1. Billboards:
How to Prepare for an Inevitable Land Use
2015 PSATs Conference
Submitted by:
David C. Onorato, Esquire
Jamie Dancer Kloin, Esquire
Hladik, Onorato & Federman, LLP
and
Scott Mancini
Matt Outdoor
Sicklerville, New Jersey
and
Lisa Mossie
Chairman, Board of Supervisors
Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania

2. Constitutional Challenges to
Billboard Ordinances
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

3. Step 1: Show that the Ordinance Excludes Billboards
De Jure Exclusion
• The ordinance, as written,
excludes billboards.
• Example language: “No off-
premises signs are permitted
within the township.”
De Facto Exclusion
• The ordinance, as applied,
excludes billboards.
• Example: Off-premises signs are
permitted, but only at 5 square
feet.
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

4. Case Examples of Exclusions
• De Jure Exclusion
• Appeal of Bartkowski Investment
Group
• Norate v. Upper Moreland ZHB
• De Facto Exclusion
• Township of Exeter v. ZHB of
Exeter
• Smith v. Hanover
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

5. Step 2: Municipality Salvaging Ordinance
• To save its ordinance, the Municipality must show that
the regulation is for the:
•Public health,
•Safety,
•Morality or
•Welfare
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

6. You need proof
It is not enough to simply allege that
billboards are “offensive.”
Borough of Dickson City
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

7. What’s wrong with a constitutional challenge?
• Expense of Defense and Court Appeals
• Loss of Municipal Staff and Resources
• Court-Determined Relief
• Chester County Outdoor
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

8. Part 2: Industry Demands and Changing
Technology
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

9. Determining Billboard Sites/Locations
• Zoning
• Traffic Volume/DEC
• Topography
• Ingress/Egress
• Supply v. Demand (Economics)
• Municipal Prohibition
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

10. General State Regulations
• State Agreements with FHWA under HBA
• Zoning
• Size of Advertising Face
• Spacing Between Signs
• CMDS Signs (Digital LED’s)
• Variance of Regulations Between States
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

11. Industry Standards & Common Practices
• Common Billboard Sizes
• Site Location
• Commercial Electronic Changeable Message Signs (CECMS or LED’s)
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

12. “New” Technology
• Characteristics
• Lighting/Brightness
• LED vs. Static as a “Product”
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

13. Illustrations
LED, Day – Parting by Time
Between 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Between 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
LED, Day – Parting by Variable
Temperature =/<45 degrees
Temperature >45 degrees,
<70 degrees
Temperature =/>70 degrees
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

14. Billboards & Traffic Safety: Types of Studies
Professional/Academic
• Virginia Tech Transportation
Institute (2007)
• Tantala Associates (2011)
Government
• Federal Highway Administration
(2012)
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

15. Benefits to the
Community
1. Cost-Effective
2. Directional Advertising
3. LED’s - PSA’s, Weather Alerts,
Community/Municipal Announcements
4. More Effective Compliance with the
Law?
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

16. Part 3:
Challenges
From a
Municipal
Perspective
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

17. Evolution of Upper Providence Township
Ordinance
• Ordinance addressing
billboards was written circa
1999 in response to sign
requests for the new high
school sports field which
has frontage on 422 and
therefore desirable
advertising space
• Township did not want the
ball fields to become
cluttered with
advertisements
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

18. Evolution of Upper Providence Township
Ordinance
• Upper Providence Township defined
where billboards would be
acceptable in the Township
• Office, Commercial, or Industrial
Use
• 1,000 feet of continuous frontage
along 422
• Must apply for conditional use
“Adequate evidence shall be provided to
enable the Board of Supervisors to
determine the additional signage is
necessary to identify the use to the
passing motorist and that the use would
not be adequately visible without it.”
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

19. Evolution of Upper Providence Township
Ordinance
• M-2
Manufacturing and
Industrial Zoning
“Oaks Mills”
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

20. Existing Billboards in
Upper Providence Township
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

21. Existing Billboards in
Upper Providence Township
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

22. Evolution of Upper Providence Township
Ordinance
• IO, IO2 & IO3 Office
Interchange
• IO
Glaxo SmithKline
• IO2
Providence Corporate Center
• IO3
Providence Town Center
Retail shopping center
Wegmans, Best Buy LA
Fitness
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

23. Upper Providence Township
Billboard Ordinance
• Height - < 40 Feet
• Setback – Minimum of 15 feet from right-of-way
• Distance Between Signs – 1,000 feet
• May Front Only Certain Public Roads
• Area – Not Greater than 300 square feet
• No combination of signs at any single location can exceed 300 sf
combined
• Exception: Can be a maximum of 400 sf and/or 45 ft in height if justified to
the satisfaction of the Board
• Distance from Interchange – 500 Feet or Greater
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

24. Upper Providence Township
Moving and Illuminated Sign Ordinance
• Signs That Move, Oscillate, Rotate, Vibrate, Shimmer Only Allowed in
M-2 Manufacturing & Industrial Zoning
• Indirect Illumination
• Light Fixtures with Proper Shielding
• Restrictions on Neon Lighting
• Limitations on Animation
• Public Service Information Signs
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

25. Working with Developers
to get what you want
Example: Oaks Media
• Township Events Advertised
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26. Working with Developers
to get what you want
Example: Providence
Corporate Center
• Monument sign vs
billboard
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

27. Part 4: Tips for Creating a Successful Ordinance
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

28. The Municipalities Planning Code
Empowers municipalities to exact zoning
ordinances to regulate billboards for the
public’s health, safety, morals and welfare.
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

29. Billboards Do Enjoy Some Legal Protection
• They cannot be completely banned.
• The Pennsylvania Constitution
• Due Process
• Local Right to Regulate
• First Amendment
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

30. Bases on Which Billboards May Be Restricted:
• Size
• Spacing
• Height
• District
• Hours of Operation
• Brightness
• Special Exception
• Catch-All
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

31. Bases on Which Billboards May Not Be
Regulated
• Aesthetic Reasons Alone
• Not Related to Police Power
• Economic Infeasibility
• Ban of Static/Digital
• Land Development Not Required
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

32. In Summary
A zoning authority can establish rigorous
objective standards in its ordinance for size,
placement, materials or coloration of signs to
insure that their offensiveness is minimized as
much as possible.
2015 PSATs Conference – Revised Version 4.15.15

33. Thank You!
MATTOUTDOOR