# Sign Regulations in Bell Acres Borough, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Bell Acres Borough, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/bell-acres-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/13264104#13264104)

## At a glance

Bell Acres Borough, Pennsylvania regulates 31 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Electronic Message Center Signs in the M3 District zoning district are capped at 6 feet tall and 40 square feet; electronic display portion max 10 sq ft, with a Minimum 10 feet from public road right of way or property line setback (Sec. § 165-86.A(4), § 165-95). Most commercial signs in Bell Acres Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M3 District | 6 | 25 feet to the bottom of the sign above ground level | 250 square feet | — |
| M1 District, M2 District | 5 | 11 feet from grade or curb | 40 square feet; electronic display portion max 10 sq ft | — |
| Residential districts, R1 District, R2 District, R3 District, R4 District, RR-1 District, Planned Residential Districts (PRDs) | 23 | 8 feet | 200 square inches | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### M3 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Billboard Sign | 25 feet to the bottom of the sign above ground level | 250 square feet | — | Minimum 5 feet from a street or property line | — | Only permitted in M3 District and not permitted on lots abutting or opposite R1, R2, R3, R4, or RR-1 District frontage | — | § 165-83.B |
| Parallel Sign | — | Based on formula | — | — | 1 per building; corner lots may divide permitted sign area between two walls | On building wall; must not extend beyond edge nor project more than 6 inches from surface | — | § 165-86.A(2), § 165-84.B, § 165-95 |
| Projecting Sign | — | Based on formula; included with parallel sign maximum area | — | — | 1 per building; see parallel sign | On building wall; shall not project more than 2 feet from wall, at least 8 feet above ground level, cannot extend beyond edge of wall | — | § 165-86.A(2), § 165-84.C, § 165-95 |
| Freestanding Business Sign | 11 feet from grade or curb to top of sign or framework | 8 square feet | 4 linear feet in length or height | — | 1 per property | On property; shall not overhang sidewalk | — | § 165-86.A(3), § 165-84.A, § 165-95 |
| Freestanding Brand Name Sign (Gasoline Service Stations) | 7 feet to the bottom of the sign | 20 square feet | — | — | 1 per gasoline service station | On property | — | § 165-86.A(3)(e), § 165-95 |
| Electronic Message Center Sign | 6 feet | 40 square feet; electronic display portion max 10 sq ft | — | Minimum 10 feet from public road right of way or property line | 1 per nonresidential property in lieu of a freestanding sign | Adjacent to Big Sewickley Creek Road right of way only; minimum 10 ft from public road right of way/property line | — | § 165-86.A(4), § 165-95 |

### M1 District, M2 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Parallel Sign | — | Based on formula | — | — | 1 per building; corner lots may divide permitted sign area between two walls | On building wall; must not extend beyond edge nor project more than 6 inches from surface | — | § 165-86.A(2), § 165-84.B, § 165-95 |
| Projecting Sign | — | Based on formula; included with parallel sign maximum area | — | — | 1 per building; see parallel sign | On building wall; shall not project more than 2 feet from wall, at least 8 feet above ground level, cannot extend beyond edge of wall | — | § 165-86.A(2), § 165-84.C, § 165-95 |
| Freestanding Business Sign | 11 feet from grade or curb | 8 square feet | 4 linear feet in length or height | — | 1 per property | On property; shall not overhang sidewalk | — | § 165-86.A(3), § 165-84.A, § 165-95 |
| Freestanding Brand Name Sign (Gasoline Service Stations) | 7 feet to the bottom of the sign | 20 square feet | — | — | 1 per gasoline service station | On property | — | § 165-86.A(3)(e), § 165-95 |
| Electronic Message Center Sign | 6 feet | 40 square feet; electronic display portion max 10 sq ft | — | Minimum 10 feet from public road right of way or property line | 1 per nonresidential property in lieu of a freestanding sign | Adjacent to Big Sewickley Creek Road right of way only; minimum 10 ft from public road right of way/property line | — | § 165-86.A(4), § 165-95 |

### Residential districts, R1 District, R2 District, R3 District, R4 District, RR-1 District, Planned Residential Districts (PRDs)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nonconforming Use Sign | — | 12 square feet per side | — | — | 1 per property | In connection with lawfully maintained nonconforming use | — | § 165-85.A(6) |
| For Sale/Rent Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per property | On premises, must be within property line | — | § 165-85.A(7) |
| Residential Plan Identification Sign | 6 feet (if freestanding/sign wall) | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per plan/subdivision/building | Wall or ground; not in road right-of-way | — | § 165-85.A(12) |
| Park Monument Sign | 5 feet | 80 square feet | — | Min. 10 feet from public road right-of-way | 1 ground monument sign per public road on which park abuts | Along frontage of public roads abutting parks >2.5 acres | — | § 165-85.A(13)(a) |
| Dugout Structure Sign | — | 8 square feet | — | — | 1 per dugout | Affixed to back of dugout | — | § 165-85.A(13)(b) |
| Concession Stand Sign | — | 10 square feet per structure; plus 12 sq ft per awning (lettering/logos); plus 1 bronze/cast aluminum plaque (3 sq ft) | — | — | 1 per concession stand; each awning may have additional signage | Affixed to concession stand | — | § 165-85.A(13)(c) |
| Scoreboard Structure Sign | — | Scoreboard 140 sq ft; Identification letters max 20 sq ft | — | — | Per scoreboard | On scoreboard structure in park | — | § 165-85.A(13)(d) |
| Temporary Fundraising Monument Sign (Park Development) | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — | Set out of the public right-of-way | 1 per property | Out of public right-of-way | — | § 165-85.A(13)(h) |

## Prohibited signs in Bell Acres Borough

- Directly illuminated signs are not permitted.
- Festoon lighting is not permitted.
- Flashing signs are not permitted in any district.
- Off-premises signs are not permitted except as noted in specific sections.
- No sign shall be so located or arranged that it interferes with traffic through glare, through blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets, sidewalks or driveways, through confusion with a traffic control device, or through any other means.
- All signs except temporary signs must be constructed of durable material and kept in good condition and repair.
- No signs, except those of a duly constituted governmental body, including traffic signs and similar regulatory notices, shall be allowed within street lines.
- No portion of any freestanding or projecting sign shall be located over the public right-of-way.
- If a freestanding or projecting sign cannot comply with the requirement to not be over the right-of-way, it is prohibited on such properties.
- Any vehicle to which a sign is affixed in such a manner that the sign is no longer incidental to the vehicle's primary purpose but becomes a primary purpose in itself shall be considered a freestanding sign and must comply with freestanding sign rules.
- Freestanding signs shall not overhang sidewalks.
- Parallel signs shall not extend beyond the edge of the wall or surface to which they are mounted or project more than six inches from the surface.
- Projecting signs shall not project more than two feet from the wall or surface to which they are mounted, nor extend beyond the edge, and must be at least eight feet above the ground; they must not interfere with normal pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- No sign shall violate the corner visibility restrictions in § 165-36.
- Freestanding roof signs are prohibited in residential districts.
- Window signs are restricted to temporary signs made from nonpermanent materials such as paper.
- No billboard sign shall interfere with normal pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- No billboard sign shall be erected or maintained on lots abutting or opposite residential (R1, R2, R3, R4 or RR-1) district frontage.
- No billboard face shall be located closer than five feet from a street or property line.
- No billboard shall be erected within 500 feet of an existing billboard along the same direction of travel.
- No sign types other than those specifically permitted in a given district are allowed.
- The use of streaming video or full-motion video on any sign is prohibited.
- All drawings, messages, and graphics displayed on electronic signs must be static; animation and video displays are prohibited.
- Electronic message center signs must not have movement or the appearance or optical illusion of movement or varying light intensity of any part of the sign structure, design or pictorial segment.
- No sign may be erected or maintained that does not conform to the provisions of the article and other municipal ordinances or regulations.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bell Acres Borough

- Signs of a duly constituted governmental body, including traffic signs, legal notices, street name signs, warnings at railroad crossings, and similar regulatory or official notices authorized or erected by a governmental body, are allowed within street lines and are exempt from size and location restrictions.
- Signs necessary for direction, regulation, and control of traffic, street name signs, legal notices, warnings at railroad crossings, and other official signs as authorized or erected by a duly constituted governmental body are exempt.
- Flags representing governmental, educational or religious organizations are permitted.
- Memorial signs, historical signs or tablets, and veteran or civil service memorial signs or historical signs and tablets (within size limits) are permitted.
- Temporary nonilluminated signs of mechanics or artisans performing work on premises (with removal upon completion and size limits) are permitted.
- Residential identification signs with name and address (within size and location limits) are permitted.
- Within Borough, School District, and nonprofit parks of over 2.5 acres, certain ground monument, dugout, concession, scoreboard, and temporary fundraising signs are permitted as per regulated types and sizes.
- Street and driveway identification signs, handicapped parking signs, speed limit signs and other traffic control signs needed to control and direct traffic are permitted within parks.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Plans must indicate the location, size and character of any sign within a Planned Residential Development (PRD) (§165-117B).
- All internal sign installations and lighting of signs in a PRD must meet the standards set forth in Article VI (§165-117A).
- All billboard signs shall be approved by the Zoning Officer in compliance with Article VI.
- All signs as defined in §165-81 over six square feet in area require the issuance of a zoning permit before erection or replacement (§165-95).

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

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