Sewickley City Zoning Code

The purpose of this article is to create the legal framework for a comprehensive and balanced system of street, business information and way-finding graphics. It is intended to foster effective and pleasant communication and identification which is appropriate to a variety of zoning districts. With this purpose in mind, it is the intention of this chapter to authorize and regulate the use of signage that will be:

Billboards. See Article VIII, Conditional Uses, for specific requirements.

Canopy signs. No canopy signs shall be erected in a public right-of-way inclusive of structural components attached to the ground plane or structural components extending into the right-of-way.

Extraneous items. Extraneous items are not permitted in any front or side yard in any residential district, nor beyond the building line in any other district.

Mobile signs.

Pole signs.

Residential district signs. Residential district signs displayed for a fee or placement of off-site commercial advertisements on residential lots is prohibited:

Roof signs. No roof signs shall be erected, constructed or maintained in the Borough.

Signs obscuring official highway signs. No sign shall be permitted which in any way approximates or obscures an official highway sign or signal.

Signs on public property. No sign shall be permitted on public property without the prior written approval of the Borough Manager or his designated representative, unless the sign is an A-frame or sculptural feature sign in conformance with § 330-913 of this chapter. In no case shall political signs be permitted on public property.

Permit required. No person shall erect, alter or relocate within the Borough any sign or other advertising structure, except those exempted in § 330-903C, Permit exemptions, without first obtaining a sign permit from the Zoning Officer and making payment of the required fees as set by resolution of Borough Council.

Application for permit. Application for sign permits shall be made upon forms provided by the Zoning Officer and shall contain or have attached thereto the following information:

Permit exemptions. The permit provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the following signs; such signs, however, are still subject to the regulations provided for in this chapter:

Number of permitted signs. Not more than two wall, window, ground, awning or projecting signs, but not more than one of each type, shall be permitted on each facade on a street to which a building has access. Each of the two signs may display 10 items of information per sign face. If only one sign is erected, it may display 15 items of information per sign face. For buildings with multiple tenants, one sign, of either type, per business occupant is allowed per building facade on a street to which a building has access. Additionally, buildings with multiple tenants are permitted to have a directory at or near each entrance which is intended for public use. In no event shall the total area of wall signs exceed 40% of the signable wall areas, nor shall the total area of a building facade covered by awnings exceed 10% of the area of the facade.

Wall signs shall be permitted in the C-1, C-2, VO, OMU for nonresidential uses and in Industrial and Institutional Districts. Wall signs are not permitted in any residential zoning district.

The following limitations and requirements apply:

Location. In all districts in which ground signs are permitted, the location of said sign shall be based upon agreement between the landowner and/or developer and the Borough. In no case, shall the location of said sign endanger health, safety or welfare of persons on the lot, on the adjacent lot(s) or any adjacent right-of-way. No ground sign shall be permitted on or over any public property without written approval of the Borough Manager.

Size limitation. In a district in which a ground sign is permitted, no ground sign larger than 20 square feet in area per sign face, nor higher than 10 feet above ground level at its highest point, shall be erected. Only one ground sign may be displayed per lot, and such sign may not be closer than 80 feet to any other ground sign.

Construction. All letters, figures, characters or representatives in cutout or irregular form, maintained in conjunction with, attached to or superimposed upon any sign, shall be safely and securely built or attached to the sign structure. Not more than two supporting posts shall be used in support of the sign.

Lighting. Lighting shall be permitted upon ground signs.

Internal illumination. Internal illumination of ground signs is permitted. However, internally illuminated signs shall not exceed 10 square feet in area per sign face.

Setback from curblines. No awnings shall be permitted to extend beyond a point which is the lesser of 6.5 feet perpendicular to the building line or two feet back from the curbline.

Height above sidewalk for awnings. All awnings shall be constructed and erected so that the lowest point thereof is not less than seven feet above the level of the sidewalk.

Construction of awnings. Awnings shall be constructed of fabric; frames and supports shall be of rigid material. Every awning shall be securely attached to and supported by a building. Posts or columns beyond building lines shall not be permitted for awnings. Each awning shall be attached in compliance with the UCC, as it may be amended from time to time.

Display area. The graphic shall not be considered signs.

Awnings without advertising. Awnings without advertising shall not be considered signs.

Awning size. An awning containing advertising shall not cover more than 10% of any building facade.

Projection from buildings. An awning containing advertising shall project a minimum of three feet from the face of the building facade to which it is attached.

Projection over public property. Awnings are permitted to project over a public right-of-way(s) within the Village Overlay.

Internal illumination. An awning with internal illumination shall not cover more than 5% of any building facade.

Projections from window. An exterior window sign shall not extend more than 1/16 inch from the exterior face of the window to which it is affixed. Nor shall a window sign extend beyond the perimeter of the transparent area of a window.

Display area. The graphic display area shall not exceed 40% of the window area. Internally illuminated window signs are limited to 20% of the window area.

Lighting. Lighting shall be permitted upon window signs.

Internal illumination. Internal illumination of window signs is permitted.

Size limitations. A projecting sign shall be limited in area to not more than 12 square feet for each face. However, an additional three-inch border or frame may be permitted to provide ornamental design. The maximum horizontal dimension shall be 4.5 feet.

Projection over public property. Every projecting sign shall be placed so that its lowest point shall be at least eight feet above the public sidewalk over which it is erected and at a distance not greater than two feet from the face of the wall to which it is attached, measuring from the point of the sign nearest hereto, nor shall any sign or part thereof extend nearer the curbline than two feet.

Obstructions to doors, windows or fire escapes. No projecting sign shall be erected, relocated or maintained so as to prevent free ingress/egress to or from any door, window or fire escape.

Lighting. Lighting shall be permitted on projecting signs, provided that illumination is concentrated upon the area of the sign so as to prevent glare upon the street or adjacent lot.

Internal illumination. Internal illumination of projecting signs is permitted. However, if signs are internally illuminated, the sign shall be limited in area to no more than six square feet for each face. The maximum horizontal dimension shall be 4.5 feet.

A temporary sign, except an A-frame and/or sculptural feature sign, does not require a permit.

Temporary signs are permitted on any lot.

No more than two temporary signs are permitted at any time on any single lot.

Permit conditions. Applications for banners hung across or in a public right-of-way will not be approved unless the applicant signs a written agreement to hold the Borough harmless and to release and indemnify the Borough from any liability, claim, damages, costs, expenses (including attorney's fees incurred by the Borough) that may result from the Borough's grant of permission for a banner or as result of any agreement that the Borough enters into with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) in order to obtain permission for the installation of such a banner. Banners must be hung in accordance with all PennDOT and Borough regulations. The applicant must also present a certificate of liability insurance, in an amount satisfactory to the Borough Manager, which will provide coverage for any claim arising from the installation of a banner.

Projection over public property. Every marquee shall be placed so that its lowest point shall be at least eight feet above the public sidewalk over which it is erected, and no marquee or part thereof shall extend nearer the curbline than two feet.

Obstructions to doors, windows or fire escapes. No marquee shall be erected, relocated or maintained so as to prevent free ingress/egress to or from any door, window or fire escape.

Lighting and signage. Lighting shall be permitted on a marquee, provided that illumination is concentrated upon the area of the sign so as to prevent glare upon the street or adjacent lot. Based upon the unique nature and scale of a potential marquee, the following types of lighting and signage shall be reviewed and approved/denied on an application-by-application basis by the Borough: LED, digital board, neon, moving/scrolling. In addition to permitted wall signs, marquees may be permitted to have signs with changeable copy. Such changeable copy signs may cover no more than one square foot of sign area for each linear foot of building frontage. Other nonchangeable copy signs may be attached to or mounted on top of a marquee.

No portion of a marquee or signs affixed to said marquee shall exceed the parapet of the building.

The minimum distance between any two marquees shall be 300 feet.

A marquee, designed and affixed to the principal building, shall be integral to the design of the building facade. The scale of the marquee and associated signage shall be designed in context of the scale of the principal building as a whole. The length of a marquee shall not exceed the length of the principal building facade.

Number permitted. The total permitted number of A-frame and/or sculptural feature signs in any combination is two per lot.

Permitted locations. An A-frame or sculptural feature sign may be placed on the public sidewalk directly in front of the associated business so that, if the side lot lines were "extended" (figuratively) into the adjacent right-of-way, said sign shall not in any way overlap or go beyond the "extended" side lot lines.

Prohibited locations. A-frame and sculptural feature signs shall not be located in the following areas:

Off-premise A-frame signs. A business within the C-1 or VO districts may enter into an agreement with another business within the C-1 or VO districts to place copy on the other business's A-frame sign. A copy of the written agreement that legally confirms permission of the A-frame sign arrangement on one of the two premises of the subject businesses shall be submitted to the Borough. Off-premise sculptural feature signs are not permitted.

Pedestrian clearance. Upon the positioning of the A-frame or sculptural feature sign, a minimum of four feet of unobstructed sidewalk area shall remain for pedestrian use.

Safety. No sign shall be located as to pose a hazard to vehicular traffic or pedestrians. The sign shall not obstruct lines of sight or otherwise affect the clear vision area, pursuant to § 330-915, General Provisions.

Size limitations. No A-frame sign shall be greater than 32 inches wide, 36 inches tall and 32 inches deep. No sculptural feature sign shall be greater than 32 inches wide, 54 inches tall and 32 inches deep. A sculptural feature sign shall be equipped with casters or wheels so that no sidewalk area becomes marred upon moving said sign.

Construction. Signs must be professionally manufactured and structurally sound, with a protective water-resistance coating which is impervious to weather conditions and of sufficient weight and durability to withstand wind gusts of greater than 20 miles per hour, storms and other weather events.

Maintenance and appearance. All signs shall be in good repair and free from chipping paint, cracks, gouges and loss of letters. The sign must not contain sharp or protruding objects that may cause physical injury. The sign must be constructed of materials that present a finished appearance. Rough-cut plywood is not permitted. In the case of A- frame signs, the sign frame shall consist of painted or stained wood or anodized aluminum or metal. Plastic-framed, stenciled and spray-painted signs are prohibited.

Display times. A-frame and sculptural feature signs shall be placed within the interior of the business during non-business hours and may only be located outdoors during business hours. Signs must be weighted down or removed if winds gust to greater than 20 miles per hour. If weighted down, the sign must be able to withstand design wind speeds for the region as provided for in the International Building Code.

Sign copy. Sign copy on an A-frame sign shall be limited to two faces of the sign structure. Sign copy on a sculptural feature sign shall be limited to one face. Sign copy shall relate only to the associated on-site business. Sign copy may advertise, in the form of logos and/or text, a product produced on-site. Sign copy related to any products produced off-site shall only be in the form of text.

Lighting and attachments. The following shall be prohibited on A-frame and sculptural feature signs located along street frontages:

Permit number display. Permit numbers shall be displayed in the upper left-hand corner of the exterior face of any A-frame or sculptural feature sign requiring a permit. The numbers shall be a minimum of 1/2 inch in height.

Liability/responsibility.

Wayfinding signs shall be permitted in the C-1, C-2, VO, OMU for non-residential uses, Industrial and Institutional zoning districts. Wayfinding signs are not permitted in any residential zoning districts. The following limitations shall apply:

Signs not to constitute traffic hazard. No sign or other advertising structure as regulated by any of the provisions of this chapter shall obstruct free and clear vision; or be at any location where, by reason of the position, shape or color, it may interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with any authorized sign, signal or device; or make use of the word "STOP," "LOOK," "DRIVE-IN," "DANGER," or any other word, phrase, symbol or character in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.

Removal of certain signs.

Unsafe and unlawful signs. If the Zoning Officer finds that any sign or other advertising structure herein is unsafe or insecure, or is a menace to the public, or has been constructed or erected or is being maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, notice shall be given in accordance with this chapter's enforcement and violation procedures. The Zoning Officer may cause any sign or other advertising structure which is an immediate peril to persons or property to be removed summarily and without notice and will revoke the existing sign permit.

Longevity of sign space. No new business entity or enterprise is entitled to existing sign space. A new sign application and permit shall be required when a new business entity or enterprise begins operation. Maintenance or refacing of an existing sign by an existing business entity or enterprise is permitted.

Maintenance. The owner of any sign or the owner of any premises containing a sign regulated by this article is hereby required to properly maintain in good condition and repair all parts and supports of the sign.

Responsibility for violation. Where a sign upon a premises is in violation of this chapter, the owner of the sign, the owner of the premises, and the person in possession of the premises shall each be deemed to be responsible for such violation and subject to any sanctions, penalties, civil judgments and other remedies that may be ordered or decreed as a result of the violation.

Penalties for violation shall be in accordance with this chapter's enforcement and violation provisions.

Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Borough from taking such other lawful action as necessary to prevent or remedy any violation.