# Sign Regulations in Chambersburg Borough, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Chambersburg Borough, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/chambersburg-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/16146641#16146641)

## At a glance

Chambersburg Borough, Pennsylvania regulates 25 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Shopping Center)s in the Commercial District, Manufacturing District zoning district are capped at Zoning district height regulations tall and 350 square feet per sign (Sec. § 300-88.B(7)). Most commercial signs in Chambersburg Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District | 3 | — | 20 square feet per side | — |
| Commercial District, Manufacturing District | 7 | Zoning district height regulations | 350 square feet per sign | — |
| Commercial Highway Zoning District, Medium Manufacturing Zoning District, Heavy Manufacturing Zoning District | 1 | 35 feet | 312.5 square feet | — |
| Health Care Service District | 5 | Lower two stories or 26 feet, whichever is lower | 85 square feet per sign per side | — |
| Health Institution District | 3 | — | 36 square feet | — |
| Central Core | 2 | 4 feet | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | 32 square feet | — |

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

### Commercial District, Manufacturing District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign and Freestanding Sign (Building Coverage < 10%) | — | — | — | — | — | On the premises | — | § 300-88.A |
| Wall Sign and Freestanding Sign (Building Coverage ≥ 10%, Lower Stories) | — | — | — | — | — | On facade or freestanding on lot | — | § 300-88.B(1) and (2) |
| Wall Sign (Rear/Sides of Buildings) | — | 65 square feet (total) | — | — | — | Rear and sides of buildings | — | § 300-88.B(3) |
| Wall Sign (Upper Levels) | — | — | — | — | — | On building above second story | — | § 300-88.B(4) |
| Freestanding Sign (Shopping Center) | Zoning district height regulations | 350 square feet per sign | — | — | 1 per street frontage | One per street frontage | — | § 300-88.B(7) |
| Electronic Message Sign (Flashing Lights) | — | 32 square feet (electronic portion) | — | — | — | — | — | § 300-88.C |
| Temporary Sign | — | 32 square feet (per sign) | — | — | No limit, 96 sq ft total | On the building or outside the public right-of-way area | — | § 300-90.1.A, .B, .C |

### Health Care Service District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Business Identification, Lower Levels) | Lower two stories or 26 feet, whichever is lower | 85 square feet per sign per side | — | — | — | On or affixed to building facade | — | § 300-152.A |
| Wall Sign (Business Identification, Upper Levels) | — | — | — | — | — | On or affixed to building above 26 feet | — | § 300-152.A |
| Freestanding Sign (Identification) | — | 85 square feet per sign per side | — | — | — | Freestanding, not located on or affixed to building | — | § 300-152.A |
| On-Site Informational Sign (≤5,000 sq ft building) | — | 32 square feet per side per sign | — | — | 2 | On-site, must not obstruct intersection view | — | § 300-152.B |
| On-Site Informational Sign (>5,000 sq ft building) | — | 32 square feet per side per sign | — | — | 4 | On-site, must not obstruct intersection view | — | § 300-152.B |

### Health Institution District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding or Wall Sign (Single Building, Single Business Use) | — | 18 square feet | — | — | — | On lot or attached to building | — | § 300-161.A, .D |
| Freestanding or Wall Sign (Single Building, Multiple Business Uses) - Directory Sign | — | 36 square feet | — | — | 1 (plus name signs for each business) | On lot or attached to building | — | § 300-161.B, .D |
| Wall Sign (Business Name ID, Each Tenant) | — | 2 square feet per sign | — | — | 1 per business | On building | — | § 300-161.B, .D |

## Prohibited signs in Chambersburg Borough

- No parking is permitted primarily for advertising purposes. It shall be presumed that parking is for advertising purposes if a vehicle with signs on it in any manner is not moved within 24 hours, except for vehicles where the advertising is a tradesman sign only or signs totaling not more than four square feet.
- No signs shall be erected on Borough property or within any public right-of-way except by governmental authorities in the discharge of a governmental function or pursuant to a license to occupy the Borough property or the public right-of-way, except as may be authorized under temporary sign provisions.
- Signs or lighting for signs shall not be placed in such a position that they will cause danger to traffic by obscuring the view or in any way interfering with vision.
- Signs other than ordained traffic signs shall not be erected within the lines of any street or alley, except as permitted for temporary signs and banners.
- Signs projecting beyond property lines shall be not less than 10 feet above the public sidewalk area. Overhanging signs shall not project over the cartway of a street or alley.
- Signs shall not project above the height limit permitted in any district where they are located.
- No sign shall project above the fascia, roofline, or parapet wall.
- All signs shall be removed when the circumstances leading to their erection no longer apply.
- Signs shall not be erected or maintained within a five-hundred-foot radius of any other off-premises advertising sign or within a five-hundred-foot radius of any residential zone or existing residential use.
- Signs shall not be erected in or encroach over public easements or public rights-of-way.
- Signs or lighting for signs shall not be placed in such a position that it will cause danger to traffic or create a traffic hazard by obscuring the view or in any way interfering with vision.
- Except as may be permitted by temporary sign regulations, it is unlawful to place any sign on the streets, alleys, sidewalks, Borough parking lots, or any other Borough property for sales purposes.
- Willfully or maliciously destroying, removing, defacing, obliterating, or covering up any lamp, warning sign, or barricade erected by the Borough or authorized parties is prohibited.
- Signs advertising commercial or industrial activity which does not take place on that property are not permitted, unless specific exception is made by Council for charitable, nonprofit, or community activities.

## Signs exempt from permit in Chambersburg Borough

- A permit shall not be required for erection, alteration or maintenance of any sign permitted in a residential district.
- In the case of a sign, banner sign, or electronic message sign installed to control pedestrian or vehicular traffic for a limited duration of time, such signs may be installed without a permit, provided that the device meets all applicable state and federal laws, is maintained no longer than 30 days (unless extended), and does not interfere with traffic safety.
- Exceptions are provided for sandwich board and specialty display signs to be erected within defined parts of Main Street, Lincoln Way, and Queen Street frontages, provided that they do not interfere with pedestrian passage (minimum 4 feet clear sidewalk), are not affixed to the sidewalk, and meet dimensional criteria.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- There is no mention in the provided text of a general requirement for a master sign plan, sign plan, or a required variance or public meeting for sign approval. Permits and written agency approvals are referenced on a per-case basis (e.g., Recreation Department, Borough Secretary) for temporary and event-related signs, and an annual permit is required for advertising signboards and billboards, but a master sign plan is not described.

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

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/chambersburg-borough