The following provisions shall apply to all signs.
(A) Construction standards.
(1) All signs shall be constructed and installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the North Carolina State Building Code.
(2) All temporary signs shall be constructed of materials and printed on by inks capable of withstanding normal weather conditions.
(3) All signs, except for banners, flags, temporary signs and window signs conforming in all respects with the requirements of this article shall be constructed of permanent materials and shall be permanently attached to the ground, a building or another structure by direct attachment to a rigid wall, frame or structure.
(B) Obstructions prohibited. No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct the clear sight triangle at a street intersection nor shall any sign obstruct the view of motorists entering or leaving an off-street parking area.
(C) Relation to other building elements.
(1) Signs shall relate in their placement and size to other building elements without obscuring building elements such as windows, cornices or decorative details, except that signs may be placed on the inside of windows.
(2) Sign material, style and color shall compliment the building facade in terms of design, scale, color and materials.
(3) Individual shop signs in a single storefront shall relate to each other in terms of design, size, color, placement on the building and lettering style.
(4) Signs placed on the inside of window areas shall conceal no more than 25% of the area of the window on which the signs are located.
(D) Sign height computation. Sign height shall be computed as the lower of:
(1) Existing grade prior to construction; or
(2) The newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign. The calculation of the height of any sign placed upon a berm or mound shall include the height of the berm or mound.
(E) Sign area computation. The area of a sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when the fence or wall otherwise meets zoning ordinance regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself.
(F) Sign area computation for multi-faced signs. The sign area for a sign with multiple faces shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point. When a sign is composed of two or more sign faces only one of which can be viewed from any one point and when the sign faces are part of the same sign structure, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
(G) Maintenance of signs. All signs shall be maintained in good structural and aesthetic condition. Deficiencies such as chipped paint, broken plastic, missing letters and exposed light bulbs shall be evidence of a lack of maintenance.
(H) Forfeiture of illegal signs placed on or over public property. Any sign installed or placed on or over public property, except in conformance with the requirements of this article, shall be forfeited to the public and be subject to confiscation and disposal. In addition to other remedies provided by this article and the Town Code of Ordinances, the town shall have the right to recover from the sign owner and/or installer the full costs of removal and disposal of the sign.
(2003 Code, § 8-3.6.6) (Updated 2009)