# Sign Regulations in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/millcreek-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/43576736#43576736)

## At a glance

Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania regulates 34 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Billboard/Commercial Outdoor Advertising Sign (C3 only)s in the C2 Commercial District, C3 Commercial District zoning district are capped at 35 feet tall and 378 square feet, with a As per zoning district, and min 50 ft from listed districts/intersections, 1,000 ft from another billboard same side. setback (Sec. §145-85E, §145-89A). Most commercial signs in Millcreek Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 35 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| Residential zoning districts | 4 | 8 feet | 32 square feet max, 24 square feet if lot frontage <75 ft | — |
| C1 District, MU-1 District, MU-2 District | 4 | 15 feet (with minimum clearance of 7 feet from ground) | 50 square feet | — |
| C2 Commercial District, C3 Commercial District | 5 | 35 feet | 378 square feet | — |
| I1 District, I2 District, Industrial districts | 5 | 35 feet | 378 square feet | — |
| Presque Isle (PI) District | 5 | 8 feet | 65 square feet or 0.33 sq ft per ft frontage (whichever is less) | — |
| Nonresidential Zoning Districts | 1 | — | 32 square feet | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flag Sign (Non-commercial) | 35 feet | — | — | — | — | Not within any Right-of-Way | — | §145-80D |
| Address Sign | — | 2 square feet | — | — | Not more than one per occupancy, except on corner lots one per frontage | Permitted for each occupancy, or one per street frontage | — | §145-80B |
| Directional Sign (Non-commercial) | 5 feet | 5 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | §145-80F |
| Window Sign (General) | — | 5 square feet (total per window) | — | — | — | On window | — | §145-80G |
| Temporary Sign (General, under 5 sq ft) | 7 feet | 5 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | §145-80J, §145-82A |
| Sandwich Board Sign (Portable) | 3.5 feet | 7 square feet per sign face | — | — | One per use or tenant | Within 12 feet of the primary public entrance, must leave 36 inches clearance on sidewalks. | — | §145-82B(2)-(3) |
| Manual Changeable Copy Sign (on Sandwich Board) | 3.5 feet | 7 square feet per sign face (same as Sandwich Board) | — | — | One per tenant (per Sandwich Board rules) | Within 12 feet of entrance as per Sandwich Board | — | §145-82B(4) |
| Portable Sign (General) | — | 32 square feet | — | 10 feet from right-of-way | One per frontage per occupancy | Minimum 10 feet from street right-of-way | — | §145-82B(1) |

### C2 Commercial District, C3 Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall/Building Sign (C2/C3) | 6 feet above existing roof | See formula | — | — | One per building/storefront or two if corner | Max one per building/storefront (C2); if on corner, two signs (one per frontage) | — | §145-85A, §145-85D |
| Freestanding Sign (C2/C3) | 20 feet | 40 square feet; shopping centers: up to 15 square feet per tenant with max 300 sq ft per sign | — | — | One per building or per detached shopping center building | One per detached primary building (shopping center); elsewhere per building | — | §145-85B |
| Billboard/Commercial Outdoor Advertising Sign (C3 only) | 35 feet | 378 square feet | — | As per zoning district, and min 50 ft from listed districts/intersections, 1,000 ft from another billboard same side. | One per premises fronting public right-of-way | Not permitted along Seaway Trail. | — | §145-85E, §145-89A |
| Temporary Sign (C2/C3) | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — | — | — | Min 20 feet from any other Temp sign over 5 sq ft | — | §145-85F |
| Electronic Message Center (Nonresidential) | — | 32 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | §145-88, §145-85 |

### Presque Isle (PI) District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign (Freestanding, PI District, <100 ft frontage) | 8 feet | 25 square feet | 10 feet | — | One per lot; one extra if street frontage >600 ft | Within landscaped planter; not in clear sight triangle; one per lot (another allowed for >600 ft frontage) | — | §145-87B |
| Monument Sign (Freestanding, PI District, 100-299 ft frontage) | 8 feet | 55 square feet or 0.33 sq ft per ft frontage (whichever is less) | 10 feet | — | One per lot; one extra if street frontage >600 ft | Within landscaped planter; not in clear sight triangle | — | §145-87B(4) |
| Monument Sign (Freestanding, PI District, 300+ ft frontage) | 8 feet | 65 square feet or 0.33 sq ft per ft frontage (whichever is less) | 10 feet | — | One per lot; one extra if street frontage >600 ft | Within landscaped planter; not in clear sight triangle | — | §145-87B(4) |
| Wall/Building Sign (PI District) | — | Variable (see formula) | — | — | — | Building face; projections allowed into build-to line (not ROW), 8 ft clearance from ground | — | §145-87C |
| Electronic Message Center (PI District) | — | 32 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | §145-87A(2), §145-88 |

## Prohibited signs in Millcreek Township

- No sign may be erected, installed, located, altered (dimension or type), or relocated within the Township without first obtaining a sign permit, unless the sign or sign structure is exempt (§145-79A).
- Signs causing safety hazards, including but not limited to traffic, impairment of vision, ingress/egress, etc. are prohibited (§145-81A).
- Unauthorized signs in the public right-of-way are prohibited (§145-81B).
- Any sign which uses the words 'Stop,' 'Look,' 'Danger,' or other words/characters attempting to direct movement of traffic, or which resembles any official traffic sign, signal, or device within 75 feet of a public right-of-way or 200 feet of a traffic control device (whichever is greater) is prohibited (§145-81C).
- Signs containing deceptive, false or misleading information are prohibited (§145-81D).
- Red, green or revolving beacon lights (except for traffic control signals) are prohibited within 75 feet of a public right-of-way or 200 feet of a traffic control device (whichever is greater) (§145-81E).
- Any banner sign or sign of any type across a public street or on public property is prohibited, except when approved by state and/or Township (§145-81F).
- Abandoned signs are prohibited (§145-81G).
- Snipe signs are prohibited (§145-81H).
- Signs with obscene or pornographic content, as determined by contemporary community standards, are prohibited (§145-81I).
- Signs that prevent free ingress or egress from any door, window, fire escape, or prevent access from one part of a roof to any other part, are prohibited. No sign other than a safety sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape (§145-81J).
- Signs erected without the permission of the property owner are prohibited, except those authorized or required by government (§145-81K).
- Signs which emit smoke, visible vapors, particulate matter, sound, odor, or contain open flames are prohibited (§145-81L).
- Reflective signs or signs containing mirrors are prohibited (§145-81M).
- No sign may be so located that it is closer than 10 feet to a street shoulder or curb and lies within or projects over the right-of-way of a street (§145-78A(1)).
- No sign may lie within any clear sight triangle (§145-78A(2)).
- No sign may obscure a motorist's, pedestrian's or bicyclist's view of traffic signals, stop signs or other warning devices (§145-78A(3)).
- No sign may obscure a motorist's, pedestrian's or bicyclist's view of the roadway, intersections or driveways and egress (§145-78A(4)).
- No sign may block or obstruct any exit or entrance or the movement of pedestrians, bicyclists or others (§145-78A(5)).
- No sign may lie within a distance of seven feet from a side yard property line or within a parking space or a fire lane (§145-78A(6)).
- No sign may cast glare or be otherwise detrimental to neighboring occupancies or to the safe movement of traffic (§145-78A(7)).
- All signs must be maintained in safe condition and good repair at all times (§145-78D(1)).
- No sign may be illuminated by other than electrical or solar energy (§145-78C(2)).
- Illumination must not cause glare hazardous or distracting to pedestrians, drivers, or adjacent properties (§145-78E(1)(a)).
- No more than 0.2 footcandle of light shall be detectable at the boundary of any abutting property (§145-78E(1)(b)).
- Hours of operation: signs on nonresidential properties may be illuminated only from 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., or one-half hour past close of business, whichever is later (§145-78E(1)(c)).
- Message center signs and digital displays have strict brightness limits and must have automatic light-sensing devices (§145-78E(1)(d)).

## Signs exempt from permit in Millcreek Township

- Signs erected, maintained, or posted, owned or leased by the commonwealth, the federal government, or the Township are exempt from regulation (§145-77E).
- Official traffic and street/road signs are generally exempt (§145-78A, §145-80A).
- Signs displaying the official street address for public safety and mail delivery, up to two square feet, one per occupancy per street frontage (§145-80B).
- No trespassing, prohibition, or warning signs for public safety purposes, up to two square feet (§145-80C).
- Flags displayed with a permanent fixture (flagpole), not containing commercial messaging, with location and height limits (§145-80D).
- Legal notices (§145-80E).
- Directional signs (no commercial message), max five square feet, max height five feet, not illuminated (§145-80F).
- Window signs with total area not exceeding five square feet (§145-80G).
- Signs painted on, or integral to, vending machines, fuel dispensing pumps or tanks (§145-80H).
- Signs which are a permanent architectural feature of a building (e.g., cornerstone, carved/embossed non-reflective letters) (§145-80I).
- Any temporary sign not exceeding five square feet that meets the stated conditions and restrictions (§145-80J).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Before any permit is granted for the erection of a sign or sign structure, plans and specifications must be filed with the Township showing the dimensions, materials, and details of construction, anchorage, and other pertinent engineering data (§145-79B).
- Plans for signs with an area greater than 300 square feet must be prepared by a professional engineer and certified to meet Pennsylvania Construction Code (§145-79B).
- A master sign plan requirement or variance meeting is not specified in the text provided, but for conditional uses (such as in the Presque Isle (PI) District), Board of Supervisors approval is required and the board may attach reasonable conditions and safeguards (§145-87A).
- The owner of any illuminated sign must arrange for a certification of compliance with brightness standards by an independent contractor and provide this as a condition precedent to the issuance of a sign permit; alternatively, equipment/data sheets from the light manufacturer may suffice (§145-78E(4)(c)).

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

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