The following words shall have the following definitions for purposes of this Article
XXIV, Signs:
ABANDONED SIGNSuch business signs that advertise an activity, business, product or service no longer conducted or available on the premises on which the sign is located.
ADDRESS SIGNA sign or individual lettering/numbering that designates the street number and/or street name for identification purposes, as designated by the United States Postal Service.
ANIMATED SIGNAny sign the appearance of which changes electronically more frequently than every five minutes.
ARTISAN SIGNAny sign giving the name or names of principal contractors, architects and lending institutions responsible for painting or construction on the site where the sign is placed.
ATTACHED SIGNAny sign supported by or painted or projected on structures that form a portion of the primary building or structure, including signs located within or attached to the inside face of a window.
AWNING SIGNAny sign painted on or applied to a structure made of cloth, canvas, metal, plastic, fiberglass or similar material which is affixed to a building and projects from it.
BANNERAny sign of durable, lightweight fabric or similar material that is mounted to a pole or building at two or more edges. National, state or municipal flags shall not be considered banners.
BUILDING FRONTAGEThe side of a building determined by the Zoning Officer to be the front of the building or tenant space for purposes of determining sign size. Each building and tenant space shall have only one building frontage. The Zoning Officer shall determine the front of the building based on factors, including but not limited to the location of the main entrance doors and disabled access entry, location of the parking areas, location of access drives, location of public streets and the street address.
BUILDING FRONT AREAThe area of a building front area shall be computed by means of the smallest square, triangle, rectangle, circle or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the structure.
BUILDING MARKERAny sign indicating the name of a building and data and incidental information about its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
BUSINESS IDENTIFICATION SIGNA sign which directs attention to a business, profession, product, service, activity or entertainment sold or offered upon the premises where such sign is located.
CANOPY SIGNAn attached sign that is part of or attached to an awning, canopy or other fabric, plastic or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window or outside service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
CHANGEABLE-COPY SIGNA sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable-copy sign for the purposes of this chapter. A sign on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall be considered a time-and-temperature portion of a sign and not a changeable-copy sign for the purposes of this chapter.
CIVIC EVENT SIGN (ON PREMISES)A noncommercial temporary sign, posted to promote and advertise an activity sponsored by the Township, school district, church, public agency, civic or other similar not-for-profit organization on the premises where the event is to be held.
CIVIC EVENT SIGN (OFF PREMISES)A noncommercial temporary sign posted off premises to promote and advertise an activity sponsored by the Township, school district, church, public agency, civic or other similar not-for-profit organization.
DIRECT ILLUMINATIONArtificial sign lighting projecting from any source within the body of the sign.
DIRECTORY SIGNA sign which identifies multiple uses in a planned development on a single sign; may be used for shopping centers, shopping streets or business campuses, and similar large complexes which have a variety of tenants and/or uses.
DEVELOPMENT SIGNA temporary sign indicating that the premises is in the process of subdivision or development.
DIRECTIONAL SIGNAn on-premises sign designed to guide vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic by using such words as "Entrance," "Exit," "Parking," "One-Way," or similar direction or instruction, but not including any advertising message. The name or logo of the business or use to which the sign is giving direction may also be included on the sign but shall not exceed 50% of the total sign area.
DOUBLE-FACED SIGNA sign with two identical faces of equal sign area which are back to back.
FLAGAny fabric, banner, or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns or design that displays the symbols of a nation, state, local government, company, organization, belief system, idea or other meaning.
FLASHING SIGNAny directly or indirectly illuminated sign that exhibits changing natural or artificial light or color effects by any means whatsoever.
FLAT WALL SIGNAny sign that displays one sign surface that is:
A. Attached parallel to and no more than 12 inches from a wall;
B. Painted, printed or otherwise depicted upon a wall; or
C. Erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of a building or structure that supports it.
FLAT ROOF SIGNAny sign that is constructed over a portion of the roof of a building and at no point extends more than 12 inches from it. Flat roof signs may not extend above the top of the roofline at any location.
FREESTANDING SIGNA sign and supporting structure that is secured in the ground and independent of any building, fence or other support.
GOVERNMENT/REGULATORY SIGNAny sign to control traffic or for identification, including street signs, warning signs, railroad-crossing signs and signs of public service companies indicating danger or construction, which are erected by or at the order of a public officer, employee or agent thereof in the discharge of his official duties.
HOLIDAYA day for celebration of a person or event that is generally recognized as such in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and by the federal government.
INCIDENTAL SIGNA sign used in conjunction with equipment or other functional elements of a use or operation. These shall include, but not be limited to, drive-through window menu boards; signs on automatic teller machines, gas pumps, vending machines or newspaper delivery boxes. The name or logo of the business or use to which the sign is giving direction may also be included on the sign but shall not exceed 50% of the total sign area.
ILLUMINATED SIGNA nonflashing or nontwinkling sign which has letters, figures, designs or outlines illuminated by an internal or external lighting source as a part of the sign.
INFLATABLE SIGNAny sign that is either expanded to its full dimensions or supported by gases contained within the sign, or sign parts, at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. For purposes of this definition and chapter, a simple helium balloon is not considered to be an inflatable sign.
INSTRUCTIONAL SIGNA sign located within the interior of a lot, generally not visible from the street or adjoining properties, which provides information as to the location, interior operation and/or use of buildings or facilities. The name or logo of the business or use to which the sign is giving direction may also be included on the sign but shall not exceed 50% of the total sign area.
INTERIOR SIGNAny sign located fully within and visible only from the interior of any building or stadium that is intended solely for information relating to the operation of such building or stadium.
MARQUEE SIGNAny sign attached to a marquee for the purpose of identifying a movie theater or similar place of entertainment.
MEMORIAL SIGNA memorial plaque or tablet, to include grave markers or other remembrances of persons or events, which is not for commercial or advertising purposes.
MOBILE SIGNAny sign that is capable of moving from one premises to another, including those painted on vehicles that are parked and/or stored at a location other than where the activity associated with said vehicle is conducted unless said vehicle is being used in the normal day-to-day operations of the use of the premises on which the vehicle is parked or stored.
MONUMENTAny freestanding sign the bottom of which is no more than 12 inches above the ground or pavement.
NEON SIGNAny sign composed of glass tubing containing a large proportion of neon or other similar gas. A neon sign may be a wall sign, a projecting sign, or a window sign.
OFF-PREMISES SIGNA sign that directs attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold or offered at a location other than the premises on which the sign is located. Off-premises signs include signs attached to and/or painted on vehicles that are parked and/or stored at a location other than where the activity associated with said vehicle is conducted unless said vehicle is being used in the normal day-to-day operations of the use of the premises on which the vehicle is parked or stored.
ON-PREMISES SIGNA sign which advertises or otherwise directs attention to an activity on the same lot where the sign is located.
PENNANTAny lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.
PERMANENT BANNER MOUNTING AREAA location designated in an applicant's signage plan for the continuous display of banners. The banner mounting area shall be applied to the total maximum permanent sign area allowed on the premises, and banners displayed in the mounting area do not require a temporary sign permit. Any banner displayed in the mounting area shall not exceed the size of the permitted banner mounting area.
PERSONAL EXPRESSION SIGNAny sign that expresses an opinion, interest or position. Such signs do not include political or business identification signs.
POLE SIGNA sign that is mounted on a freestanding pole or poles.
[Added 3-25-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-02]
POLITICAL SIGNA temporary sign relating to the election of a person to a public office or a political party or a matter to be voted upon at an election by the public.
PREMISESAny lot, parcel or tract of land.
PROJECTING SIGNA wall sign attached to a wall in such a manner that its outermost edge extends more than 12 inches from said wall.
REAL ESTATE SIGNA temporary sign indicating the sale, rental or lease of the premises on which the sign is placed.
RESIDENTIAL SIGNAny sign located in a district zoned for residential uses that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located, if offering such service at such location conforms with all requirements of this chapter.
ROOFThe exterior surface and its supporting structures on the top of a building.
ROOF SIGNAn attached sign that is partially or wholly attached to, erected on, or supported by the roof of a building or structure.
TEMPORARY SIGNA sign that is intended to be used temporarily, as may be evidenced by the materials from which it is constructed, such as cloth, canvas, light fabric, cardboard, wallboard, plastic, plywood, fiberboard or other material. Portable signs or any sign that is not permanently embedded in the ground or otherwise permanently affixed to real estate, including variable message signs, are considered temporary signs.
WALL SIGNAn attached sign fastened to or painted on the wall of a building or structure in such a manner that the wall becomes the supporting structure for, or forms the background surface of, the sign. For the purpose of this definition, a wall sign shall also include signs projected onto a wall or building structure by an external light source.
WINDOW SIGNAn attached sign that is placed inside a window or upon the window panes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window.