# Sign Regulations in Brecknock Township, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Brecknock Township, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/brecknock-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/7100989#7100989)

## At a glance

Brecknock Township, Pennsylvania regulates 16 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Advertising Sign)s in the Neighborhood Commercial (NC), Highway Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Mineral Recovery (MR) zoning district are capped at 18 ft to top of sign, 20 ft to top of sign support tall and 32 sq ft, with a 10 ft from any right-of-way or property line setback (Sec. § 110-84H(2), § 110-84H(5), § 110-85C(1)-(2)). Most commercial signs in Brecknock Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Neighborhood Commercial (NC), Highway Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Mineral Recovery (MR) | 4 | 18 ft to top of sign, 20 ft to top of sign support | 100 sq ft or 15% of the wall area, whichever is less | — |
| Highway Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Agricultural-2 Zoning District | 1 | 25 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 25 ft (when crossing a street); banners must be at least 16 ft above cartway | 16 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Neighborhood Commercial (NC), Highway Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Mineral Recovery (MR)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Advertising Sign) | — | 100 sq ft or 15% of the wall area, whichever is less | — | — | — | On the premises to which the sign relates, attached to the building wall | — | § 110-84H(1), § 110-85D(3), § 110-85D(1)-(2) |
| Freestanding Sign (Advertising Sign) | 18 ft to top of sign, 20 ft to top of sign support | 32 sq ft | — | 10 ft from any right-of-way or property line | — | On the premises to which the sign relates | — | § 110-84H(2), § 110-84H(5), § 110-85C(1)-(2) |
| Window Sign (Advertising Sign) | — | 30% of total glass area | — | — | — | Within windows on building front | — | § 110-84H(3) |
| Center Sign | — | 32 sq ft for center; individual occupant signs up to 4 sq ft each | — | 10 ft from street right-of-way line | One per entrance | At the entrance to the complex; on premises | — | § 110-84I(1)-(5) |

### Highway Commercial (HC), Light Industrial (LI), Agricultural-2 Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Billboard | 25 ft | 300 sq ft | — | 30 ft from any street or right-of-way | — | Permitted only in designated districts and must be at least 30 ft from any street or right-of-way | — | § 110-84J(1)-(7) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Trespassing Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises to which the sign relates | — | § 110-84A, § 110-87B |
| Home Occupation or Name Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | — | — | On the premises to which the sign relates, attached to building | — | § 110-84B |
| Identification Sign (Schools, Churches, Hospitals, Fraternal Clubs, Lodges, Farms, Residential and Public Parks) | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises to which sign relates | — | § 110-84C |
| Contractor Sign (Temporary) | — | 6 sq ft | — | At least 10 ft from road right-of-way or at building face (whichever is less) | — | On premises to which sign relates; set back at least 10 ft from road right-of-way or at the building face | — | § 110-84D, § 110-87G |
| Special Event Sign/Banner (Temporary) | 25 ft (when crossing a street); banners must be at least 16 ft above cartway | 16 sq ft (sign), 32 sq ft (banner) | — | — | — | On premises or crossing street for banner with utility company approval | — | § 110-84E, § 110-87H |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises for sale/lease or with property owner consent | — | § 110-84F, § 110-87C |
| Business Directional Sign | 6 ft | 3 sq ft | — | — | Max 6 per business | Various locations with landowner permission | — | § 110-84K |
| Roof Sign | May extend no higher than building height limit for district, measured at ground level. | 15% of front wall area or 100 sq ft, whichever is less | No greater than 2/3 of the length of wall to which it is parallel | — | — | On top of the building roof | — | § 110-85F(1)-(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Brecknock Township

- No sign shall be maintained in such a state of disrepair as to have the appearance of complete neglect, be rotting, falling down, illegible, or have loose parts separated from original fastenings.
- If a sign becomes unsafe, the owner must make it safe or remove it within five days of written notice.
- No temporary signs shall be permitted except as authorized elsewhere in this Article.
- No permanent sign shall be located within a street right-of-way, except certain approved signs.
- No sign shall be located within the clear sight triangle of any street intersection or in positions endangering traffic by obstructing vision.
- Any sign within a floodplain must receive approval as a special exception.
- No sign shall be erected or located so as to prevent free ingress and egress from any window, door or fire escape.
- No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct ventilation or light from a building.
- No overhead sign shall have a clearance of less than eight feet above any pedestrian walk.
- No sign parallel to a building shall project more than 12 inches over a public sidewalk; no sign perpendicular to a building shall project more than 48 inches over a public sidewalk.
- No sign shall imitate or be confused with an official traffic sign or signal, including words like 'Stop' or 'Danger' or red, green or yellow lights.
- No sign or window display shall include a revolving beam or beacon of light resembling emergency vehicles or facilities.
- No sign shall advertise activities or products illegal under federal, state, or local laws or regulations.
- No sign shall include statements, words or pictures that are vulgar, obscene or pornographic.
- No animated, sequential, intermittent, flashing, rotating or oscillating signs shall be permitted except for time-and-temperature signs.
- No sign shall emit smoke, visible vapors, particles, sound or odor.
- No sign shall be placed on a vehicle when the vehicle is used primarily for displaying a sign.
- No open flames shall be permitted as part of a sign or to attract attention.
- Advertising painted or displayed upon a barn or structure is considered a sign and must comply with sign regulations.
- The light from any illuminated sign shall not adversely affect safe vision of vehicle operators, any residential district, or any residential-use part of a building.
- Business signs in non-commercial/industrial districts shall not be illuminated when the business is closed.
- All electrically illuminated signs must be constructed to Underwriters Laboratories standards and labeled as such.

## Signs exempt from permit in Brecknock Township

- Incidental signs not exceeding one square foot without commercial message or logo, and for identification, directions, or similar purposes.
- Government signs such as official traffic, street name, required identification, informational or directional signs.
- Flags, badges or insignia of any government, agency, civic, charitable or religious organization.
- Property identification signs not exceeding two square feet, with only property numbers, names, or other non-commercial identification.
- Integral decoration or architectural features of buildings, except letters, trademarks, moving parts or moving lights.
- Private traffic signs on private property bearing no advertising.
- Any sign authenticated as historically significant and accurate for its location, whether original or replica, is exempt from regulations.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Any sign not exempt must adhere to general and specific sign standards by usage and construction classification.
- Signs not classified under specific types require a special exception granted by the Zoning Hearing Board, which may set additional conditions.
- Certain signs (e.g., signs within a floodplain, certain construction types, or 'other' signs utilizing motion, sound, lights, or mechanical parts) require approval as a special exception.
- No direct mention of master sign plan submission or variance meeting is included, but signs outside defined classifications require Zoning Hearing Board review.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Brecknock Township, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Brecknock+Township+PA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-brecknock-township

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