A. Exempt signs. The signs referred to in § 430-280 will comply with the restrictions stated therein.
B. Shielding of signs. Any sign which is illuminated shall be shielded in such a manner as to prevent direct rays of light from being cast beyond the property line of the site.
C. Signs over public right-of-way. No portion of any sign shall be located within or suspended over a public right-of-way or pedestrian walkway.
D. Setback from residential district. No sign shall be located in a required buffer area. No sign shall be located closer than 10 feet to any residential property line or closer than 20 feet if the sign is illuminated; and, further, shrubbery or another suitable device shall be provided as a visual barrier between the sign and adjoining residential properties.
E. Directional signs. Directional signs for the convenience of the general public to identify parking areas, loading zones, entrances, exits and similar signs shall not exceed four square feet in area and shall be limited in number as deemed reasonable and appropriate by the Zoning Officer to accomplish the sign's purpose.
F. Temporary signs. Temporary signs, exclusive of temporary window signs, shall not remain in place for a period exceeding six months, but a temporary sign may remain in place for an additional six-month period upon application to and approval by the Township Zoning Officer. No temporary sign shall be placed in such a position to cause a danger to traffic by obscuring visibility. Temporary signs shall be removed by the person owning such sign or by the owner of the structure or building or premises upon which such sign is affixed.
G. Special events signs. The Zoning Officer shall issue permits for the erection of temporary signs for and in connection with special events in the community, as authorized by the Township Council or proclaimed by the Mayor. Any such sign shall not be erected more than 30 days prior to commencement of the event and shall be removed within 10 days after the event has taken place; and provided, further, that:
(1) The sign shall have no single dimension exceeding 40 feet, nor area greater than 80 square feet.
(2) The type of sign will not violate any of the prohibited sign features or any of the prohibited sign provisions, with the exception of § 430-282G.
H. Miscellaneous provisions.
(1) No existing sign shall be enlarged, rebuilt, structurally altered or relocated except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and until a permit has been issued by the Zoning Officer. The issuance of a permit shall not relieve the owner or lessees of the premises from the duty of maintaining safely any of the structures.
(2) No sign of any description shall be installed, erected, enlarged, constructed or maintained in such manner as to obstruct any fire escape or any window or door, nor shall any sign be attached in any manner to a fire escape.
(3) Every sign constructed or maintained shall be plainly marked with the name of the person, firm or corporation erecting or maintaining such sign.
(4) The area of a sign shall include every part of the sign, including moldings, frames, posts, pylons or other supporting members.
(5) Where the face of a sign has openings, if it is an irregular shape or is composed of individual letters, the area of the sign, exclusive of supporting members, shall be considered as the total surface area including openings.
(6) Unless otherwise provided for, all signs shall relate to the premises on which they are erected.
(7) Only one side of a freestanding sign will be used to measure size limitations.
I. Canopies, awnings and marquees. Awnings are permitted in all Business Districts, as regulated by § 430-288B(5). Canopies, awnings and marquees containing signage (B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4 and B-5) shall be considered to be a business sign. Awnings attached to a building shall be permitted to extend a maximum of three feet into the front yard setback.
J. Illumination.
(1) No sign shall be an illuminated sign except as provided herein.
(2) No monument sign shall be illuminated externally from the ground by more than two floodlights per surface of said sign. Such lighting shall be at grade and properly directed.
(3) All signage lighting shall be shielded so as not to produce glare or offensive light off the property.
(4) Flashing signs, highly reflective glass, or fluorescent paint (red or green) and illuminated tubing or similar outlining roofs, doors, windows or wall edges of a building, are prohibited.
(5) No sign shall be artificially illuminated after 11:00 p.m. or before 7:00 a.m. unless said premises are occupied and attended.
(6) No ground-mounted lighting shall be used for lighting a sign that exceeds eight feet in height.
A. Administration. The Zoning Officer shall only issue a permit for the erection or construction of a sign which meets the requirements of this article and, where applicable, in accordance with site plans.
B. Filing procedure. Application.
(1) No sign shall be erected, altered, located or relocated within the Township except upon application and issuance of a permit as hereinafter provided.
(a) Application for a permit for residential signs. Application for a permit for a sign for premises used for residential purposes shall be made in writing to the Zoning Officer and presented together with the appropriate filing fee. Such application shall be sufficient to describe the premises and the location at which the sign is to be affixed, together with a rendering of the sign, inclusive of its dimensions, design and color. The applicant shall also be provided a statement as to the means by which said sign shall be constructed on the premises. The Zoning Officer shall act upon such application within 15 days of the receipt thereof.
(b) Application for a permit for nonresidential signs. Any sign modification associated with a change in occupancy or ownership necessitates an application for a sign permit. Application for a permit for a permitted nonresidential sign conforming to the regulations set forth herein shall be made in writing to the Zoning Officer. Such application shall be sufficient to describe the premises and location at which the sign is to be affixed and shall include at a minimum the following: name and address of applicant and owner of premises; a statement indicating owner has consented to application, if the applicant is other than the owner; a rendering to scale of the sign, reflecting its composition, colors, dimensions, elevation from grade level and lighting; the address of the premises; specification and location of all existing signs; the sight distances, in the case of freestanding signs, with relation to accessways to the premises on which the sign is to be located and adjacent premises; the information to be stated on the sign, and the method by which said sign shall be secured.
(c) All applications under review by the Planning or Zoning Board of the Township shall submit details of all proposed signage for review by said approving authority. Such application shall be in writing and, upon notice and a public hearing where the same is required by law, submitted at least 30 days before the next meeting preceding the succeeding public meeting date of the appropriate authority, together with a filing fee as hereinafter set forth.
(d) Application for a permit for a sign which does not comply with the provisions of this article shall be submitted to the appropriate approving authority, including any sign associated with a change of occupancy or ownership which does not comply with the provisions set forth herein. Such application shall be in writing and, upon notice and a public hearing where the same is required by law, submitted at least 30 days before the next meeting preceding the succeeding public meeting date of the appropriate authority, together with a filing fee as hereinafter set forth.
C. Issuance of permit.
(1) A permit shall be issued by the Zoning Officer upon the favorable action of the approving authority, subject to any other applicable governmental regulations, or as otherwise provided herein.
(2) A permit for the replacement of an existing sign may be issued by the Zoning Officer without the necessity of Board approval only upon satisfaction of all of the following conditions:
(a) There is no physical alteration or expansion to the existing sign beyond the limits permitted herein;
(b) The sign conforms in all respects to the ordinance provisions provided herein;
(c) No other signage is proposed to be added to the premises beyond that which is permitted herein.
D. Fee schedules.
(1) At the time of the filing for a permanent sign permit, the following fee shall be paid by the applicant to the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills: $2 per square foot of surface area of the sign, computed by one side only for double-faced signs. The minimum fee shall be $25.
(2) The applicant for a temporary sign permit shall pay a twenty-five-dollar fee, which may be renewed after the initial six-month period upon payment of an additional fee of $25. Temporary signs for and in connection with special events in the community will be issued permits without a fee.
(1) Computation of area of individual signs. The area of a sign face shall be computed by drawing a square or rectangle that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem, or other display, together with the sign frame and any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, or by delineating the area established by reason of distinctive variation in background color or by borders, whichever is greater.
(2) Computation of area of multifaced signs. The sign area for a sign with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point. When two identical sign faces are placed back to back, so that both faces cannot be viewed from any one point at the same time, and when such sign faces are part of the same sign structure and are not more than 42 inches apart at any point, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
(3) Computation of height. The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign.
The following signs shall be permitted in the RCW, R-R, R-1, R-1M, R-2, R-2M, R-3, R-3 and 3A (RCA), R-4, R-5, AHD-1&2, APRD-2, PRD and PRD-2 Districts:
A. Temporary signs advertising the sale, rental or development of a lot or premises shall be permitted, provided that:
(1) Not more than one sign shall be erected on any one street frontage.
(2) No one side of a sign shall exceed four square feet in area.
(3) No sign shall be located closer than 10 feet to a street.
(4) No sign shall be illuminated in any manner.
(5) No sign shall exceed five feet in height.
B. Other signs are permitted in accordance with the following regulations:
(1) One residential nameplate sign, situated within the property lines and not exceeding one square foot.
(2) One sign advertising a farm or nursery activity, situated not less than 20 feet from any street or property line and not exceeding six square feet in area on any one side.
(3) One sign located on the premises of and identifying a public building, playground, community center, quasi-public building, church or other similar uses and not exceeding 20 square feet in area on any one surface and located not less than 10 feet from any lot line.
(4) One sign to identify a permitted home occupation or professional office, which does not exceed one square foot on any one side. (Except AHD-1&2 Districts; see § 430-250.)
(5) Identifying signs for garden apartments shall not exceed 24 square feet and shall not exceed eight feet in height or six feet in width. The sign shall be a permanent structure and shall not be located less than 10 feet from the lot lines. (Except AHD-1&2 Districts; see § 430-250.)
A. The following signs shall be permitted in the B-1, B-2, O-1, O-2 and O-3 Districts:
(1) Temporary signs advertising the sale, rental and development of a site shall be permitted, provided that:
(a) No more than one such sign shall be permitted per street frontage.
(b) No one surface of any such sign shall exceed 24 square feet in area.
(c) No such sign shall exceed six feet in height.
(d) No such sign shall be located less than 25 feet from any lot line.
(e) No such sign shall be illuminated in any manner.
(2) Signs attached to buildings shall be permitted as follows:
(a) No sign shall exceed 1.5 square feet in area for each one foot of linear width of the front building wall on which the sign is to be located, provided that no sign may exceed 85% of the front wall of the storefront that is occupied.
(b) No sign shall exceed 150 square feet in total area. All signs shall be placed on the front area of the building.
(c) Such signs shall advertise only such business as is conducted on the premises and be limited to one such sign per business.
(d) Such signs shall not project more than 18 inches from the building facade to which they are attached; provided, however, that where a sign extends more than three inches from the face of the wall, the bottom edge of the sign shall not be less than 10 feet from the ground or have a vertical dimension in excess of five feet.
(e) No sign shall be higher than 25 feet from the ground.
(f) Such signs may be internally lighted with nonglaring lights or may be illuminated by shielded floodlights and must be on and designed to be visible from the principal access frontage.
(g) One additional identifying sign shall be permitted for a business which fronts on two or more streets, provided that the total permitted sign area is not increased.
(3) Freestanding signs shall be permitted as follows:
(a) No more than one such sign shall be permitted per street frontage.
(b) No one surface of any such sign shall exceed 60 square feet in area.
(c) Freestanding signs shall be no higher than 15 feet or the height of the principal building, whichever is the lesser, and the maximum width of any one side of the sign shall not exceed 15 feet, and the bottom of the sign shall not be closer than 10 feet from the ground level of the sign.
(d) A freestanding sign shall be set back at a minimum distance of 15 feet from the front lot line or a distance equal to its height, but in no case less than 15 feet from the front lot line.
(e) Such signs may be internally lighted with nonglaring lights or may be illuminated by shielded floodlights.
(4) Shopping centers.
(a) The temporary sign provisions of this section shall apply to shopping centers.
(b) Freestanding signs in shopping centers shall be permitted as follows:
[1] One freestanding sign per main driveway entrance to identify the shopping center and the occupants therein, not to exceed 100 square feet. The total area of such signs shall not exceed 200 square feet and shall not be closer to one another than 1,500 feet.
[2] No such sign shall exceed 20 feet in height.
[3] Such signs shall be located so that the plane of the largest surface area of such sign is perpendicular to the road and set back at least 1/2 the distance of the required front yard depth of the zoning district in which the sign is located, and no sign shall encroach upon the side yard setbacks.
[4] The freestanding signs herein provided for shall be in lieu of all other freestanding signs in this section.
(c) A unified design theme shall be provided which integrates the architectural design, materials and colors of the primary structure, facade signs, freestanding signs, awnings, landscaping and lighting fixtures.
(d) The following regulations shall apply to building-mounted signs:
[1] Such sign shall be restricted to the front wall area.
[2] No sign shall exceed 1.5 square feet in area for each one-foot linear width of the front building wall on which the sign is to be located, provided that no sign may exceed 85% of the front wall of the storefront that is occupied, and further provided that no sign shall exceed 150 square feet in total area.
(5) Monument signs. Monument signs may be permitted in lieu of the freestanding signs permitted in § 430-287A(3). Monument signs shall conform to the following standards:
(a) One monument sign identifying the development shall be permitted per street frontage.
(b) The total area of the monument sign, including sign face and support structure, shall be limited to 50 square feet.
(c) The height of the sign shall not exceed a height of six feet above the grade.
(d) The monument sign shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet from any property line.
(6) Gasoline station signage is regulated as follows:
(a) One freestanding identification sign which may include the company or brand name, insignia or emblem shall be permitted, provided that the sign not exceed 32 square feet in area on each side. The freestanding sign shall be located a minimum of ten feet from all property lines and shall not exceed 20 feet in height. The sign shall have an open area of not less than 10 feet between the baseline of the sign and the ground level. In addition, a unit pricing sign may be affixed to the freestanding sign; such sign shall not exceed 25 square feet in area.
(b) The gasoline pump structure may include signage, which is limited to an emblem or insignia, brand name of gasoline, lead warning sign, price indicator, and other sign required by law, provided that this signage shall be limited to two square feet per pump.
(c) One wall identification sign shall be permitted, except where a building has street frontage on more than one street; in which case, one additional sign (facing the second street) shall be permitted. The wall sign shall not project more than six inches from the building, nor be attached to the wall at a height of less than eight feet above grade. The wall sign shall be limited to 20 square feet in size.
(d) In the event there is a canopy that is located over the pump island, one sign limited to the brand name, insignia, or emblem of the station shall be permitted per canopy side, provided that each sign does not exceed an area of 10% of the canopy face and provided that, if the canopy face fronts on a residential zone or use, no signage on that face shall be permitted.
(7) Awnings and awning signs. Awning signs are permitted in the B-1 and B-2 Districts as regulated by § 430-288B(5).
B. Direction/identification signs in the O-1, O-2 and O-3 Districts shall be permitted as follows:
(1) One direction sign shall be permitted in lieu of all other signs. Said sign shall include name and identification of the building and its occupants and may not exceed 32 square feet if affixed to the building and 25 square feet if freestanding. Said freestanding sign shall not be less than five feet and no more than 10 feet from the ground and, minimally, 10 feet from the property line.
