For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings ascribed to them:
(1) "Abandoned sign" means any sign where for a period of ninety days or more, there is no sign copy appearing on the sign, or where the establishment to which the sign is attached has ceased operation and where it is clear that the sign has been forsaken or deserted.
(2) "Adjacent" means located entirely within two hundred fifty feet of the freeway as measured from the freeway centerline, when referring to an electronic billboard adjacent to a freeway.
(3) “Animated sign” means any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene, including beacons, pennants, hand-held signs, large balloons or other inflatables used as signs, high-intensity illuminated signs, or other moving or flashing signs. Electronic or mechanical indications of time and temperature and decorations shall not be included in this definition for animated signs.
(4) “Barber pole” means any cylindrical sign used to identify hair cutting establishments.
(5) "Billboard" means an off-site sign that identifies or communicates a commercial or noncommercial message related to an activity, a service rendered, or a commodity sold mostly at a location other than where the sign is located. The terms "billboard" and "off-site sign" may be used interchangeably to mean the same.
(6) "Billboard, electronic" means a billboard where the alphabetic, pictographic, symbolic informational and/or other content may be changed or altered on a fixed display surface composed of electronically illuminated or electronically actuated or motivated elements and can be changed or altered electronically. This includes billboards with displays that must be preprogrammed to display specific types of information (i.e., time, date, temperature) and billboards whose informational content can be changed or altered by means of computer-driven electronic impulses. This includes, without limitation, billboards also known as digital billboards or light emitting diode (LED) billboards.
(7) “Building facade” means the portion of any exterior elevation of a building or structure from grade to the top of the roofline and the entire width of the building.
(8) “Building frontage” means the horizontal length of an outside building wall facing a street, public parking lot or mall.
(9) “Building frontage, primary” means the building frontage which faces the street. In cases where a building has more than one street frontage, the longest of the street frontages shall be considered the primary building frontage. In cases where a business has no building frontage facing a street, the building frontage with the primary business entrance shall be considered the primary building frontage. Generally, individual tenants of a multi-tenant building have primary building frontage equal to the horizontal length of their business frontage. However, every multi-tenant building has only one primary frontage, and in no event shall the combined sign area for all tenants exceed the allowable sign area for the building.
(10) “Business frontage” means that business elevation that fronts on a public street or that business elevation that fronts the subject business’ parking area and provides a public entrance.
(11) “Canopy sign” means any sign that is part of or attached to an awning, canopy or other material, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or service area.
(12) “Changeable copy sign” means a sign or portion of a sign 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 changes more than once per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter.
(13) “Commercial message” means any sign wording, logo or other representation that directly or indirectly names or advertises or calls attention to a business, product, service or other commercial activity, or which proposes a commercial transaction or relates primarily to commercial interests.
(14) “Directory sign” means a sign or set of similarly designed individual signs, placed or displayed in sequence, to list all or part of the businesses within a building or shopping center.
(15) “Directional sign” means an on-site sign designed to direct vehicular or pedestrian traffic that does not promote or advertise a business, property or product.
(16) “Display board sign” means a permanently installed panel (bulletin board or display case) provided for the posting of temporary advertisements and/or messages on which manually changeable messages are displayed.
(17) “Flag” means a piece of cloth or canvas, usually rectangular or triangular in shape, displaying graphics, symbols, and/or written copy, and designed to be flown from a flag pole. Colored cloth or canvas without any graphics, symbols, and/or written copy is not included in this definition.
(18) “Freestanding sign” means a sign supported permanently upon the ground by poles or braces and not attached to any building. Also referred to as a “pylon sign” or “pole sign.”
(19) "Freeway" means the California Interstate 5 (I-5) freeway.
(20) "Freeway-oriented" means any electronic billboard that is adjacent to a freeway (as defined herein) and designed to be viewed primarily by persons traveling on the main freeway route.
(21) “Governmental/civic sign” means any temporary or permanent sign erected and maintained by or required by the city, county, state or federal government for traffic direction, city entrance, or for designation or direction to any school, hospital, historical site, public service, property or facility.
(22) “Illuminated sign” means a sign with an artificial light source incorporated internally or externally for the purpose of illuminating the sign.
(23) “Incidental sign” means a sign, emblem or decal informing the public of goods, facilities, or services available on the premises, including but not limited to a restroom and phone sign, credit card sign or a sign indicating hours of business. Incidental signs also include signs prohibiting trespassing and soliciting, as well as neighborhood watch/alarm signs.
(24) “Integrated development” means a building with more than one independent tenant suite/space or a commercial/industrial site or group of separate properties, under single or multiple ownership, that are developed as one continuous project with shared/common ingress and egress as well as unrestricted on-site vehicular and pedestrian circulation.
(25) “Logo sign” means a graphic sign that represents a particular trademark or business symbol for identification.
(26) “Monument sign” means a sign constructed upon a solid base or pedestal.
(27) “Name plate” means an attached wall, suspended, projecting or other building sign identifying the occupant of a dwelling unit.
(28) “Neon sign” means illuminated bent glass tubing in the form of symbols, graphics and/or written copy and illuminated linear tubing mounted within windows/storefronts or on the exterior of a building.
(29) “Non-commercial sign” means any sign that does not bear a commercial message including, by way of example and not limitation, commentary on social, political, educational, religious, scientific, artistic, philosophical or charitable subjects. Also includes signs regarding fund raising or membership drive activities for noncommercial or nonprofit concerns.
(30) “Off-site sign” means a sign that directs attention to a business, commodity, service, entertainment, or other product or activity offered at a location other than the site on which the sign is located. This definition does not include real estate signs, temporary signs, or directional signs approved pursuant to this chapter.
(31) “Pole sign” means a freestanding sign attached to a pole.
(32) “Portable sign” means any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported. Portable signs include, but are not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels, signs configured as A-frame or T-frame; menu and sandwich board signs; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public way, unless said vehicle is used in the day-to-day operations of the business.
(33) “Projecting sign” means any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than eighteen inches beyond the surface of said building or wall.
(34) “Pylon sign” means any freestanding sign supported by means of more than one pole.
(35) “Roof sign” means any sign erected on the roof or over the roofline of a building. For the purposes of this chapter, the roofline is the top edge of a roof or building parapet, whichever is higher, excluding any cupolas, pylons, chimneys or minor projections.
(36) “Sandwich board sign” means a sign designed with an A-frame structure and intended to be placed directly on a sidewalk or similar ground surface.
(37) “Sign” means any device, structure, fixture or placard displaying graphics, symbols, and/or written copy for the primary purpose of identifying, providing directions or advertising any establishment, product, goods, or services to the public.
(38) “Sign area” means the measurable area of a sign face. Said sign area shall be computed by means of a single continuous line composed of right angles that enclose the extreme limits lettering, logo, trademark or other graphic representation, together with any frame or structural trim forming an integral part of the display. For pole and pylon signs, the perimeter of the measurable sign area shall not include support and framing design embellishments exclusive of logo or written copy. Sign area for multi-faced signs shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point.
(39) “Real estate sign” means a temporary sign advertising the real estate upon which the sign is located as being for rent, lease, or sale.
(40) “Temporary sign” means a sign not constructed or intended for long-term use. Included in this definition are hand-held signs that are not attached in any manner to a stationary object.
(41) “Vehicle sign” means any sign that is attached to and is an integral part of a motorized vehicle or bicycle used directly for the purpose of a particular business and not used primarily as a sign base.
(42) “Wall sign” means a sign attached to a building facade, generally parallel to and extending not more than eighteen inches from the wall of a building with no copy on the sides or edges. This definition includes painted signs, individual letters, cabinet signs, and signs on a mansard.
(43) “Window sign” means a sign installed or placed upon, inside, or behind a window pane or glass door with the purpose of having the sign visible from the outside of the building.
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(Ord. 722, §§ 5, 7, 2022; Ord. 627, §§ 5, 6, 2009; Ord. 624 § 8, 2008; Ord. 612 Exhibit A (part), 2008).