# Sign Regulations in Cressona Borough, Pennsylvania

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

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

## At a glance

Cressona Borough, Pennsylvania regulates 16 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Advertising (Billboards)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 35 ft above centerline elevation of adjacent street (§ 155.234(A)) tall, 150 sq. ft. each face (back to back); up to 300 sq. ft. per single-sided face (§ 155.234(B)), and 30 ft (§ 155.234(D)) wide, with a Minimum 20 ft from property line or ROW; Minimum 1,200 ft separation from certain uses and other billboards setback (Sec. § 155.226 table; § 155.234). Most commercial signs in Cressona Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 15 | 35 ft above centerline elevation of adjacent street (§ 155.234(A)) | Varies by sign type per § 155.226 table | — |
| C zones, I zones, C Districts, I Districts, C Zones | 3 | 35 ft above centerline elevation of adjacent street | 150 sq. ft. each face (back to back); 300 sq. ft. per single-sided face | — |
| R-1 | 6 | — | 20 sq. ft. | — |
| R-2 | 6 | — | 20 sq. ft. | — |
| R-3 | 7 | — | 20 sq. ft. | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding or Attached Sign | — | Varies by sign type per § 155.226 table | — | Attached signs: cannot exceed building setback line; Freestanding signs: minimum 10 ft from right-of-way unless sign < 3 ft high (§ 155.227) | One per street frontage per purpose; additional per 100 ft frontage | Street frontage of a lot; signs must relate to principal use or product on premises. | — | § 155.226, § 155.225, § 155.229, § 155.232, § 155.233 |
| Advertising (Billboards) | 35 ft above centerline elevation of adjacent street (§ 155.234(A)) | 150 sq. ft. each face (back to back); up to 300 sq. ft. per single-sided face (§ 155.234(B)) | 30 ft (§ 155.234(D)) | Minimum 20 ft from property line or ROW; Minimum 1,200 ft separation from certain uses and other billboards | One per lot (§ 155.234(F)) | C and I Districts only (§ 155.234); Not within 1,200 ft of residential dwelling, church, school, cemetery, or existing billboard (§ 155.234(E)); Not within 150 ft of street intersection (§ 155.234(H)) | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.234 |
| For Sale/For Rent/Sold/Rented Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. (§ 155.226 table) | — | — | — | Any zone | — | § 155.226 table |
| Home Occupation or Home Profession Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. (§ 155.226) | — | — | — | Any zone | — | § 155.226 table |
| Identification/Information Sign (Churches, Schools, Nonprofits) | — | 20 sq. ft. (§ 155.226 table) | — | — | — | Any zone | — | § 155.226 table |
| Temporary Sign - Sale of Agricultural/Horticultural Products | — | 10 sq. ft. (§ 155.226 table) | — | — | — | Any zone | — | § 155.226 table, § 155.231(A) |
| Temporary Sign - Construction Project | — | 10 sq. ft. (§ 155.226 table) | — | — | — | Any zone | — | § 155.226 table, § 155.231(B) |
| Directional Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. (§ 155.226 table) | — | — | — | Any zone except R-1, R-2, R-3 | — | § 155.226 table |

### R-1

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| For Sale/For Rent/Sold/Rented Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-1 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.078; § 155.230(C) |
| Home Occupation or Home Profession Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-1 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.078; § 155.230(C) |
| Identification/Information Sign (Churches, Schools, Nonprofits) | — | 20 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-1 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.078; § 155.230(C) |
| Temporary Sign - Sale of Agricultural/Horticultural Products | — | 10 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-1 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.078; § 155.230(C); § 155.231(A) |
| Temporary Sign - Construction Project | — | 10 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-1 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.078; § 155.230(C); § 155.231(B) |
| Buntings and Pennants | — | — | — | — | — | R-1 zone | — | § 155.078; § 155.230(C); § 155.228 |

### R-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apartment Bulletin Board | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.109; § 155.230(C) |
| For Sale/For Rent/Sold/Rented Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.109; § 155.230(C) |
| Home Occupation or Home Profession Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.109; § 155.230(C) |
| Identification/Information Sign (Churches, Schools, Nonprofits) | — | 20 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.109; § 155.230(C) |
| Temporary Sign - Sale of Agricultural/Horticultural Products | — | 10 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.109; § 155.230(C); § 155.231(A) |
| Temporary Sign - Construction Project | — | 10 sq. ft. | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.226 table; § 155.109; § 155.230(C); § 155.231(B) |
| Buntings and Pennants | — | — | — | — | — | R-3 zone | — | § 155.109; § 155.230(C); § 155.228 |

## Prohibited signs in Cressona Borough

- No person shall place or attach any sign to any telephone, electric light, or public utility pole which has attached thereto a device used for the purpose of public safety including, but not limited to, fire alarm call boxes.
- No sign may project over a public sidewalk area or beyond property lines.
- No sign may project over a public highway or street unless specifically authorized by other borough or state regulations.
- No sign may project more than 25 feet above the ground except for an attached sign which may project ten feet above the roof of a building, provided the sign does not project more than 25 feet from the ground to the highest part of the sign.
- Flashing, rotating and intermittent lights are prohibited on all signs.
- Signs illuminated in the colors red, green, or amber, or with high reflection through fluorescent paint or glass, may not be located within a radius of 100 feet of a street traffic light or similar safety device.
- Buntings and pennants are permitted only to announce the opening of a new business or industry or in connection with a civic event and must be removed seven days after the event.
- Signs must not be constructed of non-durable materials, must be maintained in good condition, and must not be allowed to become dilapidated.
- Upon termination or abandonment of a commercial or industrial use, all signs pertaining to the enterprise must be removed within 30 days.
- Only those signs relating to the principal uses conducted on the premises or the principal materials or products made, sold or displayed on the premises are permitted.
- No person shall willfully or maliciously destroy, remove, deface, obliterate, or cover up any lamp, warning sign, or barricade erected by the borough authorities or their designees as a warning of danger.
- V-type sign arrangements for billboards are prohibited.
- Billboards may not cause glare onto adjoining properties or roads, interfere with, or obscure official traffic signs, signals, or devices.
- Billboards with electronic changeable message displays must not include any appearance of visual dissolve or fading, flashing, animation, movement, or flow, and messages must remain unchanged for at least eight seconds.
- Advertising signs and business signs must be at least 60 feet apart.
- No sign exceeding 30 square feet in size may be located within 75 feet of a residentially zoned district.
- Freestanding signs may not be closer to a street right-of-way than ten feet, except for a sign less than three feet in height.
- Attached signs may not exceed beyond the building setback line.

## Signs exempt from permit in Cressona Borough

- Temporary signs for the sale of agricultural and horticultural products may be erected for a period not exceeding 60 days.
- Temporary signs for a construction project may be erected and maintained for as long as the project is under construction.
- Work signs of builders, painters, and other artisans are permitted while performing work on the premises (up to 6 sq. ft.).
- Buntings and pennants are permitted for the opening of a new business or civic event, provided they are removed within seven days after the event.
- Identification and information signs for churches, schools, and other nonprofit institutions are allowed up to size limits.
- Trespassing, traffic, and utility signs are allowable in any zone (subject to size limits).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A special permit from the Zoning Hearing Board must be obtained for billboards in C and I zones.
- Submission of a land development plan in accordance with the borough’s subdivision and land development regulations will be required for an off-premises billboard where a leasehold is involved for the property upon which the billboard is to be located.
- All billboard signs and structures must comply with all building codes and building and/or zoning permits are required prior to erection and construction.
- All applications for a zoning permit for a billboard must be made in writing and filed with the Zoning Officer on a borough-supplied form.

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

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