No sign shall be erected, maintained or used in any zoning districts, except those that meet the following requirements.
(A) All zoning districts.
(1) All signs (except government signs) shall be on private property.
(2) No sign shall be erected or maintained at any location where it may interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device. No rotating or moving beam, strobe, beacon or flashing illumination shall be permitted. No exterior portion of a sign shall move or rotate.
(3) Illuminated signs shall be lighted in a manner such that no illumination source is directly visible beyond the property lines of the lot upon which the sign is located.
(4) A zoning permit shall be required for the erection, construction or alteration of any sign exceeding 16 square feet in area.
(B) Residential and agricultural zones.
(1) One temporary, unlighted sign advertising the sale or rental of the premises on which it is maintained, not to exceed a total of eight square feet; provided that, one such sign may be permitted for each street the advertised premises abuts.
(2) One identification sign that may include a bulletin board not to exceed 32 square feet in area, for the following uses: apartment house; cemetery; church; educational facility; golf course; mobile home park; recreational subdivision; or other public or semi-private institution.
(3) Said sign shall not exceed a height of ten feet above grade and shall have a minimum setback of 25 feet.
(C) Commercial and industrial zones.
(1) Freestanding signs.
(a) One freestanding sign shall be allowed for each use where setbacks permit; provided that, where there are multiple uses upon any one parcel, the total square footage of all sign area shall not exceed 50% more than that which is permitted herein for one sign; provided further that, whenever there are two or more uses, they shall use the same sign pole, pylons or other supports and shall be governed hereby.
(b) Each freestanding sign shall not exceed a maximum of two sides upon which advertising matter may appear.
(c) Freestanding signs may have an area not to exceed 64 square feet, except a freestanding sign fronting a state divided highway or a street or road having four or more lanes, excluding turning lanes, may have a sign area not to exceed 128 square feet; provided, however, where the lineal feet of lot frontage exceeds 160 feet, the sign may exceed 64 square feet by two square feet for every five feet of additional lineal lot frontage over 160 feet subject to a maximum of 128 square feet. In addition, a sign’s area may be increased one square foot for each additional foot it is set back from the minimum setback requirement up to a maximum of 160 square feet. This formula shall apply to each side of the sign.
(d) Freestanding signs shall be at least eight feet above the ground measured from the bottom of the sign, except the following shall be permitted:
1. A sign 24 square feet or less in area; provided, it is at least three feet above the ground;
2. A sign more than 35 feet from the road right-of-way, save for corner lots or parcels, the sign shall be at least 40 feet from one of the road ways on it which fronts;
3. A sign parallel with the road, at least 25 feet from the road right-of-way on which it fronts and at least 20 feet from any driveway and 55 feet from any other road;
4. A sign not greater than four feet in height measuring from the ground to the top of the sign; provided, it is at least 25 feet from the road right-of-way, or parallel to the road on which it fronts and not closer than 15 feet from any driveway and 40 feet from any other road;
5. Freestanding sign posts shall be at least 20 feet from street rights-of-way; provided, however, freestanding signs may be erected two feet closer to the right-of-way line for each five feet distance over 15 feet between the sign and the nearest adjoining side property line. In no event shall any part of the sign posts be closer than ten feet from any right-of-way line;
6. Where the property upon which a sign is located abuts a resident zone on the side, the side yard required in a residential district shall be maintained in the commercial zone and the sign shall not be place any closer to the lot line than that required distance for a side yard in the residential zone; and
7. The design of freestanding signs over 25 feet in height shall bear a seal of a licensed professional engineer or architect and in no case shall the sign have an overall height exceeding 35 feet.
(e) Flat signs.
1. Flat signs shall be attached to buildings and parallel with the side upon which they are attached.
2. Flat signs shall not exceed an area greater than 10% of the area of the side of the building upon which they are attached; except that, a flat sign on any building may have an area of 48 square feet.
3. Flat signs shall not be higher than four feet above the roof line of buildings and must be incorporated into the building architecture as an integral part.
4. A flat sign may be placed upon each side of a building; but in no case shall there be more than four flat signs totally. However, no such sign shall face towards a residential district unless the building and the residential district are separated by a public street.
5. Where there are multiple uses on one parcel or lot of property, each use may have only two flat signs, and the total area of all signs may not exceed 10% of the area of the side of the building on which they are placed.
(f) Gasoline service stations, automobiles sales area and garages may display the following signs, in addition to the foregoing signs:
1. Two temporary signs may be located inside the property line that advertise special seasonal servicing. Each sign may not exceed nine square feet in area;
2. Directional signs or lettering displayed over individual entrance doors or bays; and
3. Customary lettering; insignias that are a structural part of the gasoline pump and non-illuminated credit cards.
(g) One rental or sale sign is permitted for each use or parcel of land. Such signs may not exceed nine square feet in area: and shall be removed within six months. The Board of Appeals may grant one extension of six months.
(h) Shopping center signs.
1. Shopping centers signs may have only two flat permitted commercial signs pertaining to each individual use, and one freestanding sign advertising such shopping center.
2. Such flat signs and freestanding signs of a shopping center shall comply in all other respects to the provisions of this chapter applying to commercial and industrial districts.
(i) Temporary signs are permitted in the commercial zone upon approval by the Zoning Administrator under the following conditions only. No temporary sign shall:
1. Be placed on any premises for a period of more than 15 days nor more frequently than one time in any three months. There shall be at least 30 days between each such interval and only one temporary sign is allowed for each parcel of property;
2. Exceed 60 square feet of area on any one side including border; and
3. Be placed within 25 feet of the edge of the pavement, but in no case within the road right-of-way or in any location that will obscure visibility of ingress or egress to and from property.
(j) The required zoning permit fee for signs are listed in the township’s schedule of fees.
(2) Reader board signs. All lawful wall and freestanding signs may include a reader board sign subject to the following regulations.
(a) For signs that are 50 square feet or less in area, the reader board shall consist of not more than 75% of the total allowable sign area. The area encompassing the reader board sign shall be considered part of the wall or freestanding sign for purposes of size limitations.
(b) For signs that exceed 50 square feet in area, the reader board shall not exceed 50% of the total allowable sign size. The area encompassing the reader board sign shall be considered part of the wall or freestanding sign for purposes of size limitations.
(c) For electronic reader board/digital display signs and multi-vision signs, the following requirements shall apply.
1. The sign shall not have any scrolling, animated, moving or flashing text displays or images.
2. The dwell time, defined as the interval or duration of each individual message between changes of messages, shall be at least ten seconds long and a change of message must be accomplished within one second or less. The dwell time shall not include the one second or less time it takes to change the message.
3. Such sign shall not: be brighter than is necessary for clear and adequate visibility; be of such intensity or brilliance as to impair or interfere with the vision of a motor vehicle driver with average eyesight or to otherwise interfere with the driver’s operation of a motor vehicle; and/or be of such intensity or brilliance that it interferes with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, device or signal. In order to ensure compliance with the above requirements, an electronic reader board or digital display sign shall not exceed a maximum illumination of 5,000 nits (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours and a maximum illumination of 500 nits (candelas per square meter) between dusk to dawn as measured at the sign’s face at maximum brightness.
(d) An electronic reader board/digital display sign may serve as a window sign, but shall not exceed more than 25% of the area of the window.
(e) Video display signs are prohibited in all zoning districts.
(f) For the purpose of this subchapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
NIT. A unit of illuminative brightness equal to one candela (12.5 lumens) per square meter, measured perpendicular to the rays of the source.
READER BOARD SIGN. One of the following.
a. MANUAL. A sign on which the letters or pictorials are changed manually.
b. ELECTRONIC READER BOARD/DIGITAL DISPLAY SIGN. A sign or portion thereof that displays electronic, pictorial or text information in which each alphanumeric character, graphic or symbol is defined by a small number of matrix elements using different combinations of light emitting diodes (LEDs), fiber optics, light bulbs or other illumination devices within the display area. Such signs include computer programmable, microprocessor controlled electronic displays.
c. MULTI-VISION SIGN. Any sign composed in whole or in part of a series of vertical or horizontal slats or cylinders that are capable of being rotated at intervals so that partial rotation of the group of slats or cylinders produces a different image or images.
VIDEO DISPLAY SIGN.
a. A sign that changes its message or background in a manner or method of display characterized by motion or pictorial imagery, which may or may not include text and depicts action or a special effect to imitate movement, the presentation of pictorials or graphics displayed in a progression of frames that give the illusion of motion, including, but not limited to, the illusion of moving objects, moving patterns or bands of light, or expanding or contracting shapes, not including electronic changeable copy signs.
b. VIDEO DISPLAY SIGNS include projected images or messages with these characteristics onto buildings or other objects.
(Ord. passed 7-12-2012, § 10.1)