Bath City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIX
Signs
§ 675-128 Applicability.
A.
All signs which can be seen off the premises on which they are located, unless they are listed under Subsection C, shall comply with any applicable provisions of this chapter, regardless of whether a permit is required.
B.
A zoning permit shall be required for all business identification signs, advertising signs, temporary signs, and announcement or professional signs which will be seen off the premises on which the sign is located before erection or replacement. No permit shall be required for normal maintenance of existing signs.
[Amended 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
C.
No permit shall be required for and the regulations of this section shall not be applicable to the following types of situations:
(1)
Signs not exceeding two square feet in area and bearing only property numbers, post box numbers, names of occupants of premises, or other identification of premises not having commercial connotations.
(2)
No-trespassing signs and other signs indicating the private nature of a road, driveway or premises, which do not exceed two square feet in area.
(3)
Flags and insignia of any government except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion.
(4)
Legal notices; identification, informational or directional signs erected or required by governmental bodies; official traffic signs and signals; other state, county, school district or municipal government signs.
(5)
Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, except letters, trademarks, moving parts, or moving lights.
(6)
Nonilluminated signs, not exceeding six square feet in area and bearing no advertising matter, which direct and guide traffic and parking on private property.
(7)
Nonilluminated signs, not exceeding six square feet in area and bearing matter, which give information on location of such things as restrooms, telephones, offices, or the functional subdivision of the premises.
(8)
Signs which do not individually exceed four square feet in area and bear only the property owner's noncommercial personal expression or belief.
[Amended 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 573].
(9)
A sign indicating that the nonresidential use of the premises is either open for business or closed and indicating the hours of operation of the nonresidential use of the premises, provided all of the following restrictions are met:
[Added 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631; amended 7-7-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-641]
(a)
Said sign is for a nonresidential use located on a premises in a commercial class or manufacturing class zoning district or said sign is for a permitted home occupation;
(b)
Said sign may be illuminated, provided that the illuminated sign does not flash intermittently, blink or strobe. Open for business or closed signs which fluctuate in light intensity or are animated shall be prohibited;
(c)
Said sign shall only be illuminated during the hours of operation for the nonresidential use of the premises;
(d)
Said sign shall not revolve, rotate or otherwise move, in whole or part;
(e)
Said sign shall have not more than two faces, neither of which may exceed two square feet in area;
(f)
Said sign shall be attached to the side of the building where the nonresidential entrance to the building is located; and
(g)
Not more than one such sign shall be placed on the premises.
(10)
A two-sided, portable, freestanding, self-supported, business identification sign provided all of the following restrictions are met:
[Added 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
(a)
Said sign is for a nonresidential use located on a premises in a commercial class or manufacturing class zoning district;
(b)
Said sign shall neither be illuminated nor contain any moving parts;
(c)
Said sign shall not exceed eight square feet in area on either side of the sign;
(d)
Said sign shall not exceed a height of four feet above the average grade level directly below the face of the sign;
(e)
The width of said sign shall not exceed two feet;
(f)
Said sign shall only be displayed during the hours of operation of the nonresidential use of the premises and shall be removed from display to an area not readily visible to the public during non-business hours;
(g)
Said sign shall conform with § 675-135 of the Zoning Ordinance and shall not obstruct use of any public sidewalk,
(h)
In the event the Borough Zoning Officer, in his sole discretion, determines that said sign violates § 675-135 of the Zoning Ordinance and/or obstructs use of any public sidewalk and notifies, in writing, the property owner of such determination, said sign shall be subject to all regulations of the Zoning Ordinance and said sign shall be removed immediately after the date of mailing the Zoning Officer's determination to the property owner; and
(i)
Not more than one such sign shall be placed on the premises.
(11)
A one- or two-sided sign which advertises the prospective or completed sale or rental of the premises upon which the sign is located is permitted, provided all of the following restrictions are met:
[Added 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
(a)
Said sign shall neither be illuminated nor contain any moving parts;
(b)
Said sign shall not exceed six square feet in area on either side of the sign;
(c)
Said sign that is mounted to a structure on the premises shall not exceed a height of four feet above the floor level of the first story of the structure;
(d)
Said sign that is not mounted to a structure on the premises shall not exceed a height of four feet above the average grade level directly below the face of the sign;
(e)
Said sign shall not be placed on any public sidewalk;
(f)
Said sign shall be maintained and removed within 10 days after the execution of a lease or transfer of ownership of the premises; and
(g)
Not more than one such sign shall be placed on each street fronted by the premises.
(12)
A one- or two-sided sign indicating the contractors, consultants, mechanics, or artisans performing work or services on those premises (and not their place of business), provided all of the following restrictions are met:
[Added 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
(a)
Said sign shall neither be illuminated nor contain any moving parts;
(b)
Said sign shall not exceed six square feet in area on either side of the sign;
(c)
Said sign that is mounted to a structure on the premises shall not exceed a height of four feet above the floor level of the first story of the structure;
(d)
Said sign that is not mounted to a structure on the premises shall not exceed a height of four feet above the average grade level directly below the face of the sign;
(e)
Said sign shall not be placed on any public sidewalk;
(f)
Said sign shall be maintained and removed within 10 days after completion of the service or work; and
(g)
Not more than one such sign shall be placed on each street fronted by the premises.
(13)
Window signs provided all of the following restrictions are met:
[Added 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
(a)
Said signs are for a nonresidential use located on a premises in a commercial class or manufacturing class zoning district;
(b)
Said signs shall neither be illuminated nor contain any moving parts; and
(c)
Said signs and the sign display area of said signs calculated individually or collectively shall not exceed 30% of the windowpane area that said signs are painted upon or attached to.
§ 675-129 Prohibited signs.
[Amended 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 573; 2-7-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-719]
The following types of signs shall not be permitted or erected in any district, notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter.
A.
Signs which make use of words such as "stop," "look," "one-way," "danger," "yield," or any similar words, phrases, symbols, lights, or characters, in such manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.
B.
Signs of which all or any part is in motion by any means, including fluttering, rotating, revolving or other motion devices.
C.
Any sign displaying activities which constitute violation of 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 5903, as amended, relating to display, sale, lending, distribution or exhibition of obsence or other sexual materials are prohibited in every zoning district.
D.
Signs that contain the property owner's personal expression or belief which individually exceed four square feet in area.
E.
Signs displayed in a residential area for a fee or any commercial advertisements on residential property not otherwise permitted under this section.
F.
Signs that are determined to be a nuisance, based on any one or more of the following:
§ 675-130 Surface area limitations.
The maximum surface area for each type of sign for which a permit is required shall not exceed the Schedule of Sign Regulations set forth in § 675-133 The maximum surface area shall also be subject to the following standards:
A.
The total area of any freestanding sign shall not exceed one square foot for each two feet of lineal lot frontage, up to the maximum surface area stipulated for each sign district in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.
B.
The total area of any wall sign shall not exceed 30% of the area of the building face (including window and door area cornices) to which the sign is attached, up to the maximum surface area stipulated for each district in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.
[Amended 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
C.
Window signs calculated individually or collectively that exceed 30% of the windowpane area shall be considered a wall sign and included in the computation of the maximum surface area permitted by the Schedule of Sign Regulations in § 675-133, but such window signs shall nevertheless not exceed 50% of the windowpane area.
[Amended 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
§ 675-131 Number of signs.
The number of signs allowed for each type of sign for which a permit is required shall be subject to the Schedule of Sign Regulations in § 675-133. For purposes of determining the number of signs permitted, a sign shall be considered to be a single entity organized, related and composed to form a unit. Where the organization, relationship or composition of a number of elements is not readily discernible as a single sign, each element shall be considered to be a single sign.
§ 675-132 Sign setbacks.
Signs for which a permit is required are subject to the setback requirements set forth in the Schedule of Sign Regulations in § 675-133.
§ 675-133 Schedule of sign regulations.
[Amended 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631; 7-7-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-641; 9-2-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-646; 2-7-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-719]
A.
Business identification, wall and freestanding signs.
Business Identification | Wall Sign | Type of Sign Freestanding | |
|---|---|---|---|
R-1 | |||
Maximum number per property | 1 per street | or | 1 street fronted |
Setback | N/A | 10 feet | |
Maximum surface area | 6 square feet | 6 square feet | |
R-2 | |||
Maximum number per property | 1 per street | or | 1 street fronted |
Setback | N/A | 10 feet | |
Maximum surface area | 6 square feet | 6 square feet | |
R-3 | |||
Maximum number per property | 1 per street | or | 1 street fronted |
Setback | N/A | 10 feet | |
Maximum surface area | 6 square feet | 6 square feet | |
C-N | |||
Maximum number per property1 | 2 | and | 1 |
Setback | N/A | 10 feet | |
Maximum surface area | 24 square feet | 32 square feet | |
C-H1 and C-H2 | |||
Maximum number per property1 | 2 | and | 1 |
Setback | N/A | 10 feet | |
Maximum surface area | 32 square feet | 55 square feet | |
M-C and M-C2 | |||
Maximum number per property1 | 2 | and | 1 |
Setback | N/A | 20 feet | |
Maximum surface area | 75 square feet | 75 square feet |
NOTES: | |
1 | In the case of a corner lot or other situation where a building has its front facing on more than one street ordained and/or improved by the Borough of Bath or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is zoned as nonresidential (Commercial Neighborhood, Commercial Highway or Manufacturing Commercial), one additional wall sign or one additional freestanding sign may be permitted at the premises. |
B.
Advertising signs.
(1)
Permitted zoning districts. Advertising sign shall be permitted only in CH-2 Commercial Highway with Limited Residential Use and M-C Manufacturing Commercial Zone provided such sign complies with the requirements listed herein.
(2)
Location requirements. Advertising sign shall be:
(a)
Attached to an exterior building wall of a building that complies with setback requirements set forth in this chapter in the subject zoning district on the date the sign permit application is duly filed with the Borough of Bath;
(b)
Set back at a minimum distance of 35 feet from the closest part of any street, road or highway or other private or public way;
(c)
Set back at a minimum of 150 feet from the closest part of any any intersection of public or private streets;
(d)
Set back at a minimum of 300 feet from the closest part of any residential use or residential zoning district;
(e)
Set back a minimum of 150 feet from the closest part of any building or structure, except that there shall be a minimum of 600 feet between advertising signs. If a building is constructed after an advertising sign has been erected which then violates this distance requirement, the advertising sign shall not be considered nonconforming, and such advertising sign shall be permitted to remain as a legal permitted use pursuant to its zoning permit.
(f)
Erected parallel to the building wall the advertising sign is attached to.
(3)
Size. Maximum sign display area is 32 square feet. Not more than one advertising sign is permitted on a lot.
(4)
Height. Advertising sign shall comply with the wall sign requirements set forth in § 675-135 of the Zoning Ordinance.
(5)
Illumination. An advertising sign may be illuminated subject to compliance with § 675-135D(2) and, if illuminated, shall comply with the electrical safety standards of the National Electrical Code adopted by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
C.
Billboards.
(1)
Permitted zoning districts. Billboards shall be permitted only in CH-2 Commercial Highway with Limited Residential Use and M-C Manufacturing Commercial Zone provided such sign complies with the requirements listed herein.
(2)
Location requirements. A billboard shall be:
(a)
Located in front yard and shall not be located in side yard or rear yard;
(b)
Set back at a minimum distance of 35 feet from the closest part of any street, road or highway or other private or public way;
(c)
Set back at a minimum of 300 feet from the closest part of any residential use or residential zoning district;
(d)
Set back a minimum of 100 feet from the closest part of any building or structure, except that there shall be a minimum of 600 feet between billboard structures. If a building is constructed after a billboard has been erected which then violates this distance requirement, the billboard shall not be considered nonconforming, and such billboard shall be permitted to remain as a legal permitted use pursuant to its zoning permit.
(e)
Billboard shall not be erected parallel to or at an angle of less than 45° to any public or private street, nor shall they be permitted on buildings or in utility easements.
(3)
Size. Billboard shall be limited to one panel, two display faces per structure. Maximum sign display area is 360 square feet per face. Not more than one billboard is permitted on a lot.
(4)
Height. The top of the billboard shall not be higher than 35 feet above ground level and the bottom thereof shall be sufficiently high to provide adequate traffic visibility as determined by the Zoning Officer. Height shall be measured from the average grade level directly below the face of the sign to the highest part of the sign.
(5)
Illumination. A billboard may be illuminated internally or by reflected light provided the source of light is not directly visible except by neon tubes and is so arranged as to reflect away from adjoining premises and provided that such illumination shall not be so placed as to cause confusion or a hazard to traffic or conflict with traffic control signs or lights. No illumination involving movement or causing the illusion of movement by reason of the lighting arrangements or other devices shall be permitted. Any illuminated billboard shall conform to the electrical safety standards of the National Electrical Code adopted by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
§ 675-134 Surface area calculations.
The surface area of a sign shall be computed as including the entire area within a regular geometric form or combination of regular geometric forms comprising all of the display area of the sign including all of the elements of the matter displayed. In computing the surface area of a multifaced sign, only one side shall be considered provided all faces are identical. Frames and structural members not bearing advertising matter or not in the form of a symbol shall not be included in the computation of surface area.
§ 675-135 Sign placement, height, clearance, projections from walls, and illumination.
A.
Sign placement. Sign placement shall be subject to the following requirements:
(1)
No sign shall be so located or arranged that it interferes with traffic through glare, through blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets, sidewalks, or driveways, through confusion with a traffic control device (by reason of color, location, shape, or other characteristics), or through other means.
(2)
No sign in nonresidential districts of the Borough shall be located so as to face residential districts of the Borough. This provision shall not apply to signs at right angles to the street right-of-way line of such street or where a street constitutes the zone boundary.
B.
Sign height. In addition to signs being subject to the maximum heights for each district listed in Article XI, signs are also subject to the following limitations:
C.
Clearance. No freestanding sign shall have less than eight feet of clear space between such sign and the ground if it impedes the clear sight visibility of pedestrian or vehicular traffic, provided that necessary support may extend through open space. No wall sign that is mounted perpendicular to a building wall or facade shall have less than eight feet of clear space between such sign and the ground.
[Amended 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
D.
Projection from walls.
(1)
Wall signs attached parallel to a building wall or facade shall not project more than six inches from the building. Wall signs attached perpendicular to a building wall or facade shall not project more than 48 inches from the building.
[Amended 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
(2)
All signs may be interior lighted with nonglaring lights or may be illuminated by shielded floodlights; provided, however, that no red or green lights shall be permitted within 75 feet of the point of intersection of the street right-of-way lines at a street corner.
§ 675-136 Signs for specific uses.
Signs for the following uses shall be permitted according to the listed standards. These signs shall be allowed in addition to those set forth in § 675-128B.
A.
In the case of a shopping center or a group of stores or other business uses on a lot held in single or separate ownership, the provisions of this section related to the maximum surface areas of signs permitted on a premises shall apply with respect to each building, separate store, or similar use. No more than two freestanding signs indicating the name of the center or similar use shall be erected.
B.
An entrance to an industrial or office park serving five or more tenants may have a single sign having a maximum area of 100 square feet indicating the name of the park and listing each tenant.
C.
One sign may be erected to identify a major subdivision, land development, mobile home park or apartment complex, providing that such sign is located at a main entrance and has a maximum area of 25 square feet.
§ 675-137 Temporary signs.
[Amended 12-6-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-573; 5-6-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-631]
A.
Temporary signs described below may be permitted on private property subject to the regulations set forth in this Chapter 675 and subject to the following additional regulations:
(1)
Devices, signs or displays such as floodlights, flags, banners, pennants and related devices shall only be permitted for a new business or an existing business for special occasions not more than two times per year in the nonresidential districts of the Borough for a period of not more than 30 days in any one calendar year. At no other time shall such devices, signs or displays be permitted. The maximum number of such devices, signs or displays is one per street frontage.
(2)
Temporary signs appertaining to political, civic, philanthropic or educational campaigns, drives, or events, provided that such signs shall be removed within 10 days of the completion of the campaign, drive or event. No such sign shall be posted earlier than three weeks before the occurrence of the event to which the temporary sign relates.
B.
Temporary signs described below may be permitted on public property subject to the regulations set forth in this Chapter 675 and subject to the following additional regulations:
(1)
Temporary signs appertaining to civic, philanthropic or educational campaigns, drives, or events, provided that such signs shall be removed within 10 days of the completion of the campaign, drive or event. No such sign shall be posted earlier than three weeks before the occurrence of the event to which the temporary sign relates. A refundable deposit of $100 is required for all signs erected on property owned by the Borough. No such sign shall be posted on the public property without the property owner's permission. A zoning permit shall not be granted unless proof of the property owner's permission has been submitted and determined acceptable by the Zoning Officer.