Section:
19.74.010 Purpose
19.74.020 Applicability
19.74.030 General Provisions
19.74.040 Definitions
19.74.050 Sign review
19.74.060 Exemptions from sign approval
19.74.070 Comprehensive sign program
19.74.080 Prohibited signs
19.74.090 Nonconforming signs
19.74.100 Abandoned signs
19.74.110 General provisions for all signs
19.74.120 Standards for specific types of signs
19.74.130 Portable signs
19.74.140 Sign standards by zoning district
The purpose of this chapter is to provide minimum standards to safeguard life, health, property, and public welfare, and to preserve the character of the City by regulating the size, height, design, quality of materials, construction, location, lighting, and maintenance of all signs and sign structures not enclosed within a building, to accomplish the following:
A. To protect and enhance the character of residential neighborhoods and business areas, open views and vistas, and property values by prohibiting obtrusive and incompatible signs;
B. To provide a reasonable and comprehensive system of sign controls;
C. To encourage signs which are well-designed, balanced, and pleasing in appearance, and to provide incentive and latitude for variety, good design relationship, spacing, and location;
D. To encourage a desirable urban character while minimizing clutter and while recognizing the need for signs as a major form of communication;
E. To provide for fair and equal treatment of sign users;
F. To provide for a reasonable period of time for the elimination of nonconforming signs;
G. To promote public safety by providing that official traffic regulation devices be easily visible and free from any nearby visual obstructions, including blinking signs, excessive number of signs, or signs that in any way resemble official signs;
H. To eliminate traffic safety hazards to pedestrians and motorists posed by off-site signs bearing commercial messages;
I. To generally limit commercial signage to on-site locations in order to protect the aesthetic environment from the visual clutter associated with the unrestricted proliferation of signs while also providing adequate channels of communication to the public;
J. To allow the communication of information for both commercial and non-commercial purposes without regulating the content of non-commercial messages;
K. To allow the expression of political, religious, and other non-commercial speech at all times;
L. To protect the investment in property made by persons who choose to live, work or conduct business within the City;
M. To maintain the peace and tranquility of residential zones and neighborhoods by generally forbidding commercial signs at private residences while allowing residents the opportunity, within reasonable limits, to express political, religious, and other non- commercial messages from their homes; and
N. To accommodate the need for signs to direct members of the public to various destinations and places, activities, and uses, in order to provide for maximum public convenience.
Ord. 2443
A. The sign standards provided in this chapter are intended to apply to signs in every zoning district in the City except the TND Zoning District. Signs in the TND Zoning District are regulated by Chapter 19.92. Only signs authorized by this chapter shall be allowed in the zoning districts indicated unless otherwise expressly provided in this chapter.
B. If a new zoning district is created after the enactment of this chapter, the Director shall have the authority to make determinations as to the applicability of appropriate sign regulations in compliance with Chapter 19.02 (Interpretation of Regulations) until this chapter is amended to govern the new zoning district.
C. Signs shall be considered during the City's site design and architectural review process (Chapter 19.18) to ensure that all signs are well-designed, compatible with their surroundings, and do not detract from the overall visual quality of the City.
Ord. 2443
A. Owner’s Consent Required. The consent of the property owner is required before any sign may be displayed on any real or personal property within the City. In the case of public property, the owner’s consent shall be pursuant to a policy adopted by the City Council.
B. Substitution of Noncommercial Message. Subject to the owner’s consent, a non- commercial message of any type may be substituted for all or part of the commercial or non-commercial message on any sign allowed pursuant to this chapter. Design criteria which may apply to commercial signs, such as color, lettering style or height, and compatibility with other signs on the same parcel or other signs subject to a sign program, do not apply to noncommercial signs even when they are in an area subject to a sign program, master plan or specific plan. No special or additional permit is required to substitute a non-commercial message for any other message on an allowable sign, provided the sign is already permitted or exempt from the permit requirement. When a non-commercial message is substituted for any other message, the sign is still subject to the same location and structure regulations, such as size, height, illumination, duration of display, building and electrical code requirements, as would apply if the sign were used to display a commercial message or some other non-commercial message. This substitution provision shall prevail over any other provision to the contrary, whether more specific or not, in this chapter and applies retroactively to sign programs, master plans and specific plans which were adopted or approved before this chapter was enacted.
C. Substitution of Commercial Messages. This substitution provision does not automatically allow substitution of one commercial message for another commercial message, nor does it automatically allow free substitution of a commercial message in a place where only a noncommercial message is allowed. Such substitutions, however, may be allowed by other provisions of this chapter. This provision does not, by itself, allow off-site commercial messages to be substituted for on-site commercial messages, however, such substitution may also be allowed by other provisions of this chapter.
D. On-Site and Off-Site Distinction. All distinctions between on-site and off-site signs in this chapter apply only to commercial messages. All such distinctions do not apply to non-commercial messages.
E. Classification of Sign Type and Purpose. Unless otherwise allowed by state or federal law, all references to the specific function, content, or typical uses of an on-site commercial sign are non-binding and shall be deemed directory rather than mandatory.
F. Severance. If any section, sentence, clause, phrase, word, portion or provision of this chapter is held invalid or unconstitutional or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not affect, impair, or invalidate any other section, sentence, clause, phrase, word, portion, or provision of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid portion. In adopting this chapter, the City Council affirmatively declares that if it had been made aware of any invalid provision(s) in this chapter, it would have approved and adopted the remaining provisions and that it desires for all valid provisions to remain in full force and effect.
Ord. 2443
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