Pursuant to the authority of Section 51A-7.503 of this article, the rules relating to the erection of attached signs in the West End Historic Sign District are as follows:
(a) Attached signs in general.
(1) Attached signs must be securely attached.
(2) Attached signs overhanging the public way are permitted, except that no sign may project closer than two feet to the vertical plane extending through the back of a street curb.
(3) Attached signs projecting horizontally more than 18 inches from a vertical building surface are prohibited.
(4) Except for a painted applied sign or a marquee sign, no attached sign may exceed 30 square feet in effective area unless it is:
(A) attached to a building having more than six stories; and
(B) at least 36 feet above grade.
(5) An attached sign, other than a roof sign, must be mounted parallel to the facade and may not project more than six feet above the surface to which it is attached.
(b) Canopy signs.
(1) No canopy sign may:
(A) be lower than 10 feet above grade, except that a sign may be as low as eight feet above grade if it does not project more than one-half inch from the surface of the canopy; or
(B) project vertically above the surface of the canopy or awning.
(2) The total effective area permitted for all canopy signs combined on a premise is the product obtained by multiplying 20 square feet times the number of street entrances to the premise.
(c) Flat attached signs on Type A facades.
(1) The maximum number of lower level flat attached signs permitted on a Type A facade is the sum obtained by counting all of the street entrances and first floor windows on that facade.
(2) No lower level flat attached sign on a Type A facade may exceed six feet in effective area.
(3) The maximum permitted effective area for all upper level flat attached signs combined on each Type A facade is 30 square feet.
(4) No upper level flat attached sign on a Type A facade may contain more than eight words. All words must:
(A) consist of characters eight inches or more in height; and
(B) read horizontally from left to right.
(d) Flat attached signs on Type B facades.
(1) No premise may have more than three flat attached signs on each Type B facade.
(2) No flat attached sign on a Type B facade may contain more than eight words with characters four or more inches in height. Words consisting of characters less than four inches in height may be used without limit.
(e) Marquee signs.
(1) No marquee sign may exceed 90 square feet in effective area unless it is for a theater, in which case it may not exceed 400 square feet in effective area.
(2) Marquee signs must:
(A) be parallel to the surface to which they are attached; and
(B) have a minimum height dimension of two feet.
(3) Except for a marquee sign for a theater, all words on a marquee sign must consist of changeable individual characters.
(4) Marquee signs may have flashing lights.
(5) The following provisions apply to a marquee sign for a theater:
(A) No more than 10 percent of its effective area may contain fixed characters.
(B) No more than 75 percent of its effective area may contain changeable characters.
(C) It may contain an unlimited number of words consisting of changeable characters.
(f) Painted applied signs on Type A facades.
(1) No lower level painted applied signs on a Type A facade may contain words consisting of characters more than eight inches in height.
(2) No upper level painted applied sign on a Type A facade may contain more than eight words. All words must:
(A) consist of characters eight or more inches in height; and
(B) read horizontally from left to right.
(g) Painted applied signs on Type B facades.
(1) No painted applied sign on a Type B facade may contain more than eight words consisting of characters exceeding four inches in height. Words consisting of characters four or less inches in height may be used without limit.
(2) No more than 60 percent of a Type B facade may be covered by painted applied signs.
(h) Projecting attached signs.
(1) No premise may have more than one projecting attached sign per street entrance.
(2) No projecting attached sign may:
(A) exceed 20 square feet in effective area;
(B) be lower than 10 feet above grade; or
(C) project vertically above the second story or the roof of the building, whichever is lower.
(i) Window signs. No window sign may:
(1) contain words consisting of characters eight or more inches in height;
(2) have a painted background; or
(3) cover more than 25 percent of the window surface area.
(j) Roof signs.
(1) Only buildings having six or more stories may have roof signs.
(2) No more than one roof sign may be located above each facade.
(3) No roof sign may be erected on a roof:
(A) lower than the sixth story ceiling;
(B) that is not the main roof of a building; or
(C) of a penthouse.
(4) A roof sign and its sign supports may not be located within four feet of a parapet wall or the outer edge of a building.
(5) The sign supports for a roof sign must consist of open, exposed metal framing. The metal must be painted, coated, or of a material that will not rust or corrode.
(6) No roof sign may project above the roof more than one-fourth of the building height.
(7) The effective area of a roof sign may not exceed 800 square feet. (Ord. Nos. 19455; 20927; 21404; 21626; 22112; 26027)