(a) All sign structures in the nonresidential districts shall be accessory to the principal use.
(b) Buildings, developments, or subdivisions that are 100% residential in any nonresidential district, including the BC-R Subdistrict, shall be subject to the permanent sign allowances established in § 1220.07.
(c) Building signs. Building signs are permitted on all principal structures in accordance with the following:
(1) The building sign area allowed in Table 1220-1 shall include the total amount of all awning, canopy, marquee, projecting, or wall signs on each wall. Standards for each individual building sign type follow Table 1220-1.
(2) Building signs shall not extend above the roofline of the building to which it is attached.
(3) Building signs may not be attached to a penthouse or roof structure including but not limited to mechanical equipment or roof screening.
(4) Size.
A. Table 1220-1 establishes the maximum sign area for building signs based on the district, building, and/or use they serve.
B. There is no maximum number of building signs but the total square footage of building signs located on a single façade shall comply with the requirements of this section.
C. Where there are multiple façades that face a public street (e.g., corner lots or double frontage lots), the maximum building sign area shall apply to the individual façade. An applicant shall not combine the total amount of building sign area permitted on all façades and apply it to a single façade.
D. Any sign that is incorporated into a building as an architectural element shall be classified as a wall sign.
UC-C, UC-S, or BC-R Subdistricts | All Other Nonresidential Zoning Districts and Nonresidential Uses in a Residential District | |
Buildings with Multiple Tenant Spaces [1] | 1.5 square foot of sign area per lineal foot | 2.0 square feet of sign area per lineal foot |
Buildings with Single Tenant Occupancy | ||
Large-Scale Nonresidential Buildings with a Single Tenant [2] | The sign area shall not exceed 5% of the total façade area and shall not exceed 35% of the height of the façade, as measured from the bottom most point of the message to the top most point of the message [3] | |
Notes: [1] The ratio shall be applied to each lineal foot of building façade width assigned to each individual tenant. [2] Large-scale nonresidential buildings shall be defined as a building, with a single tenant that exceeds 150,000 square feet of gross floor area. [3] Signs shall be limited to wall signs. | ||
(5) Wall signs.
A. Wall signs shall be mounted on or flush with a wall and shall not protrude more than 18 inches from the wall or face of the building to which it is attached.
B. A wall sign may be painted directly on a building wall, mounted on the façade wall, or mounted on a raceway.
C. Wall signs shall not include electronic message centers.
D. Wall signs located in the UC-C District may only be illuminated through the following methods, if approved as part of the certificate of appropriateness:
1. Indirect lighting methods such as gooseneck lighting;
2. Individual reverse channel letters (halo-lit or reverse-lit); or
3. Individual channel letters with transparent plastic covering to shield the source of illumination.
(6) Canopy or awning signs. Any awning or canopy sign allowed pursuant to this section shall comply with the following standards:
A. Signage shall not cover more than 25% of any awning or canopy in the Business Center Subdistricts and 50% in all other districts.
B. All components of the awning or canopy shall have a minimum clearance of eight feet from the sidewalk and 15 feet above any driveway or vehicular use area. See Figure 1220-E.
C. An awning or canopy sign shall in no case project any closer than two feet from a curb.
(7) Projecting signs.
A. A projecting sign shall be perpendicular to the wall of the building to which it is attached. A projecting sign may also be attached to the ceiling of an outdoor arcade if it complies with the sign area, height, and clearance standards of this section.
B. A projecting sign that is attached perpendicular to the wall to which it is affixed may project up to four feet from the front of the building including into a right-of-way.
C. The maximum sign area for any single projecting sign shall be 15 square feet.
D. A projecting sign shall in no case project any closer than two feet from a curb.
E. All components of the projecting sign shall have a minimum clearance of nine feet from the sidewalk and 15 feet above any driveway or vehicular use area.
F. Projecting signs shall be separated from other projecting signs by a minimum of 30 feet.
G. Projecting signs may be internally illuminated.
H. Projecting signs must be suspended from brackets approved by the Building Department and contain no exposed guy wires or turnbuckles.
(d) Freestanding signs.
(1) Freestanding signs shall either be a pole sign or ground-mounted sign. A sign that is placed on two posts, which are no more than two feet in height to the base of the sign cabinet or sign face, shall be considered a ground-mounted sign for the purposes of this chapter.
(2) Table 1220-2 establishes the maximum sign area and sign height allowed for freestanding signs in nonresidential zoning districts.
(3) One freestanding sign of a size and height permitted in Table 1220-2 shall be permitted on each street frontage.
(4) All freestanding signs shall be set back a minimum of ten feet from all rights-of-way and from adjacent lot lines and 50 feet from any adjacent lot in a residential zoning district or used solely for residential uses.
(5) Pole signs must have a minimum height of ten feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign face.
(6) Landscaping permanent freestanding signs.
A. All permanent freestanding signs shall be located in a landscaped area equal to or larger than the total sign area of the applicable sign. Such landscaped area may be an area that fulfills any landscaping requirements of this code.
B. The landscaped area shall include all points where sign structural supports attach to the ground.
C. Exposed sign foundations shall be constructed with a finished material such as brick, stone, or wood, or be screened with evergreens to the top of the anchor bolts.
Zoning Districts and Subdistricts | Lot Frontage Width | |||||
0 to 150 Feet | 151 to 300 Feet | 301 or More Feet | ||||
Maximum Sign Area | Maximum Sign Height | Maximum Sign Area | Maximum Sign Height | Maximum Sign Area | Maximum Sign Height | |
Zoning Districts and Subdistricts | Lot Frontage Width | |||||
0 to 150 Feet | 151 to 300 Feet | 301 or More Feet | ||||
Maximum Sign Area | Maximum Sign Height | Maximum Sign Area | Maximum Sign Height | Maximum Sign Area | Maximum Sign Height | |
O-1, B-1, and BC-H [1] | 40 | 6 | 60 | 8 | 80 | 10 |
O-2, B-2, B-3, BC-I, BC-O, BC-R, BC-F, and PI [1][2] | 50 | 8 | 80 | 10 | 150 | 20 |
UC-C and UC-S [1] | 50 | 6 | 50 | 6 | 50 | 6 |
I-1 and I-2 | 50 | 8 | 80 | 10 | 100 | 15 |
NOTES: The maximum sign area is in square feet and the maximum sign height is in feet. [1] Pole signs are prohibited in the UC-C, UC-S, BC-H, BC-I, BC-O, BC-R, and BC-F Subdistricts. [2] A ground-mounted sign with a maximum sign area of 400 square feet is allowed in the O-2 District if the sign is located within 850 feet of the I-75 right-of-way, west of I-75. | ||||||
(e) Driveway signs. Permanent signs shall be permitted near driveway entrances to a street and at intersections of internal drives under the following provisions:
(1) The signs shall be set back at least five feet from all lot lines but in no case shall the sign be set back more than 25 feet from the driveway entrance or intersection of internal drives;
(2) One sign may be permitted per individual driveway or internal intersection;
(3) The sign may not exceed five square feet in area and 30 inches in height;
(4) In cases where a single development has 150,000 square feet or more of gross floor area, the maximum sign area shall be 16 square feet with a maximum height of six feet. In such cases, the sign shall be located in a manner that complies with the intersection visibility requirements of § 1208.05.
(f) Signs at entrances. For subdivisions in an O-2, B-3, BC, I-1, or I-2 District that are designed for nonresidential uses and contain five or more individual lots, such subdivision or park may incorporate a freestanding ground-mounted sign within 150 feet of an entrance point into the subdivision in accordance with the following:
(1) The sign shall be subject to the same standards as § 1220.07(b), with the following exceptions:
A. The maximum sign area shall be 50 square feet.
B. The maximum height of a ground-mounted sign shall be ten feet.
C. The sign shall be set back a minimum of 75 feet from any residential lot line.
D. Such sign may be located on a lot with another freestanding sign as allowed in division (d) of this section.
E. If this sign is utilized, no other freestanding pole or ground-mounted sign shall be located within 50 feet of the entrance sign on the same street or road on which the park has access.
(2) Provided the subdivision is recorded and the zoning is for a nonresidential zoning district, the sign may be placed even if no construction has taken place on any of the lots.
(g) Signs near a drive-through.
(1) One freestanding sign (monument or pole sign) shall be allowed for each stacking lane in a drive-through facility provided it does not exceed 36 square feet in sign area. If the sign is completely screened from view from any right-of-way or adjacent residential uses, there shall be no maximum sign area.
(2) Signs near drive-throughs shall only be permitted in the rear yard.
(3) The signs shall not be included in the total calculated allowed signage for a property under the remainder of this chapter. Any signs attached to a wall of building or the structure shall be calculated as part of the building signage allowance in division (c) hereof.
(4) The sign shall not exceed six feet in height measured from the grade of the adjacent driving surface to the top of the sign.
(5) The sign may be internally or externally illuminated.
(Ord. O2018-02, passed 2-20-2018; Am. Ord. O2021-73, passed 9-21-2021)