The following principles shall control the computation of sign area and sign height:
(A) Computation of area of individual signs. The area of a sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle, or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem, or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing, or decorative fence or wall when the fence or wall otherwise meets zoning regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself.
(B) Computation of area of multi-faced signs. The sign area for a sign with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point. When two identical sign faces are placed back to back, so that both faces cannot be viewed from any one point at the same time, and when those sign faces are part of the same sign structure and are not more than 42 inches apart, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
(C) Computation of height. The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of: the existing grade prior to construction; or the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign. In cases in which the normal grade cannot reasonably be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the zone lot, whichever is greater.
(D) Computation of maximum total permitted sign area for a zone lot. The permitted sum of the area of all individual signs on a zone lot shall be as indicated in Appendix E of this chapter to the lot frontage, building frontage, or wall area, as appropriate, for the zoning district in which the lot is located. Lots fronting on two or more streets are allowed the permitted sign area for each street frontage. However, the total sign area that is oriented toward a particular street may not exceed the portion of the lot’s total sign area allocation that is derived from the lot, building, or wall area frontage on that street.
(Ord. 23, § 2.50.90, passed 3-19-1997; Am. Ord. 2003-109A, passed 10-8-2004) Penalty, see § 156.999