Whitehall Township Lehigh County
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIII
Signs
§ 27-148 Permit.
No sign shall hereafter be erected, constructed, attached, changed, enlarged or reconstructed without a building or temporary sign permit being issued therefor by the Zoning Officer pursuant to Article IV, Permits.
§ 27-149 Duration of sign permits.
A.
Permits shall be valid until such time as the sign is structurally changed, enlarged or reconstructed.
B.
Permits for advertising signs and billboard shall be renewed annually on or before March 31.
C.
Permits for temporary signs are valid for 20 days and may be issued only three times within a 12 month period from the date that the first temporary sign permit was issued. A period of 90 days shall elapse from the original issuance date to the date of renewal.
[Amended 8-10-1998 by Ord. No. 2106]
§ 27-150 General sign regulations.
A.
No sign shall be constructed, reconstructed, enlarged, changed, erected, sited or illuminated so as to:
(1)
Cause confusion or hazard to motorists or conflict with any traffic control signal.
(2)
Rotate, flash, have intermittent illumination or beacon-ray characteristics, other than time and temperature signs.
(3)
Adversely affect vision within a clear site triangle.
(4)
Be within, project onto or over any street, highway, road or alley right-of-way.
(5)
Be within 25 feet on any side or rear yard of a residentially zoned or used lot, parcel or tract.
B.
All signs shall:
(1)
Conform with the provisions of the Outdoor Advertising Act of 1971, as amended and other applicable State and Federal regulations.
(2)
Be constructed of durable material and kept in good repair.
(3)
If an electrical sign, be designed, constructed, maintained and used in strict conformity with the Township electrical code and shall, in the discretion of the Township Electrical Inspector, be periodically inspected and shall be certified by a national testing laboratory.
C.
The maximum height of any sign is 35 feet above the finished grade upon which the sign is sited.
D.
Establishments which have as a principal business the sale of gas and fuel for automobiles may display other signs in addition to the size and type of signs permitted by this section. Such signs shall be limited to three in number, have a maximum sign display area of 16 square feet each, and shall not be located closer to a right-of-way than any gasoline pump. These signs are not subject to the permit requirements of this section.
§ 27-151 Types of signs.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following types of signs are permitted:
A.
Accessory use signs.
B.
Advertising signs or billboards.
C.
Business signs.
D.
Freestanding signs.
E.
Directional signs.
F.
Identification signs.
G.
Name signs.
H.
Professional signs.
I.
Real estate signs.
J.
Roof signs.
K.
Temporary signs.
L.
Wall signs.
M.
Under canopy signs.
[Amended 9-10-2001 by Ord. No. 2332]
N.
LED (light emitting diode) and electronic signs as regulated herein. LED signs shall include those signs such as an electronically or electrically controlled public service time, temperature and date sign, message center or reader board, where different copy changes are shown on the same lamp bank. Automatic changing signs such as public service time, temperature and date signs or electronically controlled message centers are classed as changing signs, not flashing signs.
[Added 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2467]
§ 27-152 Accessory use, name and professional signs.
[Amended 12-18-1989 by Ord. No. 1657]
One single-faced accessory use, name or professional sign is permitted provided that the sign only indicates the name, profession or activity of the occupant and has a minimum sign display area of two square feet.
§ 27-153 Advertising signs or billboards.
[Amended 12-1-2022 by Ord. No. 3296]
A.
Advertising signs and billboards shall:
(1)
Be located only in commercial or industrial zoning districts.
(2)
Be located not less than 400 feet from any residential zoning district.
(3)
Be located not less than 250 feet from any residence, and not less than 200 feet from any building or structures.
(4)
Be located not less than 1,200 feet from another advertising sign or billboard.
(5)
Not be erected parallel to or at an angle less than 45° to any right-of-way.
(6)
Not be erected on buildings or within any easement.
(7)
Not exceed 35 feet in height above ground and the bottom of the sign display area shall be sufficiently high so as to provide adequate traffic visibility.
(8)
Be illuminated internally or by reflected light, provided that the source of light is not directly visible and is arranged so as to cast light away from adjoining properties.
B.
Advertising signs and billboard shall have a maximum sign display area of 360 square feet per side.
§ 27-154 Business signs.
[Amended 12-18-1989 by Ord. No. 1657]
Signs which direct attention to a person, business, profession, occupation or activity are permitted in any zoning district provided that the sign is situate on the premises wherein the person, business, profession or activity is situate and the maximum sign display area is not more than two square feet.
§ 27-155 Freestanding signs.
A.
Freestanding signs shall:
(1)
Have a maximum sign display area equal to 1/2 square foot for each lineal foot of lot frontage on a road, street or highway (but not including alleys, private roads or drives) or 75 square feet per side (150 square feet total), whichever is less; provided, that for shopping centers or shopping malls constructed on tracts of land containing 20 acres or more there may be one freestanding sign with a maximum of 120 square feet per side, to identify the shopping center or shopping mall and some or all of the tenants in the shopping center or mall.
[Amended 4-8-1991 by Ord. No. 1729]
(2)
Meet all rear and side yard requirements for the zoning district in which the sign is situate.
(3)
Not be located less than 25 feet from any right-of-way.
(4)
Not be located within any clear site triangle.
(5)
Not exceed 35 feet in height.
B.
Only one freestanding sign may be erected to service one lot, regardless of the number of businesses conducted on said lot.
§ 27-156 Directional signs.
§ 27-157 Identification signs.
Identification signs for schools, churches, hospitals, clubs, lodges, farms, estates or similar uses and structures shall be limited to a single faced sign having a maximum sign display area of 32 square feet.
§ 27-158 Real estate signs.
A.
Real estate signs shall:
(1)
Include signs advertising the sale or lease of a building, structure, lot, parcel or tract of land.
(2)
Have a maximum sign display area of 12 square feet per side.
(3)
When indicating the location of or direction to a building, structure, lot, parcel or tract of land being developed, have a maximum sign display area of 24 square feet per side.
(4)
When denoting an "open house," be permitted only during the time period for which the house is open for inspection.
(5)
Not be located in any right-of-way.
(6)
Not obstruct traffic visibility at driveways or intersections.
B.
Any one real estate-land for sale sign shall be permitted along any lot, parcel or tract fronting a road, highway or street and not more than two such signs per development.
§ 27-159 Roof signs.
A.
Roof signs may be used instead of a freestanding sign.
§ 27-160 Temporary signs.
[Amended 8-10-1998 by Ord. No. 2106]
A.
Temporary signs shall have a maximum sign display area of 32 square feet per side, with a maximum sign display area of 64 square feet for a two-sided sign; and shall not be located closer than 10 feet from any right-of-way.
[Amended 11-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2840]
B.
Election and campaign signs and signs advertising special events for charitable organizations shall be removed within 15 days after the election or event for which such signs were posted.
C.
Temporary signs must be totally removed at the end of the permit period. This means the entire sign structure shall be remove, simply removing letters from a readerboard sign face will not constitute removal of a sign.
D.
Temporary LED or electronic signs shall limit the sign face change to a maximum of four changes per hour/once every 15 minutes. The message shall not include any video. Such signs shall adhere to all other provisions of this section and all others that pertain to temporary signs.
[Added 11-8-2010 by Ord. No. 2840]
§ 27-161 Wall signs.
A.
Wall signs shall:
(1)
Be limited to one per business establishment and one per tenant, except that two wall signs may be used if there is no freestanding sign and the business establishment fronts on two streets.
(2)
Have a maximum sign display area of either two square feet per lineal foot of building frontage or 150 square feet, whichever is less.
(3)
Not project more than 15 inches from any wall.
B.
The maximum sign display area of a wall sign shall be computed by drawing a rectangle around the perimeter of the attached letters or symbols to form an enclosure. Such enclosure is deemed the sign display area.
§ 27-162 Nonconforming signs.
Nonconforming signs shall be regulated as nonconforming structures pursuant to § 27-106.
§ 27-163 Exemptions.
[Amended 6-14-1993 by Ord. No. 1839]
A.
Public notices by governmental bodies, traffic control signs and other official signs and notices are exempt from the provisions of this chapter.
B.
No permit shall be required for:
(1)
Signs advertising the sale or lease of real estate having a maximum sign display area of 12 square feet or less.
(2)
Signs identifying any school, church or hospital, provided said signs are located on the premises and have a maximum sign display area of 32 square feet.
(3)
Signs directing individuals to a temporary activity or point of interest, provided that the sign is located upon the premises and has a maximum sign display area of two square feet or less.
C.
Advertising signs on public property owned by Whitehall Township.
(1)
Signs not exceeding four feet by eight feet may be placed at locations owned by Whitehall Township or by a Whitehall Township recognized park or playground association for a permit duration of one year under the following established standards:
(a)
The signs must be approved by the Director of Recreation for appropriateness in a location frequented by children and physical placement.
(b)
The signs shall be painted on or adhered to suitable material such as plywood or other durable material kept in good repair.
(c)
The signs shall not be mounted with the top edge of the sign higher than five feet above ground level. Signs may be attached to fences or walls so long as they do not obstruct clear site triangles or create other safety hazards.
(d)
The signs must be kept in good repair and shall be removed by the Township, Recreation Association or Playground Association in the event that they fall into a state of disrepair or create a danger. Sign faces shall be mounted toward the park or playing field areas, and the backs of all signs, if visible, shall be of a uniform color as determined by the Township or the recognized park or Playground Association.
§ 27-164 Under canopy signs.
[Amended 9-10-2001 by Ord. No. 2332]
A sign which is mounted entirely under a canopy or the roof of a covered walkway. Under canopy signs shall:
§ 27-165 Light emitting diode (LED) and electronic display signs.
[Added 5-10-2004 by Ord. No. 2467; amended 12-1-2022 by Ord. No. 3296]
LED and electronic display signs shall:
A.
Be calculated as part of the overall permitted sign display area, and shall be limited to the same square footage maximums as all other signs.
B.
Only be permitted in C-2 and C-2A Zoning Districts.
C.
Be located not less than 30 feet from any street, highway, or other public right-of-way (this includes wall signs); and shall be not less than 10 feet from any side property line.
D.
Be located not less than 250 feet from any residence, and not less than 400 feet from any residential zoning district.
E.
Limit the frequency of display changes to being every 15 seconds.
F.
Preclude the placement of any temporary sign on the premises, including but not limited to banners, readerboard-type signs and any other temporary display.