# Sign Regulations in North Centre Township, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** North Centre Township, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/north-centre-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/33081437#33081437)

## At a glance

North Centre Township, Pennsylvania regulates 12 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Digital Message Boards in the V Village District zoning district are capped at 20 ft above average grade tall and 30 sq ft, with a 25 ft min from right-of-way setback (Sec. § 27-705D). Most commercial signs in North Centre Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | 10 ft (RR, SR, A, W/C); 18 ft or principal building height, whichever is less (V) | — | — |
| RR Rural Residential District, SR Suburban Residential District | 4 | 10 ft (if freestanding) | 12 sq ft | — |
| V Village District | 6 | 20 ft above average grade | 100 sq ft per face; max 2 faces; not doubled/multiplied | — |
| A Agricultural Preservation District, W/C Woodland/Conservation District | 4 | 10 ft (if freestanding) | 24 sq ft per lot (not to exceed 48 sq ft total on a corner/two-street lot) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### RR Rural Residential District, SR Suburban Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Property Posting Sign | 6 ft (if freestanding) | 4 sq ft | — | — | As needed | — | — | § 27-704A.(1) |
| Name Plate or Personal Identification Sign | 6 ft (if freestanding) | 4 sq ft | — | — | No more than 1 per property, or 1 per frontage if corner | — | — | § 27-704A.(2) |
| Temporary Sign | 10 ft (if freestanding) | 12 sq ft | — | — | 1; See additional requirements for exceptions | — | — | § 27-704A.(3) |
| Permanent Business Sign | 10 ft (if freestanding); 6 ft for name plates and posting signs | 4 sq ft | — | — | No more than 1 per property (or 1 per frontage if corner) | Freestanding or parallel wall | — | § 27-704B |

### V Village District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Property Posting Sign | 6 ft (if freestanding) | 4 sq ft | — | — | As needed | — | — | § 27-705A |
| Name Plate or Personal Identification Sign | 6 ft (if freestanding) | 4 sq ft | — | — | No more than 1 per property, or 1 per frontage if corner | — | — | § 27-705A |
| Temporary Sign | 10 ft (if freestanding) | 12 sq ft | — | — | See additional requirements | — | — | § 27-705A |
| Permanent Business Sign (Freestanding, Parallel, or Projecting Wall) | 18 ft or principal building height, whichever is less (freestanding and advertising signs); wall sign may not exceed top of wall | 50 sq ft per sign | — | — | 1 freestanding and 1 wall sign per lot | Freestanding, parallel or projecting wall sign | — | § 27-705B |
| Advertising Sign Board (Billboard) | 18 ft or principal building height, whichever is less | 100 sq ft per face; max 2 faces; not doubled/multiplied | — | — | No more than 1 per property | Freestanding only | — | § 27-705C |
| Digital Message Board | 20 ft above average grade | 30 sq ft | — | 25 ft min from right-of-way | 1 per business structure | At least 25 ft from right-of-way; on external wall or freestanding pole | — | § 27-705D |

### A Agricultural Preservation District, W/C Woodland/Conservation District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Property Posting Sign | 6 ft (if freestanding) | 4 sq ft | — | — | As needed | — | — | § 27-706A |
| Name Plate or Personal Identification Sign | 6 ft (if freestanding) | 4 sq ft | — | — | No more than 1 per property, or 1 per frontage if corner | — | — | § 27-706A |
| Temporary Sign | 10 ft (if freestanding) | 12 sq ft | — | — | See additional requirements | — | — | § 27-706A |
| Permanent Sign (Freestanding or Parallel Wall) | 10 ft (per general regulations for freestanding signs) | 24 sq ft per lot (not to exceed 48 sq ft total on a corner/two-street lot) | — | — | No more than 1 per lot; 1 per frontage if corner/two-street lot | Freestanding or parallel wall | — | § 27-706B |

## Prohibited signs in North Centre Township

- Signs shall not be allowed to become dilapidated or endanger public health, safety or welfare.
- No sign (whether temporary or permanent) shall be placed within the clear sight triangle of any intersection, nor at any other location that could obstruct or impair a motorist's clear vision.
- No sign shall be located where it could be an impediment to pedestrian traffic.
- No sign, other than an official traffic sign, shall be erected within the right-of-way of any street, unless authorized by the Township Supervisors for a special purpose.
- No portion of a freestanding sign (whether temporary or permanent) shall be located closer to a street right-of-way or front property line than 10 feet, except for official traffic signs or as otherwise provided.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained which could prevent free ingress or egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
- No sign shall be attached to a standpipe, fire escape, or the eave of any building.
- No sign shall be painted, erected, affixed or maintained on a tree, stone (except for ornamental or architectural stones that may be used to identify a business or personal property), or other natural object, except for property posting signs.
- No person(s) shall artificially increase the maximum height of a sign by altering the grade at the base of the sign.
- No portion of a wall sign, whether parallel or projecting, shall extend above the top of the wall to which it is attached.
- Parallel wall signs may not extend more than 12 inches from the surface to which they are mounted or attached, nor interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- Projecting wall signs shall not extend or project more than six feet from their supporting structure or wall, nor extend over a public street or walkway more than 18 inches.
- Illuminated signs shall cause no glare or disturbance incompatible with the nature of the neighborhood or impair motorists' vision.
- Illumination of signs shall be steady, not flashing, moving or changing in brilliance, color or intensity (except digital message boards where permitted as a special exception).
- No flashing or animated signs shall be permitted, except as specifically allowed for digital message boards in Village districts.
- Obscene signs are prohibited. No sign shall utilize sexually explicit or suggestive language or graphics, nor any illustration of specified sexual activities or anatomical areas, nor shall it bear language, images, or graphics deemed obscene by the Pennsylvania Crimes Code.
- All signs must comply with applicable state regulations where proposed adjacent to highways in Penn DOT's primary and interstate highway systems.

## Signs exempt from permit in North Centre Township

- Signs constructed and maintained by North Centre Township, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or other entities required by law or regulation (official traffic signs) are exempt.
- Signs necessary to the public welfare are exempt from permit fees.
- Property posting signs required to protect property owner's rights under law are exempt from certain placement prohibitions when painted or affixed to natural objects.
- Street signs providing the legal name of each street, as required by the township, are exempt from general sign permit requirements but subject to Board of Supervisors approval for specifications.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A zoning permit shall be required for the placement, erection, or alteration of all temporary and permanent signs, except as may be exempted in specific district sections (§§ 27-704A, 27-705A, and 27-706A).
- All applications for signs being erected on property other than that owned by the applicant must include notarized permission from the property owner.
- Applications for special exceptions (such as digital message boards in Village Districts) must be filed by the land owner, not by tenants.
- No explicit reference to a master sign plan or sign plan requirement has been found in the provided text except as may be required for special exceptions or as may be specifically listed in use/district regulations.

## 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 4 zoning districts in North Centre Township — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=North+Centre+Township+PA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-north-centre-township

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