A. Those elements that may be excluded from sign controls include:
(1) Flags of any federal, state or local government.
(2) Interior signs not visible from a public right-of-way or adjoining property.
(3) Cornerstones built into or attached to a wall of a building.
(4) Official notices of any court or public office.
(5) Legal notices posted pursuant to law.
(6) Public service signs as aids to safety or service.
B. Number of signs permitted.
(1) For all uses:
(a) One sign is permitted on each street frontage of a lot for each occupancy or purpose; and
(b) One additional sign for each occupancy or purpose is permitted for every 200 feet of street frontage or major fraction thereof, all in accordance with Subsection
C below.
(2) For business signs, other than identification signs, any number of signs is permitted as long as their total area does not exceed the maximum under Subsection
D below.
(3) No more than one sign advertising the sale or rental of a premises shall be placed on the property unless said property fronts on more than one street, in which case one sign may be located on each street frontage.
The size of the sign shall refer to the area of the sign facing, including any border framing or decorative attachments.
(1) Wall or freestanding business identification signs shall be limited to one square foot for each two lineal feet of horizontal building facade length, but not to exceed an aggregate area as set forth in §
310-13D below. No more than two freestanding sign structures shall be permitted per lot.
(a) If an establishment has walls fronting on two or more streets, the sign area for each street may be computed separately.
(2) In the case of freestanding letters, it shall be the area contained between the highest and lowest points of any letters and the extremity points of the first and last letters.
(3) In the case of figures and designs, the space between such figures and designs shall be included.
(4) Where a sign has two or more faces:
(a) The area of all faces shall be included in determining the area of the sign; except that,
(b) Where two such faces are placed back to back and are at no point more than three feet from one another, the area of the sign shall be taken as the area of one face if the two faces are of equal area, or as the area of the larger face if the two faces are of unequal area.
D. Permitted signs. The types and sizes of signs shall be in accordance with the following regulations. (See Signs by District page for more information.)
E. Setback of signs.
(1) No portion of a sign may be closer to a street right-of-way line than 10 feet, except for a sign less than three feet in height.
(2) No sign is permitted within a clear sight triangle, as provided in the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, at an intersection that, in the opinion of the Township police or the Zoning Officer, will obstruct the vision of motorists.[1], Subdivision and Land Development.
(3) No sign shall be so located or arranged that it interferes with pedestrian or vehicular traffic because of glare; blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets, sidewalks or driveways; confusion with a traffic-control device (by reason of color, location, shape or other characteristic); or for any other reason.
(4) For all uses, an advertising and a business sign must be at least 60 feet apart.
(5) No advertising or business sign exceeding 30 square feet in area may be located within 75 feet of an R-1 or R-2 residential zone.
F. Projection of signs.
(1) No sign may project over a public sidewalk area.
(2) No sign may project over a street unless specifically authorized by other Township or state regulations.
(3) No sign may project more than 25 feet above the ground except for an attached sign that may project 10 feet above the roof of a building, providing the sign so placed does not project more than 35 feet from the ground to the highest part of the sign.
(4) Wall signs shall not extend beyond the edge of any facade or other surface to which they are mounted and shall not project more than 12 inches from the wall's surface.
(5) Projecting signs shall not extend more than four feet from the wall or surface to which they are mounted.
(6) Projecting signs shall not interfere with normal pedestrian or vehicular traffic and shall not be less than eight feet six inches above the pavement or ground.
G. Illumination of signs.
(1) Flashing and intermittent lights are permitted only in Commercial or Industrial Park Zone.
(2) A sign may be illuminated only if the lighting is so screened that it is not directed or reflected toward any abutting property or adjacent residence, and so it does not distract or not obstruct the vision of motorists or pedestrians.
(3) Flashing and intermittent lights, and signs which are illuminated in the colors red, green or amber, either by colored bulbs or tubing, or which produce high reflections through the use of special preparations such as fluorescent paint or glass, may not be located within a radius of 200 feet of a highway traffic light or similar safety device or from the center of any street intersection. No red, amber or green lights shall be permitted higher than 15 feet above ground level.
(4) The maximum frequency of a change in copy or message on electronic message signs shall be no less than once every one minute.
(5) Nameplate signs displaying the name and address of the occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit, and signs identifying a permitted home occupation, displaying the name, profession or activity, shall not be internally illuminated or illuminated by any lighting having a total wattage of more than 100 watts.
(6) Nonilluminated temporary signs may be permitted on new construction sites, if such signs do not to exceed 32 square feet in total area and if they are removed within seven days after completion of the construction work. Not more than one sign shall be placed on each street frontage of the construction site.
H. Electronic message sign:
(1) Electronic message signs shall not flash, rotate or blink.
(2) Each electronic message sign shall be permanently installed. No portable signs of any kind shall be allowed under this provision.
(3) Frequency of a change in copy or message on the electronic message sign shall be no less than once every one minute.
(4) The electronic message sign shall not distract drivers of vehicles within the area and shall not under any circumstances imitate or emulate traffic-control devices.
(5) Electronic message signs shall not be permitted on that side of the property that may be located adjacent to any residential district.
(6) All copy, characters or other changeable images shall be of one color only, with light copy on a dark background.
(7) Exceptions:
(a) Scoreboards.
(b) Signs for the display of gasoline and other automobile fuel prices.
(c) Official traffic-control devices.
(d) Signs displaying only the time and/or temperature.
(8) Any sign that displays moving, racing, scrolling, or other digital, electronic or internally illuminated text or images that appear to scroll, race or move shall be prohibited.
I. Construction and maintenance. Signs must be constructed of durable materials, maintained in good condition, and not allowed to become dilapidated.
J. Removal upon termination of use or activity. Upon termination or abandonment of a use or activity for which a sign was intended, all signs pertaining to the use or activity must be removed by the person who benefited, owned or was responsible for the sign.
(1) An abandoned sign is a sign that is located on and/or related to a use which has become vacant and unoccupied for a period of more than six months; was erected for an occupant or business unrelated to the present occupant or business; or which relates to a time, event or purpose which is past.
(2) Whenever the Township removes or causes to be removed a sign pursuant to this section, the cost of such removal shall be paid by the owner of the property on which such sign is or was located. The cost of removal shall be certified to the Township Manager. Upon filing of such certification, the Township Secretary shall cause 30 days' written notice to be given by certified mail to the person or persons against whose property an assessment has been made. The notice shall state the amount of the assessment and the time and place of payment and shall be accompanied by a copy of the certificate. The expense of such notice shall be borne by the Township. The amount assessed against the real estate shall be a lien from the time of filing of the certificate with the Board of Commissioners and, if not paid within the time stipulated, a claim may be filed and collected in the same manner as municipal claims are filed and collected.
K. Restriction of signs on poles. No signs other than those erected by the Township for purposes of traffic control, parking regulation, public safety, street names or direction to major community facility locations are permitted on utility poles or Township-owned poles. This subsection does not apply to an identification sign placed by public utility companies on their own utility poles.
L. Restriction on recreation sponsorship signs:
(1) No recreation sponsorship sign shall be more than six feet above the ground.
(2) The height of such sign shall not exceed four feet and the width shall not exceed six feet.
(3) All such signs shall be erected on the inside wall of a baseball field outfield fence.
(4) There shall be five feet of open space between each sign.
(5) The background color of all such signs shall be black.
(6) All such signs shall be constructed of a flexible, vinyl material.
(7) All such signs shall be one-sided and facing inward.
(8) All such signs shall only be erected during the athletic season for which the sponsorship supports.
(9) All such signs shall be erected within 10 days prior to the athletic season which the sponsorship supports and shall be removed no later than 10 days after such season ends.
M. Temporary signs. Unless otherwise specified, temporary signs shall not require a zoning permit.
(1) Signs announcing a political campaign, drive or event shall be allowed no more than 45 days prior to and shall be removed within five days following the election.
(2) Signs announcing a fund-raising campaign, drive or event, or that of a civic, philanthropic, educational, religious or nonprofit organization shall be allowed for a maximum of 30 days in a six-month period.
(3) Signs identifying a yard or garage sale or public auction may be placed a maximum of five days prior to a sale and removed within 24 hours after the sale.
(4) Signs advertising the seasonal sale of products or goods, such products as Christmas trees, Easter flowers, fireworks, etc., shall not be posted earlier than 30 days before the date of the event to which they pertain and shall be removed within seven days of said event.
(5) Business promotion signs advertising the temporary sale of products, goods or services shall be allowed for a maximum of 30 days in a six-month period.
(a) Such signs shall be permitted on premises only.
(b) A zoning permit is required.
(c) A temporary business promotion sign shall not count toward to sign area.
(6) Signs advertising the sale or rental of a property may be located only on the affected property while being so offered and shall be removed within seven days after settlement or a lease has been entered into.
(7) Signs of architects, builders, contractors, developers, engineers, painters and similar artisans may be only located on the affected property and shall be removed promptly upon completion of the work.
(8) Directional sign for real estate open house are allowed three days prior to and removed on closing day of the event.
(9) Buntings and pennants are permitted only to announce the opening of a new business or industry or in connection with a civic event, only at the event site, and must be removed after 30 days.
(10) Temporary off-premises signs, when permitted, shall not be placed within a public right-of-way or on property owned and/or maintained by Spring Garden Township.
(11) Temporary off-premises signs require permission of the property owner prior to installation of the sign.
N. Other sign regulations.
(1) Portable signs, including "A-frame" signs, sandwich boards, and sidewalk or curb signs shall not obstruct any public right-of-way and shall be displayed on site during the normal hours of operation of the business for which the sign applies. Signs on moving vehicles are prohibited.
(2) Window signs, regardless of type and number of signs, shall not exceed 20% of the total area of the window.
(3) Signs identifying office, commercial or industrial subdivisions or land developments comprising three or more principal uses may be located at up to three of the major entrances from exterior streets and may include the overall name of the development and any logo. Such signs shall not include advertising.
