(a) Maintenance. Signs and their components shall be regularly maintained and kept in good repair and appearance. If a sign is not properly maintained, it shall be removed or repaired within 30 days, following written notice of insufficient maintenance by an authorized County official.
(b) Maximum Sign Area and Calculation of Sign Area.
(1) Where a maximum overall sign area is specified, the sum of the areas of walls, roofs, or display sign faces shall be calculated in compliance with the provisions of this Section.
(2) Where a ratio of structure frontage to sign area is used, the structure frontage shall be the linear dimension of the structure foundation or base that is adjacent to the street right-of-way, or that is the main entrance to the structure when it is not adjacent to the street right-of-way.
(3) Where a ratio of structure footage to sign area is used, separate attached signs are allowed on each structure footage, provided that this ratio and the maximum total area and total number of attached signs provided for within the land use zoning district is not exceeded.
(4) The area of a single sign shall not exceed 500 square feet and shall be calculated as follows:
(A) Except as otherwise provided by this Section or the provisions of a land use zoning district, decorative trim six inches or less in width immediately surrounding the perimeter of a sign, pole covers not exceeding 24 inches in width, and roofs attached immediately above the top of the sign that do not exceed 24 inches in height nor 12 inches in width beyond the width of each side of the sign face, shall not be included for purposes of calculating sign area, unless decorative trim is part of, is associated with or implies the commercial, noncommercial, or political message that is being displayed.
(B) The maximum area allowed for each face of the following signs shall be equal to the maximum sign area allowed by the applicable land use zoning district or this Chapter.
(I) Single face signs.
(II) Double face signs, as measured on the largest single face.
(III) V-shaped signs with an acute or right angle between the sign faced on the side away from the right-of-way to which the sign is oriented.
(5) The maximum area allowed for one of the following signs shall be 75 percent of the maximum sign area allowed by the applicable land use zoning district or this Chapter. The total area of these sign faces shall not exceed the maximum sign area allowed by the applicable land use zoning district or this Chapter.
(A) Signs with more than two faces.
(B) Signs with more than one face oriented in the same direction.
(C) V-shaped signs with an obtuse angle greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees between the sign faces on the side away from the right-of-way to which the sign is oriented.
(6) The area of a figure or other irregular or three-dimensional display used for advertising purposes shall be computed by enclosing the entire area within parallelograms, triangles, or circles in a size sufficient to cover the entire area and computing only the maximum single display surface that is visible from a ground position at one time.
(7) A sign that includes an automatic time or temperature display shall be given a bonus of 30 percent increase in area over the maximum area allowed by a land use zoning district or this Chapter. This bonus area shall only be utilized for the time or temperature display. The bonus shall not exceed a maximum of 50 square feet.
(8) Animals, man-made objects or natural features that are part of or incorporated into the design of the sign, and are associated with or imply the commercial, noncommercial, or political message that is being displayed shall be calculated as part of the total sign face area.
(9) The area of a monument sign shall be calculated by using only the area devoted to display of a commercial, noncommercial, or political message.
(c) Design.
(1) Illumination. Except for time and temperature components, signs shall only be lit by steady, stationary, shielded light directed only at the sign, by light inside the sign, by direct neon lighting, or by an alternating light system that does not change more than once five seconds. The glare from luminous sources shall not exceed one-half footcandle. See also § 83.07.040 (Glare and Outdoor Lighting Mountain and Desert Regions).
(2) Visibility of Sign Faces. More than two faces of a single sign shall not be viewable at one time from one place.
(3) Setback from Right-of-Way. The leading edge or footing of a sign shall not be located closer that one foot from the ultimate right-of-way line.
(d) Height.
(1) Measurement. The height of signs shall be measured along the leading edge of the sign and shall be measured from the finished grade of the ground below the leading edge to the top of the sign, except that freestanding signs shall be measured from grade or the surface of the adjacent roadbed, whichever yields the greater sign height.
(2) Maximum Height. The maximum height of an on-site freestanding sign shall be 25 feet. A more restrictive maximum sign height standard may be specified by this Chapter or by the provisions of the applicable land use zoning district or overlay.
(e) Location.
(1) A sign or portion of sign shall not extend over a property line onto an adjacent property or right-of-way.
(2) A sign shall not interfere with a driver’s or pedestrian’s view of public rights-of-way (e.g., the view of approaching, merging, or intersecting traffic, etc.) or otherwise impair public safety, or interfere with the safe operation of a motor vehicle on public streets.
(3) Signs shall comply with the provisions § 83.02.030 (Clear Sight Triangles) that include the following:
(A) Monument signs shall not be allowed within a clear sight triangle.
(B) There shall not be more than two posts or columns, each with a width or diameter no greater than 12 inches, within a clear sight triangle.
(C) When a freestanding sign is located within a clear sight triangle, the lower edge of the sign face shall be at least eight feet above grade.
(4) A sign shall not be attached to or painted on a public utility pole, traffic sign, or streetlight.
(5) Where it is determined that vegetation will obstruct the visibility of more than ten percent of the face of a proposed sign, as viewed from the edge of the abutting paved roadway for ten percent of the distance up to 750 feet away from the proposed sign face, the following shall be submitted before issuance of a Building Permit:
(A) The sign owner shall submit a statement indicating what vegetation will be cut, trimmed, and/or left undisturbed.
(B) The sign owner shall submit a letter from an affected agency or property owner, where trees are proposed to be cut or trimmed, authorizing the removal or trimming operation.
(C) Where vegetation is authorized to be removed to accommodate visibility of a sign on a publicly owned right-of-way, then the remaining vegetation shall be enhanced by the planting of one specimen tree or plant of the same or similar species for each tree or plant removed. This shall be accomplished before the final Building Permit inspection for the proposed sign. The specimen plants shall be planted along the same roadway as close as botanically sound, but not in a manner that obstructs the proposed sign during the life of the tree or plant. The applicant shall obtain permission from the responsible agency or property owner for the plantings before the issuance of the Building Permit and shall maintain the vegetation after planting for a period of six months or until the plant is self-sustaining, whichever is longer. This requirement shall be modified or waived by the Building Official where it is determined that an alternate mitigation measure is acceptable or where compliance is not practicable.
(6) A sign shall not be attached to or painted on natural features (e.g., trees, shrubs, rocks, etc.).
(Ord. 4011, passed - -2007; Am. Ord. 4298, passed - -2016)