Requirements for permits.
1. It shall be unlawful for any person, either directly, indirectly or by agent, to erect, alter or repair any sign or signs in the Township of Lower Southampton unless application for a permit shall have been made with the Zoning Officer and a permit shall have been issued therefor. An application for a permit shall be submitted to the Zoning Officer on the form supplied by it and shall be accompanied by the written consent of the owner desiring any sign to be erected, plans and specifications setting forth the character of the sign in all its structural parts, and an accurate sketch of the property designating the location of all existing and proposed signs. Compliance with the provisions of this part shall not relieve any person from the necessity of compliance with this chapter or any other Township ordinance, if applicable.
2. The Board of Supervisors
From time to time the Board shall adopt by resolution a fee schedule for the annual inspection of signs. The inspection fee shall be paid to the Township by all sign permittees in the manner and in the amount set forth in the resolution of the Board of Supervisors. The Zoning Officer shall revoke any and all sign permits issued to a permittee in the event that said permittee fails to pay the annual inspection fee in the manner prescribed by the resolution of the Board of Supervisors.
3. Exemptions.
No permit shall be required for the following types of signs, and they shall not be counted when calculating the number of signs on a premises, provided such signs conform with the general regulations for signs enumerated herein:
A. Name and address of resident, but not to include any commercial advertising, of not more than two square feet in sign area.
B. No-trespassing signs or other such signs regulating the use of a property, such as "No Hunting," "No Fishing," etc., of no more than two square feet in area in residential zones and five square feet in all commercial and industrial zones.
C. Real estate signs. Provided that not more than one sign is placed upon any property held in single or separate ownership unless such property fronts upon more than one street, in which event not more than one sign may be erected on each frontage. Said signs shall not exceeding five square feet in area in residential zones and 25 square feet in all commercial and industrial zones and shall advertise the sale, rental or lease of the premises upon which said signs are located. Such real estate signs shall be removed within 10 days after the premises advertised has been sold, rented or leased.
D. Bulletin boards for public, charitable or religious institutions, when located on the premises thereof and with a sign area of no more than 25 square feet if single-faced, nor more than 50 square feet if double-faced, each face of the sign being counted separately and then totaled in calculating sign area, and if used exclusively for noncommercial announcements.
E. Signs regulating on-premises traffic, parking or other functional subdivision, such as lavatory facilities, telephone; signs denoting other sections of a building, such as lubrication, office, etc., when less than five square feet in area and bearing no commercial advertising, as defined in this part.
F. Signs erected by a governmental body or under the direction of such a body and bearing no commercial advertising, such as traffic signs, railroad crossing signs, safety signs, signs identifying public schools and playgrounds, and the like.
G. Memorial signs or tablets and signs denoting the date of erection of buildings.
H. Flag, pennant or insignia of any government or of any religious, charitable or fraternal organization.
I. Temporary signs no larger than five square feet in area, advertising the sale of edible farm products produced on the premises or advertising auctions and special events of charitable or public service groups.
J. Permanent residential development signs not exceeding 25 square feet in area at major entrances, designed to identify a residential subdivision and containing no commercial advertising, when located within the setbacks contained in this chapter.
K. Signs identifying places of worship, when located on the premises thereof, and with a sign area of no more than 25 square feet.
L. Address of a nonresidential building or office, not including any commercial advertising, of not more than two square feet in sign area, provided there is no other sign on the property, and that should the name of the business or building be the same as the address, such sign will require a permit.
4. Issuance of permits.
The Zoning Officer shall act upon the application for permit approval within 10 days after its receipt in proper form and authorization. When the Zoning Officer has approved an application, a permit shall be issued within 10 days.
5. Appeals.
Whenever the applicant for a permit or the owner of the premises upon which the sign is to be erected is aggrieved by any decision of the Zoning Officer, such applicant or person may take an appeal to the Zoning Hearing Board, as provided under this chapter.
6. Annual inspection.
All signs in the Township of Lower Southampton for which permits are required under this part shall be subject to an annual inspection by the Zoning Officer. Such inspection shall take place within 90 days after the adoption of this part and shall be repeated annually, with each inspection being made within a thirty-day period of the anniversary date of the initial inspection.
Temporary, special and promotional signs.
Special events and promotional signs directing persons to temporary exhibits, shows, contests or other special events located in the Township may be erected, subject to the following requirements:
A. Signs shall not be posted earlier than one week before the occurrence of the event to which they relate.
B. The erector of such sign or signs shall first apply for and obtain a permit from the Zoning Officer and shall deposit with the Township, at the time of this application, the sum in an amount as established from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors as a guarantee that such signs will be removed promptly within 48 hours after the date of the event to which the signs or posters relate.
C. If such signs or posters are not removed at the end of the forty-eight-hour period, the Township shall have them removed and shall keep the full sum deposited as reimbursement for the expenses incurred by it and for general Township purposes.
D. The aforesaid deposit shall be in addition to the fees charged for the issuance of such permit under the provisions of this part.
General sign regulations.
A. It shall be unlawful for any company or individual to erect, repair or maintain electric signs, regardless of location in the Township, or nonelectrical signs which are higher than 20 feet at the highest point above grade, without submitting a certificate of insurance to the Zoning Officer in the amount of $100,000 and $300,000 liability and $25,000 property damage.
B. There shall be required prior to the erection or repair of electrical signs, regardless of the location in the Township, or nonelectrical signs which are more than 20 feet above grade, that a one-thousand-dollar performance bond be posted with the Zoning Officer, and in the event that the contractor does not perform in accordance with this part or the specifications which are approved by the Building Department for a specific installation, his one-thousand-dollar bond will be forfeited if corrections are not made after specific deficiencies are received in a written form from the Zoning Officer within 15 days after such written notice. Proceeds from such forfeited bonds are to be used by the Building Department to have corrections made which will bring such sign into conformity with all provisions of this part.
C. It shall be a requirement, before a permit is issued, for the bonded contractor to provide the Underwriters' Laboratory label number for such sign and construct said sign in accordance with Underwriters' Laboratory specifications.
