Lower Allen Township
City Zoning Code

No sign shall be placed, erected, altered, enlarged or relocated until a permit for doing so has been issued by the Zoning Officer. A construction permit shall also be required unless the sign proposal satisfies exemption criteria listed in Chapter 70, Building Construction and Safety Standards. Signs listed in § 220-251 herein are exempt from zoning permit requirements, provided that the use of such signs is in accordance with other provisions of this article. Applications shall be submitted on forms provided by the Township, shall indicate consent of the owner of the premises upon which the sign is to be located and shall be accompanied by supporting information that is sufficient to determine compliance with this article and any other relevant ordinances. Examples of supporting data that may be required include a scale drawing with relevant dimensions noted to illustrate the proposed height, area, size and sign copy; a plot plan of the property on which the sign will be located to illustrate the position of proposed signs relative to buildings, structures, lot lines and rights-of-way; illumination method and materials; and support systems, structural loads, stresses and anchoring details. Compliance with performance criteria may require certification by a registered design professional.

Signs and sign components may be removed for repair and maintenance, provided that they are restored to the same height, size, area and location authorized by permit. Repair and maintenance activities that do not affect the height, size, area or location of a sign do not require a zoning permit, however, if these activities affect structural or electrical components of the sign, a construction permit may be necessary.

No sign may be erected or maintained that may be confused with any authorized traffic control device.

Animated signs are not permitted in any district.

Changeable message signs are permitted in all zoning districts, subject to limitations contained in § 220-252D herein.

Every sign permitted by this article shall be kept in good condition and repair. When the Code Official determines that a sign is unsafe, unsecured, is a menace to the public or has been installed, erected or maintained in violation of any provision of this chapter, written notice shall be given to the owner of the sign, in accordance with § 220-268 herein. Said notice shall set forth a reasonable time period in which violation(s) shall be corrected. Immediate action may be required in the case of imminent danger to the public.

Any off-premises directional sign associated with a use that is no longer active, and any on-premises sign copy that no longer relates to a use conducted at the property on which it is located, except memorial signs, shall be covered or removed by the sign owner or property owner within 30 days after receipt of written notice from the Code Official, in accordance with § 220-268 herein. Any obsolete sign structure that is not reused for a new sign within one year of such notice shall be deemed abandoned. Any abandoned sign and structure and any temporary sign that is displayed beyond the permitted time limit shall be removed by the sign owner or property owner within 30 days of receipt of written notice from the Code Official, in accordance with § 220-268 herein. Upon failure to comply with a notice regarding an obsolete or abandoned sign or a temporary sign that remains in place after expiration of the display time period, the Code Official is hereby authorized to cause removal or covering of obsolete sign copy or removal of temporary and abandoned signs. Any expense incident thereto shall be assessed to the property. When an obsolete or abandoned wall sign is removed, the wall of the building or structure on which it was attached shall be restored to resemble the appearance of the wall surrounding the sign location.

Placement standards.

Safety standards. No sign may be erected and maintained which:

Illumination standards.

Any sign lawfully existing at the effective date of this chapter that does not conform to the requirements of this chapter shall be considered nonconforming, and the nonconforming use, location, area, height and/or size may be continued until such time as replacement or rebuilding becomes necessary. Replacement of copy or panels upon which copy is displayed does not constitute replacement or rebuilding of the sign, provided that the structure supporting the copy or copy panels is not rebuilt or replaced and the new copy or copy panels are not larger in any dimension than those being replaced.

When a nonconforming sign is replaced or rebuilt, the following limitations shall apply:

The area of a sign shall be the area of the smallest geometric figure or the sum of the combination of regular geometric figures which comprise the sign face. The area of any double-sided or V-shaped sign shall be the area of the largest single face. Any portion of the sign face that displays a street address for the building to which the sign is associated shall not be included in the area calculation.

Height.

Signs erected or posted and maintained for public safety and welfare, pursuant to any governmental function, law or other regulation, and any sign related to an emergency.

On-premises directional signs that are placed at driveways solely to indicate the location of ingress and egress at public streets. Such signs may not exceed four square feet per face or extend higher than 3.5 feet above ground level. Such signs shall not contain any advertising, but up to 25% of the sign area may contain the business name and/or logo.

Incidental signs, in accordance with § 220-252K.

Memorial signs in accordance with § 220-252B.

Real estate and on-premises residential sales signs, in accordance with temporary sign provisions of § 220-254.

Regulatory signs, in accordance with § 220-252L.

A bulletin board or similar sign not exceeding 40 square feet per sign face, with a limit of two sign faces, in connection with any church, neighborhood or civic association, museum, library, school or similar public or semipublic nature, provided that the top of the sign shall be not more than eight feet above ground level, and provided that it complies with all other provisions of this article.

Holiday decorations displayed for recognized holidays, except as they may interfere with traffic safety or in any other way become a safety hazard.

Flags of any political or noncommercial entity.

Sign, or portions thereof, devoted solely to display of building address numbers.

Any on-premises event, identification or marketing sign that is not primarily intended for viewing from a public street, or adjacent property, and the copy of which is not readily discernible from an adjacent property or the public street that abuts the property on which the sign is located.

Off-premises signs located at athletic facilities, typically utilized for fund-raising purposes, that are attached to fences, scoreboards and other structures, provided that they are primarily oriented for viewing by participants and spectators.

Opinion and election campaign signs, in accordance with the general sign regulations of the underlying zoning district.

Freestanding signs. Any freestanding sign, unless permitted in a public street right-of-way, is limited to a height of 3.5 feet when located less than 10 feet from a public street right-of-way. Specific zoning district height limits (§ 220-253) apply when such signs are placed at least 10 feet from a public street right-of-way. No freestanding sign may be located within five feet of a side or rear property line, nor in such a manner that it interferes with a traffic control device or a driver's view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic.

Memorial signs. Freestanding memorial signs are limited to 10 square feet per face, with a maximum of two faces. When affixed to the surface of a building, they shall either be cut into exterior masonry facing, or constructed of durable, noncombustible material and fastened to the exterior surface of the building. Memorial signs affixed to building surfaces are limited to 10 square feet and one such sign per street frontage.

Portable signs are only permitted as temporary signs and shall comply with temporary sign placement provisions contained in § 220-254 herein.

Changeable message signs. Nonresidential uses in all residential zoning districts may install changeable message signs in accordance with other provisions of this article, provided that activation of message change is by manual means. Changeable message signs may be either electrically or manually activated in commercial and industrial districts. Electrical activation may include projection or rotation of sign copy or electronically programmed message changes. Scrolling message changes are permitted, but flashing and animated signs, as defined herein, are prohibited.

Building signs. Such signs may not project horizontally beyond or vertically above the face of the building upon which they are displayed. Panels, cabinets and individual copy elements may not extend perpendicularly from the building face more than 15 inches, unless classified as, and subject to limitations for, projecting signs contained in § 220-252F herein.

Projecting signs. Signs attached to buildings and having copy elements displayed perpendicularly to the building face may project more than 15 inches from the building face, provided that:

Temporary signs: refer to § 220-254 herein.

Outdoor advertising signs. Signs classified as billboards are only permitted in C-2 General Commercial, I-1 General Industrial, I-3 Industrial/Commercial and C-4 Regional Commercial Zoning Districts, subject to the following limitations:

Window signs. Such signs that are designed so they can be legibly viewed from an adjacent property or public street right-of-way shall be classified as building signs and the area of these window signs shall be included in the total window sign area permitted on the property. Incidental and regulatory signs are exempt from this requirement. No more than 30% of the area of a window may be covered with window signs that are classified as building signs.

Development identification signs. Freestanding signs that identify shopping centers or groups of related buildings, such as residential subdivisions, institutional campuses, industrial and business parks and office and apartment complexes, may be installed in addition to any identification signs that may be permitted for individual buildings or uses, provided that the following limitations are met:

Incidental signs. These signs are limited to two faces per sign. The sign area per face shall be limited to four square feet in residential districts and six square feet in all other districts.

Regulatory signs. These signs are limited to two faces per sign. The sign area per face shall be limited to four square feet in residential districts and six square feet in all other districts, except where a larger size is mandated by regulations promulgated under authority of state or federal statutes or by judicial order.

Off-premises directional signs. These signs must be freestanding signs. They are intended to guide motorists to residential developments and nonresidential destinations that do not have readily apparent access or visibility from a public street. The following limitations apply to off-premises directional signs:

Mall signs. Building signs at malls, mall identification signs, and mall direction signs shall be subject to the standards and limitations set forth in Chapter 220, Attachment 2, Zoning Ordinance Sign Table – By Zoning District.

The purpose of these regulations is to allow signs that are customary and reasonable for the variety of dwelling unit types permitted in these districts, and to allow signs for permitted nonresidential uses that sufficiently identify these uses in a manner that is compatible with predominant residential uses. Signs in R-1 Single-Family Residential Districts, R-2 Single-Family Rural Residential Districts and R-3 Multifamily Residential Districts shall be subject to the following limitations:

The purpose of these regulations is to provide adequate signage for the mix of residential and commercial uses that are permitted to coexist in this Mixed-Use Neighborhood District. Limited commercial uses are provided with adequate opportunities for identification that also minimize the impact upon adjacent residential uses. Signs in MUN Mixed-Use Neighborhood Districts shall be subject to the following limitations:

The purpose of these regulations is to provide adequate signage for permitted commercial uses, while minimizing the impact upon adjacent residential districts. Signs in C-1 Neighborhood Commercial Districts shall be subject to the following limitations:

The goal of these regulations is to provide legible signage for auto-oriented commercial facilities that attract regional retail business, while moderating visual competition. Signs within the C-2 General Commercial and C-4 Regional Commercial Districts shall comply with the following provisions. Signs in C-2 General Commercial and C-4 Regional Commercial Districts shall be subject to the following conditions:

The purpose of these regulations is to provide adequate signage for permitted nonresidential uses that do not require as much sign area as uses in the C-2 General Commercial and C-4 Regional Commercial Districts because the uses permitted in these districts do not generally attract regional retail business. Signs in C-3 Planned Business Center Districts, I-1 General Industrial Districts, I-2 Mineral Recovery Districts, and I-3 Industrial/Commercial Districts shall be installed in accordance with the following limitations:

General regulations for temporary signs.

Specific regulations for temporary signs.