# Sign Regulations in Hellam Township, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Hellam Township, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/hellam-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/9865845#9865845)

## At a glance

Hellam Township, Pennsylvania regulates 7 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Portable Signs in the C/I, MU-1, MU-2, I zoning district are capped at 10 feet tall and 32 square feet, with a 10 feet from right-of-way or building face setback (Sec. §490-38C(11)). Most commercial signs in Hellam Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | Freestanding: 6 feet | 6 square feet | — |
| C/I, MU-1, MU-2, I | 3 | 10 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| R Zones | 3 | 6 feet (freestanding) | 6 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | No closer than 10 feet to any property line or street right-of-way line. | — | Attached to building; cannot be placed on the roof or be higher than the wall to which it is attached. | — | §490-38C(2), §490-38C(6), §490-38C(7), §490-38C(8), §490-38C(10), §283-7 |
| Freestanding Sign | — | — | — | 10 ft from property/ROW; additional restrictions at intersections (20 ft from intersection). | — | Erected independently of building on the ground. | — | §490-38C(8)(f), §490-38E(3) |
| Window Sign (Temporary, Inside) | — | 1/3 of total display window area | — | — | — | Inside face of a display window | — | §490-38C(9) |
| Personal Expression Sign (Exempt) | Freestanding: 6 feet | 6 square feet | — | — | — | Freestanding, wall, banner, or window, meeting size criteria. | — | §490-38C(13) |

### C/I, MU-1, MU-2, I

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Portable Sign | 10 feet | 32 square feet | — | 10 feet from right-of-way or building face | One per street frontage | One per street frontage, placed at least 10 feet from right-of-way or building face; must not interfere with sight distance. | — | §490-38C(11) |
| Personal Expression Sign (Non-exempt, by Permit) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §490-38C(13)(a) |
| Illuminated Wall/Freestanding/Neon/LED Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §490-38C(7)(b) |

### R Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §490-38C(7)(c) |
| Freestanding Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §490-38C(7)(c) |
| Personal Expression Sign (Exempt) | 6 feet (freestanding) | 6 square feet | — | — | — | Freestanding, wall, banner, or window, meeting size criteria. | — | §490-38C(13), §490-38C(7)(c) |

## Prohibited signs in Hellam Township

- All upward-directed sign lighting is prohibited.
- No loud, vulgar, indecent, or obscene advertising matter shall be displayed on any sign.
- No sign shall be maintained in the Township in such a state of disrepair as to have the appearance of complete neglect, be rotting or falling down, be illegible, or have loose parts separated from original fastenings.
- No sign within the R Zones shall include lighting.
- No sign shall be of the intermittent flashing or rotating type.
- No sign shall be illuminated in red, green, or yellow within a radius of 300 feet of a highway traffic light or street intersection.
- No sign shall be located in any sight triangle or in any manner so as to interfere with visibility for motorists at street or driveway intersections.
- Signs must not interfere with any clear sight triangle.
- No sign shall be erected or located as to prevent free ingress or egress from any window, door, or fire escape.
- No sign shall be placed in such a position that it will obscure light or air from a building or create a traffic danger.
- No sign shall be permanently attached to public utility poles or trees within the right-of-way of any street.
- No point of any sign, including trim, border and supports, shall be located within 10 feet of any property line or street right-of-way, except property control signs.
- Signs attached to a building shall not be placed on the roof or be higher than the wall to which they are attached.
- No point of a wall projecting sign shall be located less than 8.5 feet above the grade directly below the sign.
- Signs of such design and location that they interfere with, compete for attention with, or may be mistaken for a traffic signal are prohibited.
- No sign located in or extending into a public right-of-way, except those owned or operated by a government.
- No freestanding or projecting sign within an area bounded by the intersection of two rights-of-way and 20 feet from such intersection along the rights-of-way, except permanent, on-site directional signs less than 3 feet in height.
- No revolving or oscillating signs.
- No tethered balloons larger than 12 inches in diameter or attached by a tether longer than five feet, including air dancers, tube dancers, air tubes, and inflatable signs.
- No mobile signs are permitted.
- No signs erected without the permission of the property owner or authorized agent.

## Signs exempt from permit in Hellam Township

- Signs intended for viewing principally from within a building or signs temporarily attached to the inside face of a display window, announcing a sale or similar feature, are permitted provided the latter shall not occupy more than 1/3 of the total display window area for a period not to exceed 10 days.
- Personal expression signs (excluding political or business identification signs) which are banner, freestanding, wall, or window signs that are no larger than 6 square feet in area and a maximum height of 6 feet (for freestanding) are exempt.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Signs must conform to the standards listed in the applicable tables (Attachments 3 through 5) as well as satisfy the general regulations.
- Permit applications for signs must include scaled drawings, dimensional information, construction materials, and owner permission.
- No sign permit shall be issued except in conformity with the regulations of this chapter, except upon order of the Zoning Hearing Board, granted pursuant to the procedures established for the issuance of a variance.
- If there is any change in location or dimensions of any sign, or in advertising or informative contents of a sign, a new permit is required.
- Signs requiring permits must obtain them prior to erection; temporary signs requiring a permit must have permits or be removed within 30 days of the chapter effective date.

## Full detail

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

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