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Borough of Zelienople, PA
Butler County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (2) Index
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Zelienople as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Sidewalks display and sale of merchandise — See Ch. 232, Art. II.
Zoning — See Ch. 280, Art. IX.
[Adopted 4-13-1970 by Ord. No. 485 (Ch. 19, Part 1, of the 1995 Code)]
[Amended 12-11-1995 by Ord. No. 715]
All overhead signs erected prior to the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 280) above any streets and sidewalks of the Borough shall be annually inspected by an appointed representative of Council, who shall report to the property owner any discoverable defects in said sign, its fittings and fixtures which could or might endanger the traveling public and/or its personal property, and for this inspection and report an annual fee in an amount established from time to time by resolution of Borough Council shall be charged.
Upon receipt of notice of any of the defects set forth under § 208-1, the property owner shall forthwith cause the same to be repaired in such manner as to prevent harm or danger to the traveling public and/or its personal property, and to have said repairs completed within 10 days of said notice in a manner satisfactory to said appointed representative of Council.
Upon failure of the property owner to make said necessary repairs within the ten-day period, said defective sign shall be removed by the representative of Council, and the property owner shall be liable for the actual cost of removal, the same to be collected as like debts are now by law collectible.
[Amended 5-13-1974 by Ord. No. 525; 12-11-1995 by Ord. No. 715]
Any person, firm or corporation permitting a defective sign, its fittings and fixtures to remain unrepaired after the expiration of the aforesaid ten-day notice period shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
[Adopted 4-28-2008 by Ord. No. 787-08]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
SANDWICH BOARD SIGNS
Sandwich board signs are self-supporting, A-shaped, freestanding, temporary signs with only two visible sides that are situated adjacent to a business, typically on a sidewalk, and which contain commercial speech.
STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY
That publicly owned land which contains both street and that strip of land on either side of the street which has been designated to be used for street improvements, such as sidewalks, curbs, utility lines, sewers, etc.
It is the intent of this article to regulate only those signs placed in the street right-of-way.
Sandwich board signs may be permitted for a legal business located in a commercial district only, subject to the following regulations:
A. 
The maximum area shall be six square feet per side of sign with a maximum height of 42 inches as measured from the ground.
B. 
Sandwich board signs shall be limited to advertising for business purposes only.
C. 
Acceptable sandwich board sign materials include the following: steel, iron, metal and finished wood. Synthetic materials such as chalkboard and whiteboard are acceptable accent materials but are limited to 50% of the sign area on each side. The sign lettering should be neatly painted or applied. A graffiti-look is not acceptable.
D. 
Only one sandwich board per business shall be permitted.
E. 
Sandwich board signs shall not be placed so as to cause the width of the sidewalk to be reduced below four feet in width, nor shall they be erected or maintained in a manner that prevents free ingress or egress from any door, including vehicle doors, window or fire escape. No sign may obstruct parking meters, utility poles or any structure/device necessary for Borough operation. No sign may obstruct vehicular or pedestrian traffic.
F. 
A temporary sign permit is required prior to the installation of the sandwich board sign. Only one temporary sign permit for a sandwich board sign is allowed per business and such permit is nontransferable. The business owner must apply for a renewal of the temporary sign permit on or before March 31 of each calendar year.
G. 
A sketch including dimensions, materials and location of the sandwich board sign must be attached to the permit application. The permit application must be approved and signed by Borough staff before the sandwich board sign may be displayed. If a sign is displayed prior to obtaining a sandwich board sign permit, the application may be denied.
H. 
Sandwich board signs shall not be illuminated, nor shall they contain moving parts or have balloons, streamers, pennants or similar adornments attached to them.
I. 
Attaching sandwich board signs to structures, poles, objects, etc., by means of chains, cords, rope, wire, etc. is prohibited.
J. 
Sandwich board signs shall be removed from the street right-of-way during inclement weather. Inclement weather includes, but is not limited to, wind, rain, snow, etc. Once removed for inclement weather, said sign shall not be replaced until the inclement weather has ceased. Sandwich board signs shall not be placed when there is snow accumulation on the sidewalk.
K. 
Sandwich board signs are only to be placed during the permitted business's regular hours of operation, but in no event may signs remain on the street right-of-way after dusk.
L. 
Sandwich board signs placed in violation of this article will result in immediate removal of said sign and the business's temporary sign permit privileges shall be denied for the remainder of year.
M. 
Sandwich board signs within the street right-of-way may be moved/removed by the Borough for municipal purposes, i.e., code enforcement, snow removal, traffic issues, maintenance, etc.
N. 
Sandwich board signs shall not be permitted for home occupations. Signage for home occupations shall continue to be governed by the Borough of Zelienople Zoning Ordinance.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 280, Zoning, Art. IX, Signs.
O. 
Sandwich board signs shall be placed on the property on which the legal business is located; and in no case shall the sandwich board sign be placed more than six feet from the door of the legal business’s main/principal customer entrance.
[Added 6-24-2019 by Ord. No. 866-19]
P. 
Placement of an off-site directional sandwich board sign shall result in the immediate removal of said sign, immediate removal of any other sandwich board sign for that business, and the business’s temporary sign permit privileges shall be denied for the remainder of the year.
[Added 6-24-2019 by Ord. No. 866-19]
Q. 
The Borough of Zelienople shall have the right to request removal of any sandwich board sign during public festivals, parades, or other events, when the sign poses a potential safety hazard to the large number of pedestrians using the sidewalks.
[Added 6-24-2019 by Ord. No. 866-19]
The Borough Council of the Borough of Zelienople is hereby authorized and directed to execute any and all documents necessary to effectuate the purposes of this article.