.
b. 
Signs are limited to placement on the portion of the awning/canopy, which is parallel to the street line, and may not be placed on the end elevations.
c. 
Sign copy is limited to the name of the business, logo and street address.
d. 
Lettering is limited to 18 inches in height.
e. 
Maximum sign area is limited to 60% of the area of the awning/canopy, excluding the aggregate area of the end elevations.
[Added 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
18-8.10.1. 
Any property owner, or tenant with the consent of the property owner, may appear before the Mayor and Council or its designee to petition for a waiver from the sign standards enunciated in this Chapter 18, Article 8, Sign Regulations.
a. 
The applicant shall petition the Council for the waiver of the ordinance and include the following in their application for waiver:
1. 
Address location;
2. 
Authorization of the property owner;
3. 
Proposed waiver (section of ordinance);
4. 
Drawing of the proposed sign, inclusive of a drawing of the proposed sign/canopy complying with the Sign Ordinance. Nonprofessional drawings will be accepted if they are drawn noting measurement approximations of the building facade and proposed sign.
18-8.10.2. 
Council, or its designee, shall, within 60 days of submission, issue their consent or denial to the waiver request. The Council reserves the right to create a Sign Ordinance Review Committee consisting of the Municipal Zoning Officer, Construction Code Official, Borough Administrator, Borough Clerk and Borough Attorney. Three affirmative votes are required from the Committee to grant a waiver from the Sign Ordinance.
18-8.10.3. 
If the applicant's waiver request is denied, the applicant shall have the right to appear before the Zoning Board of Adjustment to obtain a variance authorizing their proposed sign.
18-8.10.4. 
The sign application fee shall be $100. This fee may be changed by the Council at any time by resolution.
[Added 7-10-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-04]
18-8.11.1. 
All businesses shall display signage naming their business.
18-8.11.2. 
Upon the opening of a new business, sale of existing business and/or a change of business name, the business establishment shall set forth the proposed business name and file either an application for a certificate of occupancy or continued occupancy.
18-8.11.3. 
Failure to comply with any section of this chapter shall result in the imposition of a daily fine of $100 per day per Zoning Ordinance section offense, plus each day of noncompliance.
18-8.11.3.1. 
The Building Official, upon any violation of this Article, is authorized to “red tag” the building and prohibit use of the building until the owner or tenant complies with the terms of the Sign Ordinance.
[Added 4-5-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-04]
18-8.11.4. 
Enforcement.
a. 
The enforcement of this section shall be retroactive so as to apply all existing business establishments in the Borough, as well as prospective businesses, provided that all existing business establishments shall be given 90 days to comply with the provisions contained herein.
b. 
The enforcement of this section shall be the responsibility of the Borough's Zoning Officer, Construction Code Official or their duly authorized designee.
[Ord. No. 17-89, § 8.7]
Any Sign Permit shall be revoked by the Building Department if the erected, replaced or structurally altered sign does not comply with these regulations.
Any sign permit issued by the Building Department shall be put into effect or work commenced within one (1) year after the date issued or said permit shall be null and void.