While signs are an available means of individual expression,
their time, place, and manner can create visual disorder, leading
to a diminution of aesthetic quality, property values, and public
safety. Therefore, the regulation of signs within the Borough based
on time, place, and manner, is intended to protect the residents,
property owners, visitors of the Borough, and others from nuisances
and safety risks associated with signs.
The provisions of this article shall apply to all signs erected
within the Borough that are directed to be viewed from any outdoor
space(s). All erection, construction, reconstruction, enlargement,
moving, altering or converting of signs in the Borough shall be performed
in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
In this section, standards that apply to all signs in all districts
are described.
A. Measuring sign dimensions.
(1)
Sign height. The height of a sign shall be the difference between
the 1) elevation of the highest point of the sign, including the bracket,
supports, and sign face surrounds, and 2) the elevation of the finished
grade at the base of the sign or the elevation of the crown of the
adjacent public street, whichever is highest.
(2)
Measuring sign area.
(a)
For signs that include a sign frame or background around or
behind the sign letters, designs or symbols, the sign area shall mean
the area of the frame or background and contents therein, such as
six square feet in the case of a two-foot-by-three-foot vinyl temporary
yard sign.
(b)
For sign elements mounted directly on a principal or accessory
structure’s architectural surface, such as in the case of letters
mounted without a frame or background into a building’s brick
facade, the sign area shall mean the area of the smallest rectangle
that encompasses all of the letters, designs, and symbols of a sign.
(c)
The sign area shall not include any supporting framework or
bracing that is incidental to the display, provided that it does not
contain any lettering, wording, or symbols.
(d)
When two identical sign faces are placed back-to-back so that
both faces 1) cannot be viewed from any one point at the same time,
2) are part of the same sign structure, and 3) are not more than 24
inches apart, the sign area shall be computed as the sign area of
one of the faces.
B. Sign location and safe movement.
(1)
Sight triangle for vision clearance. No sign may obstruct the
sight triangle of an intersection along a public right-of-way. The
sight triangle for vision clearance is defined in this chapter’s
glossary.
(2)
Traffic signs and signals.
(a)
No sign may, by its color, shape, positioning, or nature, obstruct
the view of a traffic sign or traffic signal.
(b)
A sign may not use a color, shape, positioning, or message that
could reasonably cause confusion with pedestrian or vehicular traffic
directives.
(c)
No red, green, or yellow illuminated sign may be located within
300 feet of any traffic signal.
(3)
A sign shall not be located in a manner that interferes with
the movement or visibility of pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, or
other such users of the right-of-way.
(4)
A sign and its supporting structures shall not interfere with
public utility equipment or communications lines or equipment that
are either above or below grade.
C. Consent. No sign may be permitted without the consent of the property
owner or their authorized agent. If it is determined that a sign is
or was erected without proper consent of the property owner or their
authorized agent, the permit for such a sign shall be revoked.
D. Public property.
(1)
A sign on public property may not project over a roadway or
into a utility easement airspace.
(2)
A new permit for a sign located on public property will only
be granted for a sign of the projecting sign type or of the sandwich
board sign type.
(3)
A projecting sign must be affixed to a legal structure and affixed
to a structure’s elevation that is set back less than five feet
from a lot line abutting public property.
(4)
No sign is permitted on public property in the P-1 District.
E. Conditional uses. For conditional uses in any district: sign types,
sizes, location, and manner may be allowed or prohibited in association
with such conditional use as determined by this chapter or by the
Board of Zoning Appeals.
F. Lots with multiple street frontages. For a lot with multiple street
frontages, any sign allowance that allows sign counts or area based
on street frontage shall apply to each street frontage. In this case,
a frontage with a public alleyway does not constitute a street frontage.
G. Changeable copy and electronic digital message sign features.
(1)
Changeable copy and electronic digital message signs are permitted
only where indicated in the Sign Table.
(2)
No video, animation, scrolling, noise, or flashing features
are permitted.
H. Sign maintenance. All signs shall be maintained in safe and good
structural condition, in compliance with all applicable building and
electrical codes, and in conformance with this chapter at all times.
Such maintenance includes replacement of all defective bulbs, parts,
materials, painting, repainting, cleaning, and other acts required
for maintenance of erected signs. If any sign does not comply with
the above maintenance and repair standards, the Borough shall require
its removal.
I. Removal of unsafe, unlawful, or abandoned signs.
(1)
Upon written notice by the Borough, the owner, person, or firm
maintaining a sign shall remove the sign when it becomes unsafe, is
in danger of falling, becomes so deteriorated that it no longer serves
a useful purpose of communication, is determined by the Borough to
be a nuisance, or is unlawfully erected in violation of any of the
provisions of this article.
(2)
The Borough may remove or cause to be removed the sign at the
expense of the owner and/or lessee in the event the owner or the person
or firm maintaining the sign has not complied with the terms of the
notice within 30 days of the date of the notice. In the event of immediate
danger, the Borough may remove the sign immediately upon the issuance
of notice to the owner, person, or firm maintaining the sign.
J. Building Code compliance. To the extent that it is not inconsistent
with this chapter, the present edition of the Standard Building Code,
National Electric Code and other building and construction codes as
adopted and modified by the Borough and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
are incorporated as a part of this chapter as if fully restated herein
for the same purposes stated in the purpose and intent subsection
hereof and for the same purposes for which the International Building
Code was promulgated and enacted, which purposes are expressly incorporated
therein.
K. Permits.
(1)
Every person desiring to erect a sign shall first obtain a sign
permit and all other permits required for the desired structure.
(2)
Any sign of the following type(s) does not require a permit:
The following signs shall be exempt from the regulations in
this article:
A. Memorial/historical plaques, as defined herein.
B. Signs authorized by the Borough Council or erected by a governmental
agency, including street signs, official traffic signs and public
art when approved by the Borough Council.
The following sign types are prohibited in all districts:
A. Portable or wheeled signs;
C. Inflatable display devices of any kind;
D. Searchlights, oscillating signs, moving signs, flashing signs;
E. Signs on trees, signs on utility poles, signs on official traffic
control devices;
F. Signs that imitate traffic control devices;
G. Strings of lights, flashers, pennants, or other display paraphernalia,
except those displays specifically authorized by this article;
I. Freestanding signs, other than monument signs and access signs;
J. Signs on or affixed to vehicles and/or trailers that are parked on
a public right-of-way, public property, or private property, other
than temporarily for overnight storage on the site of a business or
for maintenance, repair, loading, unloading, or rendering a service
at any location, that are visible from the public right-of-way and
where the apparent purpose is to advertise a product or direct people
to a business or activity located on the same or nearby property;
and
K. All sign types not expressly listed as permitted.
The table below defines each sign type.
A. Freestanding monument sign: a monument sign that contains only one
distinct signage area within the sign face.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
P (with site plan only)
|
P
|
Count
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
1
|
1
|
Sign area (maximum) (square feet)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
24
|
36
|
Sign height (maximum) (feet)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
6
|
8
|
Sign base materials
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Brick or rock
|
Brick or rock
|
Illumination
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Direct
|
Direct
|
Setback from right-of-way (minimum feet)
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
9
|
10
|
B. Wall (including marquee) sign: any sign attached
parallel/flat to a wall, painted on the wall surface or erected and
confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure,
that is supported by such wall or building, and that displays only
one sign surface. No wall sign shall extend more than 14 inches from
any wall, building, or structure.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
P only for accessory home occupations accessible from alley
|
NP
|
P
|
NP
|
Count
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Sign area (maximum) (square feet) (aggregate)
|
5% of total facade but not more than 35% of height of facade
measured from bottom to top of message
|
5% of total facade but not more than 35% of height of facade
measured from bottom to top of message
|
1
|
—
|
5% of total facade but not more than 35% of height of facade
measured from bottom to top of message
|
—
|
Materials
|
Mounted on a raceway; painted directly on wall; supports and
wiring components concealed from public view
|
Mounted on a raceway; painted directly on wall; supports and
wiring components concealed from public view
|
Mounted on a raceway; painted directly on wall; supports and
wiring components concealed from public view
|
—
|
Mounted on a raceway; painted directly on wall; supports and
wiring components concealed from public view
|
—
|
Illumination
|
Gooseneck or shadow
|
Gooseneck or shadow
|
None
|
—
|
Gooseneck or shadow
|
—
|
Location and setback
|
Flush with wall not protruding more than 24 inches from wall
(48 inches if marquee sign)
|
Flush with wall not protruding more than 24 inches from wall
(48 inches if marquee sign)
|
Flush with wall abutting alleyway
|
—
|
Flush with wall not protruding more than 24 inches from wall
(48 inches if marquee sign)
|
—
|
C. Projecting sign: any sign that projects outward
from a building or other structure and extends more than 24 inches
horizontally from the plane of the building wall. The signage area
must not be parallel to the building.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
P
|
P
|
Count (per principal building)
|
1
|
1
|
—
|
—
|
1
|
1
|
Location (minimum clearance above grade) (feet)
|
9
|
9
|
—
|
—
|
9
|
9
|
Height (maximum) (feet)
|
18
|
18
|
—
|
—
|
18
|
18
|
Extension beyond building facade (maximum) (feet)
|
3
|
3
|
—
|
—
|
3
|
3
|
Angle at facade (degrees)
|
90°
|
90°
|
—
|
—
|
90°
|
90°
|
Sign area (maximum) (square feet)
|
6
|
6
|
—
|
—
|
6
|
6
|
Materials
|
Wood; metal
|
Wood; metal
|
—
|
—
|
Wood; metal
|
Wood; metal
|
Illumination
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
—
|
—
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
D. Roof sign: a sign attached to or supported
by the roof of a building, or a sign that extends into and/or above
the immediately adjacent roofline of the building irrespective of
attachment point, or a sign that wholly or partially encroaches upon
any roofline of a building, or a sign attached to, encroaching into
or extending above the sloping phase of a mansard roof or faux mansard
roof, or any combination thereof.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
Sign height from base of sign frame to top of sign frame (maximum)
(feet)
|
Equivalent to least floor-to-ceiling height of any floor in
principal building
|
Equivalent to least floor-to-ceiling height of any floor in
principal building
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Width (maximum) (feet)
|
40
|
40
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Illumination
|
Gooseneck or direct
|
Gooseneck or direct
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Setback from edge of roof (feet)
|
3
|
3
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
E. Window sign (including doors sign): any sign
that is placed on, in or intrudes over a window opening or upon the
panes of glass, either inside or outside the building, and is oriented
to be viewed from the exterior of the structure. Customary displays
of merchandise behind a store window are not considered window signs.
Any sign within 24 inches of the inside surface of a window and facing
the outside will count toward the allotment of total permitted window
signage.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
Front facade window coverage (maximum) (percentage of total
front facade glazing)
|
15%
|
15%
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Decals
|
NP
|
NP
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Painted window signs
|
15%
|
NP
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Illumination
|
NP
|
NP
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
F. Painted mural: a large picture/image (including
but not limited to painted art) that is painted, constructed, or affixed
directly onto a vertical building wall, that may or may not contain
text, logos, and/or symbols.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
P
|
NP
|
Off-site advertising permitted
|
NP
|
NP
|
—
|
—
|
NP
|
—
|
Sign area (maximum) (square feet)
|
1/8 of the total facade wall area not including the area of
glazing
|
1/8 of the total facade wall area not including the area of
glazing
|
—
|
—
|
1/8 of the total facade wall area not including the area of
glazing
|
—
|
Illumination
|
Indirect
|
Indirect
|
—
|
—
|
Indirect
|
—
|
G. Sandwich board: a single or double-faced,
hinged or unhinged, temporary sign designed to be used on a sidewalk
or pedestrianway.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
Sign area (maximum aggregate) (square feet)
|
6
|
6
|
—
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
Board width (maximum) (inches)
|
24
|
24
|
—
|
24
|
24
|
24
|
Board height (maximum) (inches)
|
36
|
36
|
—
|
36
|
36
|
36
|
Materials
|
Wood; metal
|
Wood; metal
|
—
|
Wood; metal
|
Wood; metal
|
Wood; metal
|
Duration (maximum) (hours per day)
|
12
|
12
|
—
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
Illumination
|
NP
|
NP
|
—
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
H. Awning sign: any sign painted on, or applied
to, an awning. Lettering, logos, or symbols are permitted on the valance
and sloping portion.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
P
|
NP
|
Count (per entrance)
|
1
|
1
|
—
|
—
|
1
|
—
|
Sign area (maximum) (as percentage of awning area)
|
75% valance; 25% sloping portion
|
75% valance; 25% sloping portion
|
—
|
—
|
75% valance; 25% sloping portion
|
—
|
Materials
|
Metal supports; vinyl face
|
Metal supports; vinyl face
|
—
|
—
|
Metal supports; vinyl face
|
—
|
Lettering height (inches)
|
16 valance; 8 sloping portion
|
16 valance; 8 sloping portion
|
—
|
—
|
16 valance; 8 sloping portion
|
—
|
Illumination
|
Direct
|
Direct
|
—
|
—
|
Direct
|
—
|
I. Temporary sign: a nonpermanent sign that may
be erected for identification purposes for a new business for 60 days
prior to the installation of a permanent sign.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
P
|
Sign area (maximum aggregate) (square feet)
|
12
|
12
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
12
|
Sign height (maximum) (feet)
|
6
|
6
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
6
|
Materials (sign and supports)
|
Vinyl face; metal supports
|
Vinyl face; metal supports
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
Vinyl face; metal supports
|
Setback from right-of-way (minimum) (feet)
|
3
|
3
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
3
|
Duration (maximum number of consecutive days displayed)
|
90
|
90
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
90
|
Illumination
|
NP
|
NP
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
NP
|
J. Access sign: signs that direct traffic or
pedestrians towards a point of interest that are visible from a public
right-of-way.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
P
|
Count (maximum) (per vehicular access point)
|
1
|
1
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
1
|
Sign area (maximum) (square feet) (per sign)
|
4
|
4
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
4
|
Sign height (maximum) (feet)
|
3
|
3
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
3
|
Setback from right-of-way (maximum) (feet)
|
4
|
4
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
4
|
Illumination
|
P
|
P
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
P
|
K. Entranceway sign: a sign that is located on
a wall immediately adjacent to the primary entrance of a building.
|
District
|
Regulations
|
TO
|
C
|
R-A
|
R-S
|
R-C
|
PA
|
Permitted
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
P
|
Count (maximum) (per primary exterior entranceway)
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
Sign area (maximum) (square feet) (per sign)
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
Position
|
Must be positioned on entry door or within 3 feet of such door
|
Must be positioned on entry door or within 3 feet of such door
|
Must be positioned on entry door or within 3 feet of such door
|
Must be positioned on entry door or within 3 feet of such door
|
Must be positioned on entry door or within 3 feet of such door
|
Must be positioned on entry door or within 3 feet of such door
|
Illumination
|
P
|
P
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
NP
|
The following sign illumination types are permitted in specific
districts:
Sign Illumination Type
|
Definition
|
Example Graphic
|
Direct: channel letters
|
An illumination technique that lights a sign’s translucent
front surface with internal lamps that are housed within the sign’s
characters, follow the paths of the sign’s characters, and project
light in the direction of the viewer
|
|
Direct: box lit
|
An illumination technique that lights a sign’s translucent
front surface panel with lamps behind the sign’s face. Signs
with this type of illumination are typically box shaped.
|
|
Indirect: shadow/halo
|
An illumination technique that lights the wall area behind a
sign, which creates a silhouette of the sign’s characters or
images. In some instances, lighting that creates a shadow/halo effect
may be located on the interior of dimensional characters; this location
of the light source is permissible if light is not emitted through
the front face of sign characters or images.
|
|
Indirect: gooseneck
|
An illumination technique that casts light on the front face
of the sign from a light source external to, and independent of, the
sign. In gooseneck indirect illumination, the lamp is housed in one
or multiple outstretched, curved, gooseneck-like supports, and light
is not projected upwards.
|
|
Indirect: other
|
An illumination technique that casts light on the front face
of the sign from a light source external to, and independent of, the
sign. The lamp is housed in other-than-gooseneck-like fixtures, and
light is not projected upwards.
|
|