# Sign Regulations in Nazareth Borough, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Nazareth Borough, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/nazareth-borough
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/41296673#41296673)

## At a glance

Nazareth Borough, Pennsylvania regulates 8 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Flat Wall Signs in the R7 zoning district are capped at May not extend above building height tall and 20 sq ft, with a — setback (Sec. Schedule of Sign Regulations; §27-504.3A(1)). Most commercial signs in Nazareth Borough require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 7 | 18 ft in any direction. | See district maximums; also 20% of building face area (including windows and doors), not to exceed maximum per schedule. | — |
| R10 | 4 | May not extend above building height | 20 sq ft | — |
| R7 | 5 | 18 ft max | 32 sq ft | — |
| R5 | 5 | 18 ft max | 40 sq ft | — |
| GC | 6 | 18 ft max | 672 sq ft per section | — |
| IC, Industrial Commercial (IC) | 4 | 18 ft max | 150 sq ft | — |
| EI, Extractive Industry (EI) | 4 | 18 ft max | 672 sq ft per section | — |
| LI, Light Industry (LI) | 4 | 18 ft max | 150 sq ft | — |
| Billboard-Applicable Zones (IC, EI, LI) | 1 | Maximum height 20 feet above adjacent roadway center line; no part less than 10 ft above road center line | 150 sq ft per face | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 9 zones)

### R7

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Wall Sign | May not extend above building height | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street fronted | On building face | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations; §27-504.3A(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 18 ft max | 32 sq ft | — | 10 feet from street right-of-way | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Temporary Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | 10 feet | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Bulletin Board | — | 20 sq ft | — | 10 feet (if freestanding) | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Home Occupation or Professional Office Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | 10 feet (if freestanding) | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |

### R5

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Wall Sign | May not extend above building height | 40 sq ft | — | — | 2 | On building face | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations; §27-504.3A(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 18 ft max | 32 sq ft | — | 10 feet from street right-of-way | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Temporary Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | 10 feet | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Bulletin Board | — | 20 sq ft | — | 10 feet (if freestanding) | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Home Occupation or Professional Office Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | 10 feet (if freestanding) | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |

### GC

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Wall Sign | May not extend above building height | 150 sq ft | — | — | 2 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations; §27-504.3A(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 18 ft max | 80 sq ft | — | 5 feet from street right-of-way | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Advertising Sign | — | 672 sq ft per section | — | — | — | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Temporary Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | 5 feet | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Bulletin Board | — | 20 sq ft | — | 5 feet (if freestanding) | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |
| Home Occupation or Professional Office Sign | — | 3 sq ft | — | 5 feet (if freestanding) | 1 | — | — | Schedule of Sign Regulations |

## Prohibited signs in Nazareth Borough

- No person or persons shall willfully or maliciously destroy or remove or deface or obliterate or cover up any lamp, warning sign or barricade erected by the authorities of the Borough or by any person, firm or corporation doing work by permission of the authorities of the Borough.
- Any unauthorized advertising sign, placard, banner, or similar device attached to any utility pole, light standard, street sign, traffic sign, fence, tree or similar object located on any street, sidewalk, public right-of-way or public property is deemed a public nuisance and shall be subject to immediate abatement.
- Signs which make use of words such as “stop,” “look,” “one-way,” “danger,” “yield,” or any similar words, phrases, symbols, lights or characters, in such manner as to interfere with, mislead, or confuse traffic, are prohibited.
- Signs of which all or any part is in motion by any means, including fluttering, rotating, revolving or other moving devices, are prohibited. (Exception: Units which alternately display time and temperature are permitted.)
- No sign shall be so located or arranged that it interferes with traffic through glare, blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets, sidewalks, or driveways, confusion with a traffic control device (by reason of color, location, shape or other characteristics), or through other means.
- No sign shall be erected, attached or displayed within 25 feet of the intersection of the street right-of-way lines at a street corner, except for flat-wall signs.
- No flat wall sign shall be erected upon the roof of a building or extend above the height of the building.
- No red or green lights shall be permitted within 75 feet of the point of intersection of the street right-of-way lines at a street corner.
- No lighting source for a sign shall spillover a property line in such a way as to create a nuisance to reasonable persons in adjacent properties.

## Signs exempt from permit in Nazareth Borough

- Signs not exceeding two square feet in area and bearing only property numbers, post office box numbers, names of occupants of premises, or other identification of premises not having commercial connotations are exempt.
- No trespassing signs and other signs indicating the private nature of a road, driveway or premises, which do not exceed two square feet in area, are exempt.
- Flags and insignias of any government except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion are exempt.
- Legal notices; identification, informational or directional signs erected or required by governmental bodies; official traffic signs and signals; other state, county, school district or municipal government signs are exempt.
- Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, except letters, trademarks, moving parts or moving lights, are exempt.
- Signs, not exceeding six square feet in area and bearing no advertising matter, which direct and guide traffic and parking on private property, are exempt.
- Signs, not exceeding two square feet in area and bearing no advertising matter, which give information on location of such things as rest rooms, telephones, offices or the functional subdivision of the premises, are exempt.
- No permit shall be required for normal maintenance of existing signs.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A zoning permit is required for all business identification signs, advertising signs, temporary signs, bulletin boards, and home occupation or professional office signs which will be seen off the premises on which they are located before erection or replacement.
- No permit is required for signs not visible off the premises on which they are located.
- No permit is required for the general exemptions listed in § 27-504.1C.
- No explicit mention is made in the provided text of a master sign plan or sign plan requirement for standard properties, but specific groups of uses (e.g., multi-tenant shopping centers or industrial/office parks) are subject to special sign allocation standards.
- An engineering certificate (signed/sealed by a licensed professional engineer) is required for any application for a billboard.
- All billboards must comply with construction standards under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.

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

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