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Lower Swatara Township
City Zoning Code

PART 23

SIGNS

§ 27-2301 Purpose.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 2201]
The purpose of this Part is to set forth standards to regulate the use, erection, alteration, repair and maintenance of signs and similar devices, together with their accessories and auxiliary devices. Signs may be erected and maintained only when in compliance with the provisions of this Part and any other regulations of the Township, state or federal governments.

§ 27-2302 Prohibited Signs.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 2202]
The following signs shall not be permitted, erected, constructed or maintained in any zoning district. Such signs in existence which are prohibited shall be removed or brought into conformity with the provisions of this Part within three years after this chapter is enacted:
A. 
Signs which incorporate in any manner any flashing or moving illumination or with illumination which varies in intensity or color, and signs which have any visible mechanical movement of any description or other apparent visible movement achieved by electrical pulsations or by actions of normal wind currents, including hanging signs which simply swing in the wind. Clock, time or temperature signs and barber poles shall not be considered as a prohibited sign if it complies with the other provisions of this Part and other applicable Township codes.
B. 
Signs advertising activities that are illegal under federal, state or local laws, regulations or ordinances as applied to the location of a particular sign or the location of such activities.
C. 
Signs which by reason of size, location, movement, content, coloring or manner of illumination obstruct the vision of drivers either when leaving or entering a public street from another street or driveway, obstruct or detract from the visibility or effectiveness of any traffic control device or traffic sign on a public street.
D. 
Signs which make use of words such as "stop," "look," "one-way," "danger," "yield," "go slow," "caution" or any similar words, phrases, symbols, lights or characters in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic or which imitate an official traffic sign or signal.
E. 
Signs which advertise an activity, business, product or service no longer produced or conducted. In such case, such sign shall be removed within 30 days after the same is no longer produced or conducted.
F. 
Signs which are placed or located within the public right-of-way except official governmental signs.
G. 
Signs painted on, pasted or attached to or supported by utility poles, trees, fences, barns or sheds with the exception of recreational signs, banner and logos as permitted under Subsection O of § 27-2303 below.
[Amended by Ord. No. 559, 3/18/2015]
H. 
Signs which consist of pennants, spinners, banners, streamers or searchlights except for occasions such as grand openings and then only with permission of the Zoning Officer for a use limited to a period of 30 days.
I. 
String lights, other than temporary holiday decorations or special events or functions of public service, charitable, religious, educational and civic organizations, which are unshielded from off the premises on which they are located.
J. 
Signs which obstruct free ingress to, or egress from a fire escape, door, window or other exitway.
K. 
Signs which are structurally unsafe or in a state of disrepair.

§ 27-2303 Incidental Signs.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 2203]
The following signs shall be permitted in all zoning districts:
A. 
Signs advertising the sale or rental of residential premises upon which they are erected by the owner or broker or any other person interested in the sale or rental of such premises may be erected and maintained, provided:
(1) 
The size of any such sign for an individual lot is not in excess of six square feet.
(2) 
The size of any such sign advertising an entire residential development involving a group of lots/dwelling units is not in excess of 32 square feet.
(3) 
Not more than two signs are placed upon any property in single and separate ownership, unless such property fronts upon more than one street, in which event two such signs may be erected on each frontage.
B. 
Signs advertising the sale, lease or development of nonresidential premises upon which they are erected, when erected in connection with the development of the premises by a builder, contractor, developer or other person interested in such sale or development, may be erected and maintained, provided:
(1) 
The size of any sign is not in excess of 32 square feet.
(2) 
Not more than two signs are placed upon any property in single and separate ownership, unless such property fronts upon more than one street, in which event, two such signs may be erected on each frontage.
C. 
Signs bearing the word "sold" or the word "rented," with the name of the person effecting the sale or rental; provided, the conditions in Subsection A hereof, are complied with.
D. 
Signs of mechanics, painters and other artisans during the period such persons are performing work on the premises on which such signs are erected, provided:
(1) 
The size thereof is not in excess of six square feet.
(2) 
Such signs are removed promptly upon completion of the work.
E. 
Signs indicating the private nature of a driveway or trespassing signs, provided that the size of any such sign shall not exceed two square feet.
F. 
Signs of schools, colleges, churches, hospitals, sanitariums or other public or semipublic institutions of a similar nature, provided:
(1) 
The size of any such sign is not in excess of 20 square feet.
(2) 
Not more than two signs are placed on a property in single or separate ownership, unless such property fronts upon more than one street, in which event, two such signs may be erected on each frontage.
G. 
Signs advertising home occupations shall be not larger than one square foot bearing not more than the occupation conducted within the dwelling and the name of the practitioner. Only one sign shall be permitted per home occupation.
H. 
Signs indicating the location and direction of real estate for sale or rental, but not erected upon such premises, may be erected and maintained, provided:
(1) 
The size of any such sign is not in excess of two square feet.
(2) 
Not more than one such sign per real estate agency is erected on each 500 feet of street frontage.
I. 
Signs indicating the location and direction of premises available for or in process of development, but not erected upon such premises, and having inscribed thereon the name of the owner, developer, builder or agent, may be erected and maintained, provided:
(1) 
The size of any such sign is not in excess of six square feet, and not in excess of four feet in length.
(2) 
Not more than one such sign is erected on each 500 feet of street frontage.
J. 
Signs advertising the sale of farm products when permitted by this chapter, provided:
(1) 
The size of any such sign is not in excess of six square feet.
(2) 
Not more than two signs are used.
(3) 
The signs shall be displayed only when such products are on sale.
K. 
Notwithstanding any other limitation or regulation of this chapter, one sign not larger than one square foot, showing only the location, identity, name or office hours of business or professional offices, where such offices are permitted by the terms of this chapter, may be erected within any yard of the premises occupied by such offices.
L. 
Signs necessary for the identification, operation and protection of public utility facilities, providing the size thereof is not in excess of two square feet.
M. 
Signs to identify construction and development programs of state, federal and other public agencies shall be exempted from the regulations controlling the size of signs.
N. 
Temporary political signs advertising political parties or candidates for election may be erected, provided:
(1) 
The area of any one side of such sign shall not exceed 16 square feet.
(2) 
Such sign shall not be erected earlier than 15 days prior to the election to which they pertain and shall be removed no later than seven days after the date of the election.
O. 
Recreational Signs, Banners and Logos. In addition to the general provisions of these regulations, the following specific regulations shall apply to all recreational facilities including parks, ballfields and stadiums intended for public and private recreational use and activities where permitted shall be allowed, subject to the following regulations:
[Added by Ord. No. 559, 3/18/2015]
(1) 
Each advertiser, company and/or individual providing support to the cause of the organization for recreational activity use shall be limited to one sign at each recreational facility.
(2) 
The maximum size for any sign, banner or logo shall be limited to not greater than 32 square feet.
(3) 
All signs shall be placed and attached to fences, posts or structures so that the advertisement faces directly toward and within the field of play or activity. No sign shall be located so that the face of the advertisement may be viewed from a public highway, road or alley.
(4) 
Each sign when installed shall be inspected and approved by the zoning officer or code official.
(5) 
Advertiser shall first make application and obtain a permit prior to installing a sign. Application shall include two copies of a plan giving the details, including size, colors, type of durable material and method of attachment.
(6) 
Advertiser shall be responsible for maintaining and/or removal/replacement of each sign.
(7) 
Permit fees shall be waived.

§ 27-2304 Business Identification Signs.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 2204; as amended by Ord. 409, 6/18/1997, § 1; and by Ord. 448, 11/15/2000]
The following types of signs, bearing the name of the occupant and products manufactured or services provided, sold or displayed may be erected and maintained on the premises in any nonresidential district where such activities are permitted, subject to the following regulations:
A. 
One freestanding sign not to exceed 100 square feet in surface area, and no dimension of the sign surface shall exceed 10 feet.
B. 
In addition, one of the following types of signs may also be erected:
(1) 
One wall sign to a business unit, provided it is attached to the wall of the building and projects horizontally not more than 12 inches therefrom, provides not less than eight feet of clearance beneath it, and occupies a sign surface area not more than 20% of the total area of the front portion of the building face assigned to the business unit. It shall not project above the building roof line or parapet wall.
(2) 
One projecting sign to a business unit, provided it is attached to the wall of the building, provides not less than eight feet of clearance beneath it, contains a sign surface area not to exceed 15 square feet with no dimension exceeding six feet, and shall not project above the building roof line or parapet wall.
C. 
Miscellaneous advertising on the sides of structures shall not be permitted.
D. 
Signs as permitted in residential districts.
E. 
Related business signs (e.g., office or professional service, real estate, apartments, etc.) identifying the business and service, or the apartment name shall not exceed an area of 25 square feet.
F. 
Signs identifying businesses in nonconforming structures and the nonconforming use of land shall not exceed 20 square feet in area.
G. 
The following types of signs are permitted in the Industrial Park, Industrial Park-Limited, Office Park, Commercial Highway and Airport Industrial Districts:
(1) 
One individual business identification sign for each business. This sign may be located on or adjacent to the building, but in no event so as to project above the roof of the building and shall not exceed 100 square feet in area.
(2) 
One additional sign listing all the occupants of the premises shall be permitted, providing said sign does not exceed 100 square feet in area. No other business identification or advertising signs shall be permitted.
H. 
By special exception, off-premises directional signs for motor vehicle service uses, in support of Harrisburg International Airport activities, may be erected and maintained in proximity to the Airport Connector Route (SR 3032) of the exit ramp intersections with SR 0230. The following criteria shall apply:
(1) 
The applicant shall verify the existence of a hazardous or dangerous situation incidental to public safety which would be alleviated by such directional signs.
(2) 
The height of any such sign structure shall not exceed 12 feet in height.
(3) 
The sign may contain only the names of the facilities and the necessary arrows or information to reach the designation in a safe and efficient manner.
(4) 
Acceptable visibility of the sign structure and its location proximity to the intersection shall be determined by the Zoning Hearing Board.
(5) 
Only multipanel signs designed in accordance to appropriate standard will be acceptable to the Zoning Hearing Board.

§ 27-2305 Off-Premises Advertising Signs.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 2205; as amended by Ord. 446, 7/9/2000, § I]
Off-premises advertising signs shall be permitted to be erected only in the Commercial-Highway (C-H) and Industrial (I, IP, IP-L AND A-I) Districts immediately adjacent to:
•
South Eisenhower Boulevard (SR 3001)
•
West Harrisburg Pike (PA Route 230, SR 0230)
•
PA Turnpike (I-76)
•
PA Route 283 (SR 0300)
•
I-283
•
Airport Connector (SR 3032)
subject to the following regulations:
A. 
A letter of permission to erect the sign is received from the property owner.
B. 
Such sign does not exceed 600 square feet in area.
C. 
All such signs are in complete conformance with Act No. 160, the Outdoor Advertising Control Act of 1971, as amended,[1] except as further controlled by this Part.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 36 P.S. § 2718.101 et seq.
D. 
No such sign shall be permitted upon or within 200 feet of the premises containing a unified, integrated shopping center, office or industrial park complex.
E. 
In the balance of the Commercial-Highway District, off-premises advertising signs shall be no closer than 1,000 feet from any other off-premises advertising sign. No sign shall contain over one advertising sign per facing, nor shall any individual sign exceed 20 feet in vertical measurement or 40 feet in length.
F. 
In the balance of the Industrial District, off-premises advertising signs shall be no closer than 1,000 feet from any other off-premises advertising sign. No sign shall exceed 50 feet in length nor a vertical measurement of 20 feet.
G. 
No such sign shall be permitted upon the roof of any building. All signs shall be required to set back 30 feet from the front lot line or to the established building line, whichever is less.
H. 
No sign shall be permitted to be erected within 50 feet of an adjoining residential district or existing residential use.
I. 
All lighting shall be indirectly illuminated and conform to the height regulations for buildings in the district in which they are located.

§ 27-2306 General Requirements for Signs.

[Ord. 384, 7/17/1993, § 2206]
1. 
The following regulations shall apply to all signs, unless otherwise specifically provided for:
A. 
In addition to the other requirements of this Part and, in compliance with other applicable codes and ordinances, every sign must be constructed of durable materials, kept in good repair and maintained so as not to become dilapidated.
B. 
Signs shall not project beyond property lines, over public walkways nor within any street right-of-way.
C. 
Signs shall not project above the height limit permitted in any district in which they are located, except when required yards are expanded accordingly.
D. 
All signs shall be removed within 14 days after the circumstances leading to their erection no longer apply.
E. 
All signs erected within the right-of-way of a state highway shall be in accordance with the regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
F. 
All sign lighting shall be arranged, designed and shielded or directed to protect the adjoining properties and streets from glare. Reflectors and lights permitted in conjunction with signs shall be equipped with restraining hoods or shields to concentrate the illumination upon the area of the sign.
G. 
If the Zoning Officer finds that any sign is unsafe, insecure or a menace to the public or had been constructed or erected or is being maintained in violation of the provisions of this chapter, he shall give written notice to the owner thereof. If the owner fails to remove or alter the sign so as to comply with the standards herein set forth within 10 days after receipt of such notice, the Township may proceed to remove or alter such sign so as to comply and charge the expense thereof to the owner of the property on which it is located. The Zoning Officer may cause any sign or other advertising structure which is in immediate peril to persons or property to be removed summarily and without prior notice, provided that written notice of such action shall be furnished to the owner of such sign within five days after the date of such removal.
H. 
Any sign lawfully existing as of the effective date of this chapter that does not conform with the regulations of the district in which such sign is located shall be considered nonconforming and may continue, subject to the following provisions:
(1) 
Signs which are nonconforming may continue in their present locations until replacement or rebuilding becomes necessary, at which time a zoning permit will be required and the sign must be brought into conformity with the chapter.
(2) 
The provisions of § 27-2208 herein.
I. 
Computation of Sign Area.
(1) 
The area of a sign shall be construed to include all lettering, wording and accompanying designs and symbols, together with the background, whether open or enclosed, on which they are displayed, but not including any supporting framework and bracing incidental to the display itself.
(2) 
Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached to a building, wall or window, the area shall be considered to be that of the smallest rectangle or other regular geometric shape which encompasses all of the letters and symbols.
(3) 
In computing square foot area of a double-faced sign, only one side shall be considered, provided both faces are identical. If the interior angle formed by the two faces of the double-faced sign is greater than 45°, then both sides of such sign shall be considered in calculating the sign area.
2. 
Permit Application and Fees. Except for signs exempted under this Part, no person shall erect, cause to be erected, change or alter any sign on any property within the Township until a permit for the same has been issued by the Township Zoning Officer. Property owners who authorize or allow any sign on their property shall ensure that all provisions of this chapter are adhered to and shall comply with the following provisions:
A. 
Application for a permit shall be made on an authorized Township form and shall be accompanied by the following:
(1) 
A detailed scale drawing showing the sign and its intended location.
(2) 
A description of its type, construction, manner and method of installation, and materials to be used.
(3) 
Written authorization of the owner or lessee of the property, if other than the applicant.
(4) 
A permit fee, as established by resolution of the Board of Commissioners.
B. 
After the sign has been erected, moved or altered, as authorized by the permit, the applicant shall notify the Zoning Officer who will then arrange for inspection.
C. 
For the purpose of this Part, the terms "alter" or "change" shall not be interpreted to include routine maintenance.
3. 
Exemptions from Permits and/or Fees.
A. 
A permit and fee shall not be required for the following signs:
(1) 
Official signs.
(2) 
Temporary signs.
(3) 
Incidental signs with the exception of recreational signs, banners, and logos as set forth in § 27-2303O above.
[Amended by Ord. No. 559, 3/18/2015]
B. 
Exemption from obtaining a permit and paying a fee does not release the person responsible for posting the sign from compliance with other standards or provisions of this chapter or other applicable ordinances, codes or laws.