(a) The standards in this subsection are for permanent signs allowed in all districts except the C, SR, UER, MDR and MHP residential zoning districts.
(b) Buildings, developments, or subdivisions that are 100 percent residential in any nonresidential district, shall be subject to the permanent sign allowances established in Section 1131.08 Permanent Signs Permitted in Residential Districts.
(c) Window Signs. Window signs do not require a sign permit provided they comply with the following standards:
(1) Window signs shall not occupy more than 50 percent of the window area in any nonresidential districts except in the DC District where the maximum coverage shall be 25 percent of the window area. See Figure 1131-D for locations used in the calculation of sign area. The sign area is based on the window area, regardless of the presence of an awning or window panel supports and other minor architectural elements of windows and doors.
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(2) Window signs may be temporarily or permanently attached.
(3) Acceptable window sign application techniques are sandblasted or etched glass, professionally painted lettering, professionally or custom fabricated and applied vinyl, metal leaf and stained glass.
(4) In addition to the above, one window sign with a maximum sign area of two square feet may be comprised of an electronic message center that are subject to the applicable standards of Section 1131.06(i): Changeable Copy.
(d) Building Signs. Building signs are permitted on all principal structures in accordance with the following:
(1) The building sign area allowed in Table 1131-1 shall include the total amount of all awning, canopy, projecting, suspended, flag banner, or wall signs on each façade wall. Standards for each individual building sign type are established in this section.
(2) Building signs shall not extend parallel beyond a building facade, wall, or story, nor should they extend above the top of the roofline of the building to which it is attached.
(3) Building signs may not be attached to mechanical equipment or roof screening.
(4) Signs shall be mounted or erected so they do not obscure the architectural features or openings of the building.
(5) Building signs shall not include electronic message centers unless otherwise specifically stated.
(6) Size.
A. This section establishes the maximum sign area permitted for all building signs based on the district, building, and/or use that they serve.
B. There is no maximum number of building signs but the total square footage of building signs located on a single façade shall comply with the requirements of this section.
C. An applicant may provide signage on any façade but shall not combine the total amount of building sign area permitted on each facade and apply it to any single façade.
D. Any sign that is incorporated into a building as an architectural element shall be classified as a building sign.
E. The amount of building signs permitted shall be based on the façade width of the principal building regardless if the signs are to be attached to accessory buildings, gas pumps, gas pump islands, or similar accessory structures.
F. The amount of building signs permitted as part of a PUD shall be established within the PUD approval.
Building Type/Occupancy | PO, NCTR, NC, and DC Districts | CI, CC, GC, and LI Districts |
Single-Tenant or Multi-Tenant Buildings [1] | 2.0 square foot of sign area per lineal foot of facade width | 2.5 square foot of sign area per lineal foot of facade width |
Large-scale nonresidential buildings with a single tenant that exceeds 150,000 square feet of gross floor area | Not Applicable | The sign area shall not exceed 5 percent of the total facade area and shall not exceed 35 percent of the height of the facade, as measured from the bottom most point of the message to the top most point of the message [2] |
Notes: [1] For buildings with multiple tenants, the ratio shall be applied to each lineal foot of building facade width assigned to each individual tenant. [2] Signs shall be limited to wall signs. | ||
(7) Wall Signs.
A. Wall signs shall be mounted on or flush with a wall and shall not protrude more than 12 inches from the wall or face of the building to which it is attached in the DC District or 24 inches for all other areas in nonresidential zoning districts.
B. A wall sign may be painted directly on a building wall, mounted on the façade wall, or mounted on a raceway.
C. Permanent signs that are attached to gas pumps or gas pump islands that that can be read or understood from a public street by most persons of normal vision shall be considered a wall sign for the purposes of this chapter.
D. A wall sign shall utilize hidden rust -proof structural supports and all sign lighting and wiring components shall be concealed from public view.
(8) Awning or Canopy Signs. Any canopy or awning sign allowed pursuant to this section shall comply with the following standards:
A. Signage shall not cover more than 50 percent of any individual awning, or canopy.
B. All components of the awning or canopy shall have a minimum clearance of eight feet from the sidewalk and 15 feet above any driveway or vehicular use area.
(9) Flag Banner Signs.
A. Only one flag banner sign is allowed for any one business establishment at one time.
B. Flag banner signs shall be mounted on the building wall either by bracket or by a pole.
C. The maximum sign area of a flag banner sign shall be six square feet.
D. The bottom of the flag banner sign shall be no lower than nine feet measured from grade of the property line closest to the flag banner sign.
E. Flag banner signs shall not extend beyond three feet over the sidewalk measured from their point of mounting on the storefront wall.
F. Flag banner sign mounting devices shall have structural integrity as authorized by the Zoning Administrator.
(10) Projecting or Suspended Signs.
A. Only one projecting or one suspended sign shall be permitted for each tenant and must be located within five feet of the customer entrance as measured parallel from the façade opening to the nearest part of the sign.
B. A projecting sign shall be perpendicular to the wall of the building to which it is attached.
C. A suspended sign may be attached to the ceiling of an outdoor arcade or underneath a canopy or awning if it complies with the sign area, height, and clearance standards of this section.
D. The maximum sign area for a projecting sign shall be six square feet.
E. The maximum sign area for any single suspended sign shall be four square feet.
F. All components of the projecting sign shall have a minimum clearance of nine feet above a sidewalk or any walkway and 15 feet above any driveway or portion of a private lot used for vehicular circulation.
G. Projecting signs shall not be internally illuminated.
H. The façade mounting bracket design shall be integrally planned and detailed and shall be ornamental in nature. Brackets shall be consistent or similar in design throughout their use on any particular building.
I. Projecting and suspended signs must be suspended from brackets approved by the Zoning Administrator and contain no exposed guy wires or turnbuckles.
(e) Monument Signs.
(1) The following standards apply to monument signs that are allowed in all nonresidential zoning districts outside of the DC District in accordance with this section.
A. One permanent monument sign shall be permitted on lots with a minimum of 50 feet of lot frontage, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
B. For corner lots, one permanent monument sign shall be permitted in accordance with this section on each frontage but the sign area allowed shall be based on the individual frontages.
C. A monument sign shall not exceed one-half (1/2) square foot of sign area per one linear foot of lot frontage, not to exceed 50 square feet.
D. Monument signs that are not illuminated in any manner shall be set back a minimum of 5 feet from any residential lot line. All other monument signs shall be set back a minimum of 25 feet from any residential lot line. All monument signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from the right-of-way so as to comply with the clear vision triangle requirements.
E. The maximum height of the sign shall be 10 feet at the minimum setback line, and for every additional two feet of sign setback, one foot maybe added to the sign height not to exceed a total sign height of 16 feet.
F. The sign may include manual changeable copy or electronic message centers provided that the total area of changeable copy signage does not exceed 50 percent of the total sign area in the PO, NC, and NCTR Districts and 75 percent in the CI, CC, GC, and LI Districts. Such signs shall also comply with the applicable requirements of Section 1131.06(i): Changeable Copy.
G. One additional permanent monument sign may be allowed on a lot, in accordance with this section, if one of the following situations exists:
i. If the lot has more than 750 feet of frontage along a public way that does not include an alley. Where two signs are installed under this situation, such signs shall be separated by a minimum of 250 feet; or
ii. If a lot has a minimum of 100 lineal feet of frontage along an expressway, in which case the additional sign shall be set back a minimum of 25 feet from the expressway right-of-way and the height shall not exceed 16 feet.
(2) Signs at entrances allowed in Section 1131.09(h) shall not be counted as a monument sign allowed under this section.
(3) Monument signs are prohibited in the DC District with the exception of the following, which are allowed specifically for uses fronting East Main Street, east of Pleasant Avenue:
A. Each building may have an externally illuminated monument sign no wider and no higher than 30 inches.
B. Additionally, a second monument sign may be provided at the rear entrance provided it is no wider and no higher than 24 inches.
(f) Signs at Private Driveway Entrances or Intersections. Permanent signs shall be permitted near driveway entrances to a street and at intersections of internal drives under the following provisions:
(1) Driveway signs are not permitted in the DC District.
(2) Driveway signs shall be set back at least 15 feet from any adjacent residential lot line but are not otherwise subject to minimum setback standards. In no case shall a driveway sign be located in a right-of-way.
(3) In no case shall a driveway sign be set back more than 25 feet from the driveway entrance or intersection of internal drives;
(4) Two signs may be permitted per individual driveway or internal intersection;
(5) The sign may not exceed two square feet in area and three feet in height.
(6) Driveway signs may be internally or externally illuminated.
(g) Signs at Entrances.
(1) For subdivisions or development parks designed for nonresidential uses that have a development size of at least 10 acres and contains five or more individual lots, such subdivision or park may incorporate one monument sign within 150 feet of an entrance point into the subdivision or park in accordance with this section.
(2) The entrance sign shall be subject to the same standards as Section 1131.08(b): Signs at Entrances, with the following exceptions:
A. The maximum sign area shall be 50 square feet.
B. The maximum height of the monument sign shall be 10 feet.
C. The sign shall be set back a minimum of 75 feet from any residential lot line.
E. If this sign is utilized, no other monument sign shall be located within 50 feet of the entrance sign on the same street or road on which the park has access.
F. Provided the subdivision is recorded and the zoning is for a nonresidential zoning district, the sign may be placed even if no construction has taken place on any of the lots.
G. Signs at entrances may only be externally illuminated.
(h) Drive-Through Signs.
(1) Two drive-through signs shall be allowed for each stacking lane in a drive-through facility provided it does not exceed 36 square feet in sign area. If the sign is completely screened from view from any right-of-way or adjacent residential uses, there shall be no maximum sign area.
(2) Drive-through signs shall only be permitted in a side or rear yard.
(3) Drive-through signage shall not be included in the total calculated allowed signage for a property under the remainder of this chapter. Any signs attached to a wall of building or the structure shall be calculated as part of the building signage allowance in Section 1131.09(e).
(4) No drive-through sign shall exceed six feet in height measured from the grade of the adjacent driving surface to the top of the sign.
(6) Drive-through signs may be internally or externally illuminated.
(7) The Minimum Landscape area for each drive-through sign shall be equal to or greater than the total area of the sign.
(Ord. 34-17. Effective 12-7-17; Ord. 21-19. Passed 4-1-19.)