The intent of this article is to provide for the use of signs
as a means of identification while maintaining and enhancing the physical
environment, aesthetic character, and public safety of the Glen Osborne
community. The purpose of this article is:
A. To require zoning approval for signs in all zoning districts subject
to the standards and requirements of this article.
B. To prohibit signs not expressly permitted by this article.
For the purposes of this section, all signs shall be classified by the definitions provided in Article
II of this chapter.
The following signs shall be exempt from these regulations:
A. Holiday decorations displayed for recognized state and federal holidays.
B. Official notices authorized by a court, public body, or public safety
official.
C. Memorial/Historical plaques.
D. Memorial signs and tablets when cut into any masonry surface or when
constructed of bronze or other sculptured materials.
E. Flags of a governmental organization.
F. Works of art, including, but not limited to, paintings, sculptures,
engravings, murals, mobiles, photographs, drawings, and works in fabric,
that do not include a commercial message, nor have any relationship
to any product, service, or business, and specifically excluding any
commercially produced item.
G. Signs authorized by the Borough such as municipal gateway signs,
street signs, safety control signs, and traffic control signs. Municipal
gateway signs may contain advertising matter.
H. Public notice/public warning signs.
I. Auction, garage sale, or yard sale signs.
K. Construction signs (temporary, only during active construction).
L. Signs of any type placed on public or parks property by authorization
of the Borough.
M. Signs announcing candidacy for public office. Such signs shall not
be installed on utility poles, shall not be installed more than 60
days before the election to which they are relevant and shall be removed
within five calendar days immediately following the relevant Election
Day.
N. Temporary signs. A temporary sign not exceeding 16 square feet in
total gross area for each exposed face may be permitted for a period
not to exceed 30 days and shall be removed within three days after
the termination of the activity, service, project, or sale, provided
the sign is safely installed and is consistent with the area where
it is to be located. There shall be no more than two permits for temporary
signs issued for the same premises within one calendar year. Temporary
signs shall state the date on which it was installed, if known, and
shall provide contact information, including a name and a telephone
number, for a representative of the sign's owner.
O. Signs identifying on-premises home occupations which contain only
the name of the business and/or owner. Such sign shall not exceed
two square feet in area.
P. Signs erected by a public agency or utility providing warning or
information to the public, and any signs erected by the Borough or
under direction of the Borough.
Q. Signs denoting the availability of property for lease or sale, located
on the premises being leased or sold. The sign shall not exceed six
square feet in area and shall be removed within seven days of the
sale or lease of the property.
R. Any sign inside a building, not attached to a window or door, that
is not legible from a distance of 10 or more feet outside of the building.
Prohibited signs. The following signs shall not be permitted
in any zoning district:
A. A-frame, sandwich board or other incidental signs unless otherwise
approved by this chapter.
B. Flashing, blinking, changing, animated, inflatable, or moving signs
(except digital signs and LED billboards authorized by this article).
C. Pennants (including "swooper flags").
D. Any sign containing information which states or implies that a property
may be used for any purpose not permitted under the provisions of
this chapter.
E. Signs that resemble traffic signals or any sort of traffic device.
F. Signs that exhibit statements, words, or pictures of obscene or pornographic
subjects as determined by the Borough Council.
G. Off-premises sign (other than billboards).
I. Signs on trees, utility poles, and traffic devices.
J. Signs that are hazardous to public safety and/or are located in the
public ROW.
The following shall control the computation of sign area and
height:
A. Computation of area of single-faced signs. The area of a sign face
shall be computed by means of the smallest square or rectangle that
will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation,
emblem, or other display, together with any material or color forming
an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate
the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed,
but not including any supporting framework, bracing, or decorative
fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets this chapter
and is clearly incidental to the display itself. Any digital portions
of a proposed sign and/or a sign base that contains a message or logo
shall be included in the calculation of the sign area.
B. Computation of area of multi-faced signs. The sign area for a sign
with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the area
of all sign faces visible from any one point. When two identical sign
faces are placed back to back so that both faces cannot be viewed
from any point at the same time, and when such sign faces are part
of the same sign structure and not more than 42 inches apart, the
sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
Any digital portions of a proposed sign and/or sign base that contains
a message or logo shall be included in the calculation of the sign
area.
C. Computation of height. The height of a sign shall be computed as
the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top
of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall
be construed to be the lower of 1) existing grade prior to construction
or 2) the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of
any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose
of locating the sign. In cases in which the normal grade cannot reasonably
be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that
the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal
to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street
or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal
structure on the zone lot, whichever is lower.
All proposed development shall be required to submit a sign
package to the Borough for its approval prior to any sign permits
being issued to businesses. Sign package shall mean a detailed description,
including, but not limited to, type, size, and location of all signs
for each unit within the complex/center, as well as the ground sign.
The Zoning Officer shall review all sign packages for completeness.
Any application determined to be incomplete shall be returned to the
applicant with a description of missing and/or incomplete items. This
provision shall apply to:
A. New construction after the effective date of this chapter;
C. The proposal of new, or changes to, the material(s), structure, lighting,
mechanisms of signs of an existing use.