(A) Conformance. Any sign hereafter erected shall conform to the provisions of this chapter and the provisions of the International Building Code and of any other ordinance or regulation within Garfield County.
(B) Signs in rights-of-way. Signs other than an official traffic sign or similar sign shall not be erected within two feet of the lines of any street, or within any public way, unless specifically authorized by other ordinances or regulations of the county or by specific authorization of the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official.
(C) Projections over public ways. Signs projecting over public walkways shall be permitted to do so only subject to the projection and clearance limits either defined herein or, if not so defined, at a minimum height of eight feet from grade level to the bottom of the sign. Signs, architectural projections or sign structures projecting over vehicular access areas must conform to the minimum height clearance limitations imposed by the county for such structures.
(D) Traffic visibility. Signs or sign structures shall not be erected at the intersection of any street in such a manner as to obstruct free and clear vision, nor at any location where by its position, shape or color it may interfere with or obstruct the view of or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device.
(E) Computation of frontage. If a premise contains walls facing more than one property line or encompasses property frontage bounded by more than one street or other property usages, the sign area(s) for each building wall or property frontage will be computed separately for each building wall or property line facing a different frontage. The sign area(s) thus calculated shall be permitted to then be applied to permitted signs placed on each separate wall or property line frontage.
(F) Animation and changeable messages. Animated signs, except as prohibited in this chapter, shall be permitted in Commercial and Industrial zones only. Changeable signs, electrically activated, shall be permitted in all nonresidential zones. Changeable signs, manually activated, shall be permitted for nonresidential uses in all zones.
(G) Maintenance, repair and removal. Every sign permitted by this chapter shall be kept in good condition and repair. Where any sign becomes insecure, in danger of falling or is otherwise deemed unsafe by the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official, or if any sign shall be unlawfully installed, erected or maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, the owner thereof or the person or firm using same shall, upon written notice by the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official forthwith in the case of immediate danger, and in any case within not more than ten days, make such sign conform to the provisions of this chapter, or shall remove it. If within ten days the order is not complied with, the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official shall be permitted to remove or cause such sign to be removed at the expense of the owner and/or the user of the sign.
(H) Obsolete sign copy. Any sign copy that no longer advertises or identifies a use conducted on the property on which said sign is erected must have the sign copy covered or removed within 30 days after written notification from the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official; and upon failure to comply with such notice, the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official is hereby authorized to cause removal of such sign copy, and any expense incident thereto shall be paid by the owner of the building, structure or ground on which the sign is located.
(I) Nonconforming signs. Any sign legally existing at the time of the passage of this chapter that does not conform in use, location, height or size with the regulations of the zone in which such sign is located, shall be considered to be a legal nonconforming use or structure and shall be permitted to continue in such status until such time as it is either abandoned or removed by its owner, subject to the following limitations:
(1) Structural alterations, enlargement or re-erection are permissible only where such alterations will not increase the degree of nonconformity of the signs.
(2) Any legal nonconforming sign shall be removed or rebuilt without increasing the existing height or area if it is damaged, or removed if allowed to deteriorate to the extent that the cost of repair or restoration exceeds 50% of the replacement cost of the sign as determined by the Zoning Administrator and/or Building Official.
(3) Signs that comply with either division (I)(1) or (I)(2) above need not be permitted.
(Ord. 2021-10, passed 9-27-2021) Penalty, see § 155.999