Pennsburg City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
Signs
§ 110-1500 Declaration of legislative intent.
In expansion of the declaration of legislative intent and statement of community development objectives found in Article I of this chapter, it is the specific intent of this article to:
A.
Recognize that signs perform an important function in identifying properties, businesses, services, residences, events, and other matters of interest to the public.
B.
Set standards and provide controls that permit reasonable use of signs while restricting the potential adverse visual effects of signs on the character of the community.
C.
Control the size, number, location, and illumination of signs to reduce potential hazards caused by glare or obstruction of visibility and to reduce visual clutter which results from competition among signs.
D.
Encourage signs which are attractively designed in order to enhance the economic value as well as the visual character of the various parts of the community.
E.
Establish criteria to encourage signs that are compatible with their surroundings, appropriate to the type of activity to which they pertain, complementary to the architecture of the buildings involved, expressive of the identity of individual proprietors or of an integrated development's identity, and which are easily readable in the circumstances in which they are seen.
§ 110-1501 Residential and institutional signs.
In the R-1 Low Density Residential, R-2 Medium Density Residential, R-3 Medium-High Density Residential, R-4 High Density Residential, and IN Institutional Districts, the following signs and no others shall be permitted:
A.
Nameplates and identification signs:
(1)
Signs indicating the name and/or address of the occupant, provided they shall be no larger than two square feet in area. Only one such sign per dwelling unit shall be permitted.
(2)
For buildings other than single-family detached dwellings, only a single identification sign not exceeding 15 square feet in area and indicating only the name and address of the building and the name of the management may be displayed.
(3)
These signs shall be placed a minimum of two feet inside the front lot line and two feet from any side lot line.
B.
Sale or rental signs: signs advertising the proposed sale or rental of the premises upon which erected by the owner or broker interested in such sale or rental of such premises, provided:
C.
Institutional signs. Institutional uses shall be permitted to have the following signs:
(1)
Sign for a school, church, hospital, sanitarium, or other institutional use, on the same lot therewith, for the purpose of displaying the name of the institution and its activities or services, provided that the area on any one side of such sign shall not exceed 15 square feet, and further provided that not more than one such sign shall be erected on any one street frontage.
(2)
Trespassing signs and signs indicating private ownership of roadways or other property, provided that the total area on any one side of such sign shall not exceed one square foot and such signs shall be spaced at intervals of not less than 75 feet of street frontage.
(3)
Each building shall be permitted to have a sign identifying the name, use or purpose of said building, provided that the total area of any one side of such sign shall not exceed 10 square feet.
D.
Artisan sign: sign of a contractor, painter, or artisan, only while such person is actually performing work on the premises, provided that the size of any such sign shall not exceed six square feet and that it is removed promptly upon completion of the work.
E.
Any sign required by law, including street and traffic signs.
F.
A sign indicating private ownership of the property upon which it is erected, provided the total sign area for every 50 feet of each street frontage shall not exceed two square feet.
§ 110-1502 Business signs.
A.
The following signs shall be permitted in the RC Residential-Commercial, SC Shopping Center, LI Limited Industrial, and LIC Light Industrial and Commercial Districts:
[Amended 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
B.
Regulations for business signs. All business signs shall be subject to the following requirements:
(1)
The maximum permitted size of business signs shall be governed by the following table:
Maximum Permitted Size of Signs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Freestanding (square feet) | Wall (square feet) | Aggregate (square feet) | ||
For lots with up to 50 feet of street frontage | 20 | 25 | 30 | |
For lots with more than 50 but less than 100 feet of street frontage | 25 | 35 | 40 | |
For lots with 100 feet or more of street frontage | 35 | 45 | 50 | |
(2)
For corner lots, permitted sign sizes may be increased to 1.5 times the sizes permitted in Subsection B above.
(3)
Not more than one sign for each business shall be permitted on each property.
(4)
The maximum height to the top of any sign shall not exceed 15 feet, nor the height of the building eave or parapet, whichever is lower.
(5)
The setback of freestanding signs from the curb or edge of pavement of any street shall be not less than 10 feet.
(a)
Where a building wall is less than 20 feet from the curb or edge of pavement of any street, a freestanding sign shall be limited to 1/2 the size permitted unless it is parallel to the street.
(b)
Where a building wall is less than 15 feet from the curb or edge of pavement of any street, only a wall sign shall be permitted.
(6)
In achieving the aggregate sign size permitted, no sign shall exceed the maximum size permitted for its type.
(7)
No freestanding signs shall be permitted closer than five feet from the edge of paving of any driveway or vehicular access location.
(8)
A Sign Overlay District is hereby created in the Borough. The provisions of this subsection shall apply only to the businesses located within the defined geographical limits of the Sign Overlay District.
[Added 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
(b)
A maximum of one freestanding sign or one projecting sign, as well as one wall sign, sidewalk sign and one awning sign, shall be allowed per establishment, provided the requirements set forth in this section for each sign are satisfied.
(c)
A projecting sign shall have a maximum of two sides and maximum sign area of 12 square feet on each side and shall not count as part of the total aggregate allowed.
(e)
The following requirements shall apply for a freestanding sign within the Sign Overlay District:
[1]
Freestanding signs over six feet in height shall have a maximum sign area of 12 square feet on each side.
[2]
Freestanding signs six feet or less in height shall have a maximum sign area of 20 square feet on each side.
[3]
Freestanding signs shall be set back a minimum of two feet from the back of the public walk and/or the public right-of-way.
(f)
The following requirements shall apply for an awning sign within the Sign Overlay District:
[1]
Awnings shall have a maximum sign area of 25 square feet, and the sign area will be determined as the rectangular area surrounding all text, logos and graphics.
[2]
Awnings shall meet all clearances and minimum heights as required in the Building Code.
[3]
The sign messages on awnings may only be lighted from above and shall not be underlit in any way.
[4]
Awnings shall be constructed out of durable cloth. Awnings shall not be constructed of a clear or translucent material.
(g)
The following requirements shall apply for a sidewalk sign within the Sign Overlay District:
[1]
Sandwich-board signs shall have a maximum sign area of eight square feet on each of two sides and a maximum width of two feet and maximum height of four feet.
[2]
Sandwich-board signs shall be taken indoors during all hours when the business is not open to the public.
[3]
Sandwich-board signs shall not be located where they might interfere with pedestrian traffic or emergency access of parking spaces and shall retain a five-foot-wide minimum clear path for pedestrians, and such sign shall be kept as close to the building as is feasible.
[4]
Sandwich-board signs shall be attractive, well-maintained, durably constructed and not be internally illuminated.
[5]
Sandwich-board signs shall only be permitted for an allowed principal restaurant, personal service, business service or retail sales use.
(h)
The maximum permitted size of business signs in the Sign Overlay District shall be governed by the following table:
[1]
Maximum permitted size of signs:
Sign Type | Size (square feet) | |
|---|---|---|
Projecting sign | 12 per side | |
Freestanding sign (6 feet or less in height) | 20 per side | |
Freestanding sign (in excess of 6 feet in height) | 12 per side | |
Wall sign | 35 | |
Awning sign | 25 square feet of sign area | |
Sandwich-board sign | 8 |
[2]
The maximum aggregate sign area of freestanding wall and awning signs in the Sign Overlay District shall be 40 square feet.
C.
Regulations for multi-tenant signs. The regulations of this subsection shall govern multi-tenanted conditions.
(1)
A lot with more than one tenant or business operation, or a shopping, business, office, or other type of center or integrated development, whether on one or more lots, shall be subject to the requirements of this subsection and shall be termed a "multi-tenanted lot."
(2)
A freestanding or wall-mounted sign shall identify the name and/or address under which the multi-tenanted lot operates (such as "Smith Street Office Center").
(3)
Special regulations for the SC Shopping Center District. The freestanding sign [permitted in Subsection C(2) above] at the primary entrance to the shopping center shall contain the name of the shopping center and may also contain a directory of tenants according to the following standards:
[Amended 12-1-2006 by Ord. No. 8-06; 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
(b)
The following regulations apply to a freestanding sign which includes a directory of tenants:
(c)
The freestanding sign for a shopping center (with or without a directory of tenants) shall be set back a minimum of 25 feet from the street's curbline and a minimum of 50 feet from the curbline or pavement edge of the shopping center's access driveways and driveways on adjacent properties, except that it may also be located within a median island that divides the primary access driveway.
(d)
The height of the freestanding sign shall not exceed 20 feet.
(4)
Each tenant of a multi-tenanted lot shall be permitted signage in compliance with the following:
(a)
For storefront uses arranged in strip fashion, signs shall be confined within a "sign band" extending the width of the storefront.
[1]
For any storefront less than 50 feet wide, the sign band shall not be more than two feet high, the top of the sign band shall not be more than 15 feet above the sidewalk, and the width of the sign permitted within the sign band for each storefront shall not exceed 75% of the width of that individual storefront.
[2]
For any storefront 50 feet or more in width, the sign band shall not be more than five feet high, the top of the sign band shall not be more than 20 feet above the sidewalk, the width of the sign permitted within the sign band for each storefront shall not exceed 50% of the width of that individual storefront, and the maximum sign area shall not exceed 200 square feet.
(b)
For restaurants, office buildings, or residential buildings converted into nonresidential uses, additional signs shall be permitted as follows:
§ 110-1503 General sign regulations for all districts.
In all districts, the following general sign regulations shall apply:
A.
No sign shall be erected so as to endanger highway users by obscuring a clear view or by causing confusion with official street signs or signals due to its color or location. In addition, no sign shall be placed on utility poles.
[Amended 10-2-2000 by Ord. No. 6-00]
B.
No sign, other than official street signs, shall be erected or maintained within the right-of-way of any public road.
C.
No sign shall project over a public walkway, except for a projecting sign that meets the requirements of § 110-1502B(8)(b).
[Amended 12-1-2006 by Ord. No. 8-06; 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
D.
No sign shall be permitted to swing freely, except for a projecting sign that meets the requirements of § 110-1502B(8)(b).
[Amended 12-1-2006 by Ord. No. 8-06; 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
E.
Every sign shall be constructed of durable materials, using noncorrosive fastenings, shall be structurally safe and erected or installed in strict accordance with the Borough Building Code and shall be maintained in a safe condition and good repair at all times.
F.
Every sign affixed to a building wall shall have its entire inner surface flush with the building wall, and no part of the sign shall project beyond the building line more than 18 inches. Where a building has a canopy or marquee constructed as an integral part of said building, for the purpose of administering this section, the front line of said canopy or marquee shall be interpreted as being the face of the building. This section shall not apply to a projecting sign that meets the requirements of § 110-1502B(8)(b).
[Amended 12-1-2006 by Ord. No. 8-06; 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
G.
Permitted signs may be illuminated by interior lighting or lighting directed toward the sign; however, it is unlawful to erect or maintain any illuminated sign where the light source moves or is not of constant intensity and color, or where the light bulb can shine directly into the eyes of any occupant of any vehicle traveling upon any highway, driveway, or parking area, or into or upon any portion of an adjacent residential or institutional district, or where the illumination interferes with the visibility or readability of any traffic sign or device.
H.
External floodlighting of any property must be so shielded that the source of light shall not be visible from any point off the lot on which the sign, building, structure or area being illuminated is situated and so that only the sign, building, structure, or area is illuminated thereby.
I.
No sign shall have flashing, intermittent, animated or revolving illumination.
J.
Signs accessory to parking areas. Signs designating entrances or exits to or from a parking area shall be limited to one sign for each such exit or entrance with a maximum size of four square feet for each sign. One sign per parking area designating the conditions of use or identity of such parking area and limited to a maximum size of six square feet shall be permitted, provided that, on a corner lot, two such signs shall be permitted, one facing each street.
K.
Development signs. Signs advertising the sale or development of the premises upon which they are erected, when erected in connection with the development of the premises by a builder, contractor, developer, or other persons interested in such sale or development, may be erected and maintained, provided:
(1)
The size of any sign is not in excess of 15 square feet.
(2)
Not more than one sign is placed upon any property, unless such property fronts more than one street, in which event one such sign may be erected on each frontage.
(3)
Any such sign shall be removed by the developer within 30 days of the final sale of the property.
L.
Directional signs. Signs indicating the location and direction of a premises available for or in the 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 or maintained, provided that:
M.
Private driveways/trespassing. Signs indicating the private nature of a driveway, or trespassing signs, shall be permitted, provided that the size of any such sign shall not exceed one square foot.
N.
Nonconforming signs.
(1)
It is intended to eliminate nonconforming signs, except as otherwise specifically set forth in this section, as rapidly as the police power of the Borough permits. Any lawfully erected sign, the maintenance of which is made unlawful by this chapter, may continue to be maintained exactly as such existed at the time when the maintenance thereof became otherwise unlawful under the provisions of this chapter.
(2)
No nonconforming sign:
(a)
Shall be changed to another nonconforming sign.
(b)
Shall have any changes made in the words or symbols used or the message displayed on the sign unless the sign is an off-premises advertising sign (as regulated in § 110-1507 herein) or a bulletin board, or substantially similar type of sign, specifically designed for a periodic change of message.
(c)
Shall be structurally altered so as to prolong the life of the sign or so as to change the shape, size, type, or design of the sign.
(d)
Shall be reestablished after the activity, business, or use to which it relates has been discontinued for 30 days or longer.
(e)
Shall be reestablished after damage or destruction if the estimated expense of reconstruction exceed 50% of the reproduction cost.
(3)
The Zoning Hearing Board may permit variances from the requirements of Subsection N(2) of this section or variances permitting the maintenance of a nonconforming sign only in accordance with the provisions of Article XVIII of this chapter, and upon a finding that the grant of a variance will reduce the degree of nonconformance of an existing sign or will result in the removal of one or more lawfully nonconforming signs and replacement by a sign or signs more in keeping with the spirit, purpose, and provisions of this chapter.
O.
Obsolete signs. It is unlawful to maintain for more than 30 days any sign which has become obsolete because of discontinuance of the business, service, or activity which it advertises, removal from the location to which it directs, or for any other reason. The only exception shall be for off-premises signs, which shall follow the provisions of § 110-1507 herein. The fact that an obsolete sign is nonconforming shall not be construed as modifying any of the requirements of this section.
P.
Permission of owner or occupant. It is unlawful to erect or maintain any sign on any property, public or private, without the consent of the owner or occupant thereof.
Q.
Political signs. Political signs shall be permitted in all districts, provided they meet the regulations set forth in this chapter. Such political signs shall be nonilluminated and shall not exceed four square feet in area or four feet in height. If the sign relates to election of political candidates, such sign shall not be erected or displayed earlier than 30 days prior to the election and shall be removed within three days after the election.
[Added 10-2-2000 by Ord. No. 6-00]
R.
All wall signs, projecting signs, and sidewalk signs shall comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act for projecting objects.
[Added 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
S.
Temporary, nonilluminated signs less than two square feet in size each may be placed inside windows.
[Added 7-10-2007 by Ord. No. 5-07]
§ 110-1504 Application to erect a sign; fees; inspections.
A.
No person shall erect, after the effective date of this chapter, any sign without having first obtained a permit from the Zoning Officer, following the filing of an application on a form to be supplied by the Zoning Officer. Such application shall be accompanied by a fee which shall be fixed according to the schedule adopted by the Borough Council.
B.
No permit for a new sign shall be issued unless the proposed sign complies with all the applicable regulations herein.
C.
The Borough reserves the right to inspect all signs to ensure structural integrity and promote public safety. The Borough may hire an inspector(s) competent in this field and charge sign owners a fee equal to the cost of inspection.
§ 110-1505 Temporary signs for business purposes.
The following regulations govern all signs that are not permanently affixed to a building wall or to a permanent foundation for a freestanding sign:
A.
Temporary signs shall be permitted for any business use permitted in the RC Residential-Commercial, SC Shopping Center, and LI Limited Industrial Districts, in addition to the permanent sign or signs permitted under § 110-1502 herein.
B.
The total sign area for all temporary signs for each individual business shall not exceed the aggregate or total sign area permitted as permanent signs for each business under § 110-1502 herein.
[Amended 11-20-2012 by Ord. No. 1-2012]
C.
Temporary signs may be permitted in the form of posters affixed to the inside of store windows, a banner attached to the front or side of the business for which the sign is permitted, or a freestanding sign not affixed to a permanent foundation. Any freestanding temporary sign shall be constructed, anchored, and/or weighted in such a manner as to prevent collapse or unwanted movement of any kind.
D.
Freestanding temporary signs in the RC Residential-Commercial and LI Limited Industrial Districts shall be subject to the permitted size of sign and setback standards contained in § 110-1502 herein, except that each individual freestanding temporary sign shall not exceed six square feet.
[Amended 11-20-2012 by Ord. No. 1-2012]
E.
Freestanding temporary signs in the SC Shopping Center District shall be permitted to be located within the landscaped area along the center's street frontage, provided that they are set back a minimum of 25 feet from the street's curbline and a minimum of 50 feet from the curbline or pavement edge of the shopping center's access driveways and driveways on adjacent properties. Spacing between temporary freestanding signs within the landscaped area shall be a minimum of 100 feet.
F.
Freestanding temporary signs in the SC Shopping Center District may be placed on the sidewalk in front of the individual business, provided that the sign does not exceed 25% of the width of the sidewalk.
G.
Two freestanding temporary signs shall be allowed for each property or business without obtaining a sign permit from the Borough. A sign permit shall be required for all freestanding temporary signs where three or more signs are placed on a business or property in compliance with § 110-1504, Application to erect a sign; fees; inspections, herein.
[Amended 11-20-2012 by Ord. No. 1-2012]
H.
Use of temporary signs shall be limited as follows:
(1)
Any one individual business may use a temporary sign not more than three times in one calendar year.
(2)
A temporary sign may be erected not more than seven days prior to the beginning of the event advertised and shall be removed not more than three days following the end of the event advertised. The maximum period of time from when the sign is erected to when it is removed shall not exceed 25 days for each event.
(3)
The minimum period of time between the removal of a temporary sign for one event and the erection of a temporary sign for another event by the same business shall be 14 days.
I.
All temporary signs shall comply with the requirements of § 110-1502B(8) with respect to the Sign Overlay District. In the event of a conflict between this section and § 110-1502B(8), the requirements of § 110-1502B(8) shall control.
[Added 11-20-2012 by Ord. No. 1-2012]
§ 110-1506 Changeable-copy signs.
The following regulations govern all changeable-copy signs, which are those signs that are designed so that characters, letters, or illustrations can be changed or rearranged manually or electronically without altering the size, face, or surface of the sign.
A.
Any sign permitted by the regulations of this chapter may be used as a changeable-copy sign.
B.
Any change in size, type styles, content, color, position, or intensity shall be considered a change for the purposes of this chapter. The permitted frequency of change for any one sign shall not exceed one time per hour.
C.
Signs which alternate between a display of time and temperature are changeable-copy signs that are exempted from the frequency limitations of this section.
§ 110-1507 Off-premises advertising signs.
[Amended 10-2-2000 by Ord. No. 6-00]
Off-premises advertising signs (those signs which advertise products, services, activities or uses not located on the same properties as the signs) shall be permitted by conditional use only in the LI Limited Industrial District and the RC Residential-Commercial Zoning District, in compliance with § 110-328 of this chapter and with the following:
A.
Each sign may be double-faced with two advertising surfaces. Each surface shall have a maximum area of 100 square feet, a maximum length of 20 feet, and a maximum height of 15 feet.
C.
No sign may be attached to a building. No portion of the supporting structure shall be visible above the sign display area. The sign shall be erected on permanent footings or support structures that meet all applicable Borough codes.
D.
The applicant for an off-premises sign permit shall submit a statement, written by the property owner and duly notarized, that the applicant has the authority to erect and maintain a sign on that property.
(1)
The applicant shall remove any sign that meets any of the following criteria:
(a)
The sign is no longer in use.
(b)
The sign remains without bona fide advertisement for a period of 90 days or more. An advertisement to rent the space on that sign does not constitute a bona fide advertisement.
(c)
The applicant's authority to erect and maintain a sign on the property has expired.
(2)
If the sign applicant is unable to remove the sign, the property owner shall be responsible for removing the sign.
E.
Each sign shall meet all applicable regulations of the Borough, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and the Pennsylvania Assembly.