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(a) Signs, other than digital signs, may be illuminated, but the illumination shall be focused upon the sign itself, so as to prevent glare upon the surrounding areas. 975
(b) Flashing signs, signs with intermittent illumination, or signs with mechanically or electronically changing messages shall not be erected within 500 ft. of any Residential district, nor face any Residential district within 1,000 ft. of the sign.
(c) Signs that revolve shall require approval from the Zoning Board through the special exception process in § 14-303(7).
Notes
| 975 | Amended, Bill No. 130656-AA (approved July 1, 2015). |
(a) Digital signs shall not be erected or converted from non-digital to digital within 500 ft. of any residentially zoned district, nor face any residentially zoned district within 1,000 ft. of the sign.
(b) Digital Illumination Standards; Automatic Dimming.
During daylight hours luminance of a digital billboard shall be no greater than 6,500 nits. At all other times, luminance of a digital billboard shall be no greater than 450 nits. In addition, digital billboards shall not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 foot candles above ambient light, as measured using a foot candle meter at the following preset distances:
Nominal Face Size
|
Distance to be Measured From
|
12' x 25' | 150' |
10'6" x 36' | 200' |
14' x 48' | 250' |
20' x 60' | 350' |
Automatic dimming is required to keep luminance within permitted levels at all times.
(c) Motion.
All motion is prohibited on digital displays. Only static text and graphics shall be permitted. A display change between messages shall not constitute motion. Holographic or three-dimensional projections are prohibited. The digital display shall contain a default mechanism that will freeze the sign in one position or show a black blank screen if a malfunction occurs.
(d) Timing.
The duration of each display shall be no less than eight (8) seconds.
(e) Digital Sign Conversions.
Non-accessory signs may not be converted to digital unless they are located within 660 ft. of I-95 or I-76; are intended to be principally viewed from one of those roadways; and meet all of the other requirements of this code.
(f) Applicability.
Unless expressly provided to the contrary, the provisions of this subsection (8) (Digital Billboards):
(.1) Shall not apply in the Market East Advertising District described in § 14-906.
(.2) Shall be considered safety regulations applicable to all signs, regardless whether they pre-date or post-date the addition of this subsection (8) to the Code.
Notes
| 976 |
Outdoor advertising signs and non-accessory signs shall be permitted:
(a) Within the I-2, Medium Industrial district, except within the area bounded by the Delaware Expressway, the Schuylkill Expressway, and Darien Street (extended);
(b) Within the I-3, Heavy Industrial district; and
(c) Within the I-P, Port Industrial district.
Outdoor advertising signs and non-accessory signs shall be prohibited:
(a) Within 660 ft. of all the bridges over the Schuylkill River from the Girard Point Bridge northwestwardly to the Belmont Avenue Bridge;
(b) Within 660 ft. of all ingress and/or egress ramps of the Delaware expressway (I-95), from the Bucks County Line to the Delaware County Line, and the Schuylkill expressway (I-76), between the Montgomery County Line and the Walt Whitman Bridge;
(c) Within 660 ft. of Benjamin Franklin Parkway as defined by the Streets Department;
(d) Between 23rd Street and the Schuylkill River from the south side of Race Street to Chestnut Street;
(e) Between 24th Street and the Schuylkill River from Chestnut Street to South Street;
(f) East of 6th Street from South Street to the south side of Race Street;
(g) Between 6th Street and Christopher Columbus Boulevard from South Street to Washington Avenue;
(h) Within 660 ft. of the outward edge of the right-of-way lines as defined by the Department of Streets, of the Delaware expressway between Washington Avenue and Oregon Avenue;
(i) Within 660 ft. of all the bridges over the Delaware River from the Walt Whitman Bridge to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge;
(j) Within 660 ft. of the outward edge of the right-of-way lines as defined by the Department of Streets, of Woodhaven Road;
(k) Within 660 ft. of the outward edge of the right-of-way lines as defined by the Department of Streets, of the Roosevelt Boulevard;
(l) Within any area of the City designated as a local or national Historic District;
(m) Within 660 ft. of the outward edge of any park under the jurisdiction of DPR, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or the National Park Service;
(n) Within 660 ft. of any park, playground, recreation center, play lot, or other recreational facility under the jurisdiction of DPR; and
(o) Within 660 ft. of any public or private pre-school, elementary, middle, or high school.
(a) For purposes of this § 14-905(11), the "I-95 Acquisition Corridor" shall include all areas within 200 ft. of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) right-of-way (as that right-of-way may change from time to time) from Rhawn Street to Arch Street. 977
(b) A structure or outdoor advertising sign that is a lawful use located within the I-95 Acquisition Corridor shall be permitted if relocated within the I-95 Acquisition Corridor, notwithstanding any contrary provisions of this Zoning Code, provided all of the following apply:
(.1) The owner or tenant of the structure or outdoor advertising sign has received a Declaration of Taking, a Notice of Acquisition or a Notice of Relocation Eligibility from PennDOT or its agent with respect to such structure or outdoor advertising sign, or has moved its structure or outdoor advertising sign as a result of receiving one of the aforesaid notices;
(.2) The owner or tenant files an Application for Relocation, in a form required by L&I, within three years after receiving such Declaration of Taking, Notice of Acquisition or Notice of Relocation Eligibility or has moved its structure or outdoor advertising sign as a result of receiving one of the aforesaid notices;
(.3) The proposed new location of the structure or outdoor advertising sign is within the I-95 Acquisition Corridor and is within 350 ft. of the existing location of the structure or outdoor advertising sign;
(.4) The proposed new location of the structure or outdoor advertising sign is zoned industrial or commercial;
(.5) The dimensions and height of the relocated structure or outdoor advertising sign do not exceed the dimensions and height of the existing structure or sign at the time of the filing of the Application for Relocation;
(.6) The size of the face of the relocated outdoor advertising sign is not greater than 1,200 sq. ft. with a maximum height of 30 ft. and a maximum length of 60 ft. inclusive of any border of trim but excluding the base or apron, supports or other structural members. The area shall be measured by the smallest square, rectangle, triangle, circle or combination thereof which will encompass the entire sign;
(.7) Where the relocated outdoor advertising sign exceeds 600 sq. ft. in area, it is not double-faced (abutting and facing the same direction);
(.8) The distance between the relocated structure or outdoor advertising sign and any residentially- zoned property is not less than that required by any other applicable provision of this Zoning Code at the time of the filing of the Application for Relocation; except where the distance between a legally existing structure or outdoor advertising sign and any residentially-zoned property is less than the distance required by this Zoning Code and the proposed new location does not meet the required distance from any residentially-zoned property, the relocated structure or outdoor advertising sign shall be at least the same distance from any residentially- zoned property as the existing structure or outdoor advertising sign;
(.9) The relocated outdoor advertising sign is not located within 500 ft. of any other outdoor advertising sign as measured along the nearest edge of the pavement between points directly opposite the outdoor advertising signs along the same side of the traveled way;
(.10) The relocated outdoor advertising sign does not include lights which are of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair the vision of a driver of any vehicle, interfere with any driver's operation of a motor vehicle, or are not effectively shielded so as to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed at any portion of the traveled way of I-95;
(.11) The relocated outdoor advertising sign is not illuminated such that it interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures an official traffic sign, device or signal;
(.12) The relocated outdoor advertising sign is consistent with all other provisions relating to lighting of signs along State highways;
(.13) The relocated outdoor advertising sign is not a non-accessory changeable electronic variable message sign; and
(.14) The owner or tenant has not previously relocated the structure or outdoor advertising sign pursuant to the provisions of this § 14-905(11).
(c) None of the provisions of this § 14-905(11) shall have any impact upon the duty of an owner or tenant to move its structure or outdoor advertising sign when given notice to vacate by PennDOT.
Notes
| 977 | Amended, Bill No. 120417 (approved July 17, 2012), effective August 22, 2012. |
(b) For each non-accessory sign erected or converted to digital in conformance with these provisions, two existing lawful, non-accessory signs encompassing equal or greater sign area, other than a sign located in the Market Street East Advertising District, as defined in § 14-906, shall be removed; provided that this requirement shall not apply to the conversion to digital of a sign that, on June 1, 2015, lawfully could have been converted to digital without removal of an existing sign but for a then-existing lease or agreement which precluded the owner or future owner from effecting such a conversion; no more than ten signs owned by any sign company or related sign companies may be converted under this proviso. 979
(c) The application to erect an outdoor advertising or non-accessory sign must specify the size and the location of the sign(s) to be removed. Sufficient proof of the physical existence of the sign(s) to be removed shall be supplied to the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). Required proof may be in the form of permits and/or photographs of the existing sign(s).
(d) The application to erect an outdoor advertising or non-accessory sign must also be accompanied by a written authorization from the owner of the property where the sign(s) to be removed are located authorizing the applicant to remove those sign(s) and acknowledging that the right to maintain an outdoor advertising or non-accessory sign is being forfeited through the filing of the application and the issuance of the permit for the erection of the new sign.
(e) No permit for the erection of an outdoor advertising or non-accessory sign shall be issued prior to actual removal of the sign(s) required to be removed as provided in subsections (a), (b), and (c) above.
(f) No permit for the erection of an outdoor advertising or non-accessory sign shall be issued if there is any outstanding violation, for which all legal appeals have been exhausted, of The Philadelphia Code or regulations adopted pursuant to the Code, relating to the premises upon which the outdoor advertising sign or non-accessory sign is to be erected or maintained.
(g) No permit for the erection of an outdoor advertising or non-accessory sign shall be issued if the owner of the premises upon which the outdoor advertising sign or non-accessory sign is to be erected or maintained is delinquent in the payment of any City or School District taxes, charges, fees, rents, or claims, unless the owner has entered into an agreement to pay any the delinquency and is abiding by the terms of the agreement.
Notes
| 978 | Amended, Bill No. 120430-A (approved January 14, 2013). |
| 979 | Amended, Bill No. 130656-AA (approved July 1, 2015). |
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