Ridley Park City Zoning Code

Set standards and provide controls that permit reasonable use of signs and enhance the character of the Borough.

Encourage sign design that builds on the traditional town image and visual environment that the Borough seeks to promote.

Avoid excessive competition for large or multiple signs, so that permitted signs provide identification and direction while minimizing clutter, unsightliness, confusion, and hazardous distractions to motorists.

Protect against hazards to traffic and pedestrian safety.

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to erect, alter, rebuild, enlarge, extend, or relocate signs listed in § 213-99, Signs for which a permit is required, without first obtaining a permit from the Borough, except for those signs listed in § 213-95, Exempt signs.

Application for such permits shall be made in writing to the Borough in accordance with § 213-97.

The Zoning Officer is hereby authorized to revoke any permit issued by the Borough upon failure of the holder thereof to comply with any provision of this article.

All signs, excluding awning and window signs, shall be constructed only from wood, metal, stone, or other material as determined by the Borough which has the general appearance of structures composed primarily of wood, metal, or stone with painted, engraved, or raised messages. Sign materials should complement the original construction materials and architectural style of the building facade on which they are to be displayed. If plywood is used, medium-density overlay shall be used as a minimum grade. Bare plywood is prohibited.

In selecting the principal colors for a sign, colors that complement the color of the building should be used.

Where permitted, signs shall be illuminated only in accordance with the following regulations as authorized in an appropriate sign permit:

The electrical supply to all exterior signs, whether to the sign itself or to lighting fixtures positioned to illuminate the sign, shall be provided by means of concealed electrical cables. Electrical supply to freestanding signs shall be provided by means of underground cables. Applications for electrical permits shall be filed at the same time as the sign permit application.

No sign shall create a public nuisance by emitting smoke, sound, vapor, beams or rays, particle emission, or odors.

Any business that has closed shall remove any signs associated with the business within 60 days after it closes. The owner of the premises shall have the responsibility to ensure that such signs are removed within the sixty-day period.

No sign or sign structure shall be erected unless it complies with all applicable requirements of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.[2]

All signs and sign structures shall be kept in good repair and in presentable condition so that all sign information is clearly legible. Any sign found by the Zoning Officer to show deterioration, rust, faded colors, discoloration, holes, and missing parts or informational items shall constitute a violation of this article.

Except for official/traffic, directional, and incidental signs, no sign shall be erected within the right-of-way lines of any public street, and no sign shall be closer than six feet to the right-of-way line of a public street, unless specifically authorized by other ordinances and regulations of the Borough of Ridley Park or other governmental bodies or agencies having jurisdiction or regulatory authority in the matter.

All permanent signs over four square feet in size shall be constructed by a professional sign company.

Except for official signs, incidental signs, directional signs, wayfinding signs, or billboards, all permanent signs shall be located on the property to which the text or message applies.

Freestanding pole signs.

Freestanding ground signs.

Window signs. A maximum of 20% of the total window area may be used for permanent signs that are etched, painted, or permanently affixed to the window. Neon signs in a window shall have a maximum of 10% coverage or eight square feet, whichever is less.

Temporary signs.

Awning signs and canopy signs.

Real estate "for sale" or development signs. Signs that advertise real estate for sale shall not exceed 16 square feet in residential districts and 30 square feet in nonresidential districts. Such signs shall be removed from the property in question not less than seven days after the date of settlement.

Any sign which by color, shape, or location conflicts with or resembles a traffic signal device.

Signs attached to rocks, utility poles, parking meters, traffic signposts, traffic signals or control devices, street signs, or historical markers.

Signs attached to trees, shrubs, or any living vegetative matter.

Signs erected without the permission of the property owner or authorized agent.

Signs that create a hazard by obstructing the clear view of vehicles and pedestrian traffic.

Animated signs.

Any sign that obstructs free ingress to or egress from a required door, window, fire escape, or other required exit.

Vehicular signs.

Abandoned signs.

Flashing signs.

Revolving signs.

Tethered balloons, filled either by gas or heated air.

Roof signs.

Wall signs that cover windows or architectural detail.

Banners longer than 150% of the street frontage of the premises.

Signs with reflective backgrounds.

Official signs posted in the strict performance of lawful governmental functions, such as roadway signs indicating route number, street name, traffic, and parking.

Small signs not exceeding two square feet that are necessary for traffic movement on private property.

Memorial or historic markers where approved by the Historical and Architectural Review Board or the Planning Commission.

Small temporary signs, provided that:

Nothing in this article shall relieve the owners or users of legally nonconforming signs, or the owners of the property on which legally nonconforming signs are located, from any provisions of this article regarding the safety, maintenance, and repair of signs.

Should 50% or more of any legally nonconforming sign be damaged by any means, it shall be removed and not reconstructed except in conformity with the provisions of this article.

The existence of a legally nonconforming sign on a single- or multiple-occupancy premises shall not prevent the erection or placement of another sign on the premises, if the new sign meets the requirements of this article. However, the total number of signs and the area of the signs shall not exceed the requirements of this article.

A legally nonconforming sign shall immediately lose its legally nonconforming designation if the sign is altered in any way. At that point, the sign shall be immediately brought into compliance with this article and a new permit secured or the sign shall be removed.

Signs on the premises of legally nonconforming uses, such as an office in a residential area, may remain until the existing use of the premises is discontinued. If a sign wears out or is damaged or is changed for any other reason, the number, size, and area of all signs relating to the premises shall not be increased beyond the size they were at the time this article was adopted.

If a legally nonconforming sign lists more than one business, new businesses may be added without affecting the nonconforming status of the sign. However, the sign may not be altered in any way that extends the sign's nonconformity in any manner.

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to erect, alter, repair, or relocate any sign within the Borough of Ridley Park without first obtaining a sign permit, unless the sign is specifically exempt from the permit requirements.

Applications for sign permits shall be made upon forms provided by the Zoning Officer and shall contain and/or have attached the following information, where relevant:[1]

A permit fee, to be established from time to time by resolution of Borough Council, shall be paid.

The Borough shall process all sign permit applications within 30 days of the Borough's receipt of an application and upon remittance of the appropriate sign permit fee. The Zoning Officer shall give notice to the applicant of his/her decision by hand delivery or by mailing such notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address on the permit application on or before the 30th day. If the decision of the Zoning Officer is to deny the application, the decision shall state the grounds upon which the denial is based. Failure of the Borough to act within the thirty-day period shall be deemed an approval of the permit.

No sign shall be erected or altered until an application for a certificate of appropriateness has been reviewed and approved by the Ridley Park Historical and Architectural Review Board (HARB) and after Borough Council has issued a certificate of appropriateness. The HARB shall ensure that the proposed sign is appropriate:

Signs in residential districts.

Signs in the C-1 Commercial District.

Signs in the C-2 Commercial District.

Signs in the Medical Campus District.

Signs in the interstate fronting civic use district. Same as in the Medical Campus District, provided that billboards are permitted, subject to § 213-100.

Signs in the parks and open space district. Same as in the C-1 Commercial District, provided that no sign shall be illuminated except by concealed or indirect lighting attached to the sign itself or on the ground directed upwards at the sign. The intent is to protect adjacent residential areas from impacts of light or glare.

Signs in the Industrial District.

The Borough has considered the need for the promotion of local and county businesses, organizations, and events to the motoring public on Interstate 95, which abuts a small portion of the Borough. In light of this need, the Borough will allow the installation of one Borough- or county-owned billboard to be located in the C-1 Commercial Zoning District abutting Interstate 95. Such billboard may be operated by a third party for general commercial purposes, but must also have availability for community announcements. The following requirements shall apply to the billboard:

All billboard standards herein shall exist in full force and effect in conjunction with all sign standards existing in the most recent edition of the International Construction Code (ICC), as amended. Whenever any conflict exists between this chapter and the ICC, the more restrictive provisions shall have precedence.