The speed, in miles per hour, which is exceeded by only 15% of the drivers traveling on a section of highway.

The queue exceeded at some point during 5% of the signal cycles.

A driveway, street, or other means of passage of vehicles between the highway and abutting property, including acceleration and deceleration lanes and such drainage structures, as may be necessary for proper construction and maintenance thereof. (67 Pa. Code, Chapter 441.)

An activity or use that is incidental to and generally found in connection with the principal use on the lot (see § 27-508).

A sign employing actual motion or the illusion of motion. Animated signs are differentiated from changeable signs as defined and regulated by this chapter.

A suite of rooms in a building containing at least one other such dwelling, each intended to be used as an independent housekeeping unit for one family with separate cooking, food storage, bathing and toilet facilities and with access directly or by a common hallway and/or stairs to the outside.

A building not more than three stories high, containing at least three dwelling units, each unit having access to the outside via common interior halls and stairways or by individual entrances and stairs.

A dwelling, attached by common wall or walls, to one or more other similar dwellings, each independent of the others and each with direct access from at least two entrances to the outside. Common walls shall extend from the ground level to the roof without openings. There shall not be more than eight dwellings in any group of attached dwellings. Attached dwelling shall mean the same as townhouse.

A facility for the dispensing of gasoline and diesel fuel and for any or all of the following–automobile inspection, sale of lubricants, sale of minor auto supplies and travelers' incidental needs, auto washing and minor repairs.

The portion of the roadway adjoining the through lane that is used for speed change, turning, storage for turning, deceleration, acceleration, weaving, and other purposes supplementary to through traffic movement.

The total volume of traffic during a number of whole days (more than one day) and less than one-year divided by the signal cycles.

An architectural projection or shelter projecting from and supported by the exterior wall of a building and composed of a covering of rigid or non-rigid materials and/or fabric on a supporting framework that may be either permanent or retractable.

A sign displayed on or attached flat against the surface or surfaces of an awning. See also "wall or fascia sign."

The entire area of a sign on which copy and/or graphics could be placed.

An awning where the covering material exhibits the characteristic of luminosity obtained by means of a source of illumination contained within its framework.

A flexible substrate on which copy or graphics may be displayed.

A sign utilizing a banner as its display surface.

Any room containing at least 80 square feet of floor area and an operable window used permanently or occasionally for sleeping purposes.

The duly elected governing body of Vernon Township with final approval powers relative to this chapter.

A guarantee held by a third party that certain improvements required by this chapter as part of a development proposal and/or agreed upon by the developer and the Board of Supervisors will be constructed or placed by the developer to specifications, such guarantee a condition of plan approval that the Board can draw upon to complete the improvements if the developer fails to do so.

A man-made structure attached to or into the ground enclosing or covering a volume of space and intended to shelter or contain people, animals, businesses and activities associated with any of them.

That portion of any exterior elevation of a building extending vertically from grade to the top of the parapet wall or eaves and horizontally across the entire width of the building elevation.

A contiguous area of land in one ownership upon which a building or structure may be erected in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.

A line that closes on itself surrounding the area in a building lot within which a building or structure can occur. Certain building projections and uses of the lot may extend over the line (see § 27-505, Subsection 2).

A document issued by the Vernon Township's third party inspection agency that has been reviewed and approved in accordance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC).

A building whose walls, extending from grade to roof, are permanent.

A building supported on and tied to a foundation extending at least three feet into the ground and describing in plan the exterior walls of the building.

A multi-sided structure or architectural projection supported by attachment to a building on one or more sides and either cantilevered from such building or also supported by columns at additional points. The surface(s) and/or soffit of an attached canopy may be illuminated by means of internal or external sources of light, and similar to a marquee sign.

A multi-sided structure supported by columns. The surface(s) and/or soffit of a freestanding canopy may be illuminated by means of internal or external sources of light.

A sign affixed to the visible surface(s) of an attached or freestanding canopy. May be internally or externally illuminated, and similar to a marquee sign.

A sign with the capability of content change by means of manual or remote input. Includes the following types:

An establishment operated for social, recreational or educational purposes by a nonprofit organization, open only to members and their guests and not to the public. It shall not include any commercial or for-profit enterprise.

A plan of lots for single-family detached dwellings when the site presents environmental obstacles or opportunities and dimensional requirements for the lots are reduced in exchange for keeping the environmentally sensitive areas permanently undeveloped (see § 22-601, Township Subdivision and land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22]).

A land area or areas within a plan intended for, and the responsibility of all the residents of the plan for their common use and/or protection, such areas recorded as separate land parcels and transferred to an organization of all property owners in the plan to administer (see also "homeowners association").

Any device used for the transmission or reception of radio, television, wireless telephone, pager, commercial mobile radio service or any other wireless communications signals, including, without limitation, omnidirectional or whip antennas and directional or panel antennas, owned or operated by any person or entity licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate such device. This definition shall not include private residence mounted satellite dishes or television antennas or amateur radio equipment including without limitation ham or citizen band radio antennas.

An unmanned building or cabinet containing communications equipment required for the operation of communications antennas and covering an area on the ground not greater than 375 square feet.

A structure other than a building, such as a monopole, self-supporting or guyed tower, designed and used to support communications antennas.

A document based on an analysis of past trends and current conditions in a municipality, projecting growth and change in population, economic conditions and land use and recommending measures to improve streets, utilities and community facilities and allocate land to cope with such growth and change.

A use that may be permitted on a particular lot upon approval of the Board of Supervisors after they first received recommendations from the Planning Commission and after public hearing. Conditional uses are listed for each zone district in this chapter. The Board's judgment is based on the lot's location and the potential impact of the use on surrounding development, both existing and projected, as well as the specific criteria listed in this chapter.

A sign that follows the design criteria as set forth by Figure S-1 and is suggested (required?) as a common identifier for primary signage along the Conneaut Corridor District.

An apartment created from part of an existing dwelling with each dwelling unit entirely independent of the other.

The graphic content or message of a sign.

The actual area of the sign copy as applied to any background. Copy area on any individual background may be expressed as the sum of the geometrically computed area(s) encompassing separate individual letters, words, or graphic elements on that background.

A lot which abuts two or more streets which intersect at one or more corners of the lot with the minimum front yard setback applying along each street relative to construction on the lot.

The percentage of the area of a lot that may be covered by the principal building or buildings within the total lot area.

An amendment proposed by a property owner challenging the validity of zoning regulations as they apply to property in which he/she has an interest and requiring municipal action on his petition or a municipal curative amendment in which the Board of Supervisors declares a moratorium on specific parts of this chapter in order to cure alleged defects (see § 27-905, Subsection 8).

This use is separated into three categories by this chapter. All categories must meet appropriate state regulations. They are defined as follows:

The measure of the number of dwelling units per acre of land area or the number of square feet of lot area for each dwelling unit.

The maximum safe speed that can be maintained over a section of roadway when conditions are so favorable that the design features of the road govern.

A single-family dwelling unit surrounded by open space on its lot, sharing the lot with no other dwellings and designed to be occupied by one family only.

An individual landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant with the landowner's permission, who or which causes development to occur upon a lot and who is responsible for compliance of such development with the terms of this chapter and other municipal regulations.

The erection, expansion or alteration of a building or structure; the altering of the land surface to receive construction; the subdividing of land in anticipation of its receiving construction or the offering of land for such purpose; or any man-made change to improved or unimproved property within a flood hazard area including, but not limited to, paving, placing of utilities, filling, grading, excavating, dredging, or drilling.

The written and graphic provisions describing a proposed development in sufficient detail so that its compliance with the requirements of this chapter may be conclusively judged.

Any sign that is designed and erected for the purpose of providing direction and/or orientation for pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

Birds, cats, dogs, hamsters, and similar creatures normally kept within a dwelling or residential yard area.

A sign with two faces, commonly back to back.

Every entrance or exit used by vehicular traffic to or from properties abutting a highway. The term includes proposed streets, lanes, alleys, courts, and ways. (67 Pa. Code, Chapter 441)

A group of connected rooms in a building for the exclusive residential use of one family containing its own private cooking, food storage, bathing, and toilet facilities and connected either directly or by a common hall and/or stairs to the outside.

One of a group of similar dwellings in a building or group of buildings.

A passage across or intrusion upon private property granted and guaranteed by the property owner for utilities, storm drainage or other purpose allowing the grantee access for maintenance but not permitting access by the general public and curtailing the owner's opportunity to develop within the granted area.

The exit of vehicular traffic from abutting properties to a street.

The erection, construction, alteration or maintenance, by public utilities or municipal or other governmental agencies, of underground or overhead gas, electrical, steam or water transmission or distribution systems, collection, communication, supply or disposal systems and their essential buildings, excluding communications towers and communications antennas, as defined herein.

Any sign placed outside a building.

An individual or two or more persons related by blood, marriage, adoption or foster placement or not more than two unrelated persons occupying an efficiency or one-bedroom apartment, or one-bedroom attached dwelling or not more than four unrelated persons occupying any other dwelling.

See "wall sign."

Land and buildings owned and operated by a governmental entity for public use, public protection or to provide public services when such facility is located so as to operate most effectively and efficiently.

A structure intended to contain activities within a lot or prevent trespassing, which may be located along a lot line or within a required yard area but subject to maximum height restrictions (see § 27-505, Subsections 3-5, and § 27-507).

Acknowledgment by the Board of Supervisors that all plan reviews required prior to acceptance of a planned residential development proposal have been successfully completed and that zoning permits may be issued for the initial construction in the plan.

The encroachment of stormwater runoff or snow melt over normally dry land abutting one or both sides of a stream or drainageway.

The total floor area of a unit such as a dwelling measured between the inside faces of walls describing the outer edges of the unit and including interior partitions, hallways and utility areas.

Unit of light density incident on a plane (assumed to be horizontal unless otherwise specified), and measurable with a luminance meter, a.k.a., light meter.

A sign principally supported by one or more columns, poles, or braces placed in or upon the ground.

A line extending across a lot between side lot lines and set back from the front lot line the minimum distance required for the front yard depth in the zone district containing the lot.

The line describing the edge of the lot abutting the street to which the lot has access and is oriented for purposes of development except that where a property extends to the center of a street the front lot line shall be considered as being a minimum of 20 feet inside the property and parallel to the street.

The wall facing the street to which the lot containing the building has its principal access.

The area of a lot between the front lot line and the front building line and extending to the side lot lines.

The distance across the front of a lot between side lot lines where they intersect the street to which the lot has its principal access and following the street right-of-way line.

Attribute of a lighting fixture from which no light is emitted at or above a horizontal plane drawn through the bottom of the fixture and no more than 10% of the lamp's intensity is emitted at or above an angle 10° below that horizontal plane, at all lateral angles around the fixture.

Attribute of a lighting fixture provided with internal and/or external shields and louvers to prevent brightness from lamps, reflectors, refractors and lenses from causing glare at normal viewing angles.

The area beyond the physical intersection of two controlled access facilities that comprises decision and maneuver distance, and the required vehicle storage lengths.

An accessory building on a residential lot attached to or detached from the dwelling or a room within the dwelling intended for the storage and maintenance of vehicles and equipment owned and operated by the residents of the dwelling and for no other purpose.

See "apartment building, garden."

Excessive brightness in the field of view that is sufficiently greater than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted, to cause annoyance or loss in visual performance and visibility, so as to jeopardize health, safety or welfare.

See "freestanding sign."

Health club, gym or exercise facility-a business that assists its customers in the maintenance of good health by offering planned programs prepared by qualified employees for diet improvement, exercise, muscle and skin toning, massage and similar activities but not including medical practice or prescriptions or any activity that could be construed as having an erotic purpose.

A linear arrangement of conifer plants so that they grow together to present, when viewed in elevation, a surface at least 50% opaque from ground to the top of the hedge.

The vertical distance measured from the ground level to the highest point on a communications tower, including antennas mounted on the tower.

The location for lighting of a sign or other object on a property so that the lighting source is not visible from anywhere outside the property.

A driveway used or expected to be used by more than 1,500 vehicles per day. (67 Pa. Code, Chapter 441)

Any highways, roads, or streets identified on the legally adopted municipal street or highway plan or the official map that carry vehicular traffic, together with all necessary appurtenances, including bridges, rights-of-way and traffic control improvements. The term shall not include the interstate highway system.

A service type small business conducted within a single-family detached dwelling by the residents involving no exterior manifestation of the business or expansion of the dwelling to accommodate it and not creating nuisance or congestion conditions in the neighborhood where it is located (see § 27-603, Subsection 6).

An organization formed to manage the common open space and common facilities within a development plan that are not be publicly maintained. Membership in and financial support of such organization is mandatory for all owners of property in the plan.

Quantity of light, measured in foot-candles.

A sign characterized by the use of artificial light, either projecting through its surface(s) (internally illuminated); or reflecting off its surface(s) (externally illuminated).

The entrance of vehicular traffic to abutting properties from a street.

A grade-separated system of access to and from highways that includes directional ramps for access to and from the crossroads.

Any sign placed within a building, but not including window signs, as defined by this chapter. Interior signs, with the exception of window signs, as defined, are not regulated by this chapter.

Site-generated trips that occur between two or more land uses on the subject site without exiting onto the intersecting street.

A facility designed to provide enclosed shelter and care for domestic pets on a permanent or temporary basis as a business or as an accessory use on a residential lot for no commercial purpose.

The activity or activities for which a lot or property and the buildings or structures on it are devoted.

The combination of grading, planting of desirable materials and arrangement of outdoor areas on a lot to enhance the setting and utility of buildings and minimize the effect of undesirable off-site conditions.

A qualitative measure describing the operational conditions within a section of roadway or at an intersection that includes factors such as speed, travel time, ability to maneuver, traffic interruptions, delay, and driver comfort. Level of service is described as a letter grade system (similar to a school grading system) where delay (in seconds) is equivalent to a certain letter grade from A through F.

A use engaged in the manufacture, predominantly from previously prepared materials, of finished products or parts, including processing, fabrication, assembly, treatment, business-related incidental storage, sales and distribution of such products, but excluding basic industrial processing.

Light emitted by a lighting fixture or installation, which is cast beyond the boundaries of the property on which the lighting installation is sited.

An area of a lot where goods are received and/or from which they are shipped and where adequate space is available to permit maneuvering of vehicles entirely on the lot.

Every public highway other than a state highway. The term includes existing streets, lanes, alleys, courts, and ways. (67 Pa. Code, Chapter 441)

An area of contiguous land surface which abuts a street whose ownership and legal description are of record in the office of the County Recorder of Deeds and which is intended to contain one principal use. A lot implies one of a number of similarly sized properties in a plan buy may include any property, tract or parcel of land regardless of size or configuration for the purposes of this chapter.

See "coverage."

Any of the lines describing the perimeter of a lot.

A lot of properly duly recorded in the office of the Crawford County Recorder of Deeds.

The area of the total surface of a lot expressed in acres or square feet based on deed description or registered surveyor's survey. One acre equals 43,560 square feet.

The distance across a lot measured along the front building line between the side lot lines.

A driveway used or expected to be used by more than 25 but less than 750 vehicles per day. (67 Pa. Code, Chapter 441)

As used in context of this chapter, the light-output rating of a lamp (light bulb).

A store operated by a company which does the bulk of its business by mail order, displaying selected items for retail sale and encouraging the use of company catalogs on the premises for order of items not available in the store.

A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one unit, or two or more units designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation.

A parcel or contiguous parcels of land which has been so designated and improved that it contains two or more manufactured home lots for the placement thereon of manufactured homes.

See "canopy (attached)." Definition is similar.

See "canopy sign." Definition is similar.

A driveway used or expected to be used by more than 750 but less than 1,500 vehicles per day. (67 Pa. Code. Chapter 441)

A residential or other driveway that is used or expected to be used by not more than 25 vehicles per day. (67 Pa. Code. Chapter 441)

A bedroom with connecting private bathroom intended for transient use by paying guests, connection via common hallways and stairs or directly to the outside and with a parking space available on the same lot for each bedroom (see § 27-510, Subsection 5).

A building containing at least three apartments or a connected group of attached single-family dwellings.

A sign containing three or more faces.

A business or commercial activity administered or conducted as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the use as a residential dwelling and which involves no customer, client or patient traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian, pickup, delivery or removal functions to or from the premises, in excess of those normally associated with residential use the business or commercial activity must satisfy the following requirements:

A lot the area or dimension of which was lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of this chapter, but which fails to conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located by reasons of such adoption or amendment.

A structure or part of a structure manifestly not designed to comply with the applicable use or extent of use provisions in this chapter or amendment heretofore or hereafter enacted, where such structure lawfully existed prior to the enactment of such ordinance or amendment or prior to the application of such ordinance or amendment to its location by reason of annexation. Such nonconforming structures include, but are not limited to, nonconforming signs.

A use, whether of land or of structure, which does not comply with the applicable use provisions in a zoning ordinance or amendment theretofore or hereafter enacted, where such use was lawfully in existence prior to the enactment of such ordinance or amendment, or prior to the application of such ordinance or amendment to its location by reason of annexation.

A certificate issued by the Zoning Officer attesting to the fact that the proposed use or reuse of premises is in accordance with the requirements of this chapter or with a previously issued zoning permit and may be legally occupied (see § 27-902).

Those public capital improvements that are not on-site improvements and that serve the needs of more than one development.

Area set aside on a lot for parking of at least five vehicles entirely outside of a street right-of-way.

An area within a parking lot abutting an access lane and of such dimensions as specified by this chapter to accommodate one vehicle (see § 27-511, Subsection 2).

All improvements constructed on the applicant's property, or the improvements constructed on the property abutting the applicant's property necessary for ingress and egress to the applicant's property, and required to be constructed by the applicant pursuant to any municipal ordinance, including, but not limited to, the municipal code, subdivision and land development ordinance, planned residential development regulations, and zoning ordinance.

A building or structure containing or supporting an accessory use.

A lot that is adjacent to the roadway that interrupts the frontage of another lot.

A recreational facility or open space that is not owned, operated or supported by a public agency and access to which may be restricted by the owners or their agents.

A surfaced outdoor area level with the surrounding land surface or no more than three feet above or below the surface at any point and without a permanent covering.

A surface, not part of a building that does not allow the passage of water through it.

Any 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.

Legislation adopted by the state in 1968 and amended on several occasions since, most recently by Act 170 of 1988, which provides a uniform procedure enabling municipalities to implement regulations, such as this chapter, to control the development and use of land.

A use allowed by right under the terms of this chapter to occur on a lot because of the lot's location in a particular zoning district. Principal permitted uses are listed for each zone district and imply that all other activity on the lot is or will be secondary to the principal use. Such uses may be approved directly by the Zoning Officer without reference to other review bodies.

A development of a property as a single entity for predominantly residential purposes when the zoning regulations that would normally apply are superseded by controls that allow a more sensitive and more economical arrangement of buildings and streets on the site and where development is spaced over a period of years in a predetermined program (see § 27-604).

The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, as enacted, amended, and reenacted.

The body duly appointed by the Board of Supervisors from residents of Vernon Township with specific duties in connection with this chapter.

See "freestanding sign."

A temporary sign intended to advance a political statement, cause, or candidate for office.

An attachment to a building covered by a permanent roof but without side walls floor to ceiling and considered part of the building for purposes of setback from lot lines.

Permitted driveways in place at the time of the adoption of this chapter that does not conform to the standards herein.

The building or structure containing the principal permitted use on the lot, such use possibly occurring in more than one building or structure.

Land and improvements owned and operated by an organization made up of members which elect a board of directors formed for the purpose of providing certain recreational opportunities for the benefit of the members and their guests and not intended as a profit-making venture, to be open to the public or receive public support, or to be construed to include a recreational vehicle campground or any permanent or temporary overnight accommodations except for the residence of a manager or caretaker.

A strip of land improved for passage of vehicles and/or pedestrians but not accepted for maintenance by Vernon Township.

An individual duly registered to practice civil engineering in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

A sign other than a wall sign that is attached to or projects more than 18 inches from a building face or wall or from a structure whose primary purpose is other than the support of a sign.

See "lot."

See "lot line."

A formal meeting held pursuant to public notice by the governing body or planning agency, intended to inform and obtain public comment, prior to taking action in accordance with this chapter.

Notice published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. Such notice shall state the time and place of the hearing and the particular nature of the mater to be considered at the hearing. The first publication shall not be more than 30 days and the second publication shall not be less than seven days from the date of the hearing.

A right-of-way intended to be used for travel by the public, improved for such purpose and accepted by Vernon Township for perpetual maintenance.

A system providing distribution of water, gas, electric, telephone or cable TV services or the collection and disposal of wastewater, such system operating as a municipal authority or under the rules and regulations of the state Public Utility Commission.

A structure, owned and operated by a public utility electric company regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, designed and used to support overhead electricity transmission lines.

Convenience retail sales of day-to-day domestic needs often available during time periods when other outlets are not open and providing customers fast service.

A temporary sign advertising the sale, lease, or rental of the property or premises upon which it is located.

A lot with no frontage on a street except for driveway access but with area and width in accordance with the requirements of this chapter (see § 27-501, Subsection 6).

Children's play equipment, picnic facilities, swimming pool, and/or paved court areas on a lot for the use of the residents of the lot or the members of the organization owning the lot but not available to the public.

A facility in one ownership intended to receive self-propelled or towed vehicles containing their own toilet, bathing, cooking, food storage, and sleeping accommodations, such facility providing sewer and water connections to each vehicle at a prepared site for its exclusive use and also offering clothes washing, recreational and other traveler services within the facility; provided, all vehicles remain on their wheels while in the facility and stay for a limited time period.

A facility to receive and/or sort, package, store and ship discarded materials that can be reused to create marketable products, such facilities may occur in the Business and Manufacturing Zone District or on any Township-owned property at the discretion of the Township.

The minimum number of parking spaces required to be provided in connection with the particular use of a lot as specified by this chapter.

An agreement between a developer and purchasers of lots or units in a plan restricting the use of the lots or units applying uniformly to all lots, recorded with the plan, effective for a specified time period, capable of being modified only upon approval of the agreement signers and not enforceable by the Township.

A strip of land dedicated to and/or improved for vehicular and/or pedestrian travel by the public.

The acquisition of an area of land, through dedication or easement, needed to accommodate the future widening of the roadway.

The construction, enlargement, expansion, or improvement of public highways, roads, or streets.

A temporary structure for purposes of displaying and selling produce grown on the same property where the stand is located, such stand to be removed annually when the produce is no longer available.

The uppermost line of the roof of a building or, in the case of an extended facade or parapet, the uppermost point of said facade or parapet.

A sign mounted on the main roof portion of a building or on the topmost edge of a parapet wall of a building and which is wholly or partially supported by such building. Roof signs are not permitted.

The list of charges adopted by resolution of the Board of Supervisors and not a part of this chapter to cover the costs of administering the review, decision and/or appeal processes required for a development proposal, such costs to be borne by the developer, paid in advance and subject to periodic revision by the Board.

A planted or built buffer intended to protect residential properties from abutting commercial or other activity that might deteriorate the enjoyment or virtue of the residential property.

The minimum distance a building or structure must be removed from an adjacent lot line as required by this chapter in the various zone districts. Distance between lot line and building shall be measured along a line at right angles to the lot line.

An imaginary line within a lot describing the limits within which building construction can occur or any part of such line as established by the front, side and rear yard depths for each zone district.

An individual certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and retained by the Township to evaluate the ability of a lot proposed for development but lacking public sewer connections to absorb sewage effluent and to decide on the appropriate type of disposal system, under the circumstances, to serve the lot.

An integrated grouping of several or many retail sales and service outlets with access to a common pedestrian circulation way and with shared off-street parking and servicing areas.

The area of a lot between the side lot line and side building line extending from the front yard to the rear yard and comprising two such areas on a lot. The side lot lines on each side of a lot connect the front and rear lot lines.

The minimum distance the driver of a vehicle can see unencumbered by intervening buildings, structures, land forms or vegetation, to safely negotiate an intersection of streets or a curve in the road measured between 3 1/2 feet and eight feet above the road surface.

Any device visible from a public place whose essential purpose and design is to convey either commercial or noncommercial messages by means of graphic presentation of alphabetic or pictorial symbols or representations. Noncommercial flags or any flags displayed from flagpoles or staffs will not be considered to be signs.

All the surface of a sign panel or, if no defined panel, all the contiguous area enclosed within the outer edges of the components of the message but not including the supports of the sign.

A sign which communicates the message of a government agency or of a nonprofit organization providing essential information and not in support of a commercial product or service.

Any structure designed for the support of a sign.

A sign that relies on flashing lights or movement of some element or all of the sign to reinforce its message.

Electronic signs are identified by their subtype, including electronic changeable copy signs, electronic graphic display signs, multi-vision signs, or video display signs.

A sign or portion thereof that displays electronic, non-pictorial, text information in which each alphanumeric character, graphic, or symbol is defined by a small number of matrix elements using different combinations of light emitting diodes (LEDs), fiber optics, light bulbs, or other illumination devices within the display area. Electronic changeable copy signs include computer programmable, microprocessor-controlled electronic displays. Electronic changeable copy signs do not include official or time and temperature signs. Electronic changeable copy signs include projected images or messages with these characteristics onto buildings or other objects.

A sign or portion thereof that displays electronic, static images, static graphics or static pictures, with or without text information, defined by a small number of matrix elements using different combinations of light emitting diodes, fiber optics, light bulbs, or other illumination devices within the display area where the message change sequence is accomplished immediately or by means of fade, repixalization, or dissolve modes. Electronic graphic display signs include computer programmable, microprocessor-controlled electronic or digital displays. Electronic graphic display signs include projected images or message with these characteristics onto buildings or other objects.

A sign completely supported on its own structure attached to the ground.

Any sign composed in whole or in part of a series of vertical or horizontal slats or cylinders that are capable of being rotated at intervals so that partial rotation of the group of slats or cylinders produces a different image and when properly functioning allows on a single sign structure the display at any given time one of two or more images.

A sign on a carriage capable of being towed between locations for temporary use.

A sign extending at an angle from the wall of a building and attached thereto by a bracket or directly to the wall along one or more edges of the sign.

A sign intended to remain in place for a specific short period of time, at the end of which it must be removed by the person erecting it.

A sign that changes its message or background in a manner or method of display characterized by motion or pictorial imagery, which may or may not include text and depicts action or a special effect to imitate movement, the presentation of pictorials or graphics displayed in a progression of frames which give the illusion of motion including, but not limited to, the illusion of moving objects, moving patterns, or bands of light, or expanding or contracting shapes, not including electronic changeable copy signs. Video display signs include projected images or message with these characteristics onto buildings or other objects.

A sign with one face applied flat to the wall of a building and projecting therefrom not more than one foot.

The timing of a series of traffic signals to provide a progressive movement of traffic at a planned rate of speed through the signalized intersections without stopping.

See "detached dwelling."

The improvement of a lot in accordance with an approved site plan including construction of buildings, structures and paved surfaces and the rearrangement of the land surface.

The proposed layout of a lot showing all elements of the site development as well as utility and drainage lines and existing buildings and structures to remain.

Any sign of any material that is attached in any way to a utility pole, tree, or any object located in the public right-of-way.

A use permitted in a particular zoning district pursuant to the provisions of Articles VI and IX of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.

A verbatim transcription of testimony taken at a public hearing by a professional stenographer.

The distance required by a driver traveling at a given speed to stop the vehicle after an object on the roadway becomes visible to the driver.

Lane footage needed for a right or left turn lane to store the maximum number of vehicles likely to accumulate during a peak period of travel.

A plan to govern the collection, retention and release of stormwater in a manner to minimize damage of downstream property.

A device constructed to receive and hold stormwater for release at a controlled rate. Such devices may include graded depressions in the ground, parking lots with concave surfaces, roof tops or buried tanks or pipes.

The area in a building between a floor and the floor next above or below or, if no floor is above, the ceiling above.

An improved vehicular passage within a right-of-way which affords the primary means of access to abutting lots.

The edge of a street right-of-way where it abuts private property.

Revisions to a building or structure that change the dimensions of the exterior envelope or that change the interior components that support the building or structure.

Any man-made construction in, on or over the ground and attached thereto. The term "structure" includes buildings.

The widening of the roadway to allow the redirection or transition of vehicles into or around an auxiliary lane.

A sign intended to display either commercial or noncommercial messages of a transitory or temporary nature. Portable signs or any sign not permanently embedded in the ground, or not permanently affixed to a building or sign structure that is permanently embedded in the ground, are considered temporary signs.

Acknowledgment by the Board of Supervisors that all documents needed to evaluate a planned residential development proposal have been reviewed and approved and that the developer may proceed to the final plan stage but may not be issued any zoning permits for construction.

See "attached dwelling."

An outbuilding for the accessory use of temporary storage of discarded materials accumulating in the principal use of the property such storage to be secured and removed on a regular basis by a refuse hauler.

A one-directional vehicle trip to or from a site.

The total number of vehicular trips going to and from a particular land use on a specific site during a specific time period.

An area of land beyond the legal or dedicated right-of-way needed to accommodate future widening of the roadway, measured from the center line.

A sign attached to the underside of a canopy or marquee.

A use listed as a principal permitted use and which requires only review and approval by the Zoning Officer prior to the issuance of a building or occupancy permit. See also "permitted use, principal."

A grant by the Zoning Hearing Board permitting an owner to use a lot not wholly in accordance with the provisions of this chapter because the Board finds that strict conformance would be an unusual hardship not created by the owner but depriving him/her of reasonable use of the lot. Such a grant specifies a minimum deviation or deviations from the regulations intended to cure the hardship but not create detrimental conditions affecting abutting property owners or the public at large.

A sign that is in any manner affixed to any exterior wall of a building or structure and that projects not more than 18 inches from the building or structure wall. Also includes signs affixed to architectural projections that project from a building provided the copy area of such signs remains on a parallel plane to the face of the building facade or to the face or faces of the architectural projection to which it is affixed.

A wall designed by a registered engineer to hold an earth embankment from slipping. A retaining wall shall be at least four feet high above grade on its exposed side. Any other wall of lesser height or supporting only itself shall be considered a decorative wall (see § 27-507, Subsection 1F).

A stream, creek, run or any continuous depression in the land surface connecting to a stream, creek or run capable of draining stormwater or snow melt and intended to be kept open and unrestricted for the purpose of moving water.

A wind energy conversation system that converts wind energy into electricity through the use of a wind turbine generator, and includes the nacelle, rotor, tower and pad transformer, if any.

A sign affixed to the surface of a window with its message intended to be visible to the exterior environment.

The front, side or rear area of a lot between the lot line and the setback line, the depth of which is specified for each type of yard within each zoning district by this chapter. Development within yard areas is restricted.

The distance between the lot line and the adjacent parallel setback line on a lot, such distance varying for front, side and rear yards and from one zoning district to another.

The controls imposed by this chapter that define the uses of land and buildings and the intensity of such uses that may occur within a zoning district, such controls to be applied uniformly throughout the district.

A contiguous area of land on all parts of which the same uniform opportunities for development apply.

The perimeter line completely enclosing a zoning district.

A body appointed by the Board of Supervisors to examine and decide appeals for variances or from decisions of the Zoning Officer and to hear testimony regarding the validity of municipal regulations upon development.

The official plan of zoning districts in Vernon Township, a part of this chapter, showing precisely the boundaries and title of each district (see § 27-301).

A person retained by and responsible to the Board of Supervisors to enforce the regulations of this chapter with power to issue building and occupancy permits, to halt illegal construction and to interpret literally the meaning of the various sections of this chapter, subject to appeal before the Zoning Hearing Board.

A body of legislation adopted by a municipality establishing districts throughout the municipality within each of which uniform land use regulations apply.

A document attesting that a proposal for development has been reviewed and approved in accordance with the requirements of this chapter.