Except as otherwise provided in this chapter or in any other applicable ordinance or regulation, no sign or part thereof shall be erected or maintained in any zoning district except in conformance with these general provisions. The general provisions apply to both on-premises and off-premises signs.
(A) Location, height, area, and other general requirements.
(1) No sign shall be erected or maintained in a required yard except as otherwise provided in this chapter, or encroach upon or overhang any adjacent property or public right-of-way.
(2) No sign shall be erected upon or against a roof or on top of the parapet of a building.
(3) No sign shall exceed the maximum height permitted for buildings in the zoning district in which the sign is located.
(4) Every sign shall be permanently attached to the ground, or to a building or structure which is permanently attached to the ground, except for mobile signs and temporary signs.
(5) No sign shall be painted on or attached to rocks, trees, or any other natural object.
(6) No sign shall be erected, placed, or maintained in a location that violates the site obstruction requirements for street intersections or entrances or exits from private property.
(7) Every freestanding sign permitted on a “per frontage” basis shall be allocated to and be located proximate to the specific frontage which would authorize such sign.
(8) The required space between the location of any sign and an abutting residential district shall be as follows:
(a) Fifty feet if non-illuminated; or
(b) One hundred feet if illuminated.
(9) No sign shall move, rotate, revolve, or simulate animation by means of spinning, fluttering, or reflective devices or lighting, except a sign may rotate or revolve at a rate not to exceed six revolutions per minute.
(10) All freestanding signs must be spaced a minimum of 50 feet apart.
(11) No sign shall be erected, placed, or maintained in any location in violation of the zoning regulations of the city.
(12) No person shall place, construct, or erect any sign which, by reason of its size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination, may be confused with or construed as a traffic-control sign, signal, or device, or the light of an emergency or road equipment vehicle.
(13) No person shall place, construct, or erect any sign which hides from view any traffic-control sign or signal or device.
(B) Freestanding signs. See § 25-2-110 of this chapter.
(C) Wall signs. Wall signs are allowed in the C-1, C-2, C-3, M-1, M-2 and PBC Zoning Districts, subject to the following restrictions.
(1) The wall sign shall not exceed 25 square feet in sign area per architectural elevation nor be located on the side of the building abutting a residential district or facing a local or collector street when the land across the street is zoned residential.
(2) In all other allowed zoning districts, the wall sign shall have a maximum sign area of 500 square feet.
(3) No wall sign or wall sign structure shall project into the right-of-way.
Table (1) - Projection of Wall Signs | |
Clearance | Maximum Projections |
Less than 7'6" above grade | 2-1/2 inches |
Over 7'6" above grade | 24 inches |
(D) Projecting signs. Projecting signs are allowed in the C-1, C-2, C-3, PBC, M-1, and M-2 Zoning Districts, subject to the following restrictions:
(1) The projecting sign shall be in lieu of one freestanding sign;
(2) The projecting sign shall have a minimum ground clearance of eight feet above the walk or grade below;
(3) The projecting sign shall not exceed 100 square feet in sign area; and
(4) In the C-1, C-2, C-3, PBC, M-1, and M-2 Zoning Districts, the projecting sign shall not exceed 25 square feet in sign area and such sign shall not be located on the side of the building abutting a residential district or facing a local or collector street when the land across the street is zoned residential.
(E) Marquee signs. Marquee signs are allowed in all C, PBC, and M Zoning Districts, subject to the following restrictions.
(1) The marquee sign shall be designed so that sign support braces are not visible from street level.
(2) The marquee sign shall not exceed three feet in height or the height or vertical thickness of the marquee, whichever is greater.
(F) Electronic changeable copy signs. Electronic changeable copy signs are allowed in all R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, C-1, C-2, C-3, PBC, O-P, M-1, and M-2 Zoning Districts, subject to the following restrictions.
(1) The sign area displaying electronic changeable messages shall not exceed 100 square feet of sign area and such sign area shall be included as a part of the total permitted signage for the premises on which it is located.
(2) No message on an electronic changeable copy sign shall be animated, except in the C, PBC, O-P, and M Zoning Districts.
(3) Transition between messages are permitted but such transitions may only fade, scroll, travel, or reveal, and the transition shall not exceed a duration of one second.
(4) Illuminated electronic changeable copy signs shall be equipped with a sensor and/or timer or other device approved by the Director of Development Services to automatically adjust the day/night light intensity levels in accordance with Figure 6 below.
(5) The sign in R-1, R-1a, R-1b, R-4, and R-6 Districts shall only be allowed to operate and display for a church or public school or private school and shall not be operated or displayed between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily.
(G) Illumination.
(1) In all nonresidential districts, signs may be illuminated, except that the surface illumination of any sign shall not exceed the levels shown in Figure 6 above for different conditions of ambient light.
(2) Lighted vending machines are not permitted in view from off the premises in any residential zoning district.
(H) Mobile signs. Mobile signs identifying special sales and openings shall be permitted on the premises of a commercial establishment for no more than 60 days in any calendar year in districts where commercial establishments are permitted subject to the following restrictions: the mobile sign shall not exceed 60 square feet of sign area.