Signs may be erected and maintained only when in compliance
with the provisions of this article. No sign may be erected or installed
without first obtaining a sign permit.
Signs may be erected for the following purposes and no other:
A.
R-1 and R-2 Residential Districts.
(1)
Temporary signs advertising the sale, rental or development of property,
no larger than four square feet, must be removed within two weeks
after the property has been sold, rented or development completed.
Signs erected by churches, schools or other similar institutions shall
not exceed 12 square feet and shall be removed immediately upon completion
of the campaign, drive or event. Such signs may only be erected twice
a year and may not be installed for more than two months in duration.
Signs relative to property control (for example, parking signs) shall
not exceed two square feet in area or must comply with state regulations
on traffic control sign design and size.
(2)
The maximum height for signs shall be six feet above ground level
for signs erected by churches or schools or other similar institutions
and four feet above ground level for all other signs.
(3)
The bottommost part of signs shall not exceed the height of two feet
above ground level.
(4)
Signs shall be located a minimum distance of 10 feet from the street
right-of-way line and out of the clear sight triangle.
(5)
Small announcement or professional signs designating professional
offices or home occupations are permitted, provided such signs or
announcements do not exceed two square feet in area.
B.
R-3, R-4, C, L-I, H-I and Overlay Zoning Districts.
(1)
Billboards shall be permitted only in the H-I District. Such sign
shall not be placed within 150 feet of another on the same side of
a road or within 100 feet from another on the opposite side of a road.
Such signs shall not interfere with vehicular line of sight either
partially or completely obstructing such line of sight. Such sign
shall not exceed 100 square feet when viewed from its widest silhouette.
Signs no greater than four by eight may be attached to the infield
fence located at the Clay Avenue baseball facility.
(2)
Signs normally used in conjunction with a business and erected at
the site of such business are permitted in commercial and industrial
districts unless otherwise specified by this chapter, provided individual
signs do not exceed 32 square feet in area. For purposes of this section,
"area" shall include advertising surface, framework, moldings and
borders.
(3)
All signs, other than wall-mounted signs, shall be located a minimum
distance of 10 feet from the street right-of-way line and out of the
clear sight triangle.
(4)
A property may have a combination of freestanding, roof, or wall
signs meeting the following standards:
(a)
Signage area permitted with an aggregate of 32 square feet in
the R-3 and R-4 Districts, two signs per property, and each sign may
be two-sided.
(b)
Signage area permitted with an aggregate of 400 square feet
in the C, L-I, H-I and Overlay Zoning Districts, with a maximum area
per sign of 100 square feet. A sign may be erected on every side of
a building that faces a public road, alley or private or public parking
lot.
(c)
Maximum height for freestanding signs is eight feet in the R-4
District and five feet in the C, L-I, H-I and Overlay Zoning Districts.
Wall signs may be placed within two feet of the top elevation of any
structure. Maximum height for billboards is 25 feet. A freestanding
sign may be two-sided.[1]
(5)
The following signs shall be permitted in the R-4, C, L-I, H-I and
Overlay Zoning Districts, and no permit shall be required to erect
such signs:
(a)
Temporary signs announcing a campaign, drive or event of a civic,
philanthropic, education or religious organization, provided such
sign shall not exceed 25 square feet in area and shall be removed
immediately upon completion of the campaign, drive or event. Such
signs may only be erected twice a year and may not be installed for
more than two months in duration. A sign may only be erected one for
every 150 feet of frontage on a public road, alley or parking lot.
(b)
Banner signs advertising a business or sale at a commercial
business, which shall not exceed 25 square feet, shall be allowed
to be installed once every six months, for a duration of 30 continuous
days, after which time the banner sign shall be removed. Banner signs
shall be those signs made of canvas, plastic, cloth, mesh, or similar
materials. A sign may only be erected one for every 150 feet of frontage
on a public road, alley or parking lot.
A.
Signs or devices with flashing, moving or similar lighting or animation
are prohibited in all zoning districts, except as set forth in § 270-48,
Electronic signs.
B.
Signs, parking areas and buildings may be illuminated, providing
the use of such illumination does not confuse, blind or distract vehicle
operators on the streets adjacent to or near the site.
C.
All lighting and illumination of signs shall conform to regulations
regarding traffic hazards as specified in local and state regulations.
D.
Illuminated signs in the C, L-I, H-I and Overlay Zoning Districts
may be turned on permanently. Where illuminated signs face residential
districts, or residences in any zoning district, they may remain lit
during all normal business hours but shall be turned off at 11:00
p.m., prevailing time, and shall not be turned on before 7:00 a.m.,
prevailing time.
E.
Lighting shall be external only in the R-1, R-2, and R-3 Districts
and may be internal or external in the R-4, C, L-I, H-I and Overlay
Zoning Districts.
A.
In addition to the other requirements of this article, every sign
referred to herein must be constructed of durable materials, kept
in repair, and not allowed to become dilapidated. Each sign shall
be removed when the circumstances leading to its erection no longer
apply. The owner of signs shall keep them in safe and good repair.
Signs which become deteriorated or otherwise present a public hazard
shall be removed or repaired by the sign's owner. If the owner
of a sign cannot be found or identified, the owner of the property
wherein the sign is located shall be responsible for its repair or
removal.
B.
Nonconforming signs, once removed, shall be replaced only with conforming
signs. Nonconforming signs may be repaired or repainted, providing
such repairing or painting does not exceed the dimensions of the existing
sign.
C.
Motor vehicles used as signs must be registered and inspected for
travel on the highways of the commonwealth and are only permitted
in designated parking areas. They may not be parked where they would
block any vehicular line of sight. Vehicle signs may only be used
in the C, L-I and H-I Districts.
Signs with video, LED or similar electronic changeable copy
messages are permitted as a conditional use in the C, L-I and H-I
Overlay Zoning Districts.
A.
The developer of the sign shall clearly describe the type of electronic
sign proposed.
B.
Such signs shall meet all area and setback limitations for the district
in which they are proposed.
C.
Additional setback from residential districts. All portions of the
sign structure must be a minimum distance of 100 feet from an abutting
R-1, R-2 or R-3 Residential District boundary.
D.
Setback from other electronic changeable copy, electronic graphic
display or video display signs. Electronic signs must be separated
from other electronic signs by at least 35 feet. No more than one
electronic sign is permitted on a lot, regardless of how many tenants
occupy that lot.
E.
Orientation. When located within 150 feet of a residentially used
lot in a residential zone, all parts of the electronic changeable
copy sign must be oriented so that no portion of the sign face is
visible from an existing or permitted principal structure on that
lot.
F.
Audio or pyrotechnics. Audio speakers or any form of pyrotechnics
are prohibited.
G.
No electronic sign may be illuminated or operated between the hours
of 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., prevailing time. The Borough Council
may further limit the hours of illumination or operation of electronic
signs within 200 feet of any occupied dwelling in an R-1, R-2 or R-3
Residential District within view of the proposed signs.
H.
Additional conditional use standards for subtypes of electronic signs.
(1)
Electronic changeable copy sign. Electronic changeable copy signs
must meet the following standards:
(a)
Duration. Unless clearly oriented to pedestrians (such as mounted
flush to a wall which is parallel to a street), the message must have
a minimum duration of eight seconds and must be a static display.
(b)
Limited text. Unless clearly oriented to pedestrians (such as
mounted flush to a wall which is parallel to a street), the text of
the sign visible at any point must be limited to 10 words to allow
passing motorists to read the entire copy with minimal distraction.
(2)
Video display sign. Video display signs must meet the following standards:
(a)
Brightness. The sign must not exceed a maximum illumination
of 5,000 nits (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours and
a maximum illumination of 500 nits (candelas per square meter) between
dusk to dawn, as measured from the sign's face at maximum brightness.
(b)
Dimmer control. Video display signs must have an automatic dimmer
control to produce a distinct illumination change from a higher illumination
level to a lower level for the time period between 1/2 hour before
sunset and 1/2 hour after sunrise.
(3)
Electronic graphic display sign. Electronic graphic display signs
must meet the following standards:
(a)
Any portion of the image must have a minimum duration of five
minutes and must be a static display.
(b)
No portion of the image may flash, scroll, twirl, change color,
or in any manner imitate movement.
(c)
Luminance. The sign must not exceed a maximum illumination of
5,000 nits (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours and a
maximum illumination of 500 nits (candelas per square meter) between
dusk to dawn, as measured from the sign's face at maximum illumination.
(d)
Dimmer control. Electronic graphic display signs must have an
automatic dimmer control to produce a distinct illumination change
from a higher illumination level to a lower level for the time period
between 1/2 hour before sunset and 1/2 hour after sunrise.
(4)
Multivision signs. Multivision signs must meet the following standards:
(a)
Duration. In all districts, any image or message or portion
thereof must have a minimum duration of eight seconds and must be
a static display. Transition time must be no longer than two seconds.
(b)
Default mechanism. All multivision signs must be equipped with
a properly functioning default mechanism that will stop the sign in
one position should a malfunction occur.
