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The provisions of this division apply to all signs in business zoning districts, except that attached signs within 100 feet of either private property in a non-business zoning district or a public park of more than one acre shall be governed by the provisions of Division 51A-7.400 of this article. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20007; 20379; 25786)
(a) No illuminated sign which has an effective area of 400 square feet or less shall have a luminance greater than 300 footlamberts, nor shall any such sign have a luminance greater than 300 footlamberts for any portion of the sign within a circle two feet in diameter. No illuminated sign which has an effective area greater than 400 square feet shall have a luminance greater than 200 footlamberts, nor shall any such sign have a luminance greater than 200 footlamberts for any portion of the sign within a circle of two feet in diameter. The restrictions of luminance in this section shall be determined from any other premise or from any public right-of-way other than an alley.
(b) No illuminated sign nor any illuminated element of any sign, may turn on or off, or change its brightness, if:
(1) the change of illumination produces an apparent motion of the visual image, including but not limited to illusion of moving objects, moving patterns or bands of light, expanding or contracting shapes, rotation or any similar effect of animation;
(2) the change of message or picture occurs more often than once each three seconds for those portions of a sign which convey time or temperature, or once each 20 seconds for all other portions of a sign; or
(3) a portion of the sign, within a circle of two feet in diameter, has a luminance greater than 200 footlamberts when all elements of the sign are fully and steadily illuminated.
(c) No sign or any part of any sign may move or rotate at a rate more often than once each 10 seconds, or change its message at a rate more often than once each 20 seconds, with the exception of wind devices, the motion of which is not restricted. No sign may move, rotate or change its message at any rate if any of its elements or any illuminated portion within a two-foot circle has a luminance greater than 200 footlamberts.
(d) Subdivision signs are subject to the following restrictions:
(1) Subdivision signs are exempt from compliance with the provisions of Section 51A-7.304, “Detached Signs,” of this article.
(2) The maximum effective area of each subdivision sign may not exceed 40 square feet.
(3) The maximum number of subdivision signs permitted is two signs per street entrance into the business park.
(4) Subdivision signs may not project more than three inches from the surface of the structure.
(5) Subdivision signs may not be internally illuminated.
(6) The highest part of a subdivision sign may not exceed six feet in height.
(7) Subdivision signs must be landscape signs or monument signs. For purposes of this subsection, “landscape sign” means a sign that is part of a single landscape design that creates a base for the sign in conjunction with a retaining wall or an open space created with the use of water or planting material, and “monument sign” means a detached sign applied directly onto a ground-level support structure (instead of a pole support) with no separation between the sign and the ground.
(8) Subdivision signs may be located within the public right-of-way if a license for use of the public right-of-way is obtained pursuant to the requirements of the Dallas City Code.
(9) Subdivision signs may only contain the name of the business park.
(10) The application for a subdivision sign permit must be supported by the owner of property abutting the proposed subdivision sign, if any, and two-thirds of the property owners within 300 feet of the proposed subdivision sign. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 19704; 20359; 20495; 20927; 24232; 25455)
Detached signs are permitted in business zoning districts as follows:
(a) Definitions. In this section:
(1) EFFECTIVE-AREA-TO-HEIGHT RATIO means the ratio of the effective area of a sign to its height. For example, a sign with an effective area of 50 square feet and a height of 25 feet has an effective-area-to-height ratio of 2:1.
(2) MONUMENT SIGN means a detached sign applied directly onto a ground-level support structure (instead of a pole support) with no separation between the sign and the ground, or mounted on a fence.
(3) MULTI-TENANT SIGN means a detached sign that advertises two or more businesses on a single premise.
(4) NON-MONUMENT SIGN means a detached sign that is not a monument sign.
(5) SETBACK-TO-HEIGHT SLOPE is a plane projected upward and inward from a point of beginning located at the property line 7.5 feet above a level plane going through the nearest point of the vehicular traffic surface of the adjacent improved public right-of-way other than an alley and extending infinitely, as illustrated below. A .5:1 setback-to-height slope moves one-half foot away from the point of beginning for every one foot the slope rises, resulting in a 63.4349 degree slope. A 1:1 setback-to-height slope moves one foot away from the point of beginning for every one foot the slope rises, resulting in a 45 degree slope. A 2:1 setback-to-height slope moves two feet away from the point of beginning for every one foot the slope rises, resulting in a 26.5651 degree slope.
(6) SINGLE-TENANT SIGN means a detached sign that advertises only one business.
(7) UNITY-AGREEMENT SIGN means a detached sign erected under a detached sign unity agreement pursuant to Section 51A-7.213.
(b) General regulations applicable to all detached signs.
(1) Except as provided in Section 51A-7.306(a), detached signs must be premise signs.
(2) No portion of a detached sign may be located above a residential proximity slope. See Section 51A-4.412.
(3) Non-monument signs are not allowed within 250 feet of either private property in a non-business zoning district or a public park of more than one acre. The board of adjustment may grant a special exception to this provision when, in the opinion of the board, the special exception will not adversely affect neighboring property.
(4) Only one detached sign is allowed per street frontage other than expressways. One expressway sign is allowed for every 450 feet of frontage or fraction thereof on an expressway.
(5) Detached signs on the same premise must be at least 200 feet apart.
(6) All of the premises operating under a detached sign unity agreement may together have only one unity-agreement sign per street frontage, but each premise operating under that detached sign unity agreement may have one single-tenant monument sign.
(7) Detached signs may not be placed in a visibility triangle. See Section 51A-4.602(d).
(8) The support structure for monument signs must be constructed of concrete, metal, or masonry; wood is prohibited. The board of adjustment may grant a special exception to this provision when, in the opinion of the board, an alternative material will be as durable as concrete, metal, or masonry. This provision does not control the material used for the sign itself.
(9) Measurements of distance under this section are taken radially unless otherwise specified. “Radial” measurement is measurement taken along the shortest distance between a sign or proposed sign location and the nearest point of the object.
(10) The effective area of a sign attached to a fence is the effective area of the sign only, not the area of the entire fence.
(c) Regulations applicable to single-tenant signs.
(1) Setback.
(A) Monument signs. There is no minimum setback for a single-tenant monument sign.
(B) Non-monument signs. The minimum setback for a single-tenant non-monument sign is 15 feet.
(2) Height. The height of a single-tenant sign may not exceed a 2:1 setback-to-height slope or 35 feet, whichever is less.
(3) Effective area. The effective area of a single-tenant sign may not exceed an 8:1 effective-area-to-height ratio or 200 square feet, whichever is less.
(d) Regulations applicable to multi-tenant signs.
(1) Setback.
(A) Monument signs. The minimum setback for a multi-tenant monument sign is five feet.
(B) Non-monument signs. The minimum setback for a multi-tenant non-monument sign is 15 feet.
(2) Height. The height of a multi-tenant sign may not exceed a 1:1 setback-to-height slope or 35 feet, whichever is less.
(3) Effective area.
(A) Monument signs. The effective area of a multi-tenant monument sign may not exceed a 10:1 effective-area-to-height ratio or 200 square feet, whichever is less.
(B) Non-monument signs. The effective area of a multi-tenant non-monument sign may not exceed a 5:1 effective-area-to-height ratio or 200 square feet, whichever is less.
(4) Address required. A multi-tenant sign must contain the address of the premise.
(e) Regulations applicable to unity-agreement signs.
(1) Applicability. This subsection controls over Subsections (c) and (d) of this section.
(2) Setback.
(A) Monument signs. The minimum setback for a unity-agreement monument sign is five feet.
(B) Non-monument signs. The minimum setback for a unity-agreement non-monument sign is 15 feet.
(3) Height. The height of a unity-agreement sign may not exceed a .5:1 setback-to-height slope or 35 feet, whichever is less.
(4) Effective area. The effective area of a unity-agreement sign may not exceed a 10:1 effective-area-to-height ratio or 200 square feet, whichever is less.
(f) Regulations applicable to expressway signs.
(1) Applicability. This subsection controls over Subsections (c), (d), and (e) of this section.
(2) Setback, height, and effective area generally.
(A) An expressway sign with a minimum setback of five feet may have a maximum height of 20 feet and maximum effective area of 50 square feet.
(B) An expressway sign with a minimum setback of 15 feet may have a maximum height of 30 feet and a maximum effective area of 150 square feet.
(C) An expressway sign with a minimum setback of 25 feet may have a maximum height of 40 feet and a maximum effective area of 400 square feet.
(D) The height of an expressway sign may be extended to 50 feet, or to 30 feet above the nearest point on the nearest travel surface of the nearest expressway or new expressway, whichever is higher, if the total height of the sign does not exceed 60 feet above the ground at the base of the sign.
(3) Setback, height, and effective area of unity-agreement expressway signs.
(A) A unity-agreement expressway sign with a minimum setback of five feet may have a maximum height of 30 feet and a maximum effective area of 150 square feet.
(B) A unity-agreement expressway sign with a minimum setback of 15 feet may have a maximum height of 40 feet and a maximum effective area of 250 square feet.
(C) A unity-agreement expressway sign with a minimum setback of 25 feet may have a maximum height of 50 feet and a maximum effective area of 450 square feet.
(D) The height of a unity-agreement expressway sign may be extended to 50 feet, or to 30 feet above the nearest point on the nearest travel surface of the nearest expressway or new expressway, whichever is higher, if the total height of the sign does not exceed 60 feet above the ground at the base of the sign. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 21186; 21455; 21797; 21798; 24232; 25786; 25814; 26082; 29024)
Attached signs are permitted in business areas in accordance with the following provisions:
(b) All signs and their words shall be mounted parallel to the building surface to which they are attached, and shall project no more than 18 inches from that surface except as provided in Subsection (e) below.
(c) On the primary facade, the combined effective area of all attached signs may not exceed 25 percent of the total area of the primary facade. On each secondary facade, the combined effective area of all attached signs may not exceed 15 percent of the total area of that secondary facade. As applied to a building with multiple occupants, the facade area of each use with a separate certificate of occupancy shall be treated as a separate facade. On any building facade, there may be a maximum of eight words which contain any character of a height equal to or exceeding four inches and pertain to any premise or any non-residential occupancy. Words consisting of characters less than four inches high may be used without limit.
(d) The combined effective area of all signs attached to any window or any glass door may not exceed 15 percent of the area of that window or that glass door. Signs in the upper two-thirds of a window or glass door are prohibited. Signs attached to a window or a glass door must be brought into compliance with this provision by September 25, 2008.
(e) Attached signs may project more than 18 inches from vertical building planes as follows:
(1) Any premise or any non-residential occupancy may erect not more than one attached sign projecting up to a maximum of four feet from a vertical building plane, but not above the roof, provided that the premise or occupancy maintains no detached sign on the premise, and that the sign does not exceed 20 square feet in effective area, and that no part of the sign descends closer to grade than 10 feet, nor projects into or over any public right-of-way.
(2) On any premise or non-residential occupancy, a sign may be erected at the eaves or edge of the roof or on a parapet or edge of a canopy; provided, that the sign is parallel to the vertical building plane, and does not project more than four feet above the surface to which it is attached.
(3) Any premise or non-residential occupancy may erect one attached sign projecting up to a maximum of four feet from a vertical building plane if:
(A) the sign does not exceed 60 square feet in effective area;
(B) no single face of a three-dimensional sign exceeds 60 square feet;
(C) the attached sign is not above the highest point of a facade;
(D) no part of the sign descends closer to grade than 10 feet;
(E) the sign does not project into or over any public right-of-way; and
(F) the contents of the sign are limited to a registered trademark or logo that contains no word or character.
(f) Words may be attached to machinery or equipment which is necessary or customary to the business, including but not limited to devices such as gasoline pumps, vending machines, ice machines, etc., provided that words so attached refer exclusively to products or services dispensed by the device, consist of characters no more than four inches in height, and project no more than one inch from the surface of the device. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 21978; 24232; 27244; 27253; 29024)
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