Logan Township City Zoning Code
PART 16
SIGNS
§ 1601 Title.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
This Part shall be known as the "Logan Township Sign Regulations."
§ 1602 Purpose.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
1.
The purpose of this Part is to ensure that all signs, except as hereinafter provided, shall be erected, constructed, assembled, rebuilt, altered, relocated, enlarged, located, illuminated, maintained, repaired, or operated in conformity with the provisions of this Part.
2.
This Part will also promote the safety, health, and well-being of the residents of the Township of Logan, and of those who utilize the roads within the Township of Logan, by placing regulations and restrictions on signs within the Township of Logan.
§ 1603 General Regulations Applicable to all Signs.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
1.
No sign, unless exempt, shall be erected, rebuilt, altered, relocated or enlarged until a permit is issued by the Township of Logan.
2.
No sign shall be located within 10 feet of a front, side or rear lot line.
3.
In a zoning district designated as residential of any type, no signs shall be permitted except:
4.
No sign shall be placed in such a position, or have such a source of illumination, that it will cause any danger to pedestrians or vehicular traffic.
5.
At all street intersections and driveway entrances, no sign, except traffic control signs, school warning signs, and similar signs as provided for by other portions of this Part, shall be permitted within a clear sight triangle established for a distance of 15 feet behind the edge of pavement to the point 75 feet from the point of intersection of the center lines of the intersecting streets. See the "clear sight triangle" definition.
6.
No sign, other than traffic control signs, school warning signs, and similar signs (as determined and/or as permitted by the Township), shall be erected within the right-of-way lines of any street or extend over any street right-of-way.
7.
No sign shall be utilized in a manner which produces a noxious glare at or beyond the boundaries of the lot on which it is located. No direct beams of light shall be directed toward adjacent properties or public roads.
8.
No sign shall be erected or located so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any window, door, or fire escape.
9.
No sign that revolves is permitted.
10.
No sign, which emits smoke, vapors or particulates, sound or odor shall be permitted.
11.
No portion of any sign shall project over a lot line.
12.
The area immediately surrounding each sign shall be kept in a clean, sanitary, and healthful condition. No accumulations of loose paper, bottles, cans, garbage, or similar items shall be permitted. The lot must remain in compliance with Township standards.
13.
Every sign shall be constructed of durable material and kept in good condition. Peeling paint shall be removed and replaced; broken letters or other parts shall be repaired or replaced; broken lights shall be replaced; and similar maintenance tasks shall be performed when necessary. Any sign which becomes dilapidated, or which creates a hazard to the public health, safety or welfare, as determined by the Township Zoning or Code Enforcement Officer, upon 10 days' written notice to the owner by the Township, shall be removed at the expense of the owner or lessee. If not so removed, the Township may remove same without prior notice to the owner, and the cost thereof shall be assessed to the owner and/or the Township may lien the owner's property for the cost thereof.
14.
No vulgar, indecent or obscene signs may be displayed in any manner.
15.
No signs shall be permitted which are posted, stapled, or otherwise permanently attached to public utility poles or trees within a street right-of-way.
16.
All sign provisions of this Part shall apply to the use of silos, smokestacks, water towers and other similar structures as signs.
17.
With the exception of ground signs, no sign structure erected directly upon the ground shall have less than three feet of clear space between such sign and the ground; however, necessary supports may extend through such space.
18.
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 a manner as to interfere with, mislead, or confuse traffic are prohibited.
19.
Signs are prohibited on public property or public rights-of-way, unless erected by a governmental body and bearing no commercial advertising.
20.
Sign placement shall be limited to street frontage only.
21.
Roof signs shall not be permitted.
22.
From and after the effective date of this Part, LCD signs shall be permitted only in the Business Corridor of Logan Township. In addition, off-premises advertising signs existing on the date of the enactment of this Part may be changed to LCD only in the Business Corridor of the Township.
23.
No LCD sign shall be operated (brightness, timing. . .) in such a manner as to be detrimental to the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
§ 1604 Signs Requiring Permits.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
The following signs are permitted with issuance of a sign permit:
A.
Off-Premises Advertising Signs:
(1)
Shall not be located in a residential zoning district.
(2)
The total area on one side or facing any one street frontage of any one premises shall not exceed 300 square feet.
(3)
There cannot be more than three faces per sign.
(4)
Each sign face cannot exceed 300 square feet.
(5)
Each face can only be seen from one direction of traffic along the adjacent roadways.
(6)
Shall not be erected within 500 feet of any other off-premises advertising sign on the same side of any street, road, or highway.
(7)
Shall not be erected within 300 feet in a three-hundred-sixty-degree radius of any other off-premises advertising sign.
(8)
No more than one off-premises advertising sign shall be allowed on any one street frontage of any one property.
B.
On-Premises Business Signs:
(1)
Freestanding Signs:
(a)
One permanent identifying freestanding business sign per tenant or business may be erected on each street frontage.
(b)
Within the I-99 Corridor, there shall be no maximum signage height. The height will be determined by the tenant and/or owner to be appropriate for visibility within the corridor. For a regional or national tenant or business, the size of the freestanding sign shall be based on the defined corporate criteria for the size of the business; however, the size of the freestanding sign shall not exceed 400 square feet per tenant or business.
(c)
Outside the I-99 Corridor, the maximum height of a freestanding on-premises sign shall be 25 feet for a pole sign and 35 feet for a ground sign. For every additional tenant added to a ground sign, the maximum height may be increased by five feet. The maximum area for freestanding signs is 400 square feet per tenant or business.
(2)
Wall Signs:
(a)
One permanent wall sign per tenant or business may be attached to each wall of the building.
(b)
The maximum area of a wall sign for a regional or national tenant or business shall be based on the defined corporate criteria for the size of the business; however, the size of the wall sign shall not exceed 400 square feet.
(c)
The maximum area of a wall sign for a nonregional or nonnational tenant or business may not exceed 400 square feet.
(d)
Accessory incidental signage shall not be included in the four-hundred-square-foot maximum calculation.
§ 1605 Permitted Signs Not Requiring Permits.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
1.
No sign shall hereafter be erected, rebuilt, altered, relocated or enlarged until a permit is issued by the Township of Logan for such purposes, except for signs listed below:
A.
(Reserved)
B.
Construction signs of 32 square feet or less.
C.
Directional/informational signs of 12 square feet or less.
D.
Holiday or special events decorations.
E.
Nameplates, house numbers, address signs.
F.
Public signs or notices, or any sign relating to an emergency.
G.
Real estate signs which advertise sale, rental or lease, provided that signs shall not exceed 32 square feet per side; signs shall be located on premises to be sold, leased or rented; no more than two signs may face any one street frontage; and no sign shall be located closer than five feet to any front, side, or rear lot line.
H.
Window signs - when located on the inside of the building.
I.
Incidental signs.
J.
Temporary signs - for a period of 60 days or less in any one-year period.
K.
Any other sign which does not exceed 12 square feet in area.
L.
Traffic control signs.
2.
The fact that a permit is not required for a sign does not exempt that sign from any of the other provisions of this chapter.
§ 1606 Nonconforming Signs.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
1.
After the effective date of this Part, there exists or will exist signs which do not conform to the requirements of this Part, which, if lawful before this Part became effective, may be continued subject to certain limitations, even though such nonconforming signs would be prohibited, regulated, or restricted under the terms of this Part.
2.
Nonconforming signs are subject to the following regulations:
B.
Nonconforming signs destroyed by any means to 50% or more of replacement value immediately prior to destruction shall be removed and shall be replaced only with a sign that is no more nonconforming than the sign that was destroyed.
C.
Nonconforming signs destroyed by any means to less than 50% of replacement value immediately prior to destruction may be repaired, but no repairs shall make the sign more nonconforming than the sign was at the time of destruction.
D.
Nonconforming signs may be repainted, repaired, and similarly maintained, and structures modernized, but no repair or maintenance shall make a sign more nonconforming than the sign was prior to the painting, repair or maintenance. A property owner may obtain a permit to remove and replace a sign for purposes of modernizing an existing nonconforming sign. The modernized sign may not be any more nonconforming than the previously existing nonconforming sign. An application for a permit to modernize a nonconforming sign must be submitted to the Township within 30 days of the removal of the previously existing nonconforming sign, and failure to do so shall be an indication that the property owner no longer desires to continue a nonconforming sign.
E.
No nonconforming sign may be relocated.
F.
No nonconforming sign shall be modified in any way which will further violate any regulation imposed by this Part.
G.
Nonconforming signs shall not be expanded.
H.
Nonconforming signs (e.g., flashing, intermittent, etc.) that are inoperative for one year or more shall not be reactivated.
§ 1607 Sign Permits.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
1.
When a sign permit is required, application shall be made in writing to the Township on a sign permit application and shall contain the following:
A.
A detailed scale drawing of the sign.
B.
A statement indicating the type of construction, the manner of installation, and the materials to be used.
C.
A scale drawing of the lot indicating the location of the sign. All abutting street right-of-way lines shall be indicated.
D.
A statement indicating all sources of light and methods of illumination.
E.
A statement indicating the distance from the ground to the lowest portion of the sign and from the ground to the highest portion of the sign.
F.
For signs which will project from or be attached to buildings, a diagram indicating the location of the sign with the respect to the building facade to which it will be attached, including distance of projection from the building.
G.
A statement that all the requirements of this Part shall be adhered to and that the sign will be erected according to the accompanying plans and specifications.
H.
The signature of the applicant/owner.
I.
Such other provisions as deemed appropriate by the Township.
2.
Signs which include new electrical connections, or in the case of freestanding signs, include footers, must comply with all Uniform Construction Code and/or such other building requirements which may be applicable. In this case, a building permit application, along with a fee as established by the Township's fee resolution, will be required to be submitted and reviewed and approved by the Township of Logan prior to issuance of a sign permit.
3.
If the application is denied, the Township of Logan shall attach a statement to the application explaining the reasons for the denial and return one copy of the application to the applicant. The Applicant may appeal the denial to the Logan Township Zoning Hearing Board within 30 days of notice thereof, in accordance with the process below.
4.
Within one year of the granting of approval of the application, the applicant shall have erected the sign or undertaken a significant portion (as determined in the sole discretion of the Township) of the work thereof. If the applicant fails to erect a sign or undertake a significant portion of the work thereof within one year of the date of approval of the sign permit, the permit shall expire and a new sign permit shall be required, along with a resubmission of the applicable fees.
5.
All applications for sign permits as provided for in this Part shall be accompanied by the payment of an application fee to be determined in accordance with the Township's fee resolution.
6.
The Township Zoning Hearing Board will be the body responsible for hearing and making decisions on all modification requests and appeals regarding this Part.
7.
When requesting a permit, or when a permit is denied, the applicant may apply to the Township Zoning Hearing Board for a modification from certain requirements of this Part.
A.
A modification may be granted by the Township Zoning Hearing Board where the literal application of the Part would create a particular hardship for the sign user/applicant and the following criteria are met:
(1)
The granting of the requested modification would not be materially detrimental to the property owners in the vicinity.
(2)
The hardship caused under a literal interpretation of the Part is due to conditions unique to the property and does not apply generally to any other property in the Township.
(3)
The granting of the modification would not be contrary to the general objectives of this Part.
(4)
The company proves that the requested sign meets its national or regional standards, if any.
B.
In granting a modification, the Township Zoning Hearing Board may attach additional requirements or conditions necessary to carry out the spirit and purpose of this Part in the public interest.
C.
When requesting a sign modification or appeal, the applicant shall submit an application on a form provided by the Township, together with a fee as established from time to time by the Township's fee resolution. All applications for modifications will be reviewed at a scheduled meeting of the Township Zoning Hearing Board. The application must be submitted a minimum of two weeks prior to the Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting. Any appeal of the Township Zoning Hearing Board decision shall be made to the Blair County Court of Common Pleas.
§ 1608 Stop-Work Orders.
[Added by Ord. 10-24-13]
1.
A stop-work order shall be issued in the following instances:
A.
If activities regulated by this Part are undertaken without an effective sign permit being granted, when same is required.
B.
If an activity undertaken under an effective sign permit deviates from the approved application during construction of the sign.
C.
If a sign is located, erected, rebuilt, illuminated, altered, relocated, enlarged, repaired, maintained, or operated in a manner which is in violation of the requirements of this Part.
D.
If fees required to be paid by this chapter are not paid in the amount and within the time periods as set forth in this chapter.
2.
A stop-work order shall be issued by the Township and delivered to the owner of the property on which the violation exists, the owner's agent, or the lessee responsible for the sign. Delivery shall be construed to include certified mail or posting on the property.
3.
The stop-work order shall be in writing and state the nature of the violation and under which conditions the sign may continue. A time, not to exceed 10 days, may be permitted to effect the required corrections.
4.
Any person, partnership, or corporation who shall continue in violation of any stop-work order shall be in violation of this chapter and is subject to the penalties set forth in this chapter.
5.
An insecure or unsafe sign, or a sign which otherwise creates a hazard to the public health, safety, or general welfare, if not removed within the time specified in the stop-work order, may be removed by the Township at the expense of the owner or lessee.
6.
A stop-work order shall not prevent the Township from citing such person or entity with a violation of this Part, thereby subjecting them to the penalty provisions in this chapter.