Lower Paxton, PA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Lower Paxton Township has no section written for digital billboards by name. Two provisions of § 203-1008 sit side by side, and the code does not say how they combine, so each is described here on its own terms. Subsection G governs outdoor advertising signs: billboards are permitted only in the CG, LI and GI Districts. A billboard must be at least 500 feet from any residence or residential zoning district, at least 10 feet from any property or street right-of-way line, and at least 1,000 feet from any other billboard. The number of faces is limited to two. Sign area is limited to 300 square feet per face in all commercial districts and 672 square feet per face in industrial districts, and temporary embellishments in the industrial districts cannot push the area past 750 square feet per face. Maximum billboard height is 25 feet.

Subsection D governs changeable message signs. Electrical activation is allowed in commercial or industrial districts and includes projection or rotation of sign copy or electronically programmed message changes. Scrolling message changes are permitted, but flashing and animated signs are prohibited. Section 203-1003(D) separately provides that animated signs are not permitted in any district. The definitions in Article II describe a digital sign as a computer programmable sign whose display can be altered or rearranged by remote or automatically, and they include electronic message boards. They define a billboard as a permanently installed sign that advertises something located, sold or furnished somewhere other than the real property where the sign stands. The definitions also include a brightness measure called nits for digital signs, but the chapter prints no nit limit.

Every sign needs a permit from the Zoning Officer before it is placed, erected, altered, enlarged or relocated, with a construction permit as well unless an exemption applies. Under § 203-1004(C)(2), illuminated signs cannot produce glare that affects adjacent property owners or vehicular movements, and § 203-1003(C) bars any sign that can be confused with an authorized traffic control device.