Sec. 59-F-4.2. By zone.

In addition to the general design elements and limitations, the following requirements apply in the zones specified.  Any permanent sign not listed in this Section or which does not conform to the requirements listed in this Section must obtain a variance from the Department of Permitting Services.

   (a)   Residential Zone.  The total area of all permanent signs on a lot or parcel in a residential zone must not exceed 2 square feet, unless additional area is permitted pursuant to this ordinance.

      (1)   Freestanding Sign.

         (A)   Number.  One is allowed.

         (B)   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 2 square feet per sign.

         (C)   Placement.

            1.   Location.  The sign must be set back at least 5 feet from the property line.

            2.   Height.  A sign must not exceed 5 feet in height.

         (D)   Illumination.  No illumination is allowed.

      (2)   Wall sign.

         (A)   Number.  One is allowed.

         (B)   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 2 square feet per sign.

         (C)   Placement.  A sign must not be placed more than 5 feet above the ground.

         (D)   Illumination.  No illumination is allowed.

      (3)   Entrance Signs.

         (A)   Subdivision and Multi-Family Development Location Sign.

         Additional sign area is allowed for a permanent location sign erected at any entrance to a subdivision or multi-family development provided that the sign is a ground sign or wall sign located at an entrance to identify the location of the subdivision or building.

            1.   Number.  Two signs are allowed for each entrance.

            2.   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 40 square feet per sign.

            3.   Placement.

               (i)   Location.  If the driveway entrance to the subdivision or development is located in the right-of-way, a revocable permit issued jointly by the Sign Review Board and the appropriate transportation jurisdiction in accordance with Section 59-F-7.1(g) must be obtained to erect the sign.

               (ii)   Height.  The sign must not exceed 26 feet in height.

            4.   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements in Section 59-F-4.1(e).

         (B)   Place of Assembly Location Sign. Additional sign area is permitted for a permanent location sign for any place of assembly. The sign must be a ground sign or a wall sign located at an entrance to the building or driveway to identify the location of the building for a user of the facility.

            1.   Number.  Two signs are allowed at each entrance.

            2.   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 40 square feet.

            3.   Placement.

               (i)   Location.  The sign must be set back at least 5 feet from the property line, or, if the driveway entrance to the subdivision is located in the right-of-way, a revocable permit issued jointly by the Sign Review Board and the appropriate transportation jurisdiction in accordance with Section 59-F-7.1(g) must be obtained to erect the sign.

               (ii)   Height.  The sign must not exceed 26 feet in height.

            4.   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

   (b)   Commercial or Industrial Zone.  The total area of all permanent signs on a lot or parcel in a commercial or industrial zone must not exceed 800 square feet, excluding the additional area permitted by other provisions of this ordinance, without submitting a sign concept plan to the Director.  The maximum sign area for an individual sign in these zones is 200 square feet.

      (1)   Freestanding Sign.

         (A)   Number.  One sign is permitted at each customer entrance to the building or driveway.

         (B)   Area.  The maximum sign area for a lot or parcel is 2 square feet for each linear foot of frontage.

            1.   Multiple Frontage.  If a lot or parcel has frontage on more than one street:

               (i)   signs may be erected facing each street; the total area of all signs oriented to each street is 2 square feet per linear foot of frontage along that street; or

               (ii)   one sign may be erected at a location which allows it to be seen along each street on which the site has frontage; the total area of the sign is 2 square feet per linear foot of the sum of all frontages.  (See Figure 7).

            2.   Minimal Frontage.  For a lot that has less than 50 feet of frontage, such as a pipestem, flag, or wedge shaped lot, the sign area is based on the length of the lot line closest to the street toward which the sign is to be oriented.  The applicant is restricted to using only one street and the property line closest to that street.  However, the choice of that street is determined by the applicant.  (See Figure 8, lot #1).

         (C)   Placement.

            1.   Location.  A sign must be set back at least 1/4 of the distance required for the building restriction setback as determined by the Zoning ordinance for the zone.

            2.   Height.  The sign must not exceed the height of the tallest building on the same premises as a the sign, and must not exceed 26 feet from the ground.

         (D)   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

      (2)   Wall Sign.

         (A)   Number.  One sign is allowed for each customer entrance.  A customer entrance includes, but is not limited to, a direct outside entrance to a shop or store, and a direct outside entrance to an enclosed mall or shopping center.

         (B)   Area.  The maximum sign area is 2 square feet for each linear foot of building frontage.  A shop or store with an outside entrance is considered to have its own building frontage, which is the front width of the portion of the building occupied for that use.  (See Figures 8, 9, and 10).  A dimension must not be counted more than once as a building frontage.

         (C)   Placement.

            1.   Location.

               (i)   No sign or supporting structure of a flat wall sign must extend more than 12 inches from the wall.

               (ii)   A projecting wall sign may project 42 inches from the building, but not closer than 8 feet to a curb line.

               (iii)   The sign must not project over a public right-of-way except where there is no building setback.

            2.   Height.  The sign must not exceed 26 feet in height.

               (i)   The sign must not extend above any portion of the roof or be placed upon any roof surface.  (See Roof Sign, subsection 59-F-7.1.(b).)

               (ii)   A sign that projects over a public right-of-way or public ingress or egress must have a minimum clearance above the ground of: 10 feet for a sign that projects over a pedestrian walkway; and 18 feet for a sign that projects over a street or driveway.

         (D)   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

      (3)   Canopy Sign.

         (A)   Number.  The number of signs is not limited.

         (B)   Area.  The maximum sign area is 2 square feet for each linear foot of building frontage not to exceed 200 square feet for each category.  A dimension must not be counted more than once in the determination of building frontage.  The sign area of an illuminated canopy sign is calculated as a the total illuminated surface area that can be seen at any one time from one vantage point outside the property lines of the property where the sign is located.  This does not include lighting, internal to the canopy, which has the sole purpose of lighting the customer area for service or safety.

         (C)   Placement.

            (1)   Location.  The location of a canopy sign is determined by the building permit requirements for the canopy.  If no building permit is required, the location requirements are the same as that of a freestanding sign.

            (2)   Height.  The height of the sign is determined by the building permit requirements for the canopy and must not exceed 26 feet in height.  If no building permit is required, the height limits are the same as those of a projecting wall sign.

         (D)   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

      (4)   Entrance Signs.

         (A)   Location Sign.  Additional sign area is allowed for a permanent location sign erected at an entrance to a building or a development provided that the sign is a ground sign or flat wall sign located at the entrance to identify the location of the building or development.  The sign must meet the following requirements:

            1.   Number.  A sign may be placed on each face of the building that has building frontage and at each customer entrance to the building and parking area.

            2.   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 100 square feet for each sign.

            3.   Placement.

               (i)   Location.  The location is the same as provided generally for the zone based on the type of sign.  A location sign erected as a ground sign must meet the setback restrictions for a freestanding sign, and a location sign erected as a a wall sign must comply with the requirements for a wall sign.

               (ii)   Height.  The sign may be placed on a wall more than 26 feet from the ground provided that it is at least 10 feet below the eave or parapet and at least 10 feet from the corner of the building.

               (iii)   Spacing.  An entrance sign that is a freestanding location sign must not be placed within 100 feet of another freestanding sign.  A wall location sign at an entrance must not be placed within 30 feet of another wall sign.

            4.   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

            5.   A canopy sign that includes only the name of the business, the address, or the official logo of the occupant is a location sign.

         (B)   Freestanding Sign for Sites Larger than 5 Acres.  Additional sign area is allowed for a freestanding sign erected at any driveway entrance to an industrial or commercial center that is larger than five acres, in order to identify the location of the industrial or commercial center.  The sign must meet the following requirements:

            1.   Number.  Two signs per customer entrance are allowed.

            2.   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 200 square feet per sign.

            3.   Placement.

               (i)   Location.  A sign must be set back at least 1/4 of the distance required for the building restriction setback as determined by the Zoning ordinance for the zone.

               (ii)   Height.  A sign must not exceed 26 feet in height.

               (iii)   Spacing.  Each sign or pair of signs must be placed at least 200 feet from another sign or pair of signs.

            4.   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

   (c)   Mixed Use Zones.  In any zone which provides for a combination of residential uses with commercial or industrial uses, such as the Central Business District, Planned Unit Development, Residential Mixed Use Development, and Transit Station zones, the erection of a sign is permitted as follows:

      (1)   Residential Uses.  A sign erected on property developed for a residential use must comply with the standards of this Article for a sign in a residential zone.

      (2)   Commercial or Industrial Uses.  A sign erected on property developed for a commercial or industrial use sign must comply with the standards of this Article for a sign in a commercial or industrial zone, except that:

         (A)   a freestanding sign is allowed only if:

            1.   the use is on a lot or parcel of two acres or larger; or,

            2.   the sign has multiple businesses listed that:

               (i)   have no individual external customer entrances, and,

               (ii)   have no other sign related to the business visible from outside the property.

         (B)   a wall sign is allowed for a use that does not have a separate customer entrance only if no other sign for the use is visible from outside the property.

      (3)   Agricultural Uses.  A sign erected on property used for agriculture must comply with the standards of this Article for a sign in a rural or agricultural zone.

   (d)   Rural or Agricultural Zone.  The total area of all permanent signs in the rural or agricultural zone must not exceed 200 square feet excluding the additional area allowed by other provisions of this ordinance.  Any sign not listed below or which does not conform to the requirements listed in this subsection must obtain a variance from the Sign Review Board.

      (1)   Freestanding Sign.

         (A)   Number.  One sign may be erected at each building and driveway entrance.

         (B)   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 40 square feet for each sign.

         (C)   Placement.

            1.   Location.  A sign must be set back at least 10 feet from the property line.

            2.   Height.  A sign must not exceed 10 feet in height.

         (D)   Illumination.  No illumination is allowed.

      (2)   Wall sign.

         (A)   Number.  One sign is allowed.

         (B)   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 40 square feet for each wall sign.

         (C)   Placement.  The sign must not be placed more than 26 feet above the ground.

         (D)   Illumination.  No illumination is allowed.

      (3)   Entrance Sign.  In addition to the 200 square feet for the total sign area, an additional location sign is allowed for a lot or parcel larger than five acres.  The location sign must meet the following requirements:

         (A)   Number.  One sign is allowed at each entrance to the lot or parcel.

         (B)   Area.  The sign area must not exceed 40 square feet for each sign.

         (C)   Placement.

            1.   Location.  Each sign must be set back at least 10 feet from the property line.

            2.   Height.  Each sign must not exceed 26 feet in height.

         (D)   Illumination.  The sign may be illuminated in accordance with the requirements of Section 59-F-4.1(e).

(Legislative History: Ord. No. 13-76, §1; Ord. No. 15-52, § 1; Ord. No. 15-88, § 2.)

   Editor’s note-Figures can be found on pages 59F-38 through 59F-47.

   Section 59-F-4.2 was cited in Eller Media Co. v. Montgomery County, 143 Md. App. 562, 795 A.2d 728 (2002).