(See Interpretations related to this Section.)
Signs located in Neighborhood Commercial Districts shall be regulated as provided herein, except for those signs which are exempted by Section 603 of this Code or as more specifically regulated in a Special Sign District under Sections 608 et seq. In the event of conflict between the provisions of Section 607.1 and other provisions of Article 6, the provisions of Section 607.1 shall prevail in Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts.
In each such Special Sign District, signs, other than those signs exempted by Section 603 of this Code, shall be subject to the special controls in Sections 608.1 through 608.16, respectively, in addition to all other or, if so expressly specified in those Sections, in lieu of other applicable sign provisions of this Code. In the event of inconsistency with any other provision of Article 6, the most restrictive provision shall prevail unless this Code specifically provides otherwise.
(a) Purposes and Findings. In addition to the purposes stated in Sections 101 and 601 of this Code, the following purposes apply to Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts. These purposes constitute findings that form a basis for regulations and provide guidance for their application.
(1) As Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts change, they need to maintain their attractiveness to residents, customers and potential new businesses alike. Physical amenities and a pleasant appearance will profit both existing and new enterprises.
(2) The character of signs and other features projecting from buildings is an important part of the visual appeal of a street and the general quality and economic stability of the area. Opportunities exist to relate these signs and projections more effectively to street design and building design. These regulations establish a framework that will contribute toward a coherent appearance of Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts.
(3) Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts are typically mixed use areas with commercial units on the ground or lower stories and residential uses on upper stories. Although signs are essential to a vital commercial district, they should not be allowed to interfere with or diminish the livability of residential units within a Neighborhood Commercial District or in adjacent residential districts.
(4) The scale of most Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts as characterized by building height, bulk, and appearance, and the width of streets and sidewalks differs from that of other commercial and industrial districts. Sign sizes should relate and be compatible with the surrounding district scale.
(b) Signs or Sign Features Not Permitted in NC and RC Districts. Roof Signs as defined in Section 602, Wind Signs as defined in Section 602, and Signs on Canopies, as defined in Section 136.1(b) of this Code, are not permitted in NC and RC Districts. No Sign shall have or consist of any moving, rotating, or otherwise physically animated part, or lights that give the appearance of animation by flashing, blinking, or fluctuating, except as permitted by Section 607.1(i) of this Code. In addition, all Signs or sign features not otherwise specifically regulated in this Section 607.1 shall be prohibited.
(c) Identifying Signs. Identifying Signs, as defined in Section 602, shall be permitted in all Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts subject to the limits set forth below.
(1) One Sign per lot shall be permitted and such Sign shall not exceed 20 square feet in area. The sign may be a Freestanding sSign,1 if the building is recessed from the Street Property Line, or may be a Wall Sign or a projecting Sign. The existence of a Freestanding Identifying Sign shall preclude the erection of a Freestanding Business Sign on the same lot. A Wall Sign or projecting Sign shall be mounted on the first-story level; a Freestanding Sign shall not exceed 15 feet in height. Such Sign may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
(2) One Sign identifying a shopping center or shopping mall shall be permitted subject to the conditions in subsection (c)(1), but shall not exceed 30 square feet in area. Any sign identifying a permitted Commercial Use in an NC District shall be considered a Business Sign and subject to Section 607.1(f) of this Code. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated during the hours of operation of the businesses in the shopping center or shopping mall.
(d) Nameplates. One Nameplate, as defined in Section 602, not exceeding an area of two square feet, shall be permitted for each noncommercial use in NC Districts.
(e) General Advertising Signs. General Advertising Signs, as defined in Section 602, are not permitted in Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts.
(f) Business Signs. Business Signs, as defined in Section 602, shall be permitted in all Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts subject to the limits set forth below.
(1) Cole Valley, Lakeside Village, NC-1 and NCT-1 Districts.
(A) Window Signs. The total Area of all Window Signs, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed one-third the area of the window on or in which the Signs are located. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
(B) Wall Signs. The Area of all Wall Signs shall not exceed one square foot per square foot of street frontage occupied by the business measured along the wall to which the Signs are attached, or 50 square feet for each street frontage, whichever is less. The Height of any Wall Sign shall not exceed 15 feet or the height of the wall to which it is attached. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated or Indirectly Illuminated; or during business hours, may be Directly Illuminated.
(C) Projecting Signs. The number of projecting Signs shall not exceed one per business. The Area of such Sign, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed 24 square feet. The Height of such Sign shall not exceed 15 feet or the height of the wall to which it is attached. No part of the Sign shall project more than 75% of the horizontal distance from the Street Property Line to the curbline, or six feet six inches, whichever is less. The Sign may be Nonilluminated or Indirectly Illuminated, or during business hours, may be Directly Illuminated.
(D) Signs on Awnings. Sign copy may be located on permitted Awnings in addition to Wall Signs and projecting Signs. The Area of such sign copy as defined in Section 602 shall not exceed 20 square feet. Such sign copy may be Nonilluminated or Indirectly Illuminated.
(2) RC, NC-2, NCT-2, NC-S, Inner Balboa Street, Outer Balboa Street, Broadway, Castro Street, Inner Clement Street, Outer Clement Street, Cortland Avenue, Divisadero Street, Excelsior Outer Mission Street, Fillmore Street, Upper Fillmore Street, Folsom Street, Glen Park, Inner Sunset, Irving Street, Haight Street, Lower Haight Street, Hayes-Gough, Japantown, Judah Street, Upper Market Street, Noriega Street, North Beach, Ocean Avenue, Pacific Avenue, Polk Street, Regional Commercial District, Sacramento Street, San Bruno Avenue, SoMa, Taraval Street, Inner Taraval Street, Union Street, Valencia Street, 24th Street-Mission, 24th Street-Noe Valley, and West Portal Avenue Neighborhood Commercial Districts.
(A) Window Signs. The total Area of all Window Signs, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed one-third the area of the window on or in which the Signs are located. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
(B) Wall Signs. The Area of all Wall Signs shall not exceed two square feet per foot of street frontage occupied by the use measured along the wall to which the Signs are attached, or 100 square feet for each street frontage, whichever is less. The Height of any Wall Sign shall not exceed 24 feet, the height of the wall to which it is attached, or the height of the lowest of any residential windowsill on the wall to which it is attached, whichever is lower. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
Notwithstanding the foregoing paragraph, a Wall Sign for a Movie Theater located within the Japantown NCD (i) shall not be higher than the height of the wall to which it is attached, (ii) shall have an area not to exceed 150 square feet, if it is located at a height of 30 feet or lower, (iii) shall have an area not to exceed 70 square feet, if it is located at a height of greater than 30 feet, and (iv) may be located on any building face so long as the total number of such Signs does not exceed the total number of streets on which the parcel containing the Movie Theater has frontage.
(C) Projecting Signs.
(i) The number of projecting Signs shall not exceed one per business.
(ii) No part of the Sign shall project more than 75% of the horizontal distance from the Street Property Line to the curbline, or six feet six inches, whichever is less.
(iii) Except as provided for in subsection (v) below, such Signs may be Nonilluminated or Indirectly Illuminated; or during business hours, may be Directly Illuminated.
(iv) Except as provided for in subsection (v) below, the Area of such Sign, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed 24 square feet. The Height of such Sign shall not exceed 24 feet, or the height of the wall to which it is attached, or the height of the lowest of any residential windowsill on the wall to which the Sign is attached, whichever is lowest.
(v) Within the Fillmore Street Neighborhood Commercial Transit District, one projecting Business Sign per building may exceed the size and height limits specified in subsection (iv) above, provided all of the following criteria are met:
a. The Area of the Sign, as defined in Section 602, does not exceed 125 square feet.
b. The Height of the Sign does not exceed the lowest of the following:
1. 60 feet;
2. the height of the wall to which it is attached;
3. the height of the lowest residential windowsill on the wall to which it is attached; or
4. the lowest portion of any architectural feature located along the roofline, such as a cornice.
c. The sign is for the primary occupant of the building.
d. The sign employs a remote transformer.
e. The sign is designed with a minimum profile to be as narrow as is structurally feasible.
f. Any illumination of the sign is indirect, such as by the use of halo-lit lettering, and such illumination is used only during business hours.
g. The lettering or other inscription is arranged in a vertical manner.
h. The sign does not alter, cover, or obscure any architectural features of the subject building, such as cornice lines or belt courses.
i. The sign is attached in a reversible manner, such that no damage or destruction to any exterior features or cladding materials shall occur as part of the sign’s installation or removal.
(D) Signs on Awnings and Marquees. Sign copy may be located on permitted Awnings or Marquees in addition to projecting Signs. The Area of such sign copy as defined in Section 602 shall not exceed 30 square feet. Such sign copy may be nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated; except that sign copy on Marquees for Movie Theaters or places of Entertainment may be directly illuminated during business hours.
(E) Freestanding Signs and Sign Towers. With the exception of Automotive Service Stations, which are regulated under Section 607.1(f)(4), one Freestanding Sign or Sign Tower per lot shall be permitted in lieu of a projecting Sign, if the building or buildings are recessed from the Street Property Line. The existence of a Freestanding Business Sign shall preclude the erection of a Freestanding Identifying Sign on the same lot. The Area of such Freestanding Sign or Sign Tower, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed 20 square feet nor shall the Height of the Sign exceed 24 feet. No part of the Sign shall project more than 75% of the horizontal distance from the Street Property Line to the curbline, or six feet, whichever is less. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated or Indirectly Illuminated; or during business hours, may be Directly Illuminated.
(3) Bayview, Geary Boulevard, Mission Bernal, Mission Street 2
Lower Polk Street, NCT, NC-3, and NCT-3 Neighborhood Commercial Districts.
(A) Window Signs. The total area of all Window Signs, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed one-third the area of the window on or in which the Signs are located. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
(B) Wall Signs. The area of all Wall Signs shall not exceed three square feet per foot of street frontage occupied by the use measured along the wall to which the Signs are attached, or 150 square feet for each street frontage, whichever is less. The Height of any Wall Sign shall not exceed 24 feet, or the height of the wall to which it is attached, or the height of the lowest of any residential windowsill on the wall to which the Sign is attached, whichever is lower. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
(C) Projecting Signs. The number of projecting Signs shall not exceed one per business. The Area of such Sign, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed 32 square feet. The Height of the Sign shall not exceed 24 feet, or the height of the wall to which it is attached, or the height of the lowest of any residential windowsill on the wall to which the Sign is attached, whichever is lower. No part of the Sign shall project more than 75% of the horizontal distance from the Street Property Line to the curbline, or six feet six inches, whichever is less. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated, Indirectly Illuminated, or Directly Illuminated.
(D) Sign Copy on Awnings and Marquees. Sign copy may be located on permitted Awnings or Marquees in addition to projecting Signs. The Area of such Sign copy, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed 40 square feet. Such sign copy may be nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated; except that sign copy on Marquees for Movie Theaters or places of Entertainment may be directly illuminated during business hours.
(E) Freestanding Signs and Sign Towers. With the exception of Automotive Service Stations, which are regulated under Section 607.1(f)(4) of this Code, one Freestanding Sign or Sign Tower per lot shall be permitted in lieu of a projecting Sign if the building or buildings are recessed from the Street Property Line. The existence of a Freestanding Business Sign shall preclude the erection of a Freestanding Identifying Sign on the same lot. The Area of such Freestanding Sign or Sign Tower, as defined in Section 602, shall not exceed 30 square feet nor shall the Height of the Sign exceed 24 feet. No part of the Sign shall project more than 75% of the horizontal distance from the Street Property Line to the curbline, or six feet, whichever is less. Such Signs may be Nonilluminated or Indirectly Illuminated, or during business hours, may be Directly Illuminated.
(4) Special Standards for Automotive Service Stations. For Automotive Service Stations in Neighborhood Commercial Districts, only the following Signs are permitted, subject to the standards in this subsection (f)(4) and to all other standards in this Section 607.1.
(A) A maximum of two oil company signs, which shall not extend above the Roofline if attached to a building, or exceed the maximum height permitted for Freestanding Signs in the same district if Freestanding. The Area of any such Sign shall not exceed 180 square feet, and along each street frontage, all parts of such a Sign or Signs that are within 10 feet of the Street Property Line shall not exceed 80 square feet in area. No such Sign shall project more than five feet beyond any Street Property Line. The areas of other permanent and temporary Signs as covered in paragraph (B) below shall not be included in the calculation of the areas specified in this paragraph A.
(B) Other permanent and temporary Business Signs, not to exceed 30 square feet in Area for each such Sign or a total of 180 square feet for all such Signs on the premises. No such Sign shall extend above the Roofline if attached to a building, or in any case project beyond any Street Property Line or building setback line.
(g) Temporary Signs. One temporary nonilluminated or indirectly illuminated sale or lease sign or nonilluminated sign of persons and firms connected with work on buildings under actual construction or alteration, giving their names and information pertinent to the project per lot, shall be permitted. Such sign shall not exceed 50 square feet and shall conform to all regulations of Subsection 607.1(f) for business signs in the respective NC District in which the sign is to be located. All temporary signs shall be promptly removed upon completion of the activity to which they pertain.
(h) Special Sign Districts. Additional controls apply to certain Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts that are designated as Special Sign Districts. Special Sign Districts are described within Sections 608.1 through 608.16 of this Code and with the exception of Sections 608.1, 608.2 and 608.11, their designations, locations and boundaries are provided on Sectional Map SSD of the Zoning Map of the City and County of San Francisco.
(i) Restrictions on Illumination. Signs in Neighborhood Commercial and Residential-Commercial Districts shall not have nor consist of any flashing, blinking, fluctuating or otherwise animated light except those moving or rotating or otherwise physically animated parts used for rotation of barber poles and the indication of time of day and temperature, and in the following special districts, all specifically designated as “Special Districts for Sign Illumination” on Sectional Map SSD of the Zoning Map of the City and County of San Francisco.
(1) Broadway Neighborhood Commercial District. Along the main commercial frontage of Broadway between west of Columbus Avenue and Osgood Place.
(2) NC-3. NC-3 District along Lombard Street from Van Ness Avenue to Broderick Street.
(3) Notwithstanding the type of signs permissible under subparagraph (i), a video sign is prohibited in the districts described in subparagraphs (1) and (2).
(Added by Ord. 69-87, App. 3/13/87; amended by Ord. 445-87, App. 11/12/87; Ord. 219-94, App. 6/3/94; Ord. 262-00, File No. 001426, App. 11/17/2000; Ord. 28-02, File No. 011962, App. 3/15/2002; Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008; Ord. 61-09, File No. 090181, App. 4/17/2009; Ord. 140-11, File No. 110482, App. 7/5/2011, Eff. 8/4/2011; Ord. 195-11
, File No. 110448, App. 10/4/2011, Eff. 11/3/2011; Ord. 35-12
, File No. 111305, App. 2/21/2012, Eff. 3/22/2012; Ord. 42-13
, File No. 130002, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013; Ord. 261-13
, File No. 130084, App. 11/27/2013, Eff. 12/27/2013; Ord. 227-14
, File No. 120796, App. 11/13/2014, Eff. 12/13/2014; Ord. 228-14
, File No. 120814, App. 11/13/2014, Eff. 12/13/2014; Ord. 22-15, File No. 141253, App. 2/20/2015, Eff. 3/22/2015; Ord. 229-15
, File No. 151126, App. 12/22/2015, Eff. 1/21/2016; Ord. 30-16
, File No. 151004, App. 3/11/2016, Eff. 4/10/2016; Ord. 217-16, File No. 160424, App. 11/10/2016, Eff. 12/10/2016; Ord. 129-17, File No. 170203, App. 6/30/2017, Eff. 7/30/2017; Ord. 63-20, File No. 200077, App. 4/24/2020, Eff. 5/25/2020; Ord. 223-21, File No. 210810, App. 12/17/2021, Eff. 1/17/2022; Ord. 68-24, File No. 240070, App. 4/4/2024, Eff. 5/5/2024)
AMENDMENT HISTORY
Division (f)(2) amended; Ord. 140-11, Eff. 8/4/2011. Undesignated introductory material and division (h) amended; Ord. 195-11, Eff. 11/3/2011. Division (f)(2) amended; Ord. 35-12
, Eff. 3/22/2012. Division (f)(2) amended; Ord. 42-13
, Eff. 4/27/2013. Section header and divisions (f), (f)(2), and (f)(4)(A) amended; Ord. 261-13
, Eff. 12/27/2013. Divisions (e), [former] (e)(1), [former] (e)(2), and (f)(2) amended; Ord. 227-14
, Eff. 12/13/2014. Divisions (e), [former] (e)(1), [former] (e)(2), and (f)(2) amended; Ord. 228-14
, Eff. 12/13/2014. Undesignated introductory material and divisions (a), (a)(1)-(4), (b), (c), and (e) amended; former divisions (e)(1) and (e)(2) deleted; divisions (h), (i), and (j) amended; former divisions (j)(1) and (j)(2) deleted and former divisions (j)(3) and (j)(4) redesignated as (j)(1) and (j)(2); Ord. 22-15, Eff. 3/22/2015. Division (f)(2) amended; Ord. 229-15
, Eff. 1/21/2016. Division (f)(2)(C) amended and divided into subdivisions (i)-(iii); new divisions (f)(2)(C)(iv) and (v) added; Ord. 30-16
, Eff. 4/10/2016. Divisions (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) amended; former divisions (j)–(j)(2) deleted; Ord. 217-16, Eff. 12/10/2016. Division (c)(2) amended; Ord. 129-17, Eff. 7/30/2017. Division (f)(1)(D) amended; Ord. 63-20, Eff. 5/25/2020. Divisions (f), (f)(1), (f)(1)(D), (f)(2), (f)(2)(D), (f)(3), and (f)(3)(D) amended; Ord. 223-21, Eff. 1/17/2022. Division (f)(2)(B) amended; Ord. 68-24, Eff. 5/5/2024.
CODIFICATION NOTES