# Sign Regulations in Bear Creek Township, Pennsylvania

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Bear Creek Township, Pennsylvania, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Bear Creek Township, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/bear-creek-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/27177254#27177254)

## At a glance

Bear Creek Township, Pennsylvania regulates 11 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Identification Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 10 ft (freestanding) or not higher than first story of building if attached tall and 2 sq ft, with a Not less than 10 ft from front lot line setback (Sec. §127-80A, §127-83A, §127-89). Most commercial signs in Bear Creek Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 7 | 10 ft (freestanding) or not higher than first story of building if attached | 60 sq ft | — |
| B-1 Zoning District | 3 | 18 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| B-2 Zoning District | 3 | 18 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| C-1 Zoning District | 2 | 18 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| A-1 Zoning District | 2 | 18 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| I-1 Zoning District | 3 | 18 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| PRD Zoning District | 1 | — | 60 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign | 10 ft (freestanding) or not higher than first story of building if attached | 2 sq ft | — | Not less than 10 ft from front lot line | Not more than 2 per property (excluding directional/informational); 3 for corner lot (§127-83J) | Must be on the zoning lot where the sign is located, setback not less than 10 ft from front lot line | — | §127-80A, §127-83A, §127-89 |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 8 sq ft | — | Not less than 10 ft from front lot line | — | On the lot offered for sale/rental, min. 10 ft setback from front lot line | — | §127-80D, §127-83C, §127-89 |
| Subdivision/Development Advertising Sign | — | 60 sq ft | — | Not less than 35 ft from front lot line | 1 | On property where lots/homes are for sale, min. 35 ft setback from front lot line | — | §127-80E, §127-82D, §127-83D, §127-89 |
| Institutional Sign | Max principal structure height in district | 30 sq ft | — | Not less than 10 ft from front lot line | — | Min. 10 ft from front lot line | — | §127-80F, §127-83E, §127-89 |
| On-site Directional and/or Informational Sign | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | Not less than 5 ft from property lines | Not limited (§127-83J exclusion) | Front/rear/side yard, min. 5 ft setback | — | §127-80G, §127-82F, §127-83F, §127-89 |
| Subdivision/Development Identification Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | Not less than 10 ft from front lot line | 1 per entrance | At entrance to subdivision/development, min. 10 ft from front lot line | — | §127-80H, §127-82H, §127-83H, §127-89 |
| Event Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | Not on tree, utility pole or within public right-of-way | — | §127-80J, §127-82J, §127-83I, §127-89 |

### B-1 Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Sign | 18 ft | 75 sq ft | — | Front: ≥25% of principal structure's required front setback or ≥10 ft; attached flat if existing structure is <10 ft setback; side/rear: per district principal structure setback (§127-84) | Max 2 per property, 3 on corner lot (excluding directional/informational) (§127-83J) | On premises | — | §127-80B, §127-82B, §127-83B(1)(c), §127-83B(3), §127-83B(4), §127-89 |
| Business Sign - Shopping Center/Integrated Development | — | 300 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On lot of shopping center or integrated grouping | — | §127-83B(2) |
| Electronic Message Board Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Permitted in B-1 | — | §127-80I, §127-82I, §127-88F, §127-89 |

### I-1 Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Sign | 18 ft | 150 sq ft | — | Front: ≥25% of principal structure's required front setback or ≥10 ft; attached flat if existing structure is <10 ft setback; side/rear: per district principal structure setback (§127-84) | Max 2 per property, 3 on corner lot (excluding directional/informational) (§127-83J) | On premises | — | §127-80B, §127-82B, §127-83B(1)(e), §127-83B(3), §127-83B(4), §127-89 |
| Business Sign - Shopping Center/Integrated Development | — | 300 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On lot of shopping center or integrated grouping | — | §127-83B(2) |
| Billboard or Off-Premises Advertising Sign | Not above district maximum height | 300 sq ft (per panel, double-faced allowed) | — | 200 ft from right-of-way center line, 200 ft from residential, 1000 ft from other billboards; side/rear: per district minimum for principal structure | Not more than 1 per standard; 1000 ft spacing | Min. 200 ft from residential structure/district; min. 200 ft from center line of public right-of-way; 1000 ft min. spacing between billboards | — | §127-80C, §127-82G, §127-83G |

## Prohibited signs in Bear Creek Township

- Signs located in such a position which endanger vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic by obscuring the site distance.
- Signs which by design and/or location may be confused with traffic signs or signals.
- Any sign located in or extending into a public right-of-way, including sidewalk areas, except an official street sign or traffic control sign.
- Any freestanding or projecting sign within an area bounded by the intersection of two public or private streets, for a distance of 20 feet along the center line of the right-of-way of such streets from the point of their intersection.
- Freestanding or projecting signs over any type of public right-of-way, including sidewalk areas.
- Sequential, flashing or oscillating signs, excluding an electronic message board sign as provided for in § 127-83I.
- Signs which due to their construction and/or location would constitute a hazard or a potential danger to the community.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bear Creek Township

- A zoning permit shall not be required for the erection, alteration or relocation of any sign that does not exceed eight square feet in surface area.
- Real estate signs and subdivision/land development signs are exempt from zoning permit requirements.
- Official street signs or traffic control signs are permitted in public rights-of-way.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 7 zoning districts in Bear Creek Township — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Bear+Creek+Township+PA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-bear-creek-township

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/bear-creek-township