# Sign Regulations in Bedford Borough, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Bedford Borough, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/bedford-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Bedford Borough, Pennsylvania regulates 19 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Central Commercial (C-1), Highway Commercial (C-2), Commercial/Manufacturing/Residential (CMR) zoning district are capped at C-1: 15 ft; C-2 & CMR: 35 ft tall and 25 sq ft, with a 10 ft from property line; see note (a) for intersection visibility setback (Sec. §150.58 Table A, Table C, Table D, §150.43, §150.61). Most commercial signs in Bedford Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential - Single-Family (R-1), Residential - Single-Family (R-2), Residential - Multi-Family (R-3) | 10 | — | 25 sq ft aggregated area (all entities except specified); yard sale: 4 sq ft/sign; pennants: 15 sq ft/side | — |
| Residential and Business/Professional Offices (R-4) | 12 | 40 inches | 25 sq ft aggregated area (most); yard sale: 4 sq ft/sign; pennants: 15 sq ft/side | — |
| Central Commercial (C-1), Highway Commercial (C-2), Commercial/Manufacturing/Residential (CMR) | 17 | 40 inches | 50 sq ft | — |
| Historic District | 1 | — | — | — |

_1 additional zoning district is covered in PermitPal (free account)._

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### Residential - Single-Family (R-1), Residential - Single-Family (R-2), Residential - Multi-Family (R-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Marker | — | — | — | — | — | Attached to building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (d) |
| Identification Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (c) |
| Incidental Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Freestanding or building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (e) |
| Campaign/Political Signs | — | — | — | — | — | Private property - behind the sidewalk, ten feet behind the curb or edge of roadway | — | §150.47(G), §150.58 Table A note (j) |
| Flag | — | — | — | — | — | Attached to building or on private property; if over sidewalk, bottom at least 6.5 ft above; if over road, bottom at least 14 ft above | — | §150.47(A), §150.58 Table A note (g) |
| Temporary Sign | — | 25 sq ft aggregated area (all entities except specified); yard sale: 4 sq ft/sign; pennants: 15 sq ft/side | — | — | Yard sale: 4 signs max | As specified in permit application; yard sale signs on private property (see §150.50(B)(1)) | — | §150.50 |
| Suspended Sign | — | 3 sq ft; in R-4 business: 6 sq ft | — | — | — | Under horizontal plane surface on building | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, notes (b), (e) |
| Wall Sign | — | 6 sq ft; in R-4 business: 25 sq ft | — | — | — | Parallel to wall, within 6 inches, or painted on wall | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, notes (b), (d) |

### Residential and Business/Professional Offices (R-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Marker | — | — | — | — | — | Attached to building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (d) |
| Identification Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (c) |
| Incidental Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Freestanding or building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (e) |
| Campaign/Political Signs | — | — | — | — | — | Private property - behind the sidewalk, ten feet behind the curb or edge of roadway | — | §150.47(G), §150.58 Table A note (j) |
| Portable Sign | 40 inches | 24 inches wide x 40 inches high max | 24 inches | — | 1 per business (2 for corner businesses with entrance on each street) | On building side of sidewalk, maintaining 6 ft from curb | — | §150.51 |
| Suspended Sign | — | 3 sq ft (6 sq ft for certain business/professional offices) | — | — | — | Under horizontal overhangs/awnings/etc | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, notes (b), (e) |
| Wall Sign | — | 6 sq ft residential; legal business/professional offices: 25 sq ft | — | — | — | Parallel to wall, within 6 inches, or painted on wall | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, note (d) |
| Temporary Sign | — | 25 sq ft aggregated area (most); yard sale: 4 sq ft/sign; pennants: 15 sq ft/side | — | — | Yard sale: 4 signs max | As specified in application | — | §150.50 |

### Central Commercial (C-1), Highway Commercial (C-2), Commercial/Manufacturing/Residential (CMR)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Marker | — | — | — | — | — | Attached to building | — | §150.58 Table A, note (d) |
| Freestanding Sign | C-1: 15 ft; C-2 & CMR: 35 ft | 25 sq ft | — | 10 ft from property line; see note (a) for intersection visibility | 1 per 60 ft street frontage | Freestanding on lot, 10 ft setback from property line | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, Table D, §150.43, §150.61 |
| Banner (Freestanding or Building) | — | 25 sq ft aggregated area for temporary banners; community/church/nonprofit: as determined by Council | — | — | — | Freestanding or building | — | §150.58 Table A, notes (a), (h), (i), (f), §150.50 |
| Pennant (Freestanding or Building) | — | 15 sq ft per side | — | — | — | Freestanding/building | — | §150.58 Table A, notes (a), (h), (i), (f), §150.50 |
| Temporary Sign | — | 25 sq ft aggregated area all other entities; community/church/charitable/institutional: as determined by Council | — | — | — | As specified in application | — | §150.58 Table A, §150.50 |
| Portable Sign | 40 inches | 24 inches wide x 40 inches high max | 24 inches | — | 1 per business except 2 at qualifying corner | On building side of sidewalk, at least 6 ft from curb | — | §150.51 |
| Suspended Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | Under horizontal overhang/canopy | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, §150.61 |
| Wall Sign | — | 50 sq ft | — | — | — | Parallel to wall, within 6 inches, or painted | — | §150.58 Table A, Table C, §150.61 |

## Prohibited signs in Bedford Borough

- All signs not expressly permitted under the sign ordinance or exempt from regulation are prohibited within the borough.
- Beacons are prohibited.
- Animated signs are prohibited.
- Strings of lights not permanently mounted to a rigid background are prohibited, except for exempt holiday decorations.
- Inflatable signs and tethered balloons are prohibited.
- Window signs that obstruct any portion of the window opening or door opening are prohibited, except for signs made of paper, cardboard, or vinyl letters/appliques affixed to the interior surface or painted directly on the windows.
- No signs shall be allowed in the public right-of-way except as specifically listed (certain government/public signs, special event signs if approved, emergency signs, and flags with specific mounting requirements).
- Any sign installed or placed on public property, except as permitted, shall be forfeited to the public and subject to confiscation, with the borough entitled to recover the cost of removal/disposal.
- No sign permit of any kind shall be issued for an existing or proposed sign unless it is consistent with the requirements of the ordinance (including requirements for existing signs).
- No signs shall be erected on utility poles or trees within the right-of-way of any street.
- No signs shall be posted on private property without the consent and approval of the owner.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bedford Borough

- Flags are exempt, provided any flag attached to a building or structure overhanging a sidewalk is at least 6.5 feet above the surface and does not obstruct the view of vehicle operators, and any flag overhanging a roadway is at least 14 feet above the roadway (otherwise, such a flag is regulated as a pennant sign).
- Public notices or warning signs required by valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance are exempt.
- Signs inside buildings that are not attached to or legible from a window, window frame, window opening, door, door frame, or door opening, and that are not legible from more than 10 feet beyond the lot line, are exempt.
- Works of art that do not include a commercial message are exempt.
- Holiday lights and decorations with no commercial message are exempt.
- Traffic control signs on private property that meet Department of Transportation standards and contain no commercial message are exempt.
- Campaign/political signs are exempt, provided they are erected only on private property (behind the sidewalk or 10 feet behind the curb or edge of roadway), do not create a traffic hazard by obstructing the visibility of vehicle operators or pedestrians, and are removed within 72 hours after polls close.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A permit is required before placing, constructing, erecting, or modifying a permanent sign that requires a permit; such permits are obtained through application to the Zoning Officer with detailed plans (dimensions, design, structure, and location) as per §150.49. One application can include multiple signs on the same lot.
- A permit is required for all temporary signs (other than yard sale), with application at least 7 days in advance and approval by the Borough Council Sign Committee, including plans/specs as specified in §150.50.
- Yard sale sign permits require application to the Zoning Officer or designee, with locations and designs specified.
- Portable signs require a portable sign permit and approval from the Borough Manager or Borough Sign Committee, as set forth in §150.51.
- No sign requiring a permit can be erected without first securing the necessary permit; all permanent signs identified as 'S' in Table A (§150.58) require a permit.
- A permit to erect or maintain any sign is not issued unless the owner certifies (and maintains) public liability insurance at specified minimums (§150.56); lapses in insurance cause the sign to become unlawful and subject to removal.
- All permitted signs must be constructed of permanent materials and permanently attached to the ground or structure, except flags, pennants, temporary signs, and window signs (§150.45).
- If located in the Historic District, permits and plans for permanent signs are also subject to review by the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB) for compliance with Historic District requirements.
- Temporary freestanding signs for special events in the public right-of-way require specific Borough Council approval (§150.46, §150.50, Table A note (k)).

## 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 5 zoning districts in Bedford Borough — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Bedford+Borough+PA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-bedford-borough

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