Schuylkill Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XXI
Signs
§ 370-175 Purpose.
[Amended 7-11-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-03]
It is the purpose of this article to promote the public safety and welfare by regulating the placement, size, number, and condition of signs, limiting visual clutter, limiting potential conflict with vehicle or pedestrian movement and danger from collapse due to disrepair or dilapidation, and minimizing potential adverse effects on property and roadways.
§ 370-176 Residential district and apartment/professional office district sign regulations.
The following types of signs and no other shall be permitted in residential districts and apartment/professional office districts:
A.
Official signs erected by or at the direction of governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations with proof of nonprofit status.
[Amended 11-7-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-06]
B.
Home occupation and office signs indicating the name, profession, or activity of the occupant of a building. Not more than one such sign shall be erected for each unit and such sign shall not exceed two square feet in size on any one side nor have a total exposed area in excess of four square feet.
C.
Trespassing signs or signs indicating the private nature of a driveway or premises; such signs shall not exceed one square foot in size on any one side nor have a total exposed area in excess of two square feet.
D.
Real estate and multifamily housing signs.
(1)
The size of any such sign shall not exceed 12 square feet on any one side. The total exposed area of any such sign shall not exceed 24 square feet.
(2)
Signs advertising a property shall be placed on the property to which they pertain. Directional signs are prohibited.
[Amended 11-7-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-06]
(3)
Not more than two signs shall be permitted on any one property.
E.
Other permitted residential district uses may have one sign, such sign not exceeding two square feet on any one side nor having a total exposed area in excess of four square feet.
F.
Any resident or property owner proposing to hold a yard sale or any other singular commercial event may erect a maximum of four yard sale signs for any given yard sale or event. Such signs may be erected for a period of not more than two weeks prior to the yard sale or event. Signs shall be removed immediately upon completion of the sale; however, under no circumstances shall any sign remain for more than 30 days. Fees for a deposit and permits shall be as stated in the Township's Fee Schedule.[1]
[Added 11-7-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-06; 10-2-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-06]
[1]
Editor's Note: The current Fee Schedule is on file in the Township offices.
§ 370-177 Administrative Research District, commercial district and industrial district sign regulations.
[Amended 7-11-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-03]
The following types of signs and no other shall be permitted by Administrative Research, Neighborhood Commercial, Commercial, Limited Industrial, Industrial/Limited Industrial, and Industrial Districts:
A.
Any sign permitted in the residential districts.
B.
Commercial or industrial signs in conjunction with any permitted use, provided that:
(1)
Such sign shall be erected on the premises on which the use to which the sign pertains is conducted.
(2)
There shall be not more than three signs for any one use.
(a)
Such signs shall not exceed 50 square feet in area on any one side and the maximum total exposed sign area of all three signs shall be two square feet in area for every one linear foot of building length facing a street, but in no case shall exceed 100 square feet in area.
(b)
Window signs shall not be considered in computing the total exposed sign area but shall not cover more than 20% of the area of any window opening.
(c)
Letters painted on or affixed to a building shall be included in the computation of the total exposed sign area.
(3)
Signs in a shopping center shall conform to the following regulations:
(a)
Signs for individual establishments shall follow § 370-177B; provided, however, that individual establishments cannot have ground signs.
(b)
Pedestrian directory signs shall be permitted in the proportion of one such sign for each 10 establishments. The signs shall not exceed 15 square feet on any one side, they may be double-faced, and they may be located on a building, on a mall or in any area used solely by pedestrians.
(c)
Parking signs and directional signs shall be permitted but shall not exceed two square feet on any one side.
(d)
One ground sign identifying the shopping center shall be permitted at each vehicular entrance from a public street, provided that:
[1]
The overall height of any entrance sign, including structural support, shall not be more than 25 feet.
[2]
The total exposed area of all permitted entrance signs shall not exceed 300 square feet. Any one two-faced sign shall not exceed a total of 170 square feet. No single-faced sign or any one side of a two-faced sign shall exceed 85 square feet, of which not more than 50% may be used to identify the various tenants. Below such a sign and not forming part of it may be a semipermanent changeable sign which shall not exceed 34 square feet on any one side. The area of the changeable sign shall form part of the 300-square-foot limitation.
[3]
The distance between such signs, with reference to each other, shall not be less than 400 feet measured in a single straight line.
[4]
There shall not be more than three such signs for any one shopping center. The signs may be double-faced.
§ 370-178 General sign regulations.
[Amended 11-7-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-06; 7-11-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-03]
Except as provided for otherwise in § 370-179, the following shall apply:
A.
No sign shall be of a flashing type.
B.
No sign shall rotate, move, or oscillate or give the appearance of movement.
C.
No sign or light illuminating a sign (whether or not attached to the sign structure) shall be placed in such a position that it will obscure the view or otherwise cause a danger to traffic or create light trespass glare upon adjacent properties or streets.
D.
No sign, other than signs authorized by § 370-176A, shall be erected within the ultimate right-of-way lines of any streets.
E.
Temporary signs of mechanics and artisans may be erected in any district, provided the size of the sign shall not exceed 12 square feet on any one side nor have a total exposed area in excess of 24 square feet. All such signs shall be located on the premises to which they relate and shall be moved upon completion of the work.
F.
All signs shall be constructed of durable material firmly supported and must be maintained in good condition.
H.
With the exception of the height requirement of §§ 370-177B(3) and 370-179A(1)(c), the overall height of any ground sign, including support structure, shall not be more than 20 feet.
I.
Where applicable, signs in an industrial park shall conform with the regulations of § 370-177B(3).
J.
For any residential use existing in other districts of the Township, the sign regulations of § 370-176 herein shall apply.
K.
All temporary signs, including yard sales and advertising signs shall be limited to a period of 30 days. For specific fees for deposits and permits refer to the Township's Fee Schedule.[1]
[Added 10-2-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-06]
[1]
Editor's Note: The current Fee Schedule is on file in the Township offices.
§ 370-179 Billboard sign regulations.
[Amended 11-7-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-06; 7-11-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-03]
A.
Billboard signs, or billboards, shall be constructed, located and operated only in the LI Limited Industrial District in accordance with the following regulations:
(1)
Construction.
(a)
A billboard shall be constructed as a ground sign.
(b)
No individual billboard sign area shall exceed 300 square feet. However, where the principal road associated with the proposed billboard has an average daily traffic count as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation of less than 19,000, the billboard sign area shall not exceed 210 square feet. If present, nondisplay physical borders around the display image shall not exceed six inches on a side.
(c)
A billboard shall have a maximum total height of 35 feet. The height of such sign shall be measured from the average grade based on the area found within a fifty-foot radius of the outer limits of the sign structure to the highest point of the structure.
(d)
A billboard shall contain no more than two billboard display areas. A triangular three-sided configuration shall not be permitted.
(f)
All billboards shall be serviced by underground electrical wiring.
(g)
A billboard shall be properly and adequately secured to prevent unauthorized access, with such features as a locked ladderway.
(i)
All applications for a building permit shall be accompanied by an engineering plan signed and sealed by a Pennsylvania-licensed professional engineer. Such a plan shall illustrate that the sign, configuration, dimensions, characteristics, attachment details, anchoring details, and the like have been designed in accordance with accepted engineering practices.
(2)
Location.
(a)
Billboards shall be located only along state roads.
(b)
Billboards shall be separated by a minimum distance of 1,000 linear feet as measured along the road right-of-way line.
(d)
A billboard shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from any ultimate street or road right-of-way.
(e)
Billboards shall be located at least 100 linear feet from any lot line of a residential use or district.
(f)
Billboards shall be screened from any abutting property used or zoned for residential use. Such screening shall consist of evergreen trees of a least 15 feet in height at the time of planting that form a continuous visual buffer along or near the property line abutting the residential use or lot. Such screening shall be installed prior to completion of construction and prior to obtaining a certificate of use and occupancy.
(g)
Billboards shall be located at least 300 linear feet from the nearest lot line of a park, playground, school, library, or municipal use or property.
(h)
Billboards shall be located at least 150 feet from any intersection with a traffic signal measured from the center line of the intersection, and no billboard shall cause any visual obstruction to traffic or traffic control devices.
(i)
Billboards shall not be located in, nor project into any existing easement.
(3)
Operation.
(a)
The billboard shall be externally or internally illuminated only from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. All lighting fixtures shall be equipped with devices which automatically extinguish the lighting at 11:00 p.m.
(b)
Lighting shall comply with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America's (IES) recommended practices and criteria in the IES Lighting Handbook, including, but not limited to, criteria for full-cutoff fixtures.
(c)
All lighting shall be aimed, located, designed, fitted and maintained so as not to create light trespass glare and not project or reflect light onto a neighboring use or property, frontage road or street, or nearby intersecting road.
(d)
Fixtures shall be equipped with, or be capable of being back-fitted with, light-directing devices, such as shields, visors or hoods when necessary to redirect offending light distribution.
(e)
There shall be a maximum luminance of 0.1 footcandles measured at any residential property line and a maximum luminance of 1.0 footcandles measured at any nonresidential property line.
(f)
No billboard advertisements for cigarettes or tobacco products shall be permitted.
(g)
All maintenance, cleaning and repair, including repair of torn or worn advertising copy, and removal of graffiti shall be performed promptly by the sign owner or lessee. In the event the Township notifies the owner or lessee of any damage, vandalism, graffiti or disrepair to the billboard, the owner or lessee shall repair or correct the problem within hours of such notification. If repairs and corrections are not timely, the Township shall have the right, but not the obligation, to make repairs or corrections and be reimbursed the cost thereof by the owner or lessee.
B.
Digital billboard signs, or digital billboards, may be permitted in the LI Limited Industrial District, but shall be designed in accordance with the following regulations:
(2)
The digital billboard shall be a ground sign.
(3)
The display shall have a maximum luminance of 5,000 nits during daylight hours and a maximum of 125 nits from 6:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m., provided the brightness of the digital billboard does not exceed 0.3 footcandles of light above the normal ambient light levels. Such signs shall be equipped with automatic dimming technology which automatically adjusts the sign's brightness based on ambient light conditions:
(a)
The billboard luminance specification shall be determined by a footcandle metering device held at a height of five feet and aimed towards the billboard from a distance of 150 feet.
(b)
The metering device shall be at a location perpendicular to the billboard center (as seen in plan view) as this angle has the highest luminance.
(c)
This check shall include the measurement of an all-white image displayed by the billboard to evaluate the worst case condition.
(d)
If the difference in luminance between the billboard on and the billboard off conditions is 0.3 footcandles or less, then the billboard luminance is in compliance.
(4)
The message displayed on the digital billboard shall be static for a minimum of eight seconds.
(5)
When the message on the digital billboard is transitioned, it shall be accomplished in one second or less with all moving parts or illumination changing simultaneously and in unison.
(6)
The message displayed during the static display period on the digital billboard shall be static and shall not have movement, or the appearance or optical illusion of movement, or the flashing, scintillating or the varying of light intensity.
(7)
There shall be no visual special effects of any kind during the transition between successive messages on the digital billboard. The screen shall transition from one message to the next with no perceptible dimming, swiping or blanking of the display, and with no visible effects, such as fade, dissolve, or other animated transition methods. The change in message shall consist of a seamless, imperceptible transition from one image to the next.
(8)
Message sequencing on the digital billboard shall be prohibited.
(9)
The digital billboard shall contain a default mechanism that will freeze the sign display in one position if a malfunction occurs or shut down and show full black on the display.
(10)
No portion of the digital billboard shall rotate, move, or produce noise, smoke or odor, give the illusion of movement, display video, be animated, blinking, scrolling or flashing, or consist of any other type of variable message, electronic, trivision or other animated characteristics.
(11)
The owner of the digital billboard shall provide for appropriate luminance levels during times of inclement weather, particularly daytime fog, during which times there may exist bright ambient lighting conditions (which would otherwise warrant high luminance levels from the billboard) but during which times there exists a need for lower luminance from the billboard for safety reasons.
(12)
The digital billboard shall not have lighting that would compete with or distract from traffic signal lighting.
(13)
The digital billboard shall not display words or symbols that connote traffic control commands, such as but not limited to "stop" or "danger," or which may be confused with a traffic control sign displayed by a public authority.
(14)
The digital billboard shall not be painted with, or be composed of, any fluorescent, phosphorescent, or holographic material.
(15)
In the event of a public emergency, such as extreme weather, hazardous traffic conditions, natural disasters, attacks by terrorists, amber alerts, emergency evacuations, public infrastructure failures, massive traffic accidents or a blockade of traffic, the digital billboard shall, upon directive from the Township, continuously display a public emergency message as communicated by Township, state or federal officials. The time for the public emergency message shall be a minimum period of two hours or until such time as the public emergency message is no longer deemed necessary as determined by the Township, whichever period shall be shorter. Such messages shall preempt paying advertisers. The Township shall develop, adopt, and communicate to the owner a written protocol concerning the display of such public emergency messages in order to ensure that the messages are communicated as quickly as possible and for the duration necessary.
(16)
The digital billboard shall be designed to employ ambient light meters at no less than three locations and utilize technology which operates at one intensity level for all colors displayed. The billboard shall be upgraded with respect to the above as improvements in technology become available and such upgrade(s) shall occur within one year of the availability of such technology.
C.
Termination of billboard use.
(1)
Discontinuance of the use of a billboard for a period of six consecutive months constitutes termination of use of the billboard.
(2)
A billboard which has terminated use shall be removed within 60 days of termination of use by the owner or lessee and at the expense of the owner or lessee.
(3)
To ensure that the billboard will be properly removed after the termination of use, a bond or other security acceptable to the Township, in the form, amount, and duration satisfactory to the Township, shall be posted with the Township at the time of issuance of a certificate of use and occupancy.