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(a) Permit Required. No permanent or temporary sign, except as exempted in Section 1171.04
of this Ordinance shall hereafter be erected, constructed or maintained within the Village of Ashville unless a permit for the same has been issued by the Zoning Inspector. Such permit shall be separate from a zoning permit for the permitted use of the property.
(b) Contents of Application. Application for a permit to construct or erect a sign shall be made by the owner of the property upon which the sign is proposed, or his agent. The fee shall be established by separate Ordinance.
Each application for a sign permit shall be made on forms provided by the Zoning Inspector, and shall include the following information:
(1) Name, address, and telephone number of the applicant.
(2) Drawing or drawings showing at a minimum:
A. The design and layout of the proposed sign, including the total area of the sign and the size, height, character, materials and color of letters, lines, and symbols.
B. The method of illumination.
C. The exact location of the sign in relation to the building and property.
D. Details and specifications for the construction, erection and attachment of the sign.
(c) Construction Commenced. Construction, erection or placement of a sign requiring a permit shall not occur until such sign permit has been obtained. The permit fee for any such sign shall be doubled if any construction, erection or placement activity has occurred prior to approval of the permit. (Ord. 2000-14. Passed 7-24-00.)
The following signs may be erected without a permit:
(a) Address and name of occupant of premises for a residential structure, not to include designations as to employment or home occupation, and to be limited in size to two (2) square feet.
(b) Signs required or authorized for a public purpose by any law, statute or ordinance of the Village. Such signs would include traffic control devices and school crossing signs, provided that such signs contain no supplementary advertising.
(c) Signs which are in the nature of cornerstones, commemorative tables and historical plaques, provided that such signs are less than nine (9) square feet in size and not illuminated.
(d) Signs clearly in the nature of decorations customarily associated with any national, local or religious holiday. Such signs may be of any illumination or animation provided that safety and visibility hazards are not clearly created.
(e) Signs or posters concerning candidates for elective office, public issues and similar matters to be decided by public election, to be displayed beginning no more than 45 days prior to election and to be removed no later than three (3) days after such election, subject to penalty. Such signs shall not exceed six (6) square feet in area, shall not be illuminated, and shall not create a safety or visibility hazard, nor be attached to any public utility pole or tree or be located within a public right-of-way.
(f) Signs that indicate the sale, development, rental or lease of a particular structure or land area, to be limited to one sign allowed per street front. Such signs shall not be located in a public right-of-way.
(g) Temporary window signs which promote special business sales, promotion or occasions.
(h) Signs, which are less than two (2) square feet in size and mounted or attached flat or parallel onto a building face of an administrative, business or professional office building, which denote the name and address of an occupant in a building where more than one tenant is located and which has individual and separate entries.
(i) A sign which advertises the sale of personal property, such as a garage, yard, porch or moving sale sign provided such sign, is located on the sale premises for a time period not greater than three (3) consecutive days, and is not to be located in a public right-of-way.
(j) Temporary construction signs which display the identification of the construction project including identification of the contractors, architects and other construction principals provided that such construction sign is removed upon the completion of construction or the commencement of occupancy, whichever event occurs first.
(k) Signs promoting community events and programs which last for a time period of 14 days or less and which are sponsored by nonprofit, public, educational, religious and charitable organizations. All such signs shall be removed not later than 48 hours after the scheduled activity.
(a) Compliance Required. Temporary and/or permanent signs shall be subject to the following requirements, as well as the requirements of the Schedule of Sign Regulations in Section 1171.09
.
(b) Wall Signs, Awning/Canopy Signs, Projecting Signs. Wall signs may be erected on any building wall or extension of a building wall which faces a street parking lot or service drive, and such sign may not extend beyond any building setback line. Wall signs shall be attached parallel to the building face and extend outward perpendicular from the building face a maximum of twelve (12) inches, except as follows:
(1) Signs may be painted on an awning area or attached to a canopy, marquee or roof which projects beyond the building provided that no part of such sign may extend above the roof line, canopy or marquee.
(2) Projecting sign not to exceed eight (8) square feet in size, is placed not less than eight (8) feet above the sidewalk or ground level, and projects no more than six (6) feet outward from the building face.
(c) Freestanding Signs. Freestanding signs may be erected on a lot provided the location, height and other characteristics of the sign meet the regulations of this chapter.
(d) Window Signs. Permanent window signs shall be limited to signs denoting the identification of the occupant, the address of the premises, and its use. Window signs shall be limited to one sign per window and shall not exceed thirty-three percent (33%) of the total area of the window.
(e) Off-Premises Signs. Not more than one (1) off-premises sign with a sign face area not exceeding twenty-five (25) square feet shall be permitted on a single lot.
(f) Portable Signs. Portable signs, as defined in Section 1171.02
, shall be permitted as temporary signs. Such signs may not be located within the right-of-way (including sidewalk areas) and must be removed prior to thirty (30) days from the date of first display. Once removed, such signs shall not be displayed for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of issuance.
(g) Roof Signs. Roof signs shall be prohibited.
(h) Joint Identification Signs. Joint identification signs shall be limited to wall or freestanding signs, and to premises where there are two (2) or more uses located on one (1) property. If the property fronts on one (1) public street, only one joint identification sign is permitted. If the property fronts on two (2) public streets, two (2) joint identification signs shall be permitted. Such joint identification signs shall be permitted in addition to the individual business signs as permitted in Section 1171.09
.
(i) Permanent Subdivision Identification Signs. Permanent signs identifying a residential subdivision shall be limited to wall mounted signs only, with placement on entrance features used to denote the entrance to the subdivision. Such signs shall conform to the provisions of Section 1171.09
.
(j) General Requirements.
(1) Illumination of signs shall be permitted in all districts. Illumination shall be from a concealed or indirect light source and shall not flash, blink, fluctuate in intensity, travel, move or in any manner fail to provide constant illumination, and shall not create a hazard or visibility problem or interfere with or impair vehicular traffic. The level of illumination emitted from a sign shall not be of an intensity to constitute a demonstrable safety hazard to vehicular movement on any street. Illuminated signs shall be constructed and maintained so that the source of illumination is shielded or otherwise prevented from beaming directly onto adjacent properties or streets.
(2) Moving signs and the animation of signs are prohibited.
(3) No permanent sign shall contain or consist of banners, pennants, ribbons, streamers, balloons or similar devices.
(4) All signs and parts thereof, including any electrical wiring, shall be erected, constructed, and maintained so as to not constitute a safety hazard.
(5) No sign or part of a sign, except for public signs as described in Section 1171.04
(b) above, shall be located within, over, or extend over any public right-of-way, nor shall any sign be located or attached to any utility pole or other utility structure. Signs located in the VC District may be located in or above sidewalk areas which may be within the street right-of-way, but shall not be attached to any utility pole.
For the purposes of this Ordinance, the measurement of sign area shall comply with the following standards:
(a) Sign area shall include the face of all the display area of the sign not including bracing, framing and structural supports of the sign, unless such support members are made part of the message or face of the design.
(b) Where a sign has two or more display faces, the area of all faces of the sign shall be included in determining the area of the sign. For spherical signs, the sphere shall be bisected by an imaginary line through the center of the sphere, and the surface area of the half sphere shall be counted as the sign face. For cubical signs, the area of all display faces shall be included in determining the area of the sign.
(c) The area of the letters, numbers or emblems mounted on a building wall or wall extension shall be computed by enclosing such sign with the smallest single continuous perimeter consisting of rectangular or series of rectangles around the letters, number or emblems, and determining the area.
(d) For structures and uses having no direct frontage on public roads, as within shopping centers, frontage shall be counted as the intersection of the building line onto adjacent drives or parking areas.
(a) Abandonment. The continuance of an existing sign which does not meet the regulations and requirements of this chapter shall be deemed a nonconforming sign which shall terminate by abandonment when any of the following conditions exist:
(1) When the sign is associated with an abandoned use.
(2) When the sign remains after the termination of a business. A business has ceased operations if it is closed to the public for at least ninety (90) consecutive days. Seasonal businesses are exempt from this requirement.
(3) When the sign is not maintained or does not conform to the following:
A. All signs, together with all supports, braces, guys and anchors shall be kept in a proper state of repair.
B. Every sign and the immediately surrounding premises shall be maintained by the owner, or his agent, in a clean sanitary and inoffensive condition, free from all obnoxious substances, rubbish and weeds.
Upon finding that the sign is abandoned, the right to maintain and use such sign shall terminate immediately.
(b) Relocation or Replacement. A nonconforming sign shall not be structurally relocated or replaced unless it is brought into compliance with the provisions of this Section. Should any replacement or relocation occur without being brought into compliance, the sign shall be existing illegally, and subject to the penalties as specified in Section 1171.08
of this Ordinance.
(c) Maintenance. A nonconforming sign shall be maintained or repaired in accordance with the following provisions:
(1) The size and structural shape of the sign shall not be changed or altered. The copy may be changed provided that the change applies to the original use associated with the sign at the time the sign became nonconforming. The copy area shall not be enlarged.
(2) In case damage occurs to the sign to the extent that more than 50 percent (50%) of the replacement value is lost, the sign shall be removed within sixty (60) days.
The Schedule of Sign Regulations as follows on the accompanying table is hereby made a part of this Ordinance.
Use District | Permitted Types | Maximum Number of Signs | Maximum Height (ft.) | Maximum Area (sq. ft.) | Minimum Feet From R.O.W. (Freestanding Sign) |
Residential | |||||
Single Family Residences (all districts) | Wall | 1 | 20 | 2 | -- |
Subdivision Identification Signs | Wall | 1 | 8 | 20 | 15 |
Two and Multiple-Family Dwellings (all districts) | Wall | 1 | 20 | 2 | -- |
Nursery Schools, Day Care Facilities, in VR District | Wall, freestanding | 1 | 20 | 10 | 15 |
Commercial/Office/Institutional | |||||
Schools, churches, hospitals and other institutions in CF District** | Wall, freestanding | 1 per frontage | 25 (wall) 10 (freestanding) | 40 | 10 |
Churches in VR District | Wall, freestanding | 1 | 25 (wall) 10 (freestanding) | 30 | 10 |
Permitted Uses in VC District | Wall, window, freestanding, projecting, awning | 2 per frontage (not more than one freestanding) | 20 | 40 (all signs) | -- |
Permitted Uses in the GB District* | Wall, window, freestanding, projecting, awning | 2 per frontage* (not more than one freestanding) | 15 (freestanding) 25 (other types) | 50 (all signs) | 15 |
Industrial | |||||
Permitted Uses within the LI District* | Wall, window, freestanding | 2 per frontage (not more than one freestanding) | 25 | 80 | 30 |
* In addition to the permitted signs above, businesses, offices and institutions in the GB and LI District shall be permitted not more than two (2)
directional signs. Such directional signs shall be not more than three (3) feet in height and be not more than two (2) square feet in area. The
location of such sign shall be not less than five (5) feet from the street right-of-way.
** Plans for signage must be submitted with the Development Plan; Planning and Zoning Board may impose additional requirements.