The following requirements shall apply to all specifically designated signs:
1. All signs except temporary signs shall be constructed of durable material and kept in good condition and repair. Electrical signs shall be subject to the performance criteria of the Underwriters Laboratory, Incorporated, or to applicable Township Codes, whichever is more stringent.
2. All sign provisions of this Chapter shall apply to smoke stacks, water towers and other similar structures.
3. No sign shall be so located or arranged that it interferes with traffic through glare, through blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets, sidewalks, or driveways, through confusion with a traffic control device (by reason of color, location, shape or other characteristics), or through any other means. In no case shall any sign, other than an official governmental sign, be erected within the official right-of-way of any street unless specifically authorized by other ordinances or regulations of the Township and in conformance Commonwealth of Pennsylvania regulations, where appropriate. No sign shall violate the visibility restrictions outlined in this Chapter.
4. All signs, other than those traffic control signs permitted within the street right- of-way, shall be set back from the street right-of-way line a minimum distance of 10 feet or as otherwise specified in this Chapter and in conformance with the minimum regulations outlined in corner visibility restrictions of this Chapter.
5. No sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service, or entertain ment conducted, sold, or offered only elsewhere than upon the premises where it is displayed shall be established nearer than 100 feet to a Residential District, unless the advertisement surface of such sign is not visible therefrom and does not create a nuisance to adjacent property owners, in which instance they shall be no closer than 50 feet to a Residential District.
6. No sign in a Non-Residential District shall be located so as to face any Residential District. This provision shall not apply to signs at right angles to the street line of such street.
7. All free standing signs shall be set back at least 10 feet from the front lot line. No free standing sign in other than a Residential District shall extend within 50 feet of any Residential District boundary line.
8. Special promotional devices, signs, or displays such as flood lights, flags, spinners, banners, pennants, "A" type (sandwich type) sidewalk or curb signs and related devices (“devices”) shall only be allowed by permit for a new business or an existing business, subject to the following provisions.
A. For all types of devices together on a single lot, permits may be issued not more than four (4) times a year.
B. No more than one (1) permit may be issued for any business covering the same date or dates.
C. Each permit shall allow use of not more than five (5) devices at any time with a maximum height of twenty (20) feet for a parallel sign and eight (8) feet for a free-standing sign and a maximum aggregate area of forty (40) square feet.
D. Each permit shall be for a minimum of thirty (30) days and a maximum of sixty (60) days, but for a total of not more than 120 days for all permits for any business in any calendar year.
E. At a shopping center with more than one business under separate ownership on the lot, the provisions of this Section 705(8) shall apply to each such separately owned business, individually, provided that no more than four such permits may be issued covering the same dates. Permits for such businesses shall be issued in the order that the applications are received.
F. Such devices are not permitted for an existing business on a property with an EMS.
G. Such signs shall not be permitted in the Medium Residential (MR) Zoning District, as well as the residential portion of the Planned Unit Developed (PUD) Zoning District.
H. The devices shall be subject to the setback restrictions applicable to other signs in the zoning district.
I. Devices shall be permitted only on a lot on which the business is located and off premises devices are not permitted.
J. A permit shall be required for the placement of all devices and at no other time shall such devices be permitted. [Ord. 517]
K. The Hanover Township Council shall establish fees for such permits by resolution.
(Ord. 45, Z-§ 705, 5/12/76; as amended by Ord. 176, 5/8/85; by Ord. 189, 5/14/86; by Ord. 319, 6/21/1995, § 1; by Ord. 475, 7/18/2007, § 4; by Ord. 517, 6/15/2011, § 1; by Ord. 615, 6/5/2019; and by Ord. 646, 6/7/2023)