# Sign Regulations in Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania (PA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/pennsylvania/whitpain-township
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/10512751#10512751)

## At a glance

Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania regulates 54 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Ground Sign (Residential Estate)s in the Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-7, R-8, R-9, R-3B Low-Intensity Multifamily District) zoning district are capped at 10 ft (monument-style); cannot project above district building height limit tall and 1 sq ft (Sec. §160-191B, §160-184, §160-189D). Most commercial signs in Whitpain Township require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-7, R-8, R-9, R-3B Low-Intensity Multifamily District) | 17 | 10 ft (monument-style); cannot project above district building height limit | 32 sq ft | — |
| PR District | 10 | — | 32 sq ft | — |
| CSCOD District, SC District, C District, C-1 District, VC District | 15 | 10 ft ground sign; projecting sign must not project above building height district limit | 200 sq ft | — |
| IN Institutional District | 14 | 10 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| AR District, A-R-1 District, R-E District, I District | 11 | — | 40 sq ft | — |
| Off-Premises Sign Overlay District | 1 | 35 ft (may be increased by Board as conditional use) | 360 sq ft per face | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | — | Up to 35 sq ft (based on lot size); also: 12 sq ft facade sign, 9 sq ft leasing, 32 sq ft "For Sale" sign | — |

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

### Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-7, R-8, R-9, R-3B Low-Intensity Multifamily District)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign (Residential Estate) | 10 ft (monument-style); cannot project above district building height limit | 1 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street frontage | — | §160-191B, §160-184, §160-189D |
| Ground Sign (Home Occupation) | 10 ft; cannot project above district building height limit | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street frontage | — | §160-191B, §160-184 |
| Ground Sign (Real Estate Sale or Rent of Single Family Dwelling) | 10 ft; cannot project above district building height limit | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street frontage | — | §160-191B, §160-188B(6) |
| Ground Sign (Contractor) | 10 ft; cannot project above district building height limit | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | 1 per lot | — | §160-191B, §160-188B(7) |
| Ground Sign (Residential Dwellings/Lots for Sale (Subdivision 10 or more lots)) | 10 ft; cannot project above district building height limit | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191B |
| Ground Sign (Residential Dwellings/Lots for Sale (Subdivision fewer than 10 lots)) | 10 ft; cannot project above district building height limit | 16 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191B |
| Ground Sign (Building Identification Letters/Numerals) | 10 ft; cannot project above district building height limit | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191B |
| Ground Sign (Trespassing) | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | See §160-186B | As permitted; see citation | — | §160-191B, §160-186B |

### CSCOD District, SC District, C District, C-1 District, VC District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground/Projecting Sign (Identification Option 1) | 10 ft ground sign; projecting sign must not project above building height district limit | 35 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | §160-191D |
| Ground/Facade/Projecting Sign (Identification Option 2) | 10 ft ground sign; projecting sign must not project above building height district limit | 25 sq ft ground sign, 16 sq ft facade/projecting | — | — | 1 ground sign + 1 facade/projecting per establishment per street frontage | 1 ground sign per street frontage and 1 facade or projecting per individual establishment | — | §160-191D |
| Ground/Facade/Projecting Sign (Corner Lot Identification Option 3) | 10 ft ground sign; projecting sign as above | 50 sq ft ground, 16 sq ft facade/projecting | — | — | 1 ground + 1 facade/projecting per lot | 1 ground sign per lot, 1 facade/projecting per establishment | — | §160-191D |
| Ground Sign (Shopping Center Identification, SC only, single lot) | 10 ft | 100 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | 1 per lot/street | — | §160-191D |
| Facade/Projecting Sign (Mall/Contiguous Anchor, 30,000+ sq ft GFA) | Must not project above building height district limit | 200 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | §160-191D |
| Facade/Projecting Sign (Nonanchor; Individual Establishment ID) | Must not project above building height district limit | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per establishment | 1 per individual establishment | — | §160-191D |
| Facade Sign (Nonanchor with Canopy Overhang >=3 ft - Door/Window Sign only) | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per establishment | 1 per establishment | — | §160-191D Note 4 |
| Ground/Facade Sign (Real Estate Sale) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | §160-191D |

### IN Institutional District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign (Identification Option 1 - Religious/Educational/Municipal) | 10 ft | 30 sq ft (up to 75 sq ft arterial, 60 sq ft collector with formula) | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191E |
| Facade/Projecting Sign (Identification Option 2 - Religious/Educational/Municipal) | — | 30 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191E |
| Ground Sign (New Construction/Land Development) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191E |
| Ground Sign (Real Estate Sale) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street | 1 per street | — | §160-191E |
| Ground/Facade Sign (Real Estate Rent/Lease) | — | 4 sq ft (freestanding) or 8 sq ft (facade) | — | — | 1 per lot | 1 per lot | — | §160-191E |
| Ground Sign (Directional at Street) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 2 per curb cut | 2 per curb cut | — | §160-191E |
| Ground Sign (Trespassing) | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | See §160-186B | See §160-186B | — | §160-191E, §160-186B |
| Ground Sign (Changeable Text Electronic Message Board) | 10 ft | See formula | — | — | N/A (may be part of permitted ground sign for district) | As permitted above for ground signs | — | §160-191E, §160-189O, §160-184E(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Whitpain Township

- It shall be unlawful to affix posters, stickers, placards or signs of any nature to utility poles, street signs or upon any other structures within the rights-of-way of public streets or highways within Whitpain Township at any time.
- Any sign erected within 75 feet of a public right-of-way or within 200 feet of a traffic control device which uses the words 'stop,' 'look,' or 'danger'; contains red or green lights; contains any word, place, symbol or character which interferes with, imitates or resembles an official traffic sign; or contains a light source visible from the public right-of-way.
- Any banner or sign hung across a public street or private property, except those of general municipal benefit or public necessity, and subject to Department of Transportation regulations.
- A pennant which blows in the wind or a spinner which spins in the wind, except when located inside a temporary fairground or when used with a special event.
- Any sign, except those specifically permitted as exempted, that is tacked, nailed, posted, pasted, hung, glued or otherwise attached to a tree, pole, stake, lightstand, fence or other object.
- Any sign or part of any sign with flashing or intermittent lighting, sequential lights, revolving, moving, sound-producing or oscillating parts, or which has movable parts or reflectors; or with changing colors or intensity of illumination which utilize electrical energy; or which changes sign image or text more than once every 24 hours; or which flaps in the wind. Exception: signs displaying time, date, or temperature exclusively and barber poles.
- Mobile or portable signs, except as noted in specific sections (§ 160-183C(4) and § 160-185E).
- Advertising vehicles, meaning vehicles used for the primary purpose of advertising or direction, except for ordinary vehicle signage.
- Roof signs. (Prohibited as per amendment)
- No sign shall be placed in a position to endanger traffic by obscuring view or by confusion with official street signs or traffic signals by virtue of position, color, shape, glare, or other characteristics.
- No sign or portion thereof shall be permitted within the clear sight triangle at any intersection of streets or driveways except official traffic and highway signs.
- No sign, other than an official street sign, shall be erected or maintained within the legal right-of-way of any street.
- No sign shall project more than 24 inches over a public walkway, and projecting signs must be at least 10 feet above walkway level.
- No sign shall project above the building height restriction of the area. Monument-style ground signs may not exceed 10 feet in height.
- Blinking or flashing signs or festoon lights are not permitted in any district.
- Only on-premises signs related to the property/business are permitted. Off-premises signs are regulated separately.
- No sign shall state or imply a property use not permitted by zoning.
- Any sign or object intended to attract attention that is capable of free movement, oscillation, or designed to rotate or move is not permitted.
- Abandoned signs (signs on vacant properties for 6+ months) and discontinued signs (not in use for 30+ days) are prohibited and must be removed.
- A sign and/or its supports must be immediately removed if dangerous to public safety, or erected/altered without a permit.
- Discontinued or illegal off-premises advertising signs must be removed.
- Off-premises advertising signs cannot advertise adult/sexually oriented businesses or contain obscene/profane language, emit sounds, or display prohibited content.
- Off-premises advertising signs cannot display moving, flashing, scrolling, fading, brightening, or animated text or video.
- Animated, flashing, revolving, scrolling, rotating, or oscillating style off-premises advertising signs are prohibited.
- No festooning, lighting, or other decorations shall be permitted on temporary directional signs.

## Signs exempt from permit in Whitpain Township

- Official highway route number, street name, directional or other traffic signs, including those on private or public property.
- A sign indicating the prohibition or control of fishing, hunting or trespassing or signs indicating the private nature of a road, if area does not exceed one square foot and spacing requirements are met.
- A sign with area not exceeding one square foot bearing only property number, street address, post box numbers or occupant names in residential districts.
- Governmental flags or insignias, public monuments, historic identification signs or plaques, and municipal identification signs erected by or with permission of a government agency.
- A legal notice.
- A Christmas tree, other holiday display or window display of merchandise, except where specifically prohibited. Holiday or seasonal nonidentification flags without letters, words, or numbers are permitted.
- Public service signs, signs promoting public safety, and information signs advertising availability of rest rooms, telephones, or similar conveniences.
- A sign on a vending machine advertising its contents.
- One or more signs applied to a windowpane giving store hours or name(s) of credit/charge institutions, if the total area does not exceed two square feet.
- A sign not exceeding four square feet that is a permanent architectural feature (such as a cornerstone or carved/embossed letters) not made of reflective or contrasting material.
- An emblem, logo, insignia, or badge for group membership/affiliation not exceeding one square foot.
- American flags, not exceeding 40 square feet each.
- On-premises directional signs devoid of reference to business activity, giving only traffic/pedestrian info, no-parking, or handicapped parking signs.
- Political campaign signs, provided they are outside the dedicated legal road right-of-way.
- Religious symbols in conjunction with places of worship where permitted.
- Holiday decorations displayed for recognized federal or state holidays, except as they may interfere with glare, traffic safety, or pose a public hazard.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Permits are required for all signs except those indicated as exempt or as otherwise outlined in Schedule of Sign Regulations (§ 160-191).
- Before construction, placement, or modification of a sign, landowners should contact the Code Enforcement Officer.
- Sign permit applications must be accompanied by detailed plans and specifications.
- Illuminated signs require separate electrical permits, which must be filed at the same time as the sign permit application.
- Special monument signs, certain identification/community signage, and some permanent community/subdivision signs require approval by the Board of Supervisors (often upon recommendation from Planning Commission and/or with homeowners’ associations and covenants) as noted in regulation footnotes.
- Permits for off-premises advertising signs are by conditional use in the Off-Premises Sign Overlay District, subject to additional Board of Supervisors approval, and must be accompanied by a written agreement from the property owner.
- Special dimensional allowances for institutional ground signs with changeable message boards are granted only as per additional requirements (see schedule notes and district tables).
- No reference to a 'master sign plan' or formal sign plan process is explicit in this ordinance, but multiple references are made to detailed permit plans and, for certain signage types (e.g., subdivision/community ID), Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission approvals.

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

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