Township of Mount Holly, NJ Banner Poles

No banner shall be hung nor any use made of the banner poles within the Township without compliance with the rules and regulations set forth in this chapter and the obtaining of a permit for such use.

§ 156-2 Availability for use.

The Township Manager shall establish dates for which the banner poles are available for use. In establishing such dates, the Manager shall consider issues such as maintenance needs for the poles, activities of the Public Works Department, special events for which the height of the banners may be problematic, high winds and unforeseen emergency conditions such as severe weather or other exigencies. In the event of an emergency, the Manager or Chief of Police may direct that a banner that has already been hung be immediately removed from display.

§ 156-3 Scheduling of use; permit application.

Use of the banner poles shall be scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis subject to the unilateral right of Burlington County to supersede a prior request as set forth in the interlocal services agreement between the Township and the County, a copy of which is on file with the Township Clerk. The Township Manager shall create and establish a permit application form and permit form to be used in carrying out the purposes of this chapter. The application form shall include a requirement that it be accompanied by a sketch of the proposed banner, together with its dimensions and the wording and/or symbols to be displayed on the banner.

Banner pole use shall be scheduled by submitting a completed application and a nonrefundable fee of $150, except that the fee shall be refunded in the event of a pre-emption by Burlington County. No application shall be submitted more than one year prior to the event to be promoted on the banner. Reservation of dates shall, in all cases, be conditioned upon compliance with all permit requirements at least 14 days prior to the date the banner is to be hung unless a specific alternate deadline is set forth in this chapter or the permit.

Upon submission of a completed and paid-for application, the date, if available, shall be reserved, subject to the conditions of the permit, including but not limited to those set forth in the interlocal services agreement with Burlington County. Failure to make timely submission of all requirements may result in the Township, in the exercise of its discretion, cancelling the permit for the banner. All permits shall, at a minimum, be conditioned upon:

(1)

Compliance with design requirements;

(2)

Compliance with construction, size, material and mounting requirements;

(3)

Compliance with insurance requirements.

§ 156-4 Design requirements.

The design for the cross-street banner must be delivered to the office of the Township Clerk and the office of Neighborhood Services not less than 30 days prior to the date scheduled for the banner to be hung. The design shall generally follow the sketch submitted with the application and shall contain a representation of the exact wording, designs and symbols to appear on the banner. Action on the design submitted shall be taken by the Township within seven business days of submission. Unapproved banners will not be hung.

Banners shall only promote community events, festivals or sporting events; tourism-related promotions; events sanctioned or sponsored by the Township, the Township School District, the Rancocas Valley Regional School District, Mount Holly MUA or Mount Holly Fire District; events sponsored by the Mount Holly UEZ or Main Street Mount Holly; and events sponsored by nonprofit entities or agencies. All banners shall indicate the sponsoring agency.

Banners shall promote events, and no banner shall advertise or promote the sale of a product or service or advocate a political party, candidate or position nor promote any religion or religious belief.

Banners may contain a general message of greeting such as "Welcome to Mount Holly," "Welcome to [name of event]," or similar sentiments.

§ 156-5 Construction requirements.

Banners which do not meet construction requirements will not be hung. For the safety of the public no exceptions will be made. The specifications set forth herein shall be considered minimum requirements and may be amended upon the recommendation of the Township Engineer by resolution of Township Council. Banners that have been previously hung are subject to inspection by the Township and/or its Engineer. Any banner found structurally deficient in the opinion of the Township Engineer will not be hung. In the event an inspection is required by the Township Engineer, the permit holder shall pay the actual cost to the Township of the Engineer's inspection.

Size. Banners shall have a maximum width of 24 feet and a maximum height of three feet. They shall have wind load relief flaps 18 inches wide and 10 inches high, spaced at a density of not less than one flap for each 10 square feet of surface area. Relief flaps shall be uniformly placed throughout the banner to provide uniform wind load reduction.

[Amended 3-27-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-4]

Material. Banners shall be made of Number 12 duck canvas, vinyl coated nylon or polyester fiber mesh with vinyl coating. The message, designs or symbols may be sewn in place, be painted on, or be of vinyl letters. Event dates or other information that changes may be secured by a one-inch strip of Velcro® or equivalent material around the entire piece. Such pieces may not be larger than four square feet and, when placed, may not cover a wind relief flap. Alternate materials may be used only if certified as acceptable by the Township Engineer.

Mounting provisions. Banners shall have two-inch wide twenty-two-ounce nylon strips sewn to the top and bottom of the banner along its entire length. Banners shall have grommets installed on twenty-four-inch centers along the top and bottom of the banner within these strips. "D" or "O" rings shall be provided at each of the upper and lower corners of the banner for securing it into position.

§ 156-6 Insurance requirements.

Before any banner is hung, the Township must receive a liability insurance certificate from the applicant covering any property damage or injury to person(s) occasioned or resulting from the use, hanging or installation of the banner, naming the Township and the County of Burlington as additional insureds in an amount of not less than $300,000 single limit.

§ 156-7 Delivery, hanging and retrieval of banner.

Delivery. Banners must be delivered to the office of the Township Clerk, or to such other location as the Clerk may direct, not less than seven days prior to the date on which the banner is to be hung. Banners delivered late may not be hung. There will be no refund of fees for late-delivered banners.

Hanging. Banners will be hung and removed by the Township's Public Works Department. Banners will be hung and removed on Mondays. However, banners may be hung or removed earlier or later than scheduled due to inclement weather, high winds or exigencies within the Public Works Department or Township.

Retrieval. The banner owner will be notified by the Township when his or her banner is available for pickup after it has been removed from display.

§ 156-8 Additional provisions.

The Township shall have no liability for banners hung late or removed early nor will there be any refund of fees in such circumstances.

Banners not picked up from the Township within one week of notice of their availability for pickup may be disposed of by the Township without liability or responsibility to the owner or any other person.

No banner may be hung for more than four weeks.

The Township reserves the right to cancel or shorten the hanging of any banner without cause.

No banner shall display words or images that, in the application of community standards, are obscene or pornographic.

No banner shall display trademarked or copyrighted images unless a written certification of the applicant's right to use such images with an indemnification is provided to the Township at least 14 days prior to the date set for display of the banner.

The Township may refuse to hang banners with tears, tattered banners, soiled banners or banners with loose letters, border strips or grommets.