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Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, it shall be unlawful to construct, enlarge, move or replace any sign or cause the same to be done, without first obtaining a sign permit for such sign from the City of Claremont. In addition, a certificate of occupancy for the change in the use of property shall require compliance with Article I. Not withstanding the above, changing or replacing the permanent copy on an existing lawful sign shall not require a permit, provided the copy change does not change the nature of the sign so as to render it in violation of this chapter. (Ord. of 12-7-04, No. 37-02)
The following provisions shall apply to all signs.
1. Construction standards. All signs shall be constructed and installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the North Carolina State Building Code.
2. Electrical standards. All illuminated signs shall be installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the North Carolina State Electrical Code and all detached signs shall be illuminated by an underground electrical source. Any illuminated sign shall be so designed or placed so as to prevent direct or reflected light from being cast upon adjacent properties, the public right-of-way, or the night sky.
3. Maintenance of signs. All signs shall be maintained in good structural and aesthetic condition. Deficiencies such as chipped paint, broken plastic, missing letters and exposed light bulbs shall be evidence of a lack of maintenance.
4. Content. Content of message, commercial or non commercial, is not regulated by this chapter.
5. No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct the clear sight triangle at a street intersection.
6. Electronic message boards and/or projected imagery technology shall require compliance with Article I dimensional and location requirements. In addition, the minimum time between electronic message board and/or projected imagery technology display changes shall be three seconds for on-site commercial signs and eight seconds for billboard signs.
(Ord. of 12-7-04, No. 37-02; Ord. of 12/4/17, No. 20-17)
For purposes of this article, zoning districts are classified as follows:
R-1 (Neighborhood Residential) | Residential |
R-2 (Residential Agricultural) | Residential |
MH (Manufactured Home Overlay) | Residential |
B-1 (Central Business) | Mixed Use |
B-2 (Community Business) | Mixed Use |
B-3 (Highway Business) | Commercial |
M-1 (Manufacturing) | Commercial |
(Ord. of 12-7-04, No. 37-02)
Sign types are defined as follows:
1. Wall mounted signs.
a. One or a combination of the wall sign types below may be used on a building. Wall sign area is the total of the square footage of all wall signs associated with a business or structure.
b. A flush wall sign is mounted or applied directly to the building wall, generally on the fascia. It may in no instance extend above the parapet; in the residential and mixed use districts, it must be located below the parapet.
c. A hanging sign is also a wall sign. A hanging sign is suspended from a simple bracket attached to a building wall and requires eight (8) or more feet of vertical clearance from the ground. It is most appropriately used along pedestrian-oriented streets to identify attached or closely spaced shops, restaurants, and service businesses. Only one (1) hanging sign is permitted per building or business bay (in a multi-tenant building). The sign face area does not include the area of the bracket. A hanging sign may project no more than four (4) feet from the building wall. It may project up to three (3) feet over a sidewalk in a city maintained right-of-way (or state ROW if permitted). However, in any case the sign shall no be closer than three (3) feet to a power or other utility line or the outside edge of street pavement.
d. A canopy or awning sign is sign copy applied directly onto a canopy or awning.
2. Ground mounted signs (defined as follows):
a. A monument sign is mounted generally flush with the ground plane. It may not be mounted on a pole or pylon, nor raised by mounting on a man-made berm, wall, or similar structure. Supporting elements may not exceed three (3) feet in height and are included in measurement of sign height.
b. A raised sign may hang from a pole and beam frame as illustrated below, or be placed within a frame mounted on up to two (2) supporting poles.
(Ord. of 12-7-04, No. 37-02)
1. Sign face area. The area within a single, continuous perimeter enclosing the characters, lettering, logos, illustrations, and ornamentation, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background against which it is placed.
2. Sign height. The distance from the ground plane beneath the sign to the highest point of the sign’s frame. Ornamentation atop signs, such as small caps and spires, are not included in the height measurement. (Ord. of 12-7-04, No. 37-02)
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