Bern Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVII
Sign Regulations
§ 184-133 Applicability.
This article provides for the regulations of signs. All signs hereafter erected or maintained shall conform with the provisions of this article unless otherwise exempted herein.
§ 184-134 Definitions. [1]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
A sign with action or motion, flashing, color changes requiring electrical energy, electronic or manufactured sources of supply, but not including wind-actuated elements such as flags, banners or specialty items. This definition does not include public service signs such as time and temperature, revolving or changeable message signs.
Any projection which is not intended for occupancy and which extends beyond the face of an exterior wall of a building, but shall not include signs.
The entire background area of a sign on which copy could be placed. In computing area of sign background, only that face or faces which can be seen from any one direction at one time shall be counted.
That portion of any exterior elevation of a building extending from grade to the top of the parapet wall or eaves and the entire width of the building elevation.
A resurfacing of an existing facade with approved material, illuminated or nonilluminated.
A panel which is characterized by changeable copy, regardless of method of attachment.
The actual area of the sign copy applied to any background. Compute copy area by straight lines drawn closest to copy extremities encompassing individual letters or words.
On-premises incidental signs designated to guide or direct pedestrians or vehicular traffic.
A sign which is supported by one or more columns, uprights or braces in or upon the ground.
A sign in which a source of light is used in order to make the message readable. This definition shall include internally and externally lighted signs.
A permanent roofed structure attached to and supported by the building and projecting over public property or a pedestrian walkway.
Any sign attached to or constructed in a marquee.
A sign which advertises other than the name of the business and the principal product or service.
A sign which carries only advertisements strictly incidental to a lawful use of the premises on which it is located, including signs or sign devices indicating the business transacted, services rendered, goods sold or produced on the premises, name of the business, name of the person, firm or corporation occupying the premises.
A sign which directs attention to a business, industry, profession, commodity, service or entertainment not necessarily sold or offered upon the premises where the sign is located.
A sign which projects more than 18 inches and which uses a building wall as its main source of support.
A sign which revolves 360° but does not exceed eight revolutions per minute (rpm).
A sign erected upon or above a roof or parapet wall of a building and which is wholly or partially supported by said building.
Any device and all parts thereof which is used to advertise products, goods, services or otherwise promote the sale of objects or identify objects for sale.
Any structure which supports or is capable of supporting any sign, as defined in this chapter. A sign structure may or may not be an integral part of the building.
A sign which is intended to advertise community or civic projects, construction projects, real estate for sale or lease, or other special events on a temporary basis.
[Amended 4-12-2000 by Ord. No. 186-2000]
A lighted or unlighted display attached to the underside of a marquee or architectural projection protruding over public or private sidewalks or right-of-way.
The current edition of the Uniform Building Code as has been officially adopted by the municipality and becomes related to these guidelines as regarding construction, standards, approved materials and projection standards unless otherwise specified herein.
A display containing illuminated numerals flashing alternately to show the time and temperature.
A sign which is in any manner affixed to any exterior wall of a building or structure and which projects not more than 18 inches from the building or structure wall and which does not extend more than four feet above the parapet, eaves or building facade of the building on which it is located; also includes signs affixed to architectural projections, canopies or marquees which project from a building facade, provided that the copy area of such signs remains parallel to the building facade.
§ 184-135 Signs exempt from permit requirements.
The following signs are permitted in all districts which expressly and directly pertain to the business, activity, sale or lease conducted on or for the premises upon which the sign is located:
A.
A sign displaying the name and address of the occupant of a dwelling, provided that the area of any such sign shall not exceed two square feet and not more than one such sign shall be erected for each dwelling.
B.
One sign advertising the sale or rental of real property, provided that the area of any such sign shall not exceed four square feet. Such signs shall be removed within seven days after final settlement or renting of said property.
C.
One temporary contractor's, developer's, architect's or builder's sign, provided that the area of any such sign shall not exceed 32 square feet. Such sign shall be removed within seven days after completion of the work or 18 months after erection of the signs, whichever shall occur first.
D.
Trespassing signs, signs indicating the private nature of a road, driveway or premises and signs controlling fishing or hunting on the premises, provided that the area of any such sign shall not exceed four square feet.
E.
Temporary signs announcing an event of a civic, philanthropic, educational or religious organization or a drive or campaign, other than signs in conjunction with a political election. Such signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in area and shall be removed within seven days after completion of the campaign, drive or event.
§ 184-136 Nonconforming signs.
Every nonconforming sign erected prior to the adoption of this chapter may continue to be maintained, in spite of lack of conformity with all of the provisions of this chapter, for a period of 10 years after the adoption date of this chapter, after which the owner of every such sign, at his own expense, shall cause the same to be brought into strict conformity with all the requirements of this chapter or shall remove the same. The work of bringing such sign into conformity with such requirements shall require the obtaining of a permit. Nonconforming signs once removed shall be replaced only with conforming signs; however, nonconforming signs may be repainted or repaired, provided that such repainted or repaired sign does not exceed the dimensions of the existing sign. When the cost of repair or restoration of any nonconforming sign shall exceed 50% of its original value, said nonconforming sign shall be replaced with a conforming sign.
§ 184-137 Permit requirements.
§ 184-138 Area of sign.
A.
The area of a sign shall be construed to include all lettering, wording and accompanying designs and symbols, together with the background, whether open or enclosed, on which they are displayed, but not including any supporting framework and bracing which is incidental to the display itself. Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached to or painted on a building surface, the area shall be considered to be the smallest rectangle which can be drawn to encompass all of the letters and symbols.
B.
In computing the area of a double-faced or multifaced sign, only one side shall be considered, provided that all faces are identical. If they are not identical, the larger side shall be used.
§ 184-139 Illumination.
All signs within residential zoning districts shall be subject to the following provisions:
A.
Illumination at a property line abutting residential properties, resulting from all signs and lighting on any nonresidential use property, shall not exceed 0.6 footcandle at a height of five feet from grade. When a street intervenes between residential property and any nonresidential use property, the illumination measurements just described shall be taken at the curbline closest to the residential property.
[Amended 4-12-2000 by Ord. No. 186-2000]
B.
Lighting from all sources other than streetlights and natural sources shall be so shaded, shielded or directed that the light intensity or brightness will not be a nuisance and shall be turned off or reduced to not more than two footcandles at the closest street or business property line between the hours of 10:00 p.m. of one day and 6:00 a.m. of the succeeding day (prevailing time, standard or saving); except that if the premises are open for business after 10:00 p.m., the lighting shall be reduced as above at the close of business.
§ 184-140 Interference with traffic and safety.
No sign shall be erected, placed or maintained upon any public right-of-way and no sign shall be erected, placed or maintained so that it impedes, interferes with or distracts from the operation of any traffic control light or sign, official traffic directional sign or other traffic safety or control device or general traffic safety.
A.
No sign of the colors red, yellow or green shall be placed in such a position that it would produce a background into which the traffic signal might blend, thereby interfering with vehicular vision of the signal.
B.
No sign shall be located so as to obscure a motorist's view of roadway, intersections, railway crossings, traffic signals, stop signs or other warning devices.
C.
All signs shall be erected in conformance with the Federal Highway Beautification Act.
D.
No sign shall be located within 100 feet of the right-of-way line of a limited access highway except as follows:
(1)
A sign not exceeding four square feet in area pertaining to the sale or lease of the property and set back at least 25 feet and placed so as not to obstruct a driver's view of official signs.
(2)
An on-premises unilluminated sign attached to the main wall of a building at a height not less than 10 feet, nor more than 30 feet above the ground, shall bear an advertisement other than the name of the person, firm or corporation operating the place of business or owning the property and a description of the general character of the business conducted on the premises.
§ 184-141 General sign restrictions.
The following restrictions apply to all signs:
A.
No lighted signs of intermittent flashing, animated or rotating types shall be permitted.
C.
No sign shall be mounted, erected or maintained on a tree or other natural vegetation or utility pole.
D.
No sign shall be mounted or located in such a manner as to block or restrict the operation of any door or window or to block or restrict the movement into or out of any exit or entrance of a building or driveway.
E.
All signs, except temporary signs, shall be constructed of durable material and kept in good condition and repair. All dilapidated and deteriorated signs shall be repaired or removed at the owner's expense, within 30 days after notice from the Zoning Officer. Otherwise, the sign will be subject to removal by the Township and the owner billed for the costs thereof.
F.
No sign shall exceed a height (measured from the ground to the top of the sign structure) equal to the height permitted for the building to which it is accessory. In the event that the building exceeds the height limit prescribed by the schedule by variance, the height limit of the schedule shall govern the height of the sign.
G.
No sign shall project more than six inches above the primary roofline nor more than 12 inches out from the wall to which it is attached. Signs not exceeding six square feet in area may be placed perpendicular to a building face if attached to and below a canopy projection from said building.
H.
No sign shall be located within 10 feet of any right-of-way line, nor within 20 feet of any adjoining property or lot line.
I.
On lots abutting more than one public street, any combination of signs permitted may be erected on each side of the building or in the yard area abutting each public street.
J.
A sign affixed to any vehicle or other object in such a manner that the carrying of such sign or signs no longer is incidental to the primary purpose of the vehicle or object but becomes a primary purpose in itself shall be prohibited.
[Added 4-12-2000 by Ord. No. 186-2000]
K.
Changeable message signs regulations.
[Added 2-3-2009 by Ord. No. 254-2009]
(1)
Changeable message signs shall include the following:
(a)
Mechanically changed sign: any sign whose display surface or a portion of its display surface is comprised of rotating elements that permit a display of different messages by the rotation of the elements.
(b)
Electronically changed sign: any sign whose display surface or a portion of its display surface includes alphabetic, pictographic or symbolic informational content can be changed or altered on a display screen composed of light emitting diodes (LEDs), fiber optics, light bulbs or other illumination devices, including, but not limited to, programmable microprocessor-controlled electronic displays; and the projection of images or messages with these characteristics by any other means onto the sign face.
(2)
Changeable message signs may be permitted within the Township under the following conditions:
(a)
Each message or copy shall remain fixed for at least eight seconds.
(b)
The time interval used to change from one complete message/display to the next complete message/display shall be a maximum of one second.
(c)
There shall be no appearance of a visual dissolve or fading, in which any part of one electronic message/display appears simultaneously with any part of a second electronic message/display.
(d)
There shall be no appearance of flashing or sudden bursts of light, and no appearance of animation, movement or flow of the message/display.
(e)
Any illumination, intensity or contrast of light level shall remain constant.
(f)
All changeable message signs shall contain a default design that will freeze the device in one position if a malfunction occurs.
§ 184-142 Off-premises signs permitted.
The following signs which do not pertain to the business or activity conducted on the premises upon which the sign is located are permitted in all districts with the express permission of the property owner:
A.
Signs which are used for directing patrons, members or audiences to service clubs, churches or other nonprofit organizations may be erected subject to the following requirements:
B.
In the OR, LI, GI, LC and ASU Districts, an overall identifying sign including a directory limited to a maximum overall area of 120 square feet shall be permitted.
[Amended 4-12-2000 by Ord. No. 186-2000; 8-6-2019 by Ord. No. 321-2019]
C.
On unimproved, undeveloped land in the SC and GI Districts that border Pennsylvania Route 183, outdoor advertising signs which are subject to the following requirements:
[Amended 5-4-1999 by Ord. No. 179A-1999]
(1)
No sign shall exceed 480 square feet with a maximum height of 12 feet and maximum length of 40 feet, inclusive of any border and trim, but excluding the base or apron, supports and other structural members.
(2)
A sign structure may contain only one sign per facing but may contain two facings back to back.
(3)
No sign shall be located within 300 feet of other adjoining or abutting zoning districts.
(4)
No sign structure shall be located within a five-hundred-foot radius of another outdoor advertising sign structure.
D.
Temporary signs directing patrons, members or audiences to temporary exhibits, shows or events and signs directed in conjunction with a political election, subject to the following requirements:
E.
Nationally recognized service clubs and nonprofit organizations are permitted to erect signs within the rights-of-way of Township roads, subject to the following:
(1)
Specific written approval must be received from the Township Supervisors.
(2)
No sign shall exceed four square feet.
(3)
Signs shall be single faced.
(4)
Signs shall not be located in or within the cartway of any street.
(5)
No sign shall be located within two feet from a curbline or five feet from the edge of pavement if no curbing exists.
(6)
No sign shall be located within the clear sight triangle at street intersections.
§ 184-143 Additional permitted signs.
A.
In the AB, ASU, HC, LI, GI, NC, LC and OR Zoning Districts, there shall be permitted one freestanding ground sign (one sign per frontage, not per use) indicating the name of a group of businesses and/or the names of individual business with a maximum area of 120 square feet (60 square feet in the AB District) for each lot side which fronts a street and one wall sign for each permitted use attached to the wall of that permitted use not to exceed in area two square feet per one linear foot of horizontal wall facade length to a maximum of 240 square feet (120 square feet in the HC, NC, LC and AB Districts). There shall be permitted directional signs, not to exceed six square feet each, erected within the project itself to direct persons to an office or other location. Signs in addition to these, such as signs on mobile stands which can be moved from place to place and poster signs, are not permitted. A projecting sign may be erected in lieu of a freestanding ground sign but may not project within 10 feet of any right-of-way line, may not exceed 30 square feet in area and must have a minimum height clearance of 10 feet above grade measured to the bottom edge of the sign.
[Amended 4-12-2000 by Ord. No. 186-2000; 8-6-2019 by Ord. No. 321-2019]
B.
In the SC Zoning District there shall be permitted one wall sign per commercial unit not to exceed in area four square feet per one linear foot of horizontal building facade length to a maximum of 240 square feet. In addition, there shall be permitted one freestanding ground sign for each lot side which fronts a street not to exceed in area 300 square feet. The sign shall reflect only the name or identification of the shopping center or uses within the center and may include a marquee for public announcements.
[Amended 4-12-2000 by Ord. No. 186-2000]
C.
In the IR Zoning District, there shall be permitted directional signs, not to exceed six square feet each. Permanent identifying signs for the purpose of indicating the name of the premises and for the purpose of identifying the individual buildings within the project shall be permitted. Not more than one freestanding ground sign at an entrance to the project from a public street to identify the name of the project shall be permitted, and no such sign shall exceed 48 square feet in size. Not more than one wall sign identifying the project shall be permitted, and no such sign shall exceed 48 square feet in area. Signs advertising a use located on the site may be erected in accordance with the above size limitations. In the case of freestanding or projecting signs, except directional signs, such signs must be at least 20 feet from one edge of the property or building.
D.
Signs for multifamily dwellings.
(1)
There shall be permitted, at the site of multifamily dwellings, freestanding real estate signs for advertising the sale or rental of the premises upon which the sign is erected, provided that the total area of the sign does not exceed 48 square feet, but there shall be no more than one such sign on any one lot on the same street frontage, and that no sign shall be erected so as to stand higher than one of the building it advertises. For the purpose of this chapter, multifamily dwelling units shall not be advertised by such real estate signs for more than 12 months after building construction is completed.
(2)
There shall be permitted directional signs, not to exceed six square feet each, erected within the project itself to direct persons to a rental office or sample apartment.
(3)
There shall be permitted permanent identifying signs for the purpose of indicating the name of the multifamily project and for the purpose of identifying the individual buildings within the project. No more than one freestanding ground sign at an entrance to the project from a public street to identify the name of the project shall be permitted, and no such sign shall exceed 48 square feet in size. Not more than one wall sign identifying the project shall be permitted, and such sign shall not exceed 48 square feet in area. Signs to identify the individual buildings within the project shall not exceed six square feet in size.
E.
Temporary on-lot signs. Temporary signs which pertain to the business or activity conducted on the premises upon which the sign is to be located are permitted in all zoning districts pursuant to the following regulations:
[Added 2-3-2009 by Ord. No. 253-2009]
(1)
The landowner or tenant shall make application to the Township pursuant to § 184-137 at least seven days before it desires to erect the temporary signage.
(2)
The temporary sign which is the subject of the request shall be for the purpose of alerting or directing patrons, members, customers or audiences to temporary exhibits, shows, events or sales to be conducted on the premises.
(3)
No sign permitted under this section shall exceed 32 square feet in area.
(4)
Signs permitted pursuant to this section shall be removed within three days of the conclusion of the exhibit, show, event or sale which it promoted.
(5)
No property shall have more than one temporary sign posted upon its premises as permitted by this section at any given time.
(6)
No such sign shall be posted earlier than two weeks before the exhibit, show, event or sale which it is promoting and shall not remain posted more than four weeks from the day of its original posting irregardless of the date the sign is posted.
(7)
No property owner or tenant shall receive more than four permits pursuant to this section in any calendar year in connection with the same parcel of land.
(8)
Any property owner or tenant who violates the provisions of this section in connection with a property owned or leased by it shall cause said property to be ineligible to receive a temporary sign pursuant to this section for a period of one calendar year from the date of the violation.