ADVERTISING SIGN. A sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service, activity, or entertainment not necessarily conducted, sold or offered upon the premises where such sign is located; a billboard.
ANIMATED SIGN. Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.
AREA, SIGN. The area in square feet of all faces of the sign panel, including the frame. Each message shall be considered to be a sign. If individual letters are mounted directly on a wall or canopy without a frame, the sign area shall be the area in square feet of the smallest rectangle which encloses the sign message or logo. The sign area of a free standing multiple face or volumetric sign shall be determined by totaling the area of all faces. The maximum aggregate or total sign area on a lot shall include the sign area of all signs.
BACKLIGHTING, SIGN. An illuminated sign where the light source which illuminates the wall behind individual sign letters is hidden from view. The sign letters are opaque and appear as a silhouette against the lighted surface.
BANNER. Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is not permanently mounted to a pole or a building at 1 or more edges. National flags, state or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners.
BEACON. Any light with 1 or more beams directed into the atmosphere or directed at 1 or more points not on the same zone lot as the light source; also, any light with 1 or more beams that rotate or move.
BILLBOARD. A sign which is used for the primary purpose of selling advertising space or a product, service, business, or event which is not offered for sale or rent or does not take place on the premises on which the sign is located.
BUILDING MARKER. Any sign indicating the name of a building and date and incidental information about its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
CANOPY. Any structure of canvas, other fabric, plastic, metal or wood or other material, which is permanently attached to any exterior building wall in any manner, intended to shield any wall, window, door, sidewalk or roadway from sun, rain or any other element, and which is not retractable such as an awning.
CANOPY SIGN. Any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy, or other fabric, plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN. A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters, or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign. A sign on which the message cycles more than 8 times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter. A sign on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall be considered a "time and temperature" portion of a sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter.
COMMERCIAL MESSAGE. Any sign wording, logo, or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises, or calls attention to a business, product, service, or other commercial activity.
DYNAMIC SIGN. Any characteristics of a sign that appear to have movement or that appear to change, caused by any method other than physically removing and replacing the sign or its components, whether the apparent movement or change is in the display, the sign structure itself, or any other component of the sign. This includes a display that incorporates a technology or method allowing the sign face to change the image without having to physically or mechanically replace the sign face or its components. This also includes any rotating, revolving, moving, flashing, blinking, or animated display or portion thereof and any display that incorporates rotating panels, LED lights manipulated through digital input, "digital ink" or any other method or technology that allows the sign face to present a series of images or displays.
DIRECT LIGHTING, SIGN. An illuminated sign where the source of light is visible.
ELECTRONIC MESSAGE BOARD. A sign or portion thereof that displays electronic, non-pictorial, text information in which each alphanumeric character, graphic, or symbol is defined by
a small number of matrix elements using different combinations of light emitting diodes (LED's), fiber optics, light bulbs or other illumination devices within the display area. Electronic changeable message boards include computer programmable, microprocessor controlled electronic displays. Electronic changeable message boards do not include official time and temperature signs. Electronic changeable message boards include projected images or messages with these characteristics onto buildings or other objects.
FLAG. Any fabric, banner, or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns, or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision, or other entity.
FLASHING SIGN. Any illuminated sign which emits an intermittent or flashing light, or creates the illusion of intermittent or flashing light by means of animation which is not a "changing sign" as defined above.
FREE STANDING SIGN. A sign which is self-supporting usually by uprights placed on or in the ground.
HEIGHT, SIGN. The distance measured perpendicularly from the highest point of the sign structure to the grade level of the ground directly below that point or the grade level of the center line of the nearest adjacent roadbed, whichever grade level is higher.
ILLUMINATED SIGN. Any sign which has characters, letters, figures, designs or outlines which are either internally or externally illuminated by an artificial light source.
INCIDENTAL SIGN. A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the zone lot on which it is located, such as "no parking", "entrance", "loading only," "telephone," and other similar directives. No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the zone lot on which the sign is located shall be considered incidental.
INDIRECT LIGHTING. An illuminated sign where the sign reflects the light from an external source.
MARQUEE. Any permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of the building, generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the weather.
MARQUEE SIGN. Any sign attached to, in any manner, or made a part of a marquee.
MOBILE SIGN. Signs on movable devices in which the primary purpose of the device is to be a sign. This includes sign painted or attached to vehicles and/or trailers where the vehicle and/or trailer is parked on a property and not intended to be moved or where the primary purpose.
MONUMENT SIGN. A sign that is supported by a solid base (other than poles) such that the bottom of the sign face is 3 feet or less above grade and no air space is visible within or between any portion of the sign display area and sign structure.
MURAL. Any mosaic, painting, or graphic art or combination thereof which is applied to a building.
NONCONFORMING SIGN. Any sign that does not conform to the requirements of this chapter.
OFF-PREMISE SIGN. Any sign that advertises an establishment, merchandise, service, or entertainments which is not sold, produced, manufactured, or furnished at the property on which said sign is located, e.g. billboards, or outdoor advertising.
ON-PREMISE SIGN. A sign whose message is related to the premises or the activity and use occurring on the premises on which the sign is located.
PENNANT. Any lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind. A pennant for purposes of this chapter is considered part of temporary signage.
PERMANENT SIGN. Any sign which is not temporary. Banners, canvas and other lightweight fabrics or nondurable materials shall not be considered to be a permanent sign.
PORTABLE SIGN. Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A or I-frames; menu and sandwich board signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; feather signs with or without text and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless said vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of the business.
PROJECTING SIGN. Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than 6 inches beyond the surface of such building or wall.
RESIDENTIAL SIGN. Any sign located in a district zoned for residential uses that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located, if offering such service at such location conforms to all requirements of the zoning ordinance.
ROOF SIGN. Any sign erected and constructed wholly on and over the roof of a building, supported by the roof structure and extending vertically above the highest portion of the roof.
ROOF SIGN, INTEGRAL. Any sign erected or constructed as an integral or essentially integral part of a normal roof structure of any design, such that no part of the sign extends vertically above the highest portion of the roof and such that no part of the sign is separated from the rest of the roof by a space of more than 6 inches.
ROTATING SIGN. A sign or portion of a sign which in any physical part or in total turns about on an axis, rotates, revolves or is otherwise in motion, including without limitation a multi-vision sign.
SIGN. Any written message, pictorial presentation, number, illustration, decoration, flag, banner or other device that is used to announce, direct attention to, identify, advertise or otherwise make anything known. The term SIGN shall not include landscaping or the architectural embellishment of a building not intended to communicate information. For purposes of maintenance or removal, the term SIGN shall also include frames and support structure.
SUBDIVISION MONUMENT SIGN. A permanent sign located at the entrance into any real estate development which identifies the name of the plat or subdivision by name.
SUBDIVISION REAL ESTATE SIGN. A temporary sign located at the entrance into any real estate development which identifies the name of the plat and identifies lots for sale.
SUSPENDED SIGN. A sign that is suspended from the under-side of a horizontal plane surface and is supported by such surface.
TEMPORARY SIGN. A sign designed to be displayed for a limited period of time. Temporary signs may be constructed of or include paper, cloth, canvas, cardboard, inflatable objects, pennants or any other light and nondurable material.
TIME AND TEMPERATURE SIGN. Any sign which displays exclusively current time and temperature information.
WALL SIGN. Any sign attached parallel to, but within 6 inches of, a wall, painted on the wall surface of, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only 1 sign surface.
WINDOW SIGN. Any sign, pictures, symbol, or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale, or service, that is placed inside a window or upon the window panes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window.
(Ord. 2013-05, passed 5-20-2013; Am. Ord. 2016-02, passed 2-1- 2016)