This Chapter provides a comprehensive system of reasonable, effective, consistent, and content-neutral sign standards and requirements to:
A. Protect the general public health, safety, welfare, and aesthetics of the community.
B. Promote and accomplish the goals, policies, and measures of the General Plan, including, but not limited to, addressing issues of scale, type, design, materials, placement, compatibility, and maintenance of signs (Community Design Policy 5.2.6) and the relationship of signs to both the scale of the buildings and to the street (Community Design Policy 5.7.4).
C. Allow businesses, institutions, and individuals to exercise their right to free speech by displaying a message or image on a sign, and to allow audiences to receive such information.
D. Preserve and improve the appearance of and property values in the City of San Bernardino, and protect the City from the visual clutter and blight, and promote attractive and harmonious structures and environments by regulating the design, character, location, type, quality of materials, scale, color, illumination, and maintenance of signs.
E. Encourage the use of signs that provide direction and aid orientation for businesses and activities to enhance their economic value to the community and local businesses.
F. Require that signs are designed, constructed, installed, and maintained in a manner that promotes public safety and traffic safety.
G. Comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and keep public rights-of-way clear and open to all.
H. Comply with the requirements of the Federal Highway Beautification Act (Section 23 of USC Title 131 [Highways Code]) and the Outdoor Advertising Act (Chapter 2 in the California Business and Professions Code).
I. Encourage signs that are well designed and pleasing in appearance, and provide incentive and latitude for variety, good design relationship, spacing, and location.
J. Promote signs that identify businesses and premises without confusion through clear and unambiguous sign standards that enable fair and consistent enforcement.
Ord. MC-1531, 6-03, 2020