(A) General
This Chapter 9 applies to signs on property located in all zoning districts.
A sign may be erected, placed, established, painted, created or maintained in the Town only in conformance with the standards, procedures, exemptions and other requirements of this chapter. Signs exempt from regulation under Section 9.1.4(B) shall not otherwise be subject to this Chapter.
(B) Signs Exempt From Regulations
The following signs shall be exempt from regulation under this Chapter:
(1) Any official or public notice or warning sign required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation or chapter; by a public utility company; or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(2) Any sign located within the right-of-way or on private property that is used as a traffic control device. This includes, but is not limited to, any sign that is described and identified in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and approved by the Federal Highway Administrator as the National Standard, regulatory signs (that give notice of traffic laws or regulations), warning signs (that give notice of a situation that might not readily be apparent), and guide signs (that show route designations, directions, distances, services, points of interest, and other geographical, recreational, or cultural information).
(3) Any sign, other than a window sign, inside a building, that is not visible from off the site on which it is located.
(4) Any sign inside a breezeway or entranceway, under the roof and within the foundation line of the building but outside the actual entrance door, where such sign cannot be seen by a person of ordinary eyesight who is not under the roof of the building or is otherwise outside the building.
(5) Any sign inside an athletic field or other enclosed outdoor space, where the sign is not legible from more than three (3) feet beyond the lot line of the site on which it is located.
(6) Signs erected by or on behalf of a governmental or quasi-governmental agency including, but not limited to, noncommercial signs identifying a government building or service, traffic control signs, street name signs, street address signs, warning signs, safety signs, informational signs, traffic or other directional signs, public notices of events, public notice of government actions, proposed changes of land use, any proposed rezoning, or any other government speech.
(7) Signs on single-use sites, where the sign is not visible from a public right-of-way or adjacent residential property.
(8) One (1) building marker or engraved cornerstone per building, containing no logo or commercial message and made of a permanent material that is permanently attached to or incorporated into the building wall.
(9) A sign on a vehicle, other than a prohibited Vehicular Sign or Signs.
(C) Prohibited Signs
The following signs are specifically prohibited, unless specified otherwise in this Chapter:
(1) Any sign that copies or imitates an official sign or purports to have official status.
(2) Beacons.
(3) Windblown signs.
(4) Pennants.
(5) Canopy signs.
(6) Animated signs.
(7) Portable signs.
(8) Any sign that obstructs or substantially interferes with any window, door, fire escape, stairway, ladder, or opening intended to provide light, air, ingress, or egress to any building.
(9) Off site signs, billboards, and pole signs.
(10) Discontinued signs, including all structural, support, and other related elements.
(11) Signs made wholly or partially of highly reflective material, so as to generate a contrast between the sign and adjacent surfaces or the surrounding area.
(12) Signs on roofs.
(13) Signs located in the clear sight triangle as defined by the Town's Standard Specifications and Details Manual.
(14) Signs erected or lighted in such a manner or in such location as to obstruct the view of, or be confused with, any authorized traffic signal, notice or control device.
(15) Signs in the public right-of-way, except for the following:
(a) Signs on awnings per Section 9.2.5(A);
(b) Projecting Signs per Section 9.2.5(I);
(c) Suspended Signs per Section 9.2.5(J);
(e) Principal Ground Signs at the entrance of residential and non-residential subdivisions per Section 9.2.5(F).
(16) Neon signs located in such a manner as to attract public attention from outside the building except as permitted in Section 9.2.6(B).
(17) Vehicular Signs when the vehicle is parked such that the sign is visible from a right-of-way within one hundred (100) feet of the vehicle, except where there is no reasonable alternative location on the site to park the vehicle.
(18) Feather signs.
(19) Electronic changeable message signs.
(20) Digital signs.
(21) Intermittent signs.
(22) Flashing signs.
(23) Any freestanding sign, with exception of an entry monument alternative to a principal ground sign, that is more than six (6) feet above the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign. The foregoing maximum sign height limitation, which applies under all circumstances except as noted herein, does not preclude the more restrictive sign height limitations as set forth in Section 9.2 or 9.3 of this Chapter.
(24) Any wall sign that is greater than the lesser of three (3) square feet per linear foot of building frontage, or ten percent (10%) of the wall area to which the sign is affixed. The foregoing maximum sign area limitation, which applies under all circumstances except as noted herein, does not preclude the more restrictive sign area limitations as set forth in Section 9.2 or 9.3 of this Chapter.
(25) Any sign which emits a sound, odor, or visible matter.
(26) Snipe signs.
(27) Holographic Display Signs.
(28) Moving Signs.
(29) Scrolling Signs.
(30) Signs attached or painted on trees, rocks or natural features.
(31) Ground signage placed on a supporting base for public art or on the actual artwork.
(D) Transitional Provisions
(1) All permanent signs legally erected prior to December 8, 2016 may remain in place and in use, subject to certain restrictions on modification, replacement and other actions affecting the sign, as set forth in this Ordinance.
(2) All holders of permits for permanent signs issued legally prior to December 8, 2016 may erect the signs that are the subject of such permits within the times allowed by such permits, and such signs shall then be treated as though they had been erected prior to December 8, 2016. However, such permits may not be extended or amended unless the sign that is the subject of such permit will conform to all of the requirements of this chapter.
(3) All violations of the sign regulations in effect prior to December 8, 2016 shall remain violations of the Ordinances of the Town and all penalties and enforcement remedies set forth hereunder shall be available to the Town as though the violation were a violation of this chapter. However, if the effect of this chapter is to make a permanent sign that was formerly nonconforming become conforming, then enforcement action shall cease except to the extent of collecting penalties (other than the removal of the permanent sign) for violations that occurred prior to December 8, 2016.