A. Sign Setback. All required setbacks for signs shall be measured as the distance in feet from the lot line or right-of-way, whichever is applicable, to the closest point on the sign structure.
B. Sign Height. The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding or excavating solely undertaken for the purpose of locating or increasing the height of sign.
C. Sign Area. The surface of a sign to be included when computing maximum allowable square footage of sign area shall be calculated as established in this section. For the purposes of calculating sign area, one of the following shapes may be used: circle, ellipse, triangle, square, rectangle, trapezoid, pentagon or hexagon.
1. The calculation of sign area shall not include any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall unless such structural support is determined to constitute an integral part of the sign design by means of text or other commercial message, as determined by the Planning Director or Building Commissioner. See Figure A.
2. For sign copy mounted or painted on a background panel, cabinet or surface distinctively painted, textured, lighted or constructed to serve as the background for the sign copy, the sign area shall be computed by means of the smallest permitted shape that encompasses the extreme limits of the background panel, cabinet or surface. See Figure A and Figure B.
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Figure A: Illustration of sign area calculation for a ground sign with a copy on a distinct, rectangular cabinet.
The brick structural support is not included in the sign area calculation.
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Figure B: Illustration of computing the sign area for wall signs with a background panel or cabinet.
3. For sign copy where individual letters or elements are mounted on a building façade or window where there is no background panel, cabinet or surface distinctively painted, textured, lighted or constructed to serve as the background for the sign copy, the sign area shall be computed by means of the smallest permitted shape that encloses all the letters or elements associated with the sign. See Figure C.
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Figure C: Illustration of sign area calculation for wall signs with individual letters.
4. In cases where there are multiple sign elements of sign copy on the same surface, any areas of sign copy that are within two feet of one another shall be calculated as a single sign area that shall be computed by means of the smallest permitted shape that encloses all sign copy within two feet of one another, otherwise the sign area shall be computed for each separate piece of sign copy. See Figure D.
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Figure D: Illustration of sign area calculations for multiple sign areas on a window sign.
5. Decorative edging or other window treatments that are not an integral part of the sign copy shall not be considered a part of the sign for the purposes of this chapter. See Figure D.
6. Except for three-dimensional signs, the sign area for a sign with more than one face (multi-faced signs) shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces when the interior angle is greater than 45 degrees.
7. When two identically sized, flat sign faces are placed back to back or at angles of 45 degrees or less, so that both faces cannot be viewed from any one point at the same time, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the sign faces. If the two faces are unequal, the sign area shall be calculated based on the larger of the two faces.
8. In the case of a three-dimensional sign where the sign faces are not mounted back-to-back, the sign area shall be calculated by the smallest permitted shape that encompasses the profile of the sign message. The profile used shall be the largest area of the sign message visible from any one point. See Figure E.
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Figure E. Illustration of sign area calculations for three-dimensional sign.
D. Façade Measurements.
1. When calculating the permitted sign area based on the width of any façade, such calculation shall be based on viewing the façade from a 90-degree angle (i.e., straight on), regardless of façade insets, offsets or angles. See Figure F.
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Figure F: Illustration of façade width measurement on varied façade shapes.
2. A primary façade shall be the length of the building wall that faces a public street unless another façade on the same building contains a majority of the customer entrances (regardless if the façade faces a public street or not), in which case the façade with the majority of customer entrances shall be deemed the primary faç
3. For buildings that have additional façades that face a public street, other than the primary façade, up to one additional façade that faces a public street shall be deemed the secondary façade.
4. For multi-tenant buildings, the portion of a building that is owned or leased by a single occupant or tenant shall be considered a building unit. The façade width for a building unit shall be measured from the centerline of the party walls defining the building unit.
5. The Planning Director shall have the authority to make the determination of what façades are primary facades and secondary façades for the purposes of this chapter.
(Ord. 2020-79. Passed 11-17-20.)