(A) Every sign or other street graphic enumerated below that complies with the indicated requirements may be erected in any zoning district of this city without a permit. The area of these signs or street graphics shall not be debited against the displaying establishment’s sign area allowance.
(B) All signs must be placed on private property. In the absence of sidewalk or boulevard, signs may be placed no more than 30 feet from center of road.
(C) The signs and street graphics mentioned above are the following:
(1) Construction signs identifying the architects, engineers, contractors, and other individuals or firms involved with the construction or announcing the character or purpose of the building, but not advertising any product. These signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in area, shall be confined to the site of the construction, and shall be removed within 14 days after the project has reached substantial completion of 90%;
(2) Directional and informational signs erected for the convenience of the public, such as signs identifying entrances, exits, parking areas, no-parking areas, restrooms, public telephones, walkways, and similar features or facilities. These signs shall not exceed 3 square feet in area;
(3) National flags, flags of political subdivisions, and symbolic flags of any institution or religion;
(4) Garage sale signs advertising a garage or yard sale on private residential property. These signs shall not exceed 4 square feet in area, shall not be posted for longer than 3 days, and are not allowed to be on street right-of-way;
(5) Governmental or public signs, such as traffic-control signs, railroad crossing signs, legal notices, signs indicating the location of underground cables, and the like;
(6) Holiday decorations such as Christmas lights and ornaments, provided that the decorations must be removed within a reasonable time after the holiday;
(7) House numbers and name of occupant signs located on the lot to which the sign pertains. These signs shall not exceed 3 square feet in the area for single-family dwellings nor 6 square feet for multiple-family dwellings;
(8) Institutional signs for public, charitable, or religious institutions. These signs shall be located on the premises of the institution, shall not obstruct the vision of motorists, and shall not exceed 32 square feet in area;
(9) Integral signs carved into stone or inlaid so as to become part of the building and containing the information as date of erection, name of building, and memorial tributes;
(10) Interior signs located in the interior of any building or within an enclosed lobby or court of any building or group of buildings, provided these signs are not visible from the exterior of the buildings;
(11) Political campaign signs, announcing candidates seeking public office and/or political issues and other pertinent information, except that such signs shall be allowed on private property. Political signs shall not exceed 3 square feet;
(12) Property regulation signs such as no trespassing, no hunting, no fishing, and the like. These signs shall not exceed 3 square feet in area;
(13) Public interest signs publicizing a charitable or nonprofit event of general public interest. In any residential district, these signs shall not exceed 16 square feet in area; elsewhere, these signs shall not exceed 32 square feet. Public interest events that have regularly scheduled events (a minimum of 1 per month) shall be allowed to display street graphics, with the following requirements:
(a) Signs for non-regularly scheduled public interest events may be displayed a maximum of 2 weeks (14 days) prior to the initial event and removed 1 week (7 days) after the event;
(b) Signs for regularly scheduled public interest events may be displayed a maximum of 2 weeks (14 days) prior to the initial public interest event, and shall be removed 1 week (7 days) after the final scheduled event of the calendar year;
(c) Signs for regularly scheduled public interest events shall be allowed to remain for the duration of the scheduled events for each calendar year;
(d) No more than 1 public interest sign per event will be displayed per property location where the sign is displayed;
(e) All supports, frames or other material used in the installation of these public interest events will be removed when the signs are not displayed;
(f) In the case public interest events are voluntarily cancelled or voluntarily cease to have scheduled events for 1 month after the last event held, signs, supports frames, material and the like, shall be removed and signs shall not displayed;
(g) In the event public interest events are reinstated or started after they are voluntarily cancelled or voluntarily cease to have scheduled events for 1 month after the last event held, divisions (b) and (c) above will be used prior to the display of public interest signs;
(h) In the case public interest events are cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather or unusual circumstances in which the event has no control, divisions(f) and (g) above will not apply;
(i) Public interest signs shall be secured so as not to sag, come loose, and the like. In the event signs sag, come loose, are damaged, or become illegible, the affected signs shall be removed, secured or repaired within 24 hours;
(j) Signs for public interest events held outside the city limits will be permitted provided they comply with the criteria as defined for public interest signs.
Completed applications for public interest signs shall be submitted to the Building and Zoning Department for review and the issuance of a sign permit prior to the installation of public interest signs. No permit fee will be required for public interest signs;
(14) Real estate signs indicating the sale, rental, or lease of the premises on which they are located. These signs on residential property shall not exceed 6¼ square feet in area, and not more than 1 real estate sign per street front shall be erected on any lot. On other property, these signs shall not exceed 32 square feet, may be positioned in a “V” shape with an interior angle between the faces of not more than 90 degrees with the distance between the sign faces not exceeding 5 feet at their closest point. These signs shall be removed within 7 days after the sale, rental, or lease;
(15) Residential development identification structures at major entrances designed to identify a residential subdivision, apartment complex, or planned unit development; containing no commercial advertising; and not exceeding 40 square feet in actual signage area;
(16) Street signs advertising a public entertainment or public interest event.
(a) Street signs advertising a public entertainment or public interest event placed on city-owned property must be approved by the Mayor.
(b) All other street signs advertising a public entertainment or public interest event will be approved by the Building and Zoning Department.
(c) Street signs advertising a public entertainment or public interest event will comply with the criteria as set forth in divisions (B)(1) through (B)(10) above.
(d) Completed applications for public entertainment or public interest events will be submitted to the Building and Zoning Department for review and the issuance of a sign permit prior to the installation of the public entertainment or public interest event signs. No permit fee will be required for public entertainment or public interest event signs;
(17) Utility company signs that serve as an aid to public safety or that show the location of public telephones, underground cables, and the like;
(18) Memorial signs or tablets, names of buildings, and date of erection, when cut into any masonry surface or inlaid so as to be part of the building when constructed of bronze or other incombustible material; and
(19) Any sign, installed on the inside of the fence enclosing an athletic field, but shall not exceed more than 32 square feet.
(1983 Code, § 18.5-87) (Ord. 2944, passed 10-4-2001; Am. Ord. 3302, passed 2-1-2011; Am. Ord. 3448, passed 1-7-2016; Am. Ord. 3353, passed 7-2-19)
Penalty, see § 153.999