1187.01
Purpose and intent.
1187.02
Definitions.
1187.03
Applicability.
1187.04
Licensing and permits.
1187.05
Prohibited signs.
1187.06
Signs exempt from permit requirements.
1187.07
General regulations.
1187.08
Sign types and measurement of sign area.
1187.09
Sign regulations by type: permanent signs.
1187.10
Sign regulations by type: limited duration signs.
1187.11
Sign regulations by type: temporary signs.
1187.12
Sign regulation by type: portable signs.
1187.13
Sign regulations by type: electronic message units (digital display).
1187.14
Sign regulations by type: aerial banners across streets.
1187.15
Sign regulations by type: street banners.
1187.16
Sign regulations by type: neighborhood association vertical banners.
1187.17
Signs permitted in all districts.
1187.18
Signs in Special Zoning Districts: open space, community service and Urban Garden Districts.
1187.19
Signs in Residential Districts.
1187.20
Signs in Business and Industrial Districts.
1187.21
Signs for parking facilities.
1187.22
Destination Districts.
1187.23
Freeway interchange signs.
1187.24
Abandoned signs and signs at closed businesses.
1187.25
Maintenance and removal of signs.
Signs perform an important function in identifying and promoting properties, businesses, services, residences, events, and other matters of interest to the public. The intent of this Article is to regulate all signs within the City of Canton to ensure that they are appropriate for their respective uses, in keeping with the appearance of the affected property and surrounding environment, and protective of the public health, safety, and general welfare by:
(a) Setting standards and providing uniform, metric-based controls that permit reasonable use of signs and preserve the character of the City of Canton.
(b) Prohibiting the erection of signs in such numbers, sizes, designs, illumination, and locations as may create a hazard to pedestrians and motorists.
(c) Avoiding excessive conflicts from large or multiple signs, so that permitted signs provide adequate identification and direction while minimizing clutter, unsightliness, and confusion.
(d) Establishing a process for the review and approval of sign permit applications.
(e) Ensuring sign design that builds on the visual environment the City of Canton seeks to promote within its neighborhoods.
(f) The City of Canton encourages all involved in the sign industry, both contractors and users, to take whatever steps possible to support and utilize energy efficient material and actions. (Ord. 25-2019. Passed 2-25-19.)
The definitions in Chapter 1131 shall apply to this section. The following additional definitions shall apply to this section:
Animated Sign: A sign depicting action, motion, or light or color changes through electrical or mechanical means.
Awning Sign: Any sign painted on, or applied to, an awning.
Balloon Sign: A lighter-than-air, gas-filled balloon, tethered in a fixed location, which contains an advertisement message on its surface or attached to the balloon in any manner.
Banner: Any cloth, bunting, plastic, paper, or similar non-rigid material attached to any structure, staff, pole, rope, wire, or framing which is anchored on two or more edges or at all four corners. Banners are temporary in nature and do not include flags.
Beacon Lighting: Any source of electric light, whether portable or fixed, the primary purpose of which is to cast a concentrated beam of light generally skyward as a means of attracting attention to its location rather than to illuminate any particular sign, structure, or other object.
Billboard: A sign directing attention to a specific business, product, service, entertainment activity or other commercial activity sold, offered or conducted elsewhere than upon the lot on which the sign is located.
Canopy Sign: Any sign that is part of, or attached to a canopy.
Changeable Copy Sign: A sign or portion thereof on which the copy or symbols change either automatically through electrical or electronic means such as digital displays, or manually through placement of letters or symbols on a panel mounted in or on a track system.
Channel Letter Sign: A sign consisting of fabricated or formed three-dimensional letters, individually applied to a wall, which may accommodate a light source.
Digital Display: The portion of a sign message made up of internally illuminated components capable of changing the message periodically. Digital displays may include but are not limited to LCD, LED, or plasma displays.
Festoon Lighting: A type of illumination comprised of either: (a) a group of incandescent light bulbs hung or strung overhead or on a building or other structure, or (b) light bulbs not shaded or hooded or otherwise screened to prevent direct rays of light from shining on adjacent properties or rights-of-way.
Freestanding Sign: A sign supported by structures or supports that are placed on, or anchored in, the ground; and that is independent and detached from any building or other structure.
Gas Station Canopy Sign: Any sign that is part of, or attached to, the vertical sides of the gas station canopy roof structure. For the purposes of this ordinance, gas station canopy signs shall be considered wall signs.
Ground Sign: A sign permanently affixed to the ground at its base, supported entirely by a base structure, and not mounted on a pole or attached to any part of a building. (Also known as monument sign)
Pole Sign: A freestanding sign that is permanently supported in a fixed location by a structure of one or more poles, posts, uprights, or braces from the ground and not supported by a building or a base structure.
Government/Regulatory Sign: Any sign for the control of traffic or for identification purposes, street signs, warning signs, railroad crossing signs, and signs of public service companies indicating danger or construction, which are erected by or at the order of a public officer, employee or agent thereof, in the discharge of official duties.
Illuminated Sign: A sign with electrical equipment installed for illumination, either internally illuminated through its sign face by a light source contained inside the sign or externally illuminated by a light source aimed at its surface.
Inflatable Sign: A sign that is an air-inflated object, which may be of various shapes, made of flexible fabric, resting on the ground or structure and equipped with a portable blower motor that provides a constant flow of air into the device.
Interactive Sign: An electronic or animated sign that reacts to the behavior or electronic signals of motor vehicle drivers.
Limited Duration Signs: A non-permanent sign that is displayed on private property for more than 30 days, but not intended to be displayed for an indefinite period.
Manual Changeable Copy Sign: A sign or portion thereof on which the copy or symbols are changed manually through placement or drawing of letters or symbols on a sign face.
Marquee Sign: Any sign attached to a marquee; a permanent structure, other than a roof or canopy, attached to, supported by, and projecting from a building and providing protection from the elements.
Mechanical Movement Sign: A sign having parts that physically move rather than merely appear to move as might be found in a digital display. The physical movement may be activated electronically or by another means, but shall not include wind-activated movement such as used for banners or flags. Mechanical movement signs do not include digital signs that have changeable, programmable displays.
Neon Sign: A sign illuminated by a neon tube, or other visible light-emanating gas tube, that is bent to form letters, symbols, or other graphics. Neon tubes mounted on or within three (3) feet of a commercial storefront window are considered signs.
Official Traffic Sign: Official highway route number signs, street name signs, directional signs and other traffic signs erected and maintained on public highways and roads in the interest of public safety or for the regulation of traffic.
Pennant: a triangular or irregular piece of fabric or other material, commonly attached in strings or strands, or supported on small poles intended to flap in the wind.
Permanent Sign: A sign attached or affixed to a building, window, or structure, or to the ground in a manner that enables the sign to resist environmental loads, such as wind, and that precludes ready removal or movement of the sign and whose intended use appears to be indefinite.
Portable Sign: A sign designed to be transported or moved and not permanently attached to the ground, a building, or other structure. The following are subtypes of Portable Signs:
• Sandwich Board Sign: A type of freestanding, portable, temporary sign consisting of two faces connected and hinged at the top and whose message is targeted to pedestrians (Also known as A-frame sign)
• Vehicular Sign: A sign affixed to a vehicle in such a manner that the sign is used primarily as a stationary advertisement.
Projecting Sign: A building-mounted, double-sided sign with the two faces generally perpendicular to the building wall, not to include signs located on a canopy, awning, or marquee. (Also referred to as blade sign)
Reflective Sign: A sign containing any material or device which has the effect of intensifying reflected light.
Roof Sign: A rooftop mounted or building-mounted sign erected upon, against, or over the roof of a building and/or extending above the roof line.
Sign: Any device, structure, fixture, painting, emblem, or visual that uses words, graphics, colors, illumination, symbols, numbers, or letters for the purpose of communicating a message. Sign includes the sign faces as well as any sign supporting structure.
Snipe Sign: A sign tacked, nailed, posted, pasted, glued, or otherwise attached to trees, poles, stakes, fences, public benches, streetlights, or other objects, or placed on any public property or in the public right-of-way or on any private property without the permission of the Property owner.
Street Pole Banner: A banner suspended above a public sidewalk and attached to a single street pole.
Temporary Sign: A type of non-permanent, sign that is located on private property that can be displayed for no more than 30 consecutive days at one time.
Wall Sign: A building-mounted sign which is either attached to, displayed on, or painted on an exterior wall in a manner parallel with the wall surface. A sign installed on a false or mansard roof is also considered a wall sign. (Also known as: building sign)
Upper Level Building Sign: A wall sign located on the upper floor of a building where the building is at least three (3) stories in height.
Window Sign: Any sign that is applied, painted, or affixed to a window, or placed inside a window, within three (3) feet of the glass, facing the outside of the building, and easily seen from the outside. Customary displays of merchandise or objects and material without lettering behind a store window are not considered signs.
(Ord. 25-2019. Passed 2-25-19.)
(a) No person shall engage in the business of replacing, erecting or constructing signs within the City of Canton without a valid sign contractor's license.
(b) The Owner, developer or sign contractor shall meet with the Director of Planning prior to submission for zoning permit. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss early and informally the purpose and intent of the proposed signage and the criteria and standards contained herein.
(c) No sign requiring a permit shall be erected or installed without first having a zoning and/or building permit issued for it or obtaining Architectural Review Board (ARB) approval where applicable.
(d) The Director of Planning, Zoning Inspector and/or the ARB may approve, approve with minor changes or modifications, or disapprove any sign not prohibited nor exempt from permit requirements.
(e) If a sign contractor has outstanding zoning violation(s), no permits shall be issued to him and/or the firm until the violation(s) have been resolved.
(f) In order to apply for a sign permit, the applicant must provide the following information, in writing, to the City of Canton:
(1) Name of organization and location.
(2) Name, address, and telephone number of the Property owner, and the signature of the Property owner or duly authorized agent for the owner.
(3) Contact person and contact information.
(4) Description of the activities occurring on the site where the sign will be installed.
(5) Description of any existing signage that will remain on the site.
(6) Identification of the type of sign(s) to be erected by the applicant.
(7) Site plan depicting the locations of proposed signage and existing remaining signage.
(8) Two copies of a plan drawn to scale depicting:
A. Lot dimensions, building frontage, and existing cartways, rights-of-way and driveways.
B. The design of each sign face and sign structure, including dimensions, total area, sign height, depth, color scheme, structural details, materials, lighting scheme and proposed location.
C. Building elevations, existing and proposed facades, parapet walls, eave line and the location and size of all proposed and existing permanent signage.
D. Current photographs showing existing signs on the premises and certifying the date on which photographs were taken.
E. For digital displays a manufacturer affidavit verifying that the sign has been factory pre-set to comply with the brightness standards set herein.
F. Confirmation that an application has been approved by the ARB, where applicable.
(9) An application for a sign permit may be denied by the City of Canton if the application fails to comply with the standards contained herein.
(10) Upon denial of an application for a sign permit, the applicant has 30 business days to revise and resubmit the application for review by the City of Canton. In the alternative, the applicant may also appeal the decision of the Zoning Inspector to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
(11) These permits shall not expire provided that such signs are not abandoned or destroyed. In the instance that substantial repair or replacement becomes necessary (i.e., repairs that costs more than 50% of the replacement cost of the damaged sign); the organization must apply for a new sign permit.
(g) Limited Duration Signs:
(1) A permit for a limited duration sign expires one (1) year after issuance and must be renewed annually via an application for a new permit.
(2) One (1) sign is allowed per permit. An applicant may request up to two (2) permits per address, but is subject to the size and number requirements set forth herein.
(3) An application for a limited duration sign permit must include:
A. A description of the sign indicating the number, size, shape, and dimensions, of the sign, and the expected length of time the sign will be displayed.
B. A schematic drawing of the site showing the proposed location of the sign in relation to nearby building and streets.
C. The number of signs on the site.
(h) Aerial Banners Across Streets.
(1) Applications for a permit shall be made by the organization sponsoring the event to the Director of Public Safety. A permit fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be charged regardless of the number of banner sites. No permit shall be issued for longer than ten days and may not be renewed to create a consecutive sequence of allowance.
(2) An applicant shall provide proof of liability insurance under a commercial general liability insurance coverage policy with a minimum coverage of one million dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence before a permit shall be issued.
(3) The Director of Public Safety is authorized to adopt banner size, safety standards and other regulations to carry out the purpose of this section.
(i) Neighborhood Association Vertical Banners.
(1) pplications for a permit shall be made by the neighborhood association sponsoring the banners to the Director of Public Service. A permit fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be charged for a maximum display of twenty banners. Banners may be permanently displayed provided that when damage and/or wear and tear occurs, the sponsoring association shall replace the banner in a reasonable amount of time. The City retains the right to remove any unsightly or damaged banners should the replacement guidelines be violated.
(2) The Director of Public Service is authorized to adopt banner specifications, safety and aesthetic standards and other regulations to carry out the purpose of this section. (Ord. 25-2019. Passed 2-25-19.)
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