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5-12(E)   STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO ALL SIGNS
5-12(E)(1)   Content
5-12(E)(1)(a)   The regulations in this Section 14-16-5-12 shall be administered and implemented without regard to sign content or message, except as required to determine the applicability of and compliance with Subsection 14-16-5-12(G) (Off-premises Signs).
5-12(E)(1)(b)   Any sign content or message may be substituted for different sign content on any sign allowed under this Section 14-16-5-12, or on any sign that is a legal nonconforming sign under this IDO.
5-12(E)(2)   Location
5-12(E)(2)(a)   No sign or part of a sign shall be located on any property without the consent of the owner, holder, lessee, agent, trustee, or other party controlling the use of such property.
5-12(E)(2)(b)   Signs shall not be located within public waterline or sanitary sewer easements.
5-12(E)(3)   Clearance
5-12(E)(3)(a)   Any part of a sign extending over a public right-of-way, private way, or private walkway shall have a minimum vertical clearance of 8 feet above any sidewalk or walkway and a minimum vertical clearance of 12 feet above any vehicle driving surface, unless it is a sign allowed by Subsection 14-16-5-12(F)(4)(b) (Portable Signs), 14-16-5-12(J) (Construction Period Sign), or 14-16-5-12(K) (Transit Shelter Signs).
5-12(E)(3)(b)   Approval from 1 of the following entities is required for any part of any sign extending over a public right-of-way, private way, or private walkway:
   1.   The City, for signs that extend over a public right-of-way.
   2.   The owner of the property containing the pedestrian traffic area, for signs that extend over a private way or private walkway.
5-12(E)(4)   Design and Construction
5-12(E)(4)(a)   All signs shall be constructed of durable material and maintained in good condition and repair, shall be securely anchored and constructed to prevent lateral movement that would cause wear on supporting connections, and shall be constructed to withstand expected wind loads appropriate to design and installation.
5-12(E)(4)(b)   No sign may have overhead wiring to supply electric power, except for a freestanding off-premises sign where underground power cannot be accessed from the site.
5-12(E)(4)(c)   Sign supports for building-mounted signs other than allowed rooftop signs shall be covered in a manner that integrates the sign with the building design.
5-12(E)(4)(d)   Building-mounted signs, with the exception of wall signs, shall not extend more than 2 feet above the wall of a building, except in the following small areas, as noted.
   1.   East Downtown - CPO-4
Rooftop signs are allowed pursuant to Subsection 14-16-5-12(F)(3)(a) (Standards Applicable in Small Areas).
   2.   East Downtown - HPO-1
Rooftop signs are allowed pursuant to Subsection 14-16-5-12(F)(3)(b) (Standards Applicable in Small Areas).
   3.   Downtown Small Area
Rooftop signs in any Mixed?use or Non-residential zone district in or within 330 feet of the Downtown Center are allowed pursuant to Subsection 14-16-5-12(F)(3)(b) (Standards Applicable in Small Areas).
   4.   Nob Hill/Highland - CPO-8
Higher building-mounted signs are allowed pursuant to Subsection 14-16-3-4(I)(5)(c) (Signs).
   5.   Uptown Small Area
In the mapped small area below, signs may extend more than 2 feet above the wall of the building if both of the following criteria are met.
      a.   The sign is a continuation of the plane where it is mounted.
      b.   No more than 25 percent of the sign height extends above the wall where it is mounted.
5-12(E)(4)(e)   Freestanding sign structures shall not use guy wires, bracing, or external supports.
5-12(E)(5)   Illumination and Motion
5-12(E)(5)(a)   General 139
   1.   Signs may be internally or externally lit, provided that the light source is not directly visible from the public right-of-way or from adjacent properties unless specified otherwise in this IDO.
   2.   No white portion of an illuminated sign shall exceed the luminance limits in Table 5-12-1 during the hours of darkness.
 
TABLE 5-12-1: SIGN LUMINANCE LIMITS
ANSI/IES
 
Lighting Designation
 
Lighting Designation
Maximum Luminance (Nits)
Lz1
108
Lz2
323
Lz3
685
 
   3.   No sign or any part of any sign shall move or rotate at a rate of more than once each 10 seconds, with the exception of wind devices, the motion of which is not restricted.
   4.   No sign or any part of any sign shall change its message or picture at a rate of more than once each 8 seconds.
5-12(E)(5)(b)   Residential Zone Districts
In any Residential zone district or within 50 feet in any direction of any Residential zone district, both of the following requirements apply.
   1.   Illuminated signs are prohibited on lots with low-density residential development.
   2.   No more than 1 sign per premises with multi-family, mixed-use, or non-residential development shall be illuminated, apart from the general illumination of the premises, between 11:00 PM and sunrise, unless Subsection 14-16-5-12(H)(4) (Illumination, Brightness, and Images) applies a more restrictive standard.
5-12(E)(5)(c)   Mixed-use and Non-residential Zone Districts
An illuminated sign or illuminated element of a sign in any Mixed-use or Non-residential zone district may turn on or off or change its brightness, provided that all of the following requirements are met, unless Subsection 14-16-5-12(H)(4) (Illumination, Brightness, and Images) applies any more restrictive standard or Subsection 14-16-5-12(F)(4)(a) (Neon Signs along Central Avenue) applies any less restrictive standard to eligible signs.
   1.   The sign is not within 200 feet in any direction of any Residential zone district and visible from that zone district.
   2.   The sign is not within 330 feet in any direction of Major Public Open Space.
   3.   Change of illumination does not produce any apparent motion of the visual image, including but not limited to illusion of moving objects, moving patterns or bands of light, expanding or contracting shapes, or any similar effect of animation except twinkling.
   4.   There is no continuous or sequential flashing in which more than 1/3 of the lights are turned on or off at one time.

 

Notes

139
139 IDO Annual Update 2023 – Citywide Text Amendments – EPC REVIEW. EPC Recommended Conditions #1 and #27. [Spreadsheet Item #56 and Exhibit - Lighting]