Any sign erected or maintained after the effective
date of this chapter shall conform to the following regulations.
B.
BUILDING FRONTAGE
(1)
(2)
LOT, CORNER
SIGN
SIGN AREA
(1)
(2)
(3)
As used in this article, the following terms shall
have the meanings indicated:
For the purposes of calculating the allowable total sign
area:
The linear footage of the building face which
serves as a principal approach to a building and which building face
fronts upon a public street, a shopping center driveway, parking area
containing a minimum of six parking spaces or pedestrian mall or walkway.
For corner lots, such footage may be calculated
separately for the principal approach and one adjacent face, if such
face also fronts on a public street, a shopping center driveway, public
parking area containing a minimum of six vehicle parking places, pedestrian
mall or public walkway. A sign area calculated for each frontage shall
be erected on that frontage only and shall not be increased by the
sign area calculated for another frontage.
A lot which abuts on at least two intersecting public streets.
In a shopping center district, driveways, public parking areas containing
a minimum of six vehicle parking places, pedestrian malls and public
walkways shall be considered public streets for the purpose of this
definition. Frontage upon a service driveway to an unloading area
shall not be considered in determining corner lot status.
Any name, nameplate, emblem, painting, banner, pennant, balloon,
placard, billboard, poster, panel, display, illustration, structure
or other device, illuminated or nonilluminated, used for visual communication
which is affixed, painted or represented, directly or indirectly,
upon a building or other outdoor surface or is painted or affixed
to or propelled or towed by a vehicle, other than one licensed by
the Public Utilities Commission, for the purpose of bringing the subject
thereto to the attention of the public or advertising a business,
commodity, service, product or political candidate or candidates or
for identifying a business, structure or use of land. Bumper stickers
of one square foot or less and vehicles used regularly in association
with a specific business that have advertising affixed, painted or
represented directed upon the vehicle pertaining to the business are
not considered signs under this article, provided that said vehicles
are operable and display current inspection and registration and are
not parked within 50 feet of the curbline.
The area of the largest single face of the sign within a
perimeter which forms the outside shape, including any frame, and
forms an integral part of the display, but excluding the necessary
supports or uprights on which the sign may be placed, subject to the
following:
For double-faced signs or V-type signs, the
interior angle of which does not exceed 45°, only one face shall
be applicable in computing sign area.
For V-type signs, the interior angle of which
exceeds 45°, both faces shall be applicable in computing sign
area.
The area of an irregularly shaped sign, including
signs consisting of separate modules, figures or letters, shall be
deemed to be the total square footage of the smallest single square
or rectangle into which all of the separate modules, figures or letters
which comprise the irregularly shaped and/or modular sign would fit.
The background area of a freestanding sign cannot exceed 25% of the
allowable total sign area.
No sign which is affixed, painted or otherwise represented upon a building shall extend above the building height as defined in § 205-5 or above 35 feet, whichever is less. No freestanding or ground sign shall extend above a height of 25 feet.
No sign shall project more than 24 inches over
a public walkway, and the lower edge of any projecting sign shall
not be less than 10 feet above the finished grade.
The following types of signs shall be permitted
in AR Residential, MR Medium-Density Residential, BR Residential,
GA Garden Apartment Residential, CR Residential, HR High-Rise Residential,
RP Residential and Professional and IN Institutional Zoning Districts,
as well as in any other area where the uses permitted in these districts
are located:
A.
One professional, home occupation or name sign per
residence, indicating the name, profession or activity of the occupant
of the residence, not exceeding one square foot.
B.
One identification sign or bulletin board of a school,
college, church, hospital, sanatorium, municipal building, farm, estate,
club or any permitted use other than a dwelling, not exceeding 24
square feet in area.
C.
Trespassing signs indicating private ownership of
a driveway or property, not to exceed one square foot in size, which
signs shall be spaced at intervals of not less than 100 feet apart
on street frontage and not less than 50 feet apart on other boundaries.
D.
For apartment buildings:
E.
For residential and professional and residential office district uses: one freestanding sign, not to exceed 20 square feet, which shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet from the ultimate right-of-way. Such signs may not exceed six feet in height and shall only be illuminated by an external source which shall be shielded from view in accordance with § 205-122C.
[Amended 12-23-2008 by Ord. No. 512; 4-28-2009 by Ord. No. 515]
F.
One sign identifying the name of the residential development
with more than 10 dwellings is allowed not to exceed 24 square feet
of total area, including only the name of the development, street
address, ornamental logo, border and background, which shall be placed
a minimum of 10 feet from the ultimate right-of-way. Such sign shall
not exceed six feet in height and may not be interiorly or exteriorly
illuminated.
One sign which advertises the sale, rental,
auction or other conveyance of the entire premises or any portion
thereof shall be permitted in all zoning districts, while a property
is actually for sale, rent or auction. All such signs shall be unlighted
and shall be removed promptly when the property is no longer available
for sale, rent or auction, or, in the case of new construction of
multiple dwelling or occupancy units, when 95% of the proposed units
or floor space is no longer available for sale or rent. The following
regulations apply:
C.
Real estate directional signs. Directional real estate
signs will be permitted in all zoning districts, subject to the following
conditions:
D.
All signs shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet behind
the face of the curb or edge of pavement in noncurbed areas.
Temporary signs which identify only the name,
address, phone number and specialty of contractors, mechanics, painters
and artisans placed on the premises where the work is performed shall
be permitted in all districts, limited in size to the following:
A.
In residential districts:
(1)
For new construction, additions, renovations, etc.,
of individual residential properties, one sign per contractor, limited
to six square feet.
(2)
For two or more contractors, signs shall be mounted
on a common surface, each sign not to exceed six square feet, total
sign area not to exceed 32 square feet.
B.
In all other districts:
(1)
For new construction, additions, renovations, etc.,
of individual, nonresidential properties, one sign per contractor,
limited to 12 square feet.
(2)
For two or more contractors, signs shall be mounted
on a common surface, each sign not to exceed 12 square feet, total
sign area not to exceed 64 square feet.
C.
All such signs shall be unlighted and shall be promptly
removed when the contractor has completed or otherwise discontinued
work on the premises.
D.
All signs shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet behind
the face of the curb or edge of pavement in noncurbed areas.
Signs erected off the public right-of-way for
the convenience or safety of the public while on the subject's private
property, containing no advertising, shall be permitted in all zoning
districts, subject to the following:
A.
In all residential districts, such signs shall be
permitted, not to exceed one square foot in area, subject to the approval
of the Zoning Officer.
B.
In all other zoning districts, such signs shall be
permitted, not to exceed four square feet in area, subject to the
approval of the Zoning Officer.
C.
All such signs shall be spaced no less than 50 feet
apart unless special conditions warrant less separation, subject to
the approval of the Zoning Officer.
Individual business signs shall be permitted
in BP, C, SC, IN, C-1, LI and I Zoning Districts, subject to the following:
A.
One sign affixed or otherwise represented upon a building,
having a maximum total area of one square foot for every linear foot
of building frontage, except in the case of individual businesses
having less than 30 lineal feet of building frontage, which shall
be allowed 25% more total sign area.
B.
On corner lots, one additional sign affixed or otherwise
represented upon the additional street frontage of a building, having
a maximum total area of one square foot for every linear foot of building
frontage on the additional side.
D.
In the IN Institutional District, seasonal business
signs measuring no larger than 24 square feet per sign and no more
than 16 signs per ballfield shall be permitted for fund-raising activities
with the written permission of the property owner.
[Amended 1-3-2011 by Ord. No. 533; 12-13-2016 by Ord. No. 570]
One individual business sign per building which
is a ground or freestanding sign is permitted in BP, C, IN, C-1, LI,
HI, I and SC Zoning Districts, subject to the following;
A.
The area of such signs may not exceed 25 square feet.
B.
Such signs may not exceed three feet in height, except
that up to 25 feet in height may be permitted if the sign is set back
a minimum of 15 feet from the street line and is a minimum of 25 feet
from the nearest street access driveway.
C.
All ground or freestanding signs must be located on
the property of the business which the sign is identifying.
A sign listing the name of various industrial,
commercial or business establishments within a defined contiguous
area as determined by the Zoning Officer to be erected primarily as
a service to the motoring or the pedestrian public shall be permitted
in BP, C, SC, LI and I Zoning Districts, subject to the following
regulations:
A.
Multiple directory signs shall be located on a property
serviced by the sign.
B.
Such signs shall be ground signs only.
C.
If more than five businesses, firms, companies, etc.,
are listed on the directory, a pull-off lane shall be provided to
allow vehicles to safely stop while drivers are reviewing the sign
(minimum 10 feet wide, 75 feet long).
D.
Multiple directory signs may list only the name, address
and primary product or service of each firm or business and may contain
a graphic directory (street map) to assist in locating destinations.
E.
The respective permitted areas of information on multiple
directory signs shall be limited to no more than three square feet
per firm listed, no more than 10 square feet per graphic directory
and no more than three square feet for a general sign title, provided
that the total sign area does not exceed 36 square feet.
F.
Multiple directory signs shall be located a minimum
of 10 feet from the ultimate right-of-way, except, where pull-offs
are provided, multiple directory signs shall be located a minimum
of five feet from the pull-off curb.
G.
Multiple directory signs shall be located a minimum
of 50 feet from the nearest paved edge of any street access driveway
intersection.
H.
Multiple directory signs shall not extend above a
height of six feet.
I.
One such sign shall be permitted for each vehicular
entrance to office or industrial developments or subdivisions, with
the exception that not more than a total of three such signs may be
permitted in any one development or subdivision or other permitted
contiguous area.
In addition to the signs mentioned above, in
SC Shopping Center Districts, the following additional signs may be
erected: one entrance sign identifying the shopping center, for each
street frontage, and containing no advertising, provided that:
A.
Such signs are ground or freestanding signs.
B.
The vertical size of such signs measured from the
top edge to the bottom edge of the sign area shall not exceed 12 feet.
C.
Total area of such signs shall not exceed 150 square
feet for the primary street frontage entrance and 75 square feet for
any secondary entrance.
D.
Such signs are set back a minimum of 15 feet from
the ultimate right-of-way and a minimum of 25 feet from the nearest
street access driveway intersection.
Public transportation shelters (hereinafter
referred to as "shelters") shall be permitted under this chapter as
signs, so long as all criteria set forth in this section is complied
with.
A.
Size and structure.
(2)
A larger sized shelter, not to exceed 140 square
feet, upon application and approval of a conditional use by the Board
of Supervisors.
(3)
The front of the shelter (which is the vertical
plain closest to the street upon which the rear wall faces) shall
be open and unobstructed. The rear and side walls shall be made of
safety glass, such as lexan, acrylic, plexiglass or similar material.
The frame of the structure shall be aluminum. The foundation/flooring
shall be a concrete pad. All shelters shall be covered with a roof.
All construction shall be in accordance with applicable Township,
state and federal building codes, rules and regulations.
B.
Illumination. Lighting shall be provided under the
roof of the shelter. Lighting shall be adequate for the safety of
waiting transportation users, but shall not cast illumination or glare
on adjacent roads or properties. During times of darkness, the advertisements
shall be internally illuminated.
C.
Advertisements. Advertisements, maps or other informational
displays may only be placed on the two surfaces of one side wall of
the shelter. There shall be no advertisements for alcohol or tobacco
products or of a sexually explicit or violent nature.
D.
Location of shelters.
(1)
Shelters shall be permitted in all zoning districts.
If placed in the public right-of-way, a shelter shall be no less than
five feet from the curbline or edge of highway. Placement upon private
property shall require compliance with all of the criteria set forth
herein. The installer/owner of any shelter agrees on behalf of themselves,
their heirs, successors and assigns that they will record a written
agreement providing for the placement and/or removal of the shelter,
whether in the public right-of-way or on private property, when specifically
requested to do so by the Township Supervisors, for any reason whatsoever.
The form of this recorded document shall be approved by the Township.
(2)
Placement shall be at a conspicuous location
with a clear sight distance in the direction of all traffic of no
less than 300 feet and shall not interfere with ingress or egress
to any property. Except where shelters may be on opposite sides of
the same street, no shelter shall be closer to another shelter than
350 feet.
E.
Maintenance. The installer/owner of the shelter shall
be responsible to maintain it in a first class, clean and safe manner.
All lighting shall be regularly serviced by the installer/owner, who
shall also be responsible for providing receptacles for trash and
emptying them regularly.
[Amended 12-15-2009 by Ord. No. 523]
Political signs shall not require a permit and
shall not exceed 32 square feet.
Off-site temporary directional signs providing
traffic direction to the temporary location of special events will
be permitted only when approved by the Township Zoning Officer, who
will determine number, size, posted duration and escrow fee guaranteeing
removal of such directional signs after the special event has ended.
[Amended 12-15-2009 by Ord. No. 523]
A temporary sign permit may be granted to any person or organization in the Township to permit the erection of a temporary sign, other than those discussed in §§ 205-111, 205-112 and 205-119.
A.
A thirty-day nonrenewable permit may be issued for
public or community events, charitable fund-raising events, conventions
or any similar notice of general public interest, subject to the following:
B.
A seven-day temporary sign permit may be issued for
business or commercial signs for advertising, on the premises, such
events that are considered to be necessary for the conduct of business
beyond the normal day-to-day operations, such as grand openings and
going-out-of-business, bankruptcy or fire sales, subject to the following:
(1)
Such signs shall not exceed 16 square feet in area.
(2)
Such signs will be permitted on site only.
(3)
Such signs will be limited to one in number.
(4)
Such signs shall not exceed a height of six feet.
(5)
Advertising devices such as large, inflated balloons,
searchlights and banners erected across public streets are prohibited
in all zoning districts.
All signs shall be placed with regard to the
public's safety and shall be governed by the following regulations:
A.
No sign shall be erected or maintained as to prevent
free ingress or egress to or from any door, window or fire escape.
B.
Only instructional signs shall be attached to a standpipe
or fire escape.
C.
No sign shall be placed in such a position as to endanger
pedestrians or traffic on a street by obscuring a clear view or by
confusion with official street signs or signals by virtue of position
or color.
D.
No signs
may be placed on property owned by the Township.
[Added 12-15-2009 by Ord. No. 523]
E.
No signs
may be placed within 10 feet from the edge of any roadway.
[Added 12-15-2009 by Ord. No. 523]
[Amended 7-26-2011 by Ord. No. 538]
Where permitted, the illumination of signs shall be subject
to the National Electrical Code and to the following regulations:
A.
The image, copy, or message of a sign shall not change more frequently
than once per 30 seconds. The change of an image, message, copy, color
or brilliance of a sign shall be instantaneous. All changeable copy
shall change uniformly and completely. Once changed, the copy of any
part of the sign shall not change again in less than 30 seconds.
B.
No image shall be transferred by any means beyond the perimeter of
the sign face. No sign image shall be interactive, display interactive
messages or three-dimensional images; nor shall any sign or portion
of a billboard structure produce sound of any kind. No sign shall
flash, scroll, fade, revolve, move, have intermittent lighting or
movable characters or animated parts.
C.
A sign which is animated by means of flashing, scintillating, blinking
or traveling lights or any other means not providing constant illumination
shall be deemed to be a flashing sign and shall not be permitted.
Illuminated revolving barber poles shall be permitted in conjunction
with the permitted use of a barbershop in any district.
D.
Floodlighting shall be so shielded that the source of the light shall
not be visible from any point off the lot on which the sign is erected
and so that only the sign is directly illuminated thereby.
Gasoline service and/or filling stations, being of unique and particular significance to the driving public, shall be permitted signs as defined in §§ 205-114 and 205-115 and the following additional signs: one ground or freestanding sign per station for each building frontage for purposes of advertising current fuel prices only, subject to the following:
A.
The area of such signs may not exceed 16 square feet
on each side.
B.
When fuel prices are displayed by means of changeable
lettering, such lettering shall be a minimum of eight inches and a
maximum of 18 inches high to allow ease of viewing by passing motorists.
C.
Both sides of such signs may be used for advertising
fuel prices only.
D.
Such signs shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet
from the street line and a minimum of 25 feet from the nearest street
access driveway.
A.
Every sign permitted by this chapter shall be constructed
of durable materials and shall be maintained in good condition and
repair at all times. A sign permit shall be required for all signs
unless otherwise provided. Applications for sign permits shall be
filed on forms furnished by the Zoning Officer and shall be accompanied
by detailed plans and specifications and any other information deemed
necessary by the Zoning Officer to determine the location and details
of construction of such sign.
B.
All signs for which a permit has been issued must
be completely constructed within six months after the date of issuance
of the permit. Upon written request, the Zoning Officer may grant
one extension for an additional three-month period, provided that
the applicant presents reasonable grounds for the extension request.
C.
Upon a change of use on any property, a sign must
be removed or painted over within 60 days after the change in occupancy.
No permit to erect a sign shall be issued until
the required fee has been paid to the Zoning Officer, which fee shall
be established from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.[1]
Any lawful sign existing on the effective date
of this Zoning Ordinance, which does not conform to the revisions
of this chapter shall be considered a lawful nonconforming sign and
may be continued. Nonconforming signs may be repaired or repainted
but shall not be altered or changed in overall dimensions except to
conform to the provisions of this chapter. Any nonconforming sign
which is destroyed shall not be reerected.
The provisions of this article shall not apply
to official federal, state or municipal signs erected within East
Norriton Township. In addition, the trade names, emblems or directions
on service facilities or product dispensers, including but not limited
to gasoline pumps, telephone booths and vending machines, shall not
be considered as a sign when such trade name, emblem or single group
of words or symbols are not more than three square feet in area.
