Article 1309
SIGN REGULATIONS
Sections:
1309.02 R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts and the I-1 institutional core district.
1309.03 I-2, I-3 and I-4 institutional districts.
1309.04 T-1, B-1, B-2 and B-3 or EDC districts.
1309.05 Sign regulations and nonconforming uses.
1309.01 Signs.
The following sign regulations shall be observed in all districts:
(A) The following signs shall be permitted in all districts, and no permit shall be required to erect such signs:
(1) Temporary signs announcing a campaign, drive or event of a civic, philanthropic, political, educational or religious organization, provided such sign shall not exceed 32 square feet in area and shall be removed immediately upon the completion of the campaign, drive or event.
(2) Temporary signs offering the sale or rental of the premises upon which the sign is erected; provided, that the area of any such sign shall not exceed six square feet in the case of a single-family dwelling, two-family dwelling or conversion apartment, or 32 square feet for all other uses.
(3) Temporary signs of contractors, developers, architects, engineers, builders and artisans, erected and maintained on the premises where the work is being performed; provided, that the area of such sign shall not exceed 32 square feet; and provided, that such sign shall be removed upon completion of the work.
(4) No trespassing signs, signs indicating the private nature of a road, driveway or premises, signs controlling fishing on the premises; provided, that the area of each such sign shall not exceed four square feet.
(5) Signs noting the historic nature of a house, site, building, or district. Such signs may be freestanding or attached to the significant edifice, provided they do not exceed four square feet in size.
(6) Temporary signs announcing a public auction, yard sale, garage sale, or similar event of less than 48 hours’ duration, provided such signs are removed upon cessation of the event.
(7) Temporary signs announcing the birth of a child, birthday commemoration, marriage, graduation, or similar event in the life of a householder shall be permitted provided such signs do not exceed 32 square feet.
(8) Directory signs which list all the occupants of a multi-tenant or multiple-family building, or buildings in a multi-building development; provided, that the area of such sign does not exceed one-half square foot per tenant or one square foot per individual building.
(9) Bulletin boards and similar spaces open to temporary signs emplaced for use by the general public without charge. If placed outside, such boards shall not exceed 32 square feet.
(10) Any signs not visible from outside a lot or building.
(11) Rest room, exit, public telephone, and similar directional or informational signs emplaced for the benefit of the public or building tenants.
(B) Signs in Public Rights-of-Way.
(1) No signs shall be permitted within public rights-of-way, except PennDOT-approved traffic signs and devices; signs and banners specially approved by the city for decoration or promotion of city and community events and activities; signs not exceeding nine square feet placed temporarily to advertise the sale of real estate or a yard sale; political signs not exceeding nine square feet placed temporarily; signs not exceeding nine square feet placed temporarily to provide notice of or direction to a civic, philanthropic, political, educational, or religious event or activity, historical markers as approved by the city or other signs specifically permitted under another section of this code.
(2) Portable business signs, six square feet or less, shall be permitted in the public right-of-way in the B-1 and B-2 districts. Such signs shall be subject to the following regulations:
(a) Signs are clearly accessory to, and placed on right-of-way abutting, a permitted business.
(b) Limited to one portable sign per business establishment.
(c) Signs contain a total area not exceeding six square feet per sign face and have no more than two faces.
(e) Signs are displayed only during business hours.
(f) Placement of such sign allows an unobstructed sidewalk for pedestrian use of a width of not less than five feet; and provided, further, that such sign does not block a line of sight for vehicles or pedestrians.
(g) Such signs shall not be illuminated by any means.
(C) Construction and Maintenance. All signs shall be constructed in a workmanlike fashion using durable materials. Signs shall be designed and constructed to withstand wind forces and in accordance with appropriate mechanical or electrical standards. The owners 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 whereon the sign is located shall be responsible for its repair or removal.
(D) No sign shall be emplaced where it would block the line of sight for a public street or lawful service drive.
(E) Signs may be lighted with nonglaring lights, or may be illuminated by shielded floodlights. All direct light shall be screened from adjacent properties. All electrical connections shall be shielded by underground or overhead electrical wires which meet all city codes. No temporary signs, including any sign not permanently attached to the ground or a structure in a manner conforming to the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, shall be illuminated by direct means.
(F) No signs shall be permitted which are posted, stapled or otherwise attached to public utility poles or trees.
(G) Each commercial establishment that is otherwise permitted to have a business sign may mount to the building or other business structure one temporary sign to advertise special promotions, events and grand openings. Such signs shall be subject to all size and clearance limits for permanent signs and shall not be permitted in the public right-of-way except as permitted under the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines or successor codes in effect at the time of application. Such signs may be displayed for no more than 180 days per calendar year per commercial establishment. No permit shall be required to post such a sign.
(H) Nonconforming signs, once removed, shall be replaced only with conforming signs. Nonconforming signs may be repainted or repaired, providing such repainting or repairing does not exceed the dimensions of the existing sign.
(I) When the business for which a sign is utilized is closed or vacated for whatever reason, all business signs shall be removed within 60 days of the closure.
(J) This subsection shall govern electronic signs as defined in this article in all districts.
(1) No electronic signs shall be permitted in the historic district as described in the 2007 Business District Action Plan or any residential, transitional or institutional district or the B-3 district, except as permitted by special exception in the I-3 and I-4 districts.
(2) Electronic Signs in the B-1, B-2 and EDC Districts, Outside of the Historic District.
(a) Electronic signs shall be permitted only by special exception, provided:
(i) Signs shall meet all sign regulations relative to size and location provided for in this article.
(ii) Signs shall be turned off and shall emit no light outside of business hours.
(iii) No sound may be used in connection with an electronic sign.
(iv) Message display shall remain static for a minimum of five seconds. There shall be no strobe, flashing effect or other animation other than scrolling during the display. Any transitions or change of the display between messages shall not be more than one second. Transitions that involve fading or other animations other than scrolling shall not be permitted.
(v) The owner of the sign or his agent shall measure sign luminance with a luminance meter set to measure foot-candles accurate to at least two decimals. Luminance shall be measured with the sign off, and again with the sign displaying a white image for a full color-capable sign, or a solid message for a single-color sign. All measurements shall be taken perpendicular to the face of the sign at the distance determined by the total square footage of the sign. Electronic signs of 10 square feet or less shall be measured at a distance of 32 feet. Electronic signs of greater than 10 square feet shall be measured at a distance of 39 feet. The difference between the off- and solid-message measurements using the criteria shall not exceed 0.3 foot-candles at night. A letter certifying compliance shall be provided to the zoning officer.
(vi) All permitted electronic signs shall be equipped with a sensor or other device that automatically determines the ambient illumination and programmed to automatically dim according to ambient light conditions, or that can be adjusted to comply with the 0.3 foot-candle measurement.
(vii) Electronic signs which malfunction shall be turned off except for testing during any correction or repair.
(3) Electronic Signs in I-3 Special Institutional and I-4 Educational Institutional Districts.
(a) Electronic signs shall be permitted only by special exception, provided:
(i) Signs must be screened so that no illumination source from the sign is visible from any residence within 500 feet of the sign.
(ii) No sign may be illuminated or functioning between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
(iii) The total sign area, including support structure, shall conform to the size requirements for the district in which it is located, and the height of the sign, including support structure, may not exceed 10 feet.
(iv) The sign shall incorporate items of subsection (J)(2)(a)(iii), (iv), (v), (vi) and (vii) of this section relating to sound, timing, animation, brightness and malfunction.
(v) The sign shall be housed in a support structure made of brick, stone or similar material and be appropriately landscaped so as to limit its impact in the residential neighborhood. (Ord. 3762 § 4, 2017; Ord. 3706 § 7, 2012; Ord. 3618 § 20, 2005; Ord. 3384 § 2, 1994)
1309.02 R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts and the I-1 institutional core district.
In the R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts and the I-1 institutional core district, the following signs shall be permitted:
(A) Home occupation or nameplate sign displaying the name and address of the occupant or the profession or activity of the occupant of a dwelling unit; provided, that not more than one such sign shall be erected for each permitted use; and provided, that the area of each such sign shall not exceed four square feet; and provided, that each such sign shall be fixed flat on the main wall of such building or may be erected in the front yard, but not closer than 10 feet from a lot line.
(B) Sign, bulletin board, announcement board or identification signs for schools, churches, hospitals, multiple-family dwellings, subdivisions, allotments or other principal uses and buildings other than dwellings on the same lot therewith for the purpose of displaying the name of the institution and its activities or services; provided, that the area of any such sign shall not exceed 32 square feet and not more than one such sign shall be erected on any one street frontage. Such signs shall only be illuminated by indirect means. (Ord. 3384 § 2, 1994)
1309.03 I-2, I-3 and I-4 institutional districts.
In the I-2, I-3 and I-4 institutional districts, the following signs shall be permitted:
(A) All signs permitted in the R-1, R-2 and I-1 institutional districts.
(B) All nondwelling uses may maintain up to two signs of any type per street frontage for informational or identification purposes, provided the total area of such signs does not exceed 64 square feet. Only wall signs, as defined by this code, and electronic signs as regulated by this article, may be self-illuminated. All other sign types shall employ indirect means of lighting. (Ord. 3762 § 5, 2017; Ord. 3384 § 2, 1994)
1309.04 T-1, B-1, B-2 and B-3 or EDC districts.
In the T-1, B-1, B-2 and B-3 or EDC districts, signs will be permitted as authorized by Table 1309.04:
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TABLE 1309.04 – SIGNS IN T-1, B-1, B-2, B-3 AND EDC DISTRICTS |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sign Type |
||||||||
|
District |
Freestanding |
Projecting |
Facade/Wall |
Roof |
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|
Area |
Height |
Area |
Height |
Projection |
Area |
Area |
Height |
|
|
T-1 |
32 sf |
8 ft |
9 sf |
8 ft |
6 ft |
32 sf |
NA |
NA |
|
B-1 |
32 sf |
15 ft |
12 sf |
8 ft |
6 ft |
20% of surface |
NA |
NA |
|
B-2 |
64 sf |
35 ft |
12 sf |
8 ft |
6 ft |
30% of surface |
NA |
NA |
|
B-3 |
32 sf |
15 ft |
9 sf |
8 ft |
6 ft |
32 sf |
NA |
NA |
|
EDC |
100 sf |
35 ft |
25 sf |
8 ft |
15 ft |
30% of surface |
100 sf |
10 ft |
Supplementary Criteria
|
T-1 |
1 permanent sign of any type per street frontage |
|
B-1 |
2 permanent signs per street frontage |
|
B-2 |
3 permanent signs |
|
B-3 |
1 permanent sign per street frontage |
|
EDC |
3 permanent signs |
(A) Within the T-1, B-1, B-2, B-3, or EDC, all signs allowed in the R-1, R-2, R-3 or I-1 districts shall be permitted by right.
(B) Temporary Signs. In all the business districts and the EDC, temporary signs shall be permitted in building windows, and shall not require a permit. Except for window signs and those signs noted in MMC 1309.01, all temporary or portable signs shall be prohibited.
(C) Permanent Window Signs. Permanent window signs are permitted in all business districts and the EDC by right without a permit provided no more than 50 percent of each window surface and 25 percent of all building windows include such a sign.
(D) Projection of Permanent Signs into Rights-of-Way. A freestanding sign, otherwise lawful under Table 1309.04, may project into the public right-of-way up to six feet, provided no structural support or portion of the sign is within eight feet of grade as measured vertically from the right-of-way line. Under no circumstances shall any such projecting sign be placed nearer than two feet from a vehicular cartway, loading zone, or on-street parking lane.
(E) Signs advertising the occupant’s commercial industry or products sold on the premises are permitted only on a building and shall not exceed 20 percent of the surface of the wall on or in front of which the sign is mounted. No permit shall be required to post such a sign and such signs shall not count toward the limit on the number of signs allowed in this section. (Ord. 3706 § 7, 2012; Ord. 3618 § 20, 2005; Ord. 3578 § 26, 2001; Ord. 3384 § 2, 1994)
1309.05 Sign regulations and nonconforming uses.
Nonconforming uses may keep all permanent, pre-existing signs; provided, that such signs do not obstruct vehicular lines of sight or threaten public safety. If the signage for the use is changed, all future signs shall comply with regulations for the district in which the nonconforming use is located. (Ord. 3384 § 2, 1994)