(a) Measurement.
(1) Sign area shall include the face of all the display area of the sign not including the bracing, framing and structural supports of the sign, unless such support members are made part of the message or face of the sign or are determined by the Zoning Inspector to be intended solely to make the sign more visible rather than serving any aesthetic or structural purpose. For internally illuminated signs or internally illuminated awnings, canopies or marquees, the entire lighted surface shall be considered the sign area. The lighted surface area of internally illuminated canopies, awnings or marquees is counted as signage regardless of whether it contains graphics.
(2) Where a sign has two or more display faces, the area of all faces of the sign shall be included in determining the area of the sign unless two display faces join back to back, are parallel to each other and not more than 24 inches apart, or form a V-angle of less than 45 degrees. For spherical signs, the sphere shall be dissected by an imaginary line through the center of the sphere and the surface area of the half sphere shall be counted as the sign face. For cubical signs, the area of all display faces shall be included in determining the area of the sign. See illustration on Diagram 1.
(3) The area of letters, numbers or emblems mounted on a building wall or wall extension shall be computed by enclosing such sign with the smallest single continuous perimeter around the letters, numbers or emblems and determining its area.
(4) The term frontage as used in calculating ground signs shall refer to the dimension of the lot along the public right-of-way. The term frontage as used in calculating wall signs shall refer to the building wall dimension facing the street or parking lot.
(5) For structure and uses having no direct frontage on public roads, as within shopping centers, frontage shall be counted as the intersection of the building line onto adjacent drives or parking areas.
(Ord. 27-01. Passed 9-4-01.)