All signs shall be divided into the following types for use and location:

(1)

Government sign. A sign placed by a government or municipal authority, such as a traffic, directional, informational or street name sign, or a historical marker.

(2)

Professional, accessory use or name sign. An on-lot sign indicating the name, profession or activity of the occupant of a dwelling.

(3)

Home occupation or farm occupation sign. An on-lot sign identifying a home occupation or a farm occupation located on the lot on which the sign is located.

(4)

Identification sign. An on-lot sign identifying municipal buildings, parks, schools, churches, hospitals or similar institutions, and for clubs, lodges, farms, estates, residential developments or similar uses.

(5)

Temporary signs. Temporary signs of contractors, architects, mechanics and artisans.

(6)

Real estate sale-sold-rent-open house-development sign. A temporary sign which provides information about a real estate activity on the lot on which the sign is located.

(7)

Business, commercial or industrial sign. A sign for a permitted use conducted on the lot which shall identify the written name and/or the type of business and/or any trademark of an article for sale or rent on the lot or otherwise call attention to a use conducted on the lot.

(8)

Functional signs. Functional signs such as those designating rest rooms, entrance, exit, no trespassing or other signs not otherwise defined or directly connected with the business, profession or use conducted upon the lot, but attendant or accessory thereto.

(9)

Direction sign. A sign containing only the name of an industrial, commercial or institutional establishment not located on the lot occupied by such sign, and an arrow or other directional symbol indicating the route to the establishment.

(10)

Temporary display sign or banner. A sign of a charitable, institutional, or public organization that advertises an event for a specific date, or an election sign which directs attention to a candidate for public office, a political party or a ballot issue.

(11)

Garage or yard sale sign. A temporary sign which directs attention to the sale of personal goods on the lot on which the sign is located.

(12)

Billboard. A permanent sign which directs attention to a product, service, business or cause not located on the lot occupied by such sign.

(13)

Window display. An exhibit behind a window which is intended to draw attention to a product, service, business or cause.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 801; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 801, 2-27-2001)

All signs shall be divided into the following classifications for the purpose of construction:

(1)

Ground sign. A sign erected upon an independent structure (legs or base) so that such structure is the main support of the sign, and/or any sign which is not supported by a part of a building.

(2)

Flat wall sign. A sign erected or displayed on or parallel to the surface of a building.

(3)

Wall projecting sign. A sign mounted upon a building so that its principal face is at right angles to the building wall.

(4)

Roof sign. A sign erected or displayed upon the roof of any building or structure or a wall sign, a portion of which exceeds the height of the building.

(5)

Overhead sign. A sign located such that pedestrian or vehicular traffic might pass beneath any part of it.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 802; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 802, 2-27-2001)

The following requirements shall apply when interpreting area and height regulations of a sign:

(1)

Area. The area of a sign shall be the area of the smallest rectangle, triangle or circle that will encompass all elements of the sign, such as letters, figures, symbols, designs or other display.

a.

When the sign is a separate unit, the area shall include any borders, framing, trim, decorative attachments, background, and space between elements; it shall not include any supporting structure unless that structure is illuminated, is in the form of a symbol, or contains advertising elements.

b.

When the sign is applied to a wall or otherwise has no definable edges, the area shall include all color, artwork, or other means used to differentiate the sign from the surface upon which it is placed.

c.

When a single sign structure has more than one face with the same message, and no two sign faces are more than three feet apart at any point, the area shall be computed by determining the greatest total area of all sign faces visible from any single location.

(2)

Height. The height of a sign shall be measured from the average ground level beneath the sign to the highest point of the sign. The ground level shall be the lower of the ground level existing at the time of construction or the ground level existing, prior to construction and prior to any earth-disturbance at the site of the sign. No person shall artificially increase the maximum height of a sign by altering the grade at the base of the sign by any means.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 803; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 803, 2-27-2001)

The following general standards shall apply to all signs in addition to the specific sign standards based on use classification and construction classification:

(1)

No sign shall be higher than the height limitation for a principal building within the zoning district in which the sign is located.

(2)

The area surrounding a sign shall be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition.

(3)

No sign shall be painted, pasted, nailed, stapled or otherwise attached to a utility pole, fire hydrant or another sign.

(4)

All signs shall be constructed of durable materials and maintained in good condition.

(5)

No sign shall be maintained in such a state of disrepair as to have the appearance of complete neglect or which is rotting or falling down, or which is illegible or has loose parts separated from original fastenings.

(6)

Whenever a sign becomes structurally unsafe or endangers the safety of a building or premises or endangers the public safety, the zoning officer shall give written notice to the landowner of the lot on which the sign is located that such sign shall be required to be made safe or removed within five days.

(7)

No sign shall be erected which shall obscure or interfere with the line of sight at any traffic signal, street intersection or driveway intersection.

(8)

No sign shall have lights or other illumination devices which constitute a public safety or traffic hazard.

(9)

No sign shall be permitted which imitates or which might be confused with an official traffic sign or signal, such as:

a.

By containing the words "stop" or "danger."

b.

By, including red, green or yellow lights.

(10)

No animated, sequential, intermittent, flashing, rotating or oscillating signs shall be permitted except for signs indicating the time or temperature.

(11)

Signs may be interior lighted with non-glaring lights, and signs may be externally lighted by lights which are shielded so there is no direct light transmitted to other lots or street rights-of-way.

(12)

All electrically illuminated signs shall be constructed to the standards of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

(13)

No sign shall be erected or located as to prevent free ingress and egress from any window, door, stairway or fire escape.

(14)

No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct ventilation or light from a building.

(15)

No sign shall be placed on an automobile, truck or other vehicle if that vehicle is used primarily for displaying such sign.

(16)

Except for billboards, any permanent sign shall be removed by the owner of the lot on which the sign is located if the purpose for which the sign was erected no longer exists.

(17)

In addition to any other signage permitted on a commercial or industrial lot, the user of the lot may display one flag not to exceed 35 square feet showing the company or corporate identification logo.

(18)

No sign shall advertise activities or products which are illegal under federal, state or local municipal laws or regulations.

(19)

No sign located within the floodplain district shall exceed an area of six square feet.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 804; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 804, 2-27-2001)

The following specific sign standards shall apply to signs based on use:

(1)

Professional, accessory use or name signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed two square feet.

b.

The sign shall not project more than six inches from a wall when attached to a building.

c.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(2)

Home occupation or farm occupation signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed six square feet.

b.

The sign may include a name, an address, an occupation or activity, and a logo or trademark.

c.

The sign may not be illuminated, except that a sign for a doctor, medical office or emergency service may be illuminated when the business is open.

d.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(3)

Identification signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed 80 square feet.

b.

No more than two signs per use will be permitted on a single lot.

c.

The sign shall include the name of the use and shall not include any commercial advertising.

d.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(4)

Temporary signs of contractors, architects, mechanics and artisans shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed six square feet.

b.

The sign shall be displayed only while actual work is in progress and shall be removed promptly upon completion of the work.

c.

If there are four or more signs on a single lot, they must be combined in a single display by attaching then to a single background panel or frame as large as necessary to accommodate one sign per contractor. The background or frame is not included in calculating the sign area, and the maximum height of the display is ten feet.

d.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(5)

Real estate sale-sold-rent-open house-development signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed six square feet for each 100 feet of lot frontage, provided that no sign shall exceed an area of 24 square feet.

b.

The sign shall be removed within five days of the completion of the advertised activity.

c.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(6)

Business, commercial or industrial signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The total area of all signs shall not exceed two square feet per linear foot of building frontage.

b.

The total number of signs allowed shall be three.

c.

A sign in other than a commercial or industrial zoning district may only be illuminated when the use is open.

d.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

e.

Where five or more separate commercial or industrial uses are combined in a shopping center, office complex or industrial park on a minimum of five acres of land within a commercial or industrial zoning district, one additional sign shall be permitted to advertise the shopping center, office complex or industrial park. The area of this sign shall not exceed 80 square feet.

(7)

Functional signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed three square feet.

b.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(8)

Direction signs shall conform to the following:

a.

No sign shall be wider than four inches or longer than 24 inches.

b.

No sign shall be located between 30 inches and eight feet from the ground surface immediately underneath.

c.

No establishment shall erect, place, install or maintain more than three signs within the Township.

d.

No more than three signs may be placed at any one corner of a street intersection.

e.

No sign may be erected, placed, installed or maintained without the permission of the landowner of the affected lot.

f.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way without the approval of the Township board of supervisors.

(9)

Temporary display signs or banners shall conform to the following:

a.

The sign or banner shall not exceed an area of 24 square feet.

b.

The sign or banner shall be permitted for one period of not more than 30 days.

c.

A sign or banner used to advertise an event of specific date shall be removed within five days after the date of such event.

d.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way without the approval of the Township board of supervisors.

(10)

Garage or yard sale signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed six square feet.

b.

Signs may be placed no more than 48 hours before the sale and must be removed before the end of the day of the sale.

c.

No sign may be erected, placed, installed or maintained on another lot without the permission of the landowner of the affected lot.

d.

The sign shall not be located within a street right-of-way.

(11)

Billboards shall conform to the following:

a.

A billboard may have two surfaces with a total of one message for each surface, as long as the surfaces are back-to-back or at an angle equal to or less than 45 degrees.

b.

Each surface may have a sign area of up to 300 square feet.

c.

A billboard shall be set back a minimum of 30 feet from any street right-of-way line and a minimum of 15 feet from any side or rear lot line.

d.

A billboard shall be located at least 1,000 feet from any other billboard and at least 300 feet from any residential, agricultural, airport commercial or conservation zoning district.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 805; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 805, 2-27-2001)

The following specific sign standards shall apply to signs based on construction:

(1)

Ground signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed 80 square feet.

b.

No sign with a sign area in excess of six square feet shall project to a point nearer than 12 feet from the edge of a street cartway; however, if any sign is obstructing the view of vehicular or pedestrian traffic, further setback shall be required to eliminate such obstructed view.

c.

No ground sign shall project to a point nearer than 12 feet to any side or rear lot line.

(2)

Flat wall signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed 15 percent of the wall area of the wall on which the sign is erected; however, within the R-4 district, the area of the sign shall not exceed 15 percent of the wall area for the first floor of the building.

b.

A sign may be at any height on the wall on which the sign is erected, except that it may not extend higher than the top of the wall; however, within the R-4 district, a sign may not extend above the first floor of the building.

c.

No sign shall project more than 12 inches from the building wall.

d.

A sign shall be so located that the lower edge is a minimum of eight feet above grade in any case where projection from the wall is greater than three inches.

e.

A sign may be erected upon a canopy, marquee, water storage tank or petroleum product storage tank, if the strength of such structure is sufficient to safely carry the additional load, and provided that such a sign may not extend beyond the edges of such structure.

(3)

Wall projecting signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed 15 percent of the wall area of the wall on which the sign is mounted; however, within the R-4 district, the area of the sign shall not exceed ten square feet.

b.

A sign shall be so located that the lower edge is a minimum of eight feet above grade.

c.

No sign shall extend above the top of the wall upon which it is mounted; however, within the R-4 district, the top of the sign shall not exceed 12 feet above grade.

d.

A sign may project a maximum of ten feet from the building wall, except that no sign shall project to a point nearer than 12 feet from the edge of the street cartway; however, within the R-4 district, no sign shall project to a point nearer than six feet from the edge of the street cartway.

e.

A sign may be erected upon a canopy, marquee, water storage tank or petroleum product storage tank, if the strength of such structure is sufficient to safely carry the additional load, and provided that such a sign may not extend within otherwise prohibited areas.

(4)

Roof signs shall conform to the following:

a.

The area of the sign shall not exceed 15 percent of the front wall area of the building or structure.

b.

No sign shall be placed upon the roof of any building or structure so as to prevent the free passage from one part of the roof to the other thereof, or interfere with any openings in such roof.

c.

No sign erected upon the roof of any building or structure shall project beyond the edges of said roof in any direction.

d.

A sign may extend above the roof, or top of wall, a distance equal to one-half the height of the wall or 15 feet, whichever is the smaller height.

e.

No sign parallel to a building or structure shall extend in length a distance greater than two-thirds the length of the wall to which it is parallel.

f.

No roof signs are permitted within the R-4 district.

(5)

Overhead signs shall conform to the following:

a.

No sign shall have a clearance less than eight feet between any pedestrian walk and the lowest part of the sign.

b.

No sign shall have a clearance of less than 15 feet between any vehicular way and the lowest part of the sign.

(6)

Changeable message signs shall conform to the following:

a.

These signs shall have lighting levels of no more than 500 NITS (candelas per square meter), of surrounding ambient light conditions measured at a lot line;

b.

The messages displayed shall change no more frequently than once every five seconds;

c.

No sign shall display animated messages, including flashing, blinking, fading, rolling, shading, dissolving, or any other effect that gives the appearance of movement;

d.

No sign shall include any audio message;

e.

Each message shall be completed in itself and shall not continue on a subsequent sign message; and

f.

All signs shall contain a default mechanism that will cause the sign to revert immediately to a black screen if the sign malfunctions.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 806; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 806, 2-27-2001; Ord. No. 2017-5, § 8, 12-7-2017)

(a)

The following classifications of signs by use shall be permitted without requirement of a zoning permit for erection when erected and maintained in conformity hereto:

(1)

Government signs.

(2)

Temporary signs of contractors, architects, mechanics and artisans.

(3)

Real estate sale-sold-rent-open house-development signs.

(4)

Functional signs.

(5)

Direction signs.

(6)

Garage or yard sale signs.

(7)

Window displays.

(b)

Before any sign may be erected in the Township, an application for a zoning permit to erect, install and maintain said sign shall be made in accordance with this chapter. Accompanying each application shall be the required permit fee, payable to the Township, in the proper amount.

(c)

Application for a zoning permit shall be made in writing to the zoning officer and shall contain all information necessary for the zoning officer to determine whether the proposed sign, or the proposed alterations, conform to all the requirements of this chapter.

(d)

Permits shall be granted or refused within 15 days from date of application.

(e)

No sign permit shall be issued except in conformity with the regulations of this chapter, except upon order of the zoning hearing board, granted pursuant to the procedures established for the issuance of a variance.

(f)

All applications for sign permits shall be accompanied by plans or diagrams drawn approximately to scale, showing the following:

(1)

Exact dimensions of the lot, including any right-of-way lines or building upon which the sign is proposed to be erected.

(2)

Exact size, dimensions and location of said sign on the lot or building together with its type, construction, materials to be used, and the manner of installation.

(3)

Any other lawful information which may be required of the applicant by the zoning officer.

(g)

All applications for a permit for a temporary display sign or banner shall specify the number of days the sign or banner is to be displayed, the date or dates of the event being advertised, and the date on which the sign or banner is to be removed.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 807; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 807, 2-27-2001)

A nonconforming sign may continue to be displayed as long as the sign is compliance with the following limitations and conditions:

(1)

There may be no expansion or increase in the nonconformity in any way.

(2)

Maintenance and repair of the sign is permitted; if necessary, up to 50 percent of the sign and its supporting structure may be replaced in the event of damage; any such replacement must be completed within six months of the damage occurring.

(3)

Except for billboards, the sign must be brought into conformity if, for a period of at least three months, the message has no longer applied to an activity on the lot.

(Code 1993, ch. 27, § 808; Ord. No. 2001-1, § 808, 2-27-2001)