(A) The following additional standards and regulations shall apply to all off-premises advertising signs.
(1) Off-premises advertising signs. Off-premises advertising signs shall be permitted only within the CH, IU and I Zoning Districts or as provided herein.
(2) Compliance. No such signs shall be altered, expanded, enlarged or replaced except in conformance with this section and section 9-4-225(C)(2).
(3) Removal of sign. Where the premises or property upon which the sign is erected is changed to another zone other than CH, IU or I, the sign shall be removed within 90 days from the effective date of the change.
(4) Spacing. The minimum spacing requirement between each off-premises advertising sign shall be 1,000 feet from the center of the sign.
(5) Size and height.
(a) Such signs shall not measure more than 400 square feet of total sign area or display surface, and the display surface shall not be more than 12 feet in the vertical dimension nor greater than 40 feet in the horizontal. Copy extensions of 120 or less shall not be included in the calculation of total sign display surface area.
(b) A single side of a double face or V-type signs shall be regarded as the total display surface for purposes of calculating total sign surface area, provided the sides are separated by not more than 20 feet at any point.
(c) The top of the sign shall not exceed 35 feet in height (exclusive of copy extensions) as measured from the surface elevation of the ground or main roadway surface elevation nearest the sign, whichever is highest.
(d) The minimum vertical clear distance between the property grade and the bottom of the trim or other frame support shall be not less than 12 feet.
(e) All support structure(s) shall be painted in a neutral color to blend with the surrounding area.
(6) Setback.
(a) The setback requirements shall be the same as set forth in the CH, IU or I Districts for the front yard, side yard and rear yard setbacks; provided, however, no sign shall be closer than ten feet to a side or rear property line.
(b) All off-premises advertising signs shall be set back at least 300 feet from the nearest edge of a zoning boundary which describes property zoned for residential purposes, including the R-6, R-6A, R-6S, R-6N, R-6MH, R-9, R-9S, R-15S, RA-20, OR, CDF, MR and MRS Zoning Districts.
(c) No off-premises signs shall be located closer than 100 feet to the intersection of two public streets.
(d) All setback requirements as set forth above shall be measured from the extreme outermost edge of the sign as projected upon the ground and measured from this ground point to the nearest property line or nearest zoning district.
(7) Construction.
(a) All off-premises advertising signs shall be self-supporting single-pole structures erected on or set into and permanently attached to concrete foundations. The sign’s structure, electrical system and other construction elements shall be designed and built according to the North Carolina State Building Code as evidenced by engineering drawings drawn to scale by a licensed engineer or architect. The signs shall be engineered to withstand a wind loading of 36 pounds per square feet.
(b) Off-premises advertising signs shall be located and constructed in such a way as to maintain horizontal and vertical clearance of all overhead electrical conductors in accordance with the North Carolina State Building Code and the National Electronic Code as incorporated therein; provided, that in no case shall an outdoor advertising sign be erected with any part closer than ten feet horizontally or vertically from any conductor or public utility guy wire.
(8) Additional requirements. The immediate premises shall be kept free from debris or undergrowth. A landscaping plan shall be approved by the Director of Planning and Development Services and shall be maintained on the immediate premises by the sign owner. The landscaping shall consist of ground cover, shrubs, trees or other permanent vegetation that will effectively screen the sign’s base. For purposes of this article, the “immediate premises” shall be defined as an area surrounding the sign’s structural support not less than ten feet in all directions from the base.
(9) Off-premises signs. Off-premises signs shall not be included in or count toward the total number of on-premises signs or the total sign surface area allocation calculation for on-premises signs.
(Ord. No. 2337, § 1, passed 6-13-1991; Ord. No. 95-29, § 10, passed 3-9-1995; Ord. No. 97-85, §§ 1, 2, passed 8-14-1997; Ord. No. 02-63, § 3, passed 6-13-2002; Ord. No. 06-75, § 1, passed 8-10-2006)
(B) Exemptions. Any temporary poster panel off-premises sign may be utilized to advertise a business, establishment, profession, service, event, entertainment, condition or commodity that is located, manufactured, conducted, sold or otherwise offered or provided on the lot of record where the sign is constructed or displayed, provided all of the following:
(1) Such temporary poster panel off-premises sign(s) are rental signs owned by a third party and leased to others for advertising as part of the third party’s bona fide sign rental business;
(2) Such temporary poster panel off-premises sign(s) are either conforming or legal (existing) nonconforming off-premises signs as regulated by this article; and
(3) A zoning compliance permit for such use has been reviewed and approved for each separate location. The purpose of this section is to ensure that the subject sign structure and method of display is in compliance with applicable requirements. There is otherwise no limitation on the frequency or duration of any such display provided compliance with all the provisions of this article.
(Ord. No. 02-63, § 4, passed 6-13-2002; Ord. No. 03-78, § 5, passed 8-14-2003; Ord. 19-045, § 1, passed 9-12-2019)