Mountville City Zoning Code
PART 5
Sign Regulations
§ 501 Purpose.
[Ord. No. 294, 9/23/2019]
1.
The purposes of this Part are as follows:
A.
To provide for signs as a means of effective visual communication.
B.
To promote adopted Comprehensive Planning and zoning objectives.
C.
To assure compatibility of signs with land uses and buildings in the vicinity of the signs and in the community as a whole.
D.
To improve the safety of pedestrians, vehicular traffic and property.
E.
To enhance the economic value of the community.
F.
To enhance the aesthetic environment.
G.
To minimize adverse effects of signs on nearby property.
H.
To otherwise promote the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the community.
I.
To regulate the use of signs through a sign permitting process.
J.
To enable the fair and consistent enforcement of these sign regulations.
§ 502 Sign Area and Height.
[Ord. No. 294, 9/23/2019]
1.
The following guidelines shall apply when interpreting area and height regulations in this Part:
A.
Area. The area of a sign shall be the area of the smallest rectangle, triangle, or circle that will encompass all elements of the sign, such as letters, figures, symbols, designs, or other display.
(1)
When the sign is a separate unit, the area shall include any borders, framing, trim, decorative attachments, background, and space between elements; it shall not include any supporting structure, unless that structure is illuminated, is in the form of a symbol, or contains advertising elements.
(2)
When the sign is applied to a wall or otherwise has no definable edges, the area shall include all color, artwork, or other means used to differentiate the sign from the surface upon which it is placed.
(3)
When a single sign structure has more than one face with the same message, and no two sign faces are more than three feet apart at any point, the area shall be computed by determining the greatest total area of all sign faces visible from any single location.
B.
Height. The height of a sign shall be measured from the average ground level beneath the sign to the highest point of the sign. The ground level shall be the lower of the ground level existing at the time of construction or the ground level existing prior to construction and prior to any earth disturbance at the site. This prior ground level may be established by any reliable source, including, without limitation, existing topographic maps, aerial photographs, photographs of the site, or affidavits of people who are personally familiar with the site. No person(s) shall artificially increase the maximum height of a sign by altering the grade at the base of the sign by any means.
(1)
No sign shall be higher than the height limitation of the district in which it is located.
(2)
The height of freestanding signs shall be controlled by the regulations in Tables 5-1 and 5-2 herein this Part 5.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said tables are included as an attachment to this chapter.
(3)
Wall signs may be at any height on the wall to which they are attached, except that they may not extend higher than the top of the wall.
(4)
Roof signs may extend no more than five feet above the lowest point where they are attached to the building and may not extend above the highest point of the roof.
§ 503 General Regulations.
[Ord. No. 294, 9/23/2019]
1.
The following regulations shall apply to all signs, in addition to the specific regulations contained in the following provisions of this Part.
A.
Where the general regulations are contradicted by a specific regulation, the specific regulation shall control:
(1)
All signs shall reflect the general character of the neighborhood.
(2)
All signs shall be constructed of durable materials, maintained in good condition and secured in a safe manner.
(3)
When a sign becomes unsafe, the Zoning Officer shall give written notice to the owner of the premises on which the sign is located that the sign must be made safe or removed immediately.
(4)
The areas surrounding all signs shall be maintained in a neat, clean and attractive condition.
(5)
All signs shall be removed within three months if the purpose for which they were erected no longer exists.
(6)
Each property that displays one or more permanent freestanding signs and that is in an area where street addresses have been assigned, must prominently display the address on one permanent freestanding sign visible from the street. The address must include the street number; the street name is optional. The address must be of a size and design that is easily identifiable and legible from moving traffic in the street at a distance of 100 feet (three-inch-high lettering/numerals with a three-fourths-inch stroke). The area taken up by the address does not count as part of the sign area. Center signs are exempt from this requirement.
(7)
No temporary signs shall be permitted, except as authorized elsewhere in this Part.
(8)
No sign shall be located within a street right-of-way, except a government sign, a public utility sign, a sidewalk sign, a nonprofit organization sign, or another sign approved by the governing body or the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
(9)
No sign within the clear sight triangle should obstruct vision between the heights of 30 inches and eight feet above the elevation of the center line of the street.
(10)
No signs shall be painted, pasted, nailed, stapled, or otherwise attached to utility poles, trees, fences, fire hydrants, or in an unauthorized manner to walls or other signs, except insofar as such signs comply with generally applicable rules, regulations, or policies formally adopted by the Mountville Borough Council.
(11)
Any freestanding sign within a floodplain must receive approval as a special exception.
(12)
No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct any door, stairway, window, fire escape, or other means of egress or ingress.
(13)
No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct ventilation or light from a building.
(14)
No overhead sign shall have a clearance of: less than eight feet between any pedestrian walk and the lowest part of the sign and less than 17 feet six inches between any roadway and the lowest part of the sign.
(15)
No sign that is parallel to and attached to the face of a building shall project more than 18 inches over a public sidewalk.
(16)
No sign that is perpendicular to and attached to the face of a building shall project more than 48 inches from the building.
(17)
No sign shall have lights or other illuminating devices that constitute a public safety or traffic hazard.
(18)
No sign shall be permitted that imitates or that might be confused with an official traffic sign or signal, such as: by containing the words "STOP" or "DANGER"; or by including red, green or yellow lights.
(19)
No sign or window display shall include a revolving beam or beacon of light resembling an emergency vehicle or facility.
(20)
No sign shall advertise activities or products that are illegal under federal, state, or local municipal laws or regulations.
(21)
No sign shall include statements, words or pictures that are considered to be vulgar, obscene or pornographic.
(22)
No streamers, pennants, spinners, reflectors, ribbons, tinsel, balloons or similar materials shall be displayed outside a building. (See "special event sign" in Table 5-2 of this Part[1] for regulations that apply to banners used as special events signs.)
[1]
Editor's Note: Tables 5-1 and 5-2 are included as an attachment to this chapter.
(23)
In addition to any other signage permitted by this article, each commercial or industrial property may display one flag not to exceed 35 square feet with a company or corporate identification logo on premises on an approved standard flagpole.
(24)
No animated, sequential, intermittent, flashing, rotating, or oscillating signs shall be permitted, except for time-and-temperature signs, and those sequential signs which change their message on an hourly basis. Any sequential signs changing their message on an hourly basis shall be limited to signs located within either the Town Center Zoning District, the Commercial Zoning District, or the Industrial Zoning District.
(25)
No sign shall emit smoke, visible vapors, particles, sound, or odor.
(26)
No sign shall be placed on an automobile, truck or other vehicle if that vehicle is being used primarily for displaying such sign.
(27)
No inflatable signs shall be permitted.
(28)
No open flames shall be permitted as part of a sign or in any other way to attract attention.
(29)
Advertising painted upon or displayed upon a barn or other structure shall be considered a sign and shall comply with the regulations of this Part.
(30)
Any sign which has been authenticated as historically significant and accurate for its specific location, whether original or a replica, may be exempted from the regulations of this Part as a special exception.
(31)
Signs may be interior lighted with nonglaring lights; signs may be externally lighted by lights that are shielded so there is no direct light transmitted to other properties or public rights-of-way. Such signs shall only be allowed within either the Town Center Zoning District, the Commercial Zoning District, or the Industrial Zoning District.
(32)
The light from any illuminated sign shall not adversely affect:
(33)
No lighting shall be permitted to outline buildings or structures or parts thereof through the use of exposed neon tubing, strings or lights, or other means, with the exception of customary holiday decorations, which may be installed 30 days prior to and removed not later than 21 days after the holiday.
(34)
Existing business signs as of the effective date of this chapter in zoning districts other than the Town Center Zoning District, the Commercial Zoning District, and the Industrial Zoning District shall not be illuminated when the business is closed.
(35)
All electrically illuminated signs shall be constructed to the standards/listing of the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. and the latest edition of the National Electrical Code.
§ 504 Specific Regulations.
[Ord. No. 294, 9/23/2019]
Tables 5-1 and 5-2[1] herein this Part 5 provide regulations for specific kinds of signs in each zoning district. Table 5-1 provides regulations for permanent signs; Table 5-2 provides regulations for temporary signs. Kinds of signs not provided for in Tables 5-1 or 5-2 or anywhere else in this Part shall not be allowed.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said tables are included as an attachment to this chapter.
§ 505 Permitting Procedures and Fees.
[Ord. No. 294, 9/23/2019]
Permits for the placement of new signs or changes to existing signs are required as indicated by the last column in Tables 5-1 and 5-2 herein this Part 5. Sign permit application requirements, such as forms, plans and fees, shall be established by the Mountville Borough Council.
§ 506 Nonconforming Signs.
[Ord. No. 294, 9/23/2019]
1.
Nonconforming signs may continue to be displayed, as long as there is compliance with the following limitations and conditions:
A.
There may be no expansion or increase in the nonconformity in any way.
B.
Maintenance and repair of the sign is permitted; if necessary, up to 50% of the entire area of a sign and its supporting structure may be replaced in the event of damage; any such replacement must be completed within six months of the damage occurring.
C.
The sign must be brought into conformity if, for a period of at least three months, the message has no longer applied to an activity on the premises (this does not apply to billboards).