The following are prohibited within the jurisdiction of this chapter.
(A) Any non-governmental sign that resembles a public safety warning or traffic sign.
(B) Signs, whether temporary or permanent, within any public street or highway right-of-way or placed upon a utility pole, and unauthorized signs are forfeited to the public and are subject to confiscation, with the exception of:
(1) Governmental signage, including signs to identify public property convey public information, direct or regulate pedestrian or vehicle traffic;
(2) Informational signs of a public utility regarding its poles, lines, pipes, or facilities;
(3) Awning, projecting, and suspended signs over a public right of way so long as they do not interfere with function of the right of way; and
(4) Signs for community festivals or events permitted by the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Murphy.
(C) Any sign which may be confused with or obstruct the view of any public traffic signal or traffic sign or in any way constitute a hazard to traffic.
(D) Any sign that obstructs or substantially interferes with any window, door, fire escape, stairway, latter, or opening intended to provide light, air, ingress, or egress for any building.
(E) Flashing signs.
(F) Roof signs.
(G) (1) All signs shall be set back ten feet from the right-of-way of any street or highway unless the sign is attached to or is part of a building located within the setback.
(2) In the event that a right-of-way is not defined among the public records of Cherokee County, this prohibition shall apply to an area within 15 feet of the edge of the ware surface of any public thoroughfare.
(H) Any sign or sign structure which does not conform to the building codes or creates in any way an unsafe distraction for motor vehicle operators (see flashing signs definition), or obstructs the view of motor vehicle operators entering a public roadway.
(I) Abandoned signs, where the business or activity which the sign refers has ceased to operate or function or use the sign for 180 or more days.
(J) New billboards.
(K) Portable signs, except as provided for in § 153.066(A).
(L) Signs on fences except public-owned ball field advertising/sponsorship fence signs, and except delivery directional signage in the G-B General Business District, the H-B Highway Business District, and the I-H-C Industrial Heavy Commercial.
(M) No political sign shall be closer than three feet from the edge of the pavement of the road.
(N) No sign shall obscure motorist visibility at an intersection.
(O) No political sign shall be higher than 42 inches above the edge of the pavement of the road when in right of way.
(P) No political sign shall be larger than 864 square inches or six square feet when in road right-of-way.
(Q) No political sign shall be permitted in the right-of-way of a fully controlled access highway.
(Ord. passed 4-1-2024)