Franklin Township Beaver County
City Zoning Code

The provisions of this article are minimum standards intended to discourage roadside clutter and visual confusion, to allow unimpeded sight distances for drivers at property entrances, and to permit reasonably sized and located signage to draw attention to goods and services in the public interest.

All signs erected after the adoption of this chapter shall be located upon the lot containing the activity, use or manufacturing process for which the sign is to be erected, except for off-premises directional signs and billboards.

Sign structures legally in place when this chapter is adopted may remain. However, if such signs exceed the requirements of this article, they may not be enlarged or relocated except to conform with this article, although a sign's message may be changed.

This article shall not apply to signs erected by any public body, to political signs, to the display of patriotic flags or banners, to temporary signs advertising events of a church or other semipublic institution, to "no hunting" or "no trespassing" signs, or to Christmas or other holiday decorations in season or to street address numbers.

The following types of signs are prohibited:

No part of any sign or sign structure shall extend into a street right-of-way or compromise sight lines for drivers entering a street or for drivers approaching an intersection.

Signs shall be removed not more than 60 days after the use or activity they advertise has been removed. If the building that housed the use or activity remains, the sign structure and signboard may also remain.

In computing sign area, any border around the edges of the signboard as well as any features attached to the sign intended to call attention to the sign message shall be included in the measurement to determine conformance with this article. When a sign has an irregular or free-form shape, a grid of one-foot squares may be applied to an elevation view of the sign drawn to scale to determine an acceptable approximation of the area.

Sign areas indicated in this article are for one side. A reverse side of the same or a lesser size is permitted. For signs with more than two sides, the total area of all sides shall be not more than twice the maximum permitted area for one side. Normal sign supports, such as poles and posts, shall not be included in computing sign area if they carry no advertising. However, full width or enclosed support structures shall be included in computing the total sign area.

Types of signs permitted in these zone districts:

Location of signs on a lot. Signs shall be placed on the principal building facing the street or in the yard area between the principal building on the lot and the abutting street, but not less than 10 feet from any adjacent lot.

Maximum sign area by type.

Maximum number of signs permitted. One sign shall be permitted on any lot or group of lots used for one purpose, except that if a lot abuts two or more streets, two signs may be placed, no more than one on the same street. If more than one contractor is employed simultaneously on the same property, each may have a sign. A real estate sign may be placed in addition to any other signs on a lot.

Maximum sign height. The top edge of any sign shall not be more than 20 feet above the ground level below the sign.

Illumination. No sign, except an institutional sign or a business sign, shall be specifically lighted. Signs may be incidentally lighted by a porch light or lamppost. When signs are specifically lighted, the light source shall not be visible from adjacent streets or properties. Lighting inside a sign or downlighting mounted at the top of the sign is preferred. Dark backgrounds and lighted lettering are also preferred.

Types of signs permitted in these zone districts:

Location of signs on a lot. Signs shall be placed either on the facade of the principal building on the lot facing the street or in the area between the principal building or buildings on the lot and the abutting street, but not less than five feet from any adjacent lot in the C or I Zone Districts or 10 feet from an adjacent lot in the A/R, R-1 or R-2 Zone Districts.

Maximum sign area.

Maximum number of signs permitted. One freestanding sign, one wall-mounted sign, one monument sign and one projecting sign shall be permitted on any lot or group of lots developed as one entity. If a lot or group of lots abuts two or more streets, two signs of each type may be placed, no more than one sign of each type facing the same street. Contractor's signs, information signs and real estate signs are excluded from the requirements of this section.

Maximum sign height. The top edge of any sign shall not be more than 35 feet above the ground level below the sign.

Illumination. Any sign in the C or I Zone Districts may be lighted, provided the light source is hidden behind translucent panels in the sign, is in a shielded ground mounting, or is in a strip across the top of the sign, so as not to be visible from nearby or adjacent streets or properties.

Billboards. After the date of adoption of this chapter, billboards may only be erected in the C or I Zone Districts. Billboards shall not exceed 300 square feet in area, shall not be located closer than 100 feet from any property not in the C or I Zones, and shall be limited to one billboard on any property existing at the time of adoption of this chapter. Height and illumination shall comply with Subsections E and F above.

Except for temporary signs, all signs shall be constructed of materials not subject to rapid deterioration. Signs shall be securely and permanently attached into the ground or supporting structure and shall be maintained over the life of the sign. Supports for freestanding or monument signs shall extend at least two feet six inches into the ground. Wood members of any sign shall be pressure-treated for outdoor use.

The Zoning Officer shall require the owner of a sign to repair or replace it if, in the Officer's opinion, it has become deteriorated, dilapidated or poses a threat to public safety. Reasons for requiring action shall include structural deterioration or damage, obliteration of all or a part of the sign's message, the purpose for the sign ceasing to exist, or the sign having been erected in violation of this article.

If the sign owner fails to repair or replace the cited sign within 30 days after the notice has been sent, the Zoning Officer shall order the sign removed within 30 additional days, subject to appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board and to penalties stipulated in § 330-86. Nothing shall prevent the Zoning Officer from ordering a sign to be repaired or removed immediately, or cause to have it removed, if it presents a clear and imminent threat to the public safety.

This section may be applied to signs erected prior to the adoption of this chapter.

Permits shall be required for all signs exceeding 16 square feet in area, which shall be valid for the life of the sign, and for any temporary sign, which shall be valid for a period of 60 days with a sixty-day extension approvable by the Zoning Officer when a hardship clearly exists for the sign owner if the sign must be removed after the initial 60 days.

Before the permit is issued, the party proposing to erect the sign shall submit a plan on the lot on which the sign will be placed showing the location of the sign or signs, the distance between any freestanding signs and adjacent property or street lines, an elevation view of the sign with dimensions noted, any details showing the method of attachment of the sign to a building or into the ground.

A Schedule of Fees for signs shall be established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.