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Sioux Falls Overview
Code of Ordinances of Sioux Falls, SD
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA CODE OF ORDINANCES
CHARTER
CHARTER PARALLEL REFERENCES
TITLE I: GENERAL PROVISIONS
TITLE III: ADMINISTRATION
TITLE V: PUBLIC WORKS
TITLE VII: TRAFFIC CODE
TITLE IX: GENERAL REGULATIONS
TITLE XI: BUSINESS REGULATIONS
TITLE XIII: GENERAL OFFENSES
TITLE XV: LAND USAGE
CHAPTER 150: BUILDING
CHAPTER 151: HISTORIC PRESERVATION
CHAPTER 152: MANUFACTURED HOMES
CHAPTER 153: ANNEXATION POLICIES
CHAPTER 154: PLANNING
CHAPTER 155: SIGNS AND OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
CHAPTER 156: FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 157: SUBDIVISIONS
CHAPTER 158: 2006 JOINT ZONING REGULATIONS LINCOLN COUNTY AND SIOUX FALLS
CHAPTER 159: COMPREHENSIVE EXTRATERRITORIAL ZONING REGULATIONS
CHAPTER 160: ZONING
PURPOSE AND TITLE
DEFINITIONS
DISTRICTS AND BOUNDARIES
FORM REGULATIONS
FORM DD1: DETACHED DWELLING - RURAL
FORM DD2: DETACHED DWELLING - SUBURBAN
FORM DD3: DETACHED DWELLING - TRADITIONAL
FORM DD4: DETACHED DWELLING - HISTORIC PRESERVATION
FORM DD5: DETACHED DWELLING - OLDER MANUFACTURED HOME
FORM DD6: DETACHED DWELLING - NEWER MANUFACTURED HOME
FORM DD7: DETACHED DWELLING - HIGH DENSITY
FORM AD1: ATTACHED DWELLING - SUBURBAN TWIN HOME/DUPLEX
FORM AD2: ATTACHED DWELLING - SUBURBAN FOUR-UNIT TOWNHOME
FORM AD3: ATTACHED DWELLING - SUBURBAN EIGHT-UNIT TOWNHOME
FORM AD4: ATTACHED DWELLING - TRADITIONAL EIGHT-UNIT TOWNHOME
FORM MD1: MULTIPLE DWELLING - SMALL
FORM MD2: MULTIPLE DWELLING - MEDIUM
FORM MD3: MULTIPLE DWELLING - LARGE
FORM NF1: NEIGHBORHOOD FACILITIES
FORM NF2: NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES
FORM BCF1: BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES - SMALL
FORM BCF2: BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES - COMMUNITY SERVICE
FORM BCF3: BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES - LARGE
FORM BCF4: BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES - OPEN SPACE
FORM RE1: LIMITED RETAIL EMPLOYMENT
FORM RE2: STREETCAR RETAIL EMPLOYMENT
FORM RE3: PARKING-ORIENTED RETAIL EMPLOYMENT
FORM RE4: COMMUNITY RETAIL EMPLOYMENT
FORM RE5: REGIONAL RETAIL EMPLOYMENT
FORM RE6: VILLAGE MIXED-USE
FORM MU1: MIXED-USE - LOW DENSITY
FORM MU2: MIXED-USE - MEDIUM DENSITY
FORM MU3: MIXED-USE - HIGH DENSITY
FORM WM1: WAREHOUSE AND MANUFACTURING - LIGHT
FORM WM2: WAREHOUSE AND MANUFACTURING - HEAVY
FORM WM3: WAREHOUSE AND MANUFACTURING - MINING AND WASTE
FORM WM4: WAREHOUSE AND MANUFACTURING - AIRPORT FACILITIES
FORM OPEN1: CONSERVATION OPEN SPACE
FORM OPEN2: RECREATION OPEN SPACE
FORM OPEN3: AGRICULTURE OPEN SPACE
FORM UT1: BASIC UTILITIES
FORM UT2: TOWER UTILITIES
OVERLAY DISTRICTS
PUD PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS
NONCONFORMING USES AND BUILDINGS
FENCES
LANDSCAPE AND BUFFER YARD STANDARDS
ADDITIONAL YARD REGULATIONS
PARKING, LOADING, AND STACKING REGULATIONS
ORIGINAL ART MURALS
ON-PREMISES SIGN REGULATIONS
OFF-PREMISES SIGNS
ALTERNATIVE SITE PLANS
CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT
CHANGE OF ZONE
ADMINISTRATIVE MODIFICATION OF REQUIRED YARDS AND BUFFER YARD BERMS
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT
ZONING PERMITS
CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
FEES
GENERAL PROVISIONS
CHAPTER 161: SIOUX FALLS DOWNTOWN RAILYARD ENVIRONMENTAL OVERLAY DISTRICT
TABLE OF SPECIAL ORDINANCES
CODE OF ORDINANCES PARALLEL REFERENCES
FEE INDEX
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§ 160.575 REGULATIONS AND LIMITATIONS FOR IDENTIFICATION SIGNS.
   (a)   Permits are required for the following: Residential tract identification sign. [in the AD, DD, MD forms]
      (1)   Shall be limited to 48 square feet in area and 8 feet in height.
      (2)   A residential tract sign will be allowed only along arterial street frontages at the intersection of the arterial street and collector street and must be in compliance with § 160.517 [Intersection vision clearance area] and § 155.001 [Signs upon, over public ways].
   (b)   Permits are required for the following: Nonresidential tract identification signs. [in the RE, BCF1, BCF3, WM & MU forms]
      (1)   Shall be limited to 100 square feet in area and 10 feet in height.
      (2)   Signs will not be allowed on lots less than ten acres in size.
   (c)   Permits are required for the following: Public institution identification sign. [BCF1, BCF2, BCF3 forms] Places of worship, schools, day care centers, institutional, and public uses.
      (1)   Shall be limited to 48 square feet in area and 8 feet in height.
      (2)   Subject to:
         A.   Two signs per institution.
         B.   Hours of sign illumination shall be from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
         C.   Conformance with § 160.577 [Illumination].
         D.   Use of this subsection prohibits other freestanding signs permitted under § 160.575(b) above.
   (d)   Permits are required for the following: Joint tenant tract identification sign. Joint tenant identification signs shall be permitted under the following conditions in the MMU1, MMU2, MMU3, C-4, S-2, PO-PUD, DT-PUD, and V-PUD districts (with the RE5, RE4, RE3, BCF 3 forms).
      (1)   Additional joint tenant identification signs are limited to alternative sign plans per § 160.602.
      (2)   Joint tenant shall not exceed 200 square feet and 30 feet in height.
      (3)   An additional sign will be allowed for each ten acres of subdivision up to a total of four joint signs. Acres calculated within commercial subdivision or subarea.
      (4)   Allowed on common property.
(Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013; Ord. 33-18, passed 5-2-2018; Ord. 114-22, passed 10-4-2022; Ord. 30-23, passed 5-2-2023)
§ 160.576 EXEMPTIONS.
   The following signs may be allowed in addition to the signs permitted in § 160.572 [Allowed and unauthorized sign types in each district]. Exempt signs do not require the issuance of a sign permit, but must be in conformance with all other state laws and local ordinances.
   (a)   Integral signs. Integral to the building structure, the sign shall be allowed up to 3 square feet in area.
   (b)   Pennants. Pennants shall be limited to a maximum sign area of 1 square foot per pennant. Pennants are allowed up to 60 days per calendar year at any one business location.
   (c)   Private traffic direction signs.
      (1)   Signs directing traffic movement onto and out of a commercial, industrial, institutional, office, recreational, apartment, town houses [in the AD 3-5 forms], and manufactured home park uses may have one 9-square-foot sign, 6 feet in height at each vehicular entrance onto a public way (street or alley). These uses may have two interior traffic directional signs of 6 square feet and 4 feet in height. One additional interior traffic directional sign may be added for each 43,560 square feet of lot area up to a maximum of six interior traffic directional signs.
      (2)   Fifty percent of the sign area of each sign shall be used for traffic information.
   (d)   Public signs. Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the public interest erected by or on the order of a public officer in the performance of his or her duties shall be allowed through public works based upon the adopted edition of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
      Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the public interest erected by the property owner and on the owners property, shall be limited to 6 square feet.
      Where a federal, state, or local law requires a property owner to post a sign on the owner's property to warn of a danger or to prohibit access to the property either generally or specifically, the owner must comply with the federal, state, or local law to exercise that authority by posting a sign on the property.
   (e)   Public utility signs. Public utility equipment including, but not limited to, utility boxes and utility service equipment, may have attached to them signs not exceeding a total area of 6 square feet, provided the signs do not materially obstruct the vision at any street intersection.
   (f)   Home occupations. A one-square-foot wall sign.
   (g)   Signs in parks. Signs may be located on parks property [Open 1, Open 2]. Signs shall not exceed a total of 100 square feet.
   (h)   Noncommercial yard signs. Noncommercial signs shall not exceed 9 square feet per sign in any residential parcel [DD1-7; AD1-4; MD1-3]. Signs shall not exceed 32 square feet and 8 feet in height in any nonresidential parcel [NF1-2; BCF1-4; RE1-6; MU1-3, WM1-4]. Signs shall be outside of the public right-of-way (see § 155.001 "Signs upon, over public ways"). Each sign may be displayed for up to 90 days per calendar year per property.
   (i)   Commercial yard signs. Commercial signs shall not exceed 100 square feet and 8 feet in height per nonresidential parcel [NF1-2; BCF1-4; RE1-6; MU1-3, WM1-4]. Signs shall not exceed 32 square feet and 8 feet in height in any multifamily parcel [MD1-4]. Signs shall not exceed a total of 9 square feet in any residential parcel [DD1-7; AD1-4]. Signs shall be mounted as adhesive wall, freestanding or portable, and maintained in a legible manner as well as secured against overturning and shall be removed upon the completion of the project. The signs may be displayed 60 days prior to and 7 days after the event for which they are intended.
   (j)   Construction fencing screening. For new construction, remodeling or other modifications during which there is no occupancy of the building and for which fencing of the construction site is provided, screening attached to the fence may bear images of the proposed project along with commercial messages related to the sale, rental leasing or construction of the project, provided that text and numbers shall occupy no more than the larger of the following area:
      (1)    Forty percent of the area of the screening on the construction fence along each street frontage.
(1992 Code, App. B, § 15.57.060) (Ord. 42-83, passed 6-27-1983; Ord. 66-85, passed 7-29-1985; Ord. 29-87, passed 5-4-1987; Ord. 74-92, passed 8-3-1992; Ord. 40-94, passed 5-2-1994; Ord. 81-94, passed 9-6-1994; Ord. 138-95, passed 11-6-1995; Ord. 94-96, passed 9-3-1996; Ord. 10-97, passed 2-3-1997; Ord. 22-97, passed 4-7-1997; Ord. 56-97, passed 8-4-1997; Ord. 71-97, passed 10-6-1997; Ord. 45-98, passed 5-4-1998; Ord. 35-99, passed 3-15-1999; Ord. 82-99, passed 8-2-1999; Ord. 87-01, passed 10-1-2001; Ord. 21-03, passed 3-3-2003; Ord. 141-06, passed 11-6-2006; Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013; Ord. 33-18, passed 5-2- 2018; Ord. 7-20, passed 1-21-2020; Ord. 16-21, passed 2-2-2021; Ord. 30-23, passed 5-2-2023)
§ 160.577 ILLUMINATION.
   Regulations regarding the illumination of signs shall be as follows.
   (a)   Shading. The light from any illuminated sign shall be so shielded, shaded, or directed so that the light intensity shall not adversely affect surrounding or facing premises or safe vision of operators of vehicles on public or private roads.
   (b)   Electronic message sign.
      (1)   Electronic message sign displays shall be limited to displays which are gradual movements, including, but not limited to, dissolve, fade, scrolling, or traveling. However, sudden movement is prohibited, including, but not limited to, blinking and flashing.
      (2)   All electronic message center signs in a NF1 Form shall require additional standards as indicated below.
         A.   Electronic message center portion of the sign shall be shut off between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.;
         B.   The electronic message center portion of the sign shall be no more than 30 percent of the total allowable square footage of the wall or freestanding sign;
         C.   All freestanding signs shall be monument in style;
         D.   Freestanding sign faces that include an electronic message center shall be located perpendicular to an arterial or collector street;
      (3)   Any permitted signs may be, or may include as an individual component of the total sign area, electronic message signs.
      (4)   Electronic messages or graphic displays may be changed at periodic intervals by gradual entry and exit display modes, provided that messages and animation shall be displayed at periodic intervals by various modes, such as fade, dissolve, scrolling or traveling.
      (5)   All electronic message signs shall come equipped with automatic dimming controls that automatically adjust the sign's brightness in direct correlation with ambient light conditions.
      (6)   No electronic message sign shall exceed a brightness level of 0.3 foot candles above ambient light as measured using a foot candle (Lux) meter at a preset distance depending on sign area, measured as follows:
Area of Sign
Measurement
(sq. ft.)
Distance (ft.)
Area of Sign
Measurement
(sq. ft.)
Distance (ft.)
10
32
15
39
20
45
25
50
30
55
35
59
40
63
45
67
50
71
55
74
60
77
65
81
70
84
75
87
80
89
85
92
90
95
95
97
100
100
 
For signs with an area in square feet other than those specifically listed in the table (e.g., 12 sq. ft., 400 sq. ft., etc.), the measurement distance may be calculated with the following formula:
Measurement Distance = (Area of Sign Sq. Ft. x 100).
(1992 Code, App. B, § 15.57.070) (Ord. 42-83, passed 6-27-1983; Ord. 118-89, passed 11-20-1989; Ord. 5-91, passed 1-7-1991; Ord. 02-07, passed 1-2-2007; Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013; Ord. 33-18, passed 5-2-2018)
§ 160.578 PROHIBITED SIGNS.
   The following signs are prohibited and shall be removed within the time periods specified:
   (a)   Miscellaneous signs and posters. The tacking, pasting, or otherwise affixing of signs of a miscellaneous character, visible from a public way, located on walls of buildings, barns, sheds, trees, poles, posts, fences, or other structures is prohibited, and the sign shall be removed upon notice.
   (b)   Painted wall signs. Painted wall signs shall be prohibited except that existing signs may remain, provided the signs are maintained. Signs that are not maintained shall be removed or renovated within 60 days upon notice.
   (c)   Parking of advertising vehicles prohibited. No person shall park any vehicle or trailer on a public right-of-way, or public property, or on private property so as to be visible from a public right-of-way, which has attached thereto or located thereon any sign or advertising device for the basic purpose of providing advertisement of products or directing people to a business or activity located on the same premises or any other premises. This is not intended to prohibit any form of vehicular signage such as a sign attached to a bus or lettering on a motor vehicle.
   (d)   Nuisance signs. Signs that imitate an official traffic sign or signal or that are of a size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination that may be confused with or construed as a traffic control device or that hide from view any traffic, street sign, or signal shall be removed upon notice. Signs that cause a safety or health issue to the public, including creating unsafe traffic conditions by confusing or distracting motorists; or by impairing the driver's ability to see pedestrians, obstacles, or other vehicles; or health concerns to occupants of adjacent and contiguous property by their brightness, size, height, or movement.
(1992 Code, App. B, § 15.57.080) (Ord. 42-83, passed 6-27-1983; Ord. 1-00, passed 1-3-2000; Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013; Ord. 38-21, passed 4-6-2021)
§ 160.579 NONCONFORMING SIGNAGE.
   Any sign existing on the date of adoption of this chapter that does not conform with the provisions of this Code is eligible for characterization as a "legal nonconforming sign" and is permitted to remain except as specified below.
   (a)   The sign has been altered in a fashion exceeding the allowed maintenance standards in subsection (d) below or relocated.
   (b)   The sign has been brought into compliance with this subchapter.
   (c)   The sign is abandoned.
   (d)   Nonconforming signs may be maintained, altered, modified, or reconstructed provided that such changes do not increase the overall sign area or height. Nonconforming signs or portions thereof may be removed for maintenance, modifications, or reconstruction so long as they are replaced in their original positions and orientations upon completion of the work. The alteration of a sign via the addition of changeable copy or the addition of an electronic message center shall not constitute a change to the sign structure so long as the overall sign area is not enlarged; a new sign permit will be required for inspection purposes.
(1992 Code, App. B, § 15.57.090) (Ord. 42-83, passed 6-27-1983; Ord. 37-87, passed 6-1-1987; Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013)
§ 160.580 SIGN MAINTENANCE.
   Signs shall be maintained in a safe and legible condition at all times, including the replacement of defective or damaged parts, painting, repainting, cleaning, and other services required for maintenance of the signs. Unsafe signs shall be removed or brought into compliance immediately upon written notice.
(1992 Code, App. B, § 15.57.100) (Ord. 42-83, passed 6-27-1983; Ord. 37-87, passed 6-1-1987; Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013)
§ 160.581 ABANDONED SIGNS.
   Abandoned signs shall be removed or brought into compliance within 90 days of written notice from the director of planning and building services.
(1992 Code, App. B, § 15.57.110) (Ord. 42-83, passed 6-27-1983; Ord. 37-87, passed 6-1-1987; Ord. 9-13, passed 3-19-2013)
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