FREESTANDING SIGNS — A sign supported on a foundation or by one or more uprights, poles or braces permanently affixed to the ground and not attached to any building or other structure including:

WALL SIGN — A sign attached to and erected parallel to the face of an outside wall of a building, projecting outward no more than six inches from the wall of the building.

BULLETIN SIGN — A type of changeable copy sign constructed to allow letters or symbols to be changed periodically such as those used by churches and schools to announce events.

ROOF SIGN — A sign erected and maintained upon or above the roof or any building which projects no more than six feet above the roof.

OVERHANGING SIGN — A sign, other than a wall sign, affixed to a building or wall whose leading edge extends beyond such buildings or wall more than six inches.

BILLBOARD SIGN — Any sign, as defined herein, which advertises an establishment, person, activity, product or service which is unrelated to or not available on the premises where the sign is located.

CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN — A sign that is designed so that characters, letters or illustrations can be changed or rearranged by computer, electronically or mechanically, without altering the face or surface of the sign.

INDIRECTLY ILLUMINATED SIGN — A sign which is lighted by means of lamps or lighting devices external to and reflected on the sign, which lighting is stationary and constant in intensity and color at all times and which is shielded so that the illumination is concentrated on the face of the sign and there is no spillover of illumination or glare beyond the face of the sign.

INTERNALLY ILLUMINATED SIGN — A sign which is lighted by means of lamps or lighting devices internal to the sign, which lighting is either behind the face of the sign or an integral part of the sign structure and the advertising effect.

OFF-PREMISES DIRECTIONAL SIGN — A sign erected by a governmental agency which directs and/or instructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic relative to the location of a public building or use or a semipublic building or use such as a church, school, park, municipal building, or similar use and which is located in a public street right-of-way with the permission of the owner of the right-of-way or on premises other than the premises where said building or use is located with the permission of the owner. Off-premises directional signs shall not include billboards, as defined herein, or any other off-premises sign which contains information regarding any commercial or business use.

RESIDENTIAL IDENTIFICATION SIGN — A sign containing only the name and address of the occupant of the premises.

HOME OCCUPATION OR HOME OFFICE IDENTIFICATION SIGN — A sign containing only the name and address of the occupant of the premises and their occupation/logo.

RESIDENTIAL PLAN IDENTIFICATION SIGN — A permanent wall or freestanding ground sign containing only the name and address of a plan or subdivision or a multifamily building or development.

REAL ESTATE SIGN — A temporary sign advertising the sale or rental or premises. The signs may also bear the words "sold," "sale pending" or "rented" across its face.

DEVELOPMENT SIGN — A temporary sign erected during the period of construction and/or development of a property by the contractor and developer or their agent.

CONSTRUCTION SIGN — A temporary sign announcing the name of contractors, mechanics or artisans engaged in performing work on the premises.

NOTIFICATION SIGN — Signs bearing legal and/or property notices such as no trespassing, private property, no turnaround, safety zone, no hunting and similar messages and signs posted by a governmental agency for traffic control or the safety of the general public.

ON-PREMISES DIRECTIONAL SIGN — A sign which directs and/or instructs vehicular or pedestrian traffic relative to parking areas, proper exits, loading areas, entrance points and similar information on the premises on which it is located.

POLITICAL SIGN — A temporary sign which indicates the name, cause or affiliation of anyone seeking public office or which refers to an issue concerning which a public election is scheduled to be held. Temporary political signs shall not be considered billboards, as defined in § 1802.6.

AGRICULTURAL SALES SIGN — A temporary sign permitted in connection with any operating farm used only to announce the sale of seasonal produce, seasonal timber and seasonal nontimber products.

BUSINESS IDENTIFICATION SIGN — A sign which contains the name, address and goods, services, facilities or events available on the premises.

TEMPORARY SPECIAL EVENT DISPLAY SIGN — A banner, flag, pennant, or similar display constructed of durable material and affixed to the wall of a building or portable or wheeled signs erected for a period of less than 30 days whose sole purpose is to advertise a grand opening or other special event.

OVERHEAD BANNER SIGN — A temporary overhead banners erected with a minimum of 15 feet of clearance above the ground.

A-FRAME OR SANDWICH BOARD SIGN — Signs typically having triangular open ends with the sides of the sign resting on the ground as the main support. These signs are considered nonpermanent, which may or may not be portable.

PORTABLE OR WHEELED SIGN — A sign which is temporary and capable of being carried or moved about without a permanent base attached to the ground. This shall also include all symbols, logos, balloons or other portable signs.

VARIABLE MESSAGE SIGN — A sign with changeable copy that varies the display in an interval of less than one hour.

Restricted Signs. The following signs shall not be permitted in any zoning district:

Lots with Multiple Street Frontage. In all zoning districts, premises fronting on more than one street shall be permitted to have one sign which is authorized on each street frontage.

Temporary Signs. In all zoning districts where authorized by § 1805, real estate, construction and development signs shall be considered temporary signs, which shall be removed upon completion of sale, rental or construction.

Notification Signs. In all zoning districts, the number, location and size of legal notification signs erected by public agencies shall be in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth. In all zoning districts, legal notification signs posted on private property by property owners such as "no trespassing," "no hunting" and the like shall be limited to a surface area not exceeding two square feet. The placement and maximum number of signs permitted along road frontages shall be one for every 100 feet of road frontage. If road frontage is less than 100 feet, one sign shall be permitted.

Location. All signs shall be located on the premises of the establishment, person, activity, product or service to which they refer, unless approved as a billboard or off-premises directional sign in accordance with the requirements of this Part. In addition, no sign shall be located within or permitted to overhang a public right-of-way with the exception of official traffic control signs.

Visibility. Signs shall not be placed in such a position that they will cause danger to traffic on the street by obscuring the view, and shall conform to the minimum clear sight triangle as set forth in the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.[1]

Illumination. Illumination, when authorized by this Part, shall be directed upon the sign face and not towards adjoining properties or streets. Flashing or oscillating signs shall not be permitted. Lighting shall be stationary and constant in intensity and color at all times. The intensity of any source of illumination of any sign, whether indirect or internal, shall be controlled so as to not create glare and to be compatible with the intensity of ambient light and illumination on surrounding properties. The illumination of any sign shall be arranged in such a manner that the direct, unshielded rays of light from the light source shall not enter any adjoining residential building or public right-of-way of adjoining streets.

Maintenance and Inspection. All signs must be constructed of a durable material and maintained in good condition. If any sign becomes dilapidated to the point that it constitutes an unsightly or hazardous condition, it shall be declared to be a public nuisance and the Zoning Officer shall give notice to the owner in writing to repair or remove the sign within 10 days. Upon failure of the owner to comply, the Township shall remove the sign at the owner's expense for time, equipment and disposal fees.

Removal of Signs. Whenever any business is discontinued or vacated, all signs relating to the discontinued or vacated business shall be removed within 30 days of the vacation or discontinuance of the business. Upon failure of the owner to comply, the Township shall remove the sign at the owner's expense.

Permits Not Required. No permit shall be required for the following type of signs described in § 1803 above:

Permits Required. Permits for all other signs authorized by §§ 1805 through 1810 shall be required. The Zoning Officer shall issue the required permits, upon submission of an application that complies with all applicable provisions of this Part and payment of the required fee established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Londonderry.[2]

Sign Area. The area of a sign shall be computed based on the following:

One bulletin sign which is nonilluminated or indirectly or internally illuminated and which does not exceed 12 square feet in surface area, shall be permitted in connection with any church, school, library or similar public or semipublic building.

One nonilluminated temporary real estate sign or development sign advertising the sale or lease of the property on which the sign is located shall be permitted, provided that the surface area of the sign shall not exceed 16 square feet in any residential zoning district or 32 square feet in any other zoning district. Such signs shall be removed upon the sale, lease, or completion of the development of the property.

One nonilluminated temporary construction sign announcing the names of contractors, mechanics or artisans engaged in performing work on the premises shall be permitted on a lot, provided that the sign shall not exceed 32 square feet in area and shall be removed immediately upon completion of the work.

One nonilluminated temporary special event display sign, as defined by this Part, shall be permitted to be erected over a public right-of-way or on the face of a public building, church or building housing a nonprofit organization, provided that the height of the sign shall not exceed three feet and the area of the sign shall not exceed 60 square feet, and provided the sign is displayed for a period no longer than 15 days and is removed within five days following the event that it is erected to promote. No such temporary special event display sign shall be permitted to be erected over a public right-of-way without permission of the Zoning Officer.

One nonilluminated home occupation or home office identification sign shall be permitted for an approved home occupation, provided that the surface area of the sign does not exceed 1 1/2 square feet and the sign shall contain only the name and occupation of the resident and shall not contain any logo or other advertising.

Nonilluminated temporary political signs erected during a political campaign shall be permitted, provided that they are not of a type restricted by § 1804 of this Part and provided that the surface area of such signs shall not exceed six square feet. Temporary political signs are permitted to be displayed for a period of 30 days prior to an election date and shall be removed within five days after the election for which they were erected. Signs not promptly or completely removed within the specified time period shall be removed by the Township at the expense of the candidate.

One nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated permanent wall or freestanding ground residential plan identification sign containing only the street address and/or name of a residential subdivision plan or multifamily building or development which shall not exceed 16 square feet in area. A sign identifying the name of a residential subdivision may be affixed to a freestanding decorative wall, rather than to a building wall, provided that the decorative wall meets all applicable ordinance requirements and does not obstruct visibility for traffic entering or leaving the plan.

One nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated wall or freestanding ground business identification sign for a lawfully maintained nonconforming use in residential zoning districts which shall not exceed 16 square feet in area.

One nonilluminated freestanding ground agricultural sales sign shall be permitted in conjunction with on-site sale of farm products, provided that the sign shall not exceed 16 square feet in area and shall not be located within any street right-of-way.

Temporary Special Event Display. Temporary special event displays, as defined by this Part, shall be permitted, provided that:

Directional Signs. On lots with areas less than one acre, a maximum of four nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated directional signs, each of which shall not exceed four square feet in area, shall be permitted. On lots with areas of one acre or more, a maximum of six nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated directional signs, each of which shall not exceed four square feet in area, shall be permitted on the first acre. For each additional acre or fraction thereof over one acre, two additional directional signs shall be permitted per acre on the additional acreage. Signs not visible from the public road are not subject to this provision.

Changeable Copy Signs. One nonilluminated or internally illuminated changeable copy sign shall be permitted per lot, regardless of the number of businesses on the lot, and shall be permanently affixed to the wall of the building or to the supporting structure of an authorized freestanding sign on the lot, provided that:

Business Identification Signs.

Overhanging Signs. Overhanging signs shall be permitted only in place of a wall sign in the C-1 and C-2 Zoning Districts. Overhanging signs shall include marquees, awnings or similar structures, if they are used for business identification. The maximum surface area of an overhanging sign shall be 32 square feet.

Total Aggregate Sign Area. The total aggregate sign area for §§ 1807.3 through 1807.5 shall not exceed 32 square feet for one business or 64 square feet for a group of two or more businesses on one parcel, tract or lot.

Where a sign is established for a commercial use in C-1 or C-2 Zoning Districts that also has an attached dwelling unit. No sign shall be placed as to obstruct an emergency egress from said dwelling unit and no lumination shall be directed as to place light into the dwelling unit.

Temporary Special Event Display. Temporary special event displays, as defined by this Part, shall be permitted, provided that:

Directional Signs. On lots with areas less than one acre, a maximum of four nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated directional signs, each of which shall not exceed four square feet in area, shall be permitted. On lots with areas of one acre or more, a maximum of six nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated directional signs, each of which shall not exceed four square feet in area, shall be permitted on the first acre. For each additional acre or fraction thereof over one acre, two additional directional signs shall be permitted per acre on the additional acreage. Signs not visible from the public road are not subject to this provision.

Changeable Copy Signs. In addition to the authorized business identification signs, one nonilluminated or internally illuminated changeable copy sign shall be permitted per lot, regardless of the number of businesses on the lot, which shall not exceed 32 square feet in area and which shall be permanently affixed to the wall of the building or to the supporting structure of an authorized freestanding sign on the lot.

Business Identification Signs.

Overhanging Signs. Overhanging signs shall be permitted only in place of a wall sign in the Industrial Zoning Districts. Overhanging signs shall include marquees, awnings or similar structures, if they are used for business identification. The maximum surface area of an overhanging sign shall be 32 square feet.

One pole sign advertising the facility and individual businesses within the facility may be erected for multiple tenant facilities containing a minimum of three tenants. Two pole signs per 2,500 feet of road frontage are allowed with at least 1,000 feet of separation between signs along each public road adjoining and providing access to lands occupied by a multiple tenant facility. One additional pole sign advertising the facility and individual business may also be erected along each road upon which the lands have a minimum of 2,500 feet of frontage and that do not provide access to the facility. The number of individual tenant signs that may be included on pole signs shall be in accordance with the following:

No single face or advertising side of any such pole sign shall have an area which exceeds 300 square feet.

A pole sign shall have not more than two faces or advertising sides.

One ground sign advertising the facility and up to four individual businesses may be erected along each public road adjoining and providing access to lands occupied by a shopping center.

No single face or advertising side of any such ground sign excluding the base or perimeter materials surrounding said sign shall have an area which exceeds 100 square feet.

A ground sign shall have not more than two faces or advertising sides.

A pole sign shall not exceed a maximum height of 35 feet above the grade of the sign. A ground sign shall not exceed a maximum height of 10 feet above the grade of the sign. Ground signs must have a minimum eighteen-inch masonry base.

In addition to any advertising on any pole or ground sign allowed above, each individual business within the facility shall be allowed and limited to wall signs. Each individual business shall be permitted to have a maximum of eight wall signs, which shall not exceed 10% of the front of the building area for said business. In addition, wall signs shall be limited by the building square footage of each tenant in accordance with the following:

The area of a sign shall be the area of the smallest geometric shape, such as a rectangle, triangle, or circle that will encompass all elements of the sign including letters, figures, symbols, designs, logos, and graphics.

Directional signs regulating internal traffic in a shopping center shall be no more than 50 square feet per side, be a maximum of eight feet in total height and incorporate a two-foot minimum masonry base.

Any person, partnership or corporation who or which has violated or permitted the violation of the provisions of this Part shall, upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Township, pay a judgment of not more than $1,000 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney fees incurred by the Township as a result thereof. No judgment shall commence or be imposed, levied or payable until the date of the determination of a violation by the District Justice. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the Township may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, unless the District Justice, determining that there has been a violation, further determines that there was a good faith basis for the person, partnership or corporation violating this Part to have believed that there was no such violation, in which event there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation by the District Justice, and thereafter each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation.

The Court of Common Pleas, upon petition, may grant an order of stay, upon cause shown, tolling the per diem fine pending a final adjudication of the violation and judgment.

Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed or interpreted to grant to any person or entity other than the Township the right to commence any action for enforcement pursuant to this Section.

District Justices shall have initial jurisdiction over proceedings brought under this Section.