The following principles shall control the computation of sign area and sign height:
1. Computation of Area of Individual Signs. The area of sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets Zoning regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself.
2. Computation of Area of Multifaced Signs. The sign area from a sign with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point. When two identical sign faces are placed back to back, so that both faces cannot be viewed from any point at the same time, and when such sign faces are part of the same sign structure and are not more than 42 inches apart, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
3. Computation of Height. The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of (a) existing grade prior to construction, or (b) the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign. In cases in which the normal grade cannot reasonably be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the zone lot, whichever is lower.
4. Computation of Maximum Total Permitted Sign Area for a Zone Lot. The permitted sum of the area of all individual signs on a zone lot shall be computed by applying the formula contained in Table 159.05B, Maximum Total Sign Area, to the frontage, building frontage or wall area, as appropriate, for the zoning district in which the lot is located. Lots fronting on two or more streets are allowed the permitted sign area for each street frontage. However, the total sign area that is oriented toward a particular street may not exceed the portion of the lot’s total sign area allocation that is derived from the lot, building or wall area frontage on that street.