Sign face area, sign height and sign location, as regulated in this chapter, shall be measured according to the following standards:
(a) Determining Sign Area or Sign Dimension. Standards to compute the amount of sign area permitted by these regulations are established as follows:
(1) Sign area. Sign area shall include the face of all the display area of the sign. Sign area shall not include the frame and structural support unless such structural support is determined to constitute an integral part of the sign design.
(2) Signs in a panel.
A. Whenever a sign is located within a structural object designed to form a distinct background area or frame for the display of a sign's information - including all non-opaque surface area of an internally illuminated canopy or wall panel displaying signage or is otherwise outlined or a sign is painted so that it appears to have a background, the sign area shall be measured to include the entire surface of the sign panel encompassed by one geometric shape.
B. For a double-sided projecting or free-standing sign, only one side of the panel shall be included in the measurement if the two sign faces are in parallel arrangement or within 30 degrees of being parallel to each other and are at no point separated by more than three feet.
(3) Non-panel signs. For a sign comprised of individual letters, figures or elements on a wall or similar surface of a building or structure, or an irregular shaped ground sign or projecting sign, the area of the sign shall be measured to include the entire area within a single, continuous perimeter composed of not more than three rectangles that enclose the letters or characters of the sign.
(b) Determining Building Frontage and Building Unit. For the purposes of these sign regulations, the length of the building wall that faces a street or that contains a public entrance to the uses therein shall be considered the building frontage.
(1) The building frontage shall be measured along such building wall between the exterior faces of the exterior side walls (excluding any roof overhang or non-bearing decorative walls).
(2) In the case of an irregular wall surface, a single straight line extended along such wall surface shall be used to measure the length.
(3) A building shall have only one building frontage except as otherwise set forth Section 1390.04(b)(4) below.
(4) A building shall have two frontages whenever the lot fronts on two or more streets, or the building has a public entrance on a wall other than the wall that faces the street. The two building frontages shall be further defined as the primary frontage and the secondary frontage:
A. The property owner shall determine which wall shall be the primary building frontage and which wall shall be the secondary building frontage.
B. Only one outside wall of any business shall be considered its primary frontage and only one additional wall considered its secondary frontage.
C. This provision shall also apply to buildings or building units adjoining a freeway right-of-way.
(5) For multi-occupant buildings, a building unit is defined as the portion of the ground floor of a building, containing an entrance from the building exterior, and separated from space leased by a different tenant by a party wall or walls. The building frontage for a building unit shall be measured from the centerline of the party walls defining the building unit.
(c) Lot Frontage. The frontage of a lot shall be the width of the lot along the street serving a use located on the lot.
(d) Measurement of Window for Sign Coverage. The window area of a building shall be the total glass area of windows on the building frontage. For the purposes of determining window area for ground floor occupants, the ground floor shall be considered to be no more than 15 feet in height above grade. For windows with multiple panes, a window panel shall encompass all glass panes that are separated from one another by an opaque panel less than four inches wide.
(e) Sign Height. The height of a free-standing sign shall be measured from the average natural grade at the base of the sign or support structure to its topmost element. However, if the support of a free-standing sign is attached to any man-made base, including a graded earth mound, the sign height shall be measured from the grade of the nearest street, drive or parking area, as determined by the Zoning Commissioner.
(Ord. 87-2009. Passed 4-20-09. Effective 5-20-09.)