Jackson Township Lebanon County
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
PART 16
SIGNS AND ADVERTISING STRUCTURES
§ 27-1601 Intent.
[Ord. 8, 4/3/1972; as amended by Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 15.01]
The purpose of these regulations is to permit signs or advertising structures that will not, by reason of their size, location, construction, or manner of display, endanger the public safety of individuals, confuse, mislead, or obstruct the vision necessary for traffic safety or otherwise endanger public health, safety, and morals; and to permit and regulate signs in such a way as to support and complement land use objectives set forth in this Chapter. Signs may be permitted only when in compliance with the provision of this Chapter and any and all ordinances and regulations relating to the erection, construction, reconstruction, enlargement, relocation, replacements, alteration or maintenance of signs and similar devices.
§ 27-1602 Area of Sign.
[Ord. 8, 4/3/1972; as amended by Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 15.02]
The area of a sign shall be construed to include the entire display surface and background, whether open or enclosed, which encompasses lettering, wording, designs, and symbols, but not including any supporting framework and bracing which is incidental to the display itself. The area shall be determined using the largest visible sign or silhouette area. When the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached to or printed on a surface, the area shall be considered to be the smallest rectangular shape or shapes which can be drawn together to encompass all of the letters and symbols. All double-face signs shall be considered as having one sign area, except doubled-face "V" signs that have interior angles greater than 45°.
§ 27-1603 General Regulations.
[Ord. 8, 4/3/1972, § 16.2; as amended by Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 16.03]
All signs and/or advertising structures, where permitted under the terms of this Part, are subject to the following:
A.
No sign shall be erected, constructed, reconstructed, replaced, altered, removed for repair, enlarged, or relocated until a permit is obtained from the Zoning Administrator, except that no permit shall be required by this Part for the following signs:
(1)
Signs not exceeding two square feet in area and bearing only property numbers, postal box numbers or names of the occupants of the premises.
(2)
Flags and insignia of any government, except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion.
(3)
Legal notices, official traffic signs, community facilities signs, municipality identification signs, noncommercial historical or geographical identification information, or directional signs erected by government bodies. Such signs may be placed within the road right-of-way.
(4)
Geographical identification and greeting signs erected by civic and service organizations provided that they do not exceed four feet in area and are comprised of the organization's standard emblem or seal.
(5)
Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, except letters, trademarks, moving parts, or moving lights.
(6)
Signs directing and guiding traffic and parking on private property, but bearing no advertising matter.
(8)
Signs identifying farms, farm associations, and agricultural products, provided that no farm or association identification sign exceeds 10 square feet in area and no more than one sign shall be erected per road frontage. Signs identifying agricultural products shall not exceed two square feet in area.
(9)
Hunting, fishing, and trespassing signs and signs indicating private ownership of roadways or property, provided that such signs do not exceed two square feet in area and when erected along street frontage the signs shall be spaced at intervals of not less than 100 feet.
(10)
Signs up to four square feet in area which are necessary for the identification, protection, and operation of public utility facilities.
B.
Every sign shall be maintained in a safe, presentable and good structural condition at all times, including the replacement of defective parts, painting, repainting, cleaning and other acts required for the maintenance of said sign. The Zoning Administrator shall require such maintenance, and in the event the sign owner fails to comply with said requirements, the Zoning Administrator shall proceed against him as provided in § 27-1702 of this Chapter. Any sign which pertains to a time, event, or purpose which no longer applies and has been abandoned, as specified in § 27-1303(1) of this Chapter, shall be removed by the owner of the sign or the owner of the premises on which the sign is located.
C.
All signs not owned by the person, firm or organization advertising thereon shall carry a clearly legible imprint showing the owner's name.
D.
Electronic Message Centers.
[Amended by Ord. 6-2014, 10/6/2014]
(1)
Terms defined.
(a)
Signs which constitute electronic message centers and/or electronic message center boards shall be defined as follows: "a sign that utilizes computer-generated messages or some other electronic means of changing copy. These signs include displays using incandescent lamps, LEDs, LCDs or a flipper matrix."
(b)
For purposes of this section, "nits" are defined as follows: "a unit of measure in the electronics industry equal to candela per square meter."
(2)
Electronic message centers shall be permitted if they comply with the following conditions:
(a)
No sign shall be illuminated as to have a glaring effect upon vehicle traffic.
(b)
No sign shall be illuminated so as to constitute a nuisance.
(c)
No sign shall contain moving parts or use flashing or intermittent illumination. The source of the light shall be steady and stationary, i.e., the display light source may not go black and then return to light intermittently, except time, date and temperature displays.
(d)
The sign message may not change by scrolling or blackout. No flashing is permitted. Any illumination intensity or contrast of light shall remain constant.
(e)
The display may not use the flash mode operation or give the appearance of animation.
(f)
Electronic messages must display a minimum of eight seconds and change to a new message within a maximum time of one second.
(g)
The display must be equipped with automatic and manual dimming controls.
(h)
Maximum nits (candela per square meter) is 10,000 in daylight up to official sunset, and after sunset until sunrise, 700 nits. Electronic message centers are required to have automatic dimming capability that adjusts the brightness to the ambient light at all times of the day and night.
(i)
The sign shall only be permitted to display on-premises products and services. A sign shall not advertise off-premises products or services. A sign may display time, date, temperature, and Amber Alerts.
(j)
Only one electronic message center shall be permitted per zoning lot.
(3)
All other signs other than electronic message centers shall not be so illuminated to have a glaring effect upon vehicular traffic. No sign shall be illuminated so as to constitute a nuisance. All other signs shall not contain moving parts. The source of light shall be steady and stationary for all signs except as stated above.
E.
No sign shall be higher than 35 feet from the ground to the highest part of the sign.
F.
No sign shall be erected so as to obstruct entrance to or exit from a required door, window, fire escape or other required exitway.
G.
No sign shall be erected that screens traffic signals or signs or utilizes red, green or amber lights or reflectorized material that creates a flashing action and is so located as to render ineffective any traffic sign or signal. Any sign which resembles an official traffic sign or signal, by way of its appearance or content, shall be prohibited.
H.
Unless otherwise provided, no sign shall be painted, pasted, or otherwise affixed to any tree, rock, utility pole, hydrant, bridge, side walk, curb, or street.
I.
Unless otherwise provided, no portion of any sign shall be erected within or placed on an existing structure in the road right-of-way. Additionally, no portion of any sign shall be erected in the "clear sight triangle," as specified in § 27-1406.
J.
Unless otherwise specified, all signs shall be on-premises, and no sign shall be erected until a permit has been secured from the Zoning Administrator and approval has been received from any other applicable state or local agencies.
K.
No sign shall contain obscene material.
§ 27-1604 Signs Permitted in All Districts.
[Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 15.04]
The following signs are permitted in any zoning district:
A.
Temporary signs which do not require a permit:
(1)
Temporary signs of painters, mechanics, contractors, realtors, and the like not exceeding a total of 16 square feet in area, provided such signs are removed as soon as the work has been completed.
(2)
Temporary signs and banners of a noncommercial nature across a public right-of-way are permitted provided: a) permission is obtained from the Township Supervisors; b) they are erected in a location which will not cause a traffic hazard; c) they meet safety standards and are maintained; and d) they are removed when their temporary use is completed.
(3)
Temporary signs announcing a campaign, drive, or event of civic, philanthropic, educational or religious organizations. Such signs shall not exceed 12 square feet in area and shall be removed within 48 hours after completion of the campaign, drive or event.
(4)
Temporary signs directing patrons, members, audience or customers to temporary exhibits, shows, events, or activities (e.g., yard sales, fruit sales, conventions, etc.). Such signs shall not exceed 12 square feet in area and shall be removed within 48 hours after completion of the campaign, drive or event.
(5)
Signs erected in conjunction with a political election provided that all signs are removed within 48 hours after the date of the election.
B.
Off-premises directional signs which require issuance of a permit:
(1)
Off-premises directional signs which are used to direct patrons, members, audiences, customer, clients to service clubs, churches, commercial, industrial, institutional or other organizations may be erected subject to the following requirements:
(a)
A sign shall indicate only the name of the organization and the direction to the facility.
(b)
Except at intersections, no sign shall be placed within 200 feet of another sign associated with the same principal use.
(c)
All signs shall be placed within two miles of the use and no more than six signs for each principal use may be erected within the border of the municipality.
(d)
All signs shall consist of dark lettering on a light background, excluding standard issue signs. The signs shall not exceed three square feet in area, and no moving parts, flashing lights or any type of illumination shall be permitted.
(e)
At intersections of public streets, no more than one sign post accommodating all directional signs may be erected per corner. Said posts shall not exceed six inches in width and shall no be less than three feet no greater than eight feet in height above ground. No more than one sign per principal use may be attached to any sign post and no portion of any sign shall be erected within the "clear sight triangle" as specified in § 27-1406 of this Chapter.
(f)
Application for off-premises directional sign permits shall include a map indicating location of placement requests and the land owner's written approval, name to be placed on sign, and distances form the facility to each sign.
C.
One name plate for a home occupation, provided that the sign does not exceed four square feet in size and identifies only the name of the occupant and title of the occupation. If lighted, the sign shall be illuminated without objectionable glare. No displays or change in facade shall indicate from the exterior that the building is being used for any purpose other than that of a dwelling.
D.
One institutional sign and/or one bulletin board, for places of worship, schools, hospitals, libraries, museums, social clubs, and similar uses, provided each sign or bulletin board does not exceed 16 feet in area and is located no closer to a road right-of-way than 1/2 the depth of the existing front yard or 25 feet whichever is less. If lighted, it shall be illuminated without objectionable glare. Additionally, if such property fronts on more than one street, each street frontage may contain the above-mentioned signs.
E.
Subdivision signs.
(1)
Temporary. A sign advertising lots for sale, giving prices, dimensions, services, etc., and which shall be removed within 30 days of the sale date of the last lot.
(2)
Permanent. A sign containing only the name of the development or subdivision and designed to be permanently affixed to the land. One sign per road frontage may be permitted provided the sign is placed at an entrance to the subdivision, is located on the property to be subdivided, and does not exceed 24 feet in area. No portion of any sign shall be erected within the "clear sight triangle" as specified in § 27-1406.
F.
Multicommercial complex (shopping center) identification signs, provided they are separate and not attached to any building. A maximum of two such signs for any one shopping center are permitted. The signs shall be a maximum of 35 feet in height measured from the ground, and the maximum size of the sign area itself shall not exceed 100 square feet. In addition to the main sign, an additional total of 100 square feet is permitted to be added to the sign for individual businesses within the complex.
[Added by Ord. 6-2014, 10/6/2014]
§ 27-1605 Signs in Residential and Agricultural Districts.
[Ord. 8, 4/3/1972; as amended by Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 15.05]
The following types of on-premises signs may be permitted in residential and agricultural districts unless otherwise prohibited:
A.
Signs for the advertisement of agricultural business of follows:
(1)
For each property involved in agribusiness, one sign may be erected, provided no sign or portion thereof shall be located closer to the road right-of-way than 1/2 the depth of the existing front yard or 25 feet, whichever is less.
B.
Signs for nonconforming commercial or industrial uses as follows:
(1)
For each property involved in a commercial or industrial use, a total sign area of 30 square feet shall be permitted. No sign or portion thereof shall be located closer to the road right-of-way than 1/2 the depth of the existing front yard or 15 feet, whichever is less.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1-2019, 4/1/2019]
(2)
Projecting sign. Maximum sign area shall not exceed 12 square feet.
(3)
Freestanding sign. Maximum sign size shall not exceed 16 square feet.
(4)
Wall or window sign. Maximum sign size shall not exceed 12 square feet.
(5)
This section shall also govern commercial and/or industrial uses which are permitted in the residential and agricultural districts by the grant of a variance in accordance with the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance by the Jackson Township Zoning Hearing Board.
[Added by Ord. 6-2014, 10/6/2014]
§ 27-1606 Signs in Commercial and Industrial Districts.
[Ord. 8, 4/3/1972; as amended by Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 15.06]
Unless otherwise specified, only on-premises signs may be permitted, provided the maximum sign area shall not exceed 250 square feet per street frontage. All wall, projecting, roof or freestanding signs must be erected in compliance with the following standards:
B.
Signs for commercial, office, institutional, and industrial uses as follows:
(1)
One wall sign for each road frontage provided it is attached to the wall of the principal building and projects horizontally not more than 12 inches therefrom and occupies not more than 15% of the total area of the front of the principal building. It shall not project more than three feet above the roof line or parapet wall.
(2)
One projecting or roof sign for each road frontage provided it shall not project beyond a vertical plane two feet inside the road right-of-way line and does not exceed 20 square feet in area. Said signs shall not exceed a height of 35 feet.
(3)
One freestanding sign for each road frontage, provided it does not exceed 60 square feet in area. It shall not extend beyond a vertical plane two feet inside the lot from the road right-of-way line and shall not exceed a height of 35 feet.
§ 27-1607 Nonconforming Signs.
[Ord. 8, 4/3/1972; as amended by Ord. 6/4/1984, 6/4/1984, § 15.07]
Any sign erected, constructed, replaced, altered, enlarged, or relocated before the effective date of this chapter, that would not otherwise be permitted under the terms of this chapter, may remain and continue to be used, maintained and repaired provided:
A.
A nonconforming sign shall not be replaced, altered, relocated, or reconstructed except to bring the sign into total compliance with the provision of this chapter.
B.
A nonconforming sign may be used, maintained and repaired subject to the following requirements:
(1)
Maintenance and repair of a nonconforming sign is permitted when said activities are necessary to maintain the sign in a presentable, functionable condition. Maintenance and repair activities shall not include alterations, relocation or reconstruction but may include replacement of defective parts, painting, repainting, cleaning and other acts required for the maintenance of said sign. Prior to the removal of a nonconforming sign for maintenance, repair or message change, a permit shall be secured from the Zoning Administrator. Said permit shall allow the applicant to re-erect the repaired or re-messaged nonconforming sign within 30 days of issuance. If the nonconforming sign is not erected within the specified time, it shall lose its nonconforming status and any successive sign shall conform with all applicable chapter requirements.
(2)
Nothing in this Part shall prohibit the change in advertising, identifying or directional message of a nonconforming sign so long as the change does not involve any alteration, relocation or reconstruction of the nonconforming sign. Message changes of a nonconforming sign that are a result of a transfer in ownership of the premises on which the principal use is located, excluding contract advertising signs, shall be prohibited and any successive sign shall conform to the Chapter requirements. If the message change requires removal of the sign, a permit shall be secured as in the above subsection.
(3)
A nonconforming sign, which has been damaged or destroyed by fire, explosion, accident, or calamity, to an extent which is greater than 50% of the sign or sign's value, may not be repaired except in compliance with the provisions of this Chapter. A nonconforming sign which has sustained less than 50% damage of the sign or sign value may be repaired provided:
(a)
The repaired sign is virtually unchanged, except for building materials and message, or is less nonconforming that the original sign.
(b)
Repair is completed within 60 days from the date of damage. Failure to repair within 60 days shall result in the loss of nonconforming signs rights and any successive sign shall conform with all applicable Chapter requirements.
(4)
When a nonconforming sign has been demolished or destroyed by deterioration or removal, or has been moved from its location for reasons other than for an approved repair, maintenance or a change in message, said sign shall not be reconstructed or replaced except in complete conformity with the provisions of this Chapter.
C.
A nonconforming sign which pertains to a time, event, purpose or use which no longer applies, has been abandoned or changed, shall be removed by the owner of the sign or the owner of the premises on which the sign is located.
D.
Proposed signs that are associates with a nonconforming use shall conform to the regulations of the district in which the sign is located.
§ 27-1608 Off-premises Billboards: High Intensity Agricultural and Industrial Districts.
[Ord. 6-2014, 10/6/2014]
Off-premises billboards and advertising sign boards may be erected and maintained in the A-2 High Intensity Agricultural and the I-1 Industrial Districts, provided the total display area of all signs shall not exceed 20 square feet for each 10 feet of road frontage, and the total display area of any sign shall not exceed 200 square feet in area, and any electric message display shall not exceed more than 50% of the total area of the billboard or sign. Said signs shall not be placed less than 100 feet apart nor within 100 feet of existing billboards or advertising sign boards. No sign or portion thereof shall be located closer than 25 feet to the road right-of-way and shall not exceed 35 feet in height measured from the ground.