The following are the permanent signs allowed in CF, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, I-1, I-2, and I-3 zoning districts:
(a) Signs for Residential Uses in Nonresidential Districts. Buildings, developments, subdivisions, or any portions thereof, that are 100 percent residential in any nonresidential district, shall be subject to the permanent sign allowances established in Section 1127.09. Buildings or a single lot with a mixture of residential and nonresidential uses shall be permitted signs in accordance with this section.
(b) Window Signs. Window signs do not require a sign permit provided they comply with the following standards:
(1) Window signs shall not occupy more than 30 percent of the window area of any ground floor window areas. See Section 1127.07(e) for locations used in the calculation of sign area. The sign area is based on the window area, regardless of the presence of an awning.
(2) For a multi-story building, each occupant above the ground floor shall be permitted one window sign for each individual tenant provided the sign does not exceed six square feet or 25 percent of the area of the window in which the sign is placed, whichever is smaller.
(3) Window signs may be temporarily or permanently attached.
(4) For each ground floor tenant, one window sign with a maximum sign area of two square feet may be comprised of an electronic message center. This sign shall be calculated as part of the total area of window signs allowed.
(c) Building Signs. Building signs are permitted on all principal structures in accordance with the following:
(1) The building sign area allowed in Table 1127-1 shall include the total amount of all awning, canopy, marquee, projecting, hanging, or wall signs on each façade wall. Standards for each individual building sign type are established in this section.
(2) Building signs shall also be subject to any applicable standards for building sign types in Section 1127.10(c)(8).
(3) Building signs shall not extend above the top of the roofline of the building to which it is attached.
(4) Building signs may not be attached to mechanical equipment or roof screening.
(5) Building signs shall not include electronic message centers.
(6) Size.
A. Table 1127-1 establishes the maximum amount of sign area for all building signs permitted on the primary facade of a building based on the district, building, and/or use that they serve.
B. An applicant may provide additional building signage for all the secondary facades as follows:
i. The maximum total amount of building signs permitted on all of the secondary facades shall be equal to 100 percent of the amount of signage allowed on the primary façade.
ii. No single secondary façade may have more than 50 percent of the building sign area allowed for all of the secondary facades as established in Paragraph 1127.10(c)(6), above.
iii. The building signage allowed on the secondary facades may not be placed as additional building signs on the primary façade.
C. There is no maximum number of building signs but the total square footage of building signs located on a single façade shall comply with the requirements of this section.
D. The amount of building signs permitted shall be based on the façade width of the principal building regardless if the signs are to be attached to gas pumps, gas pump islands, or similar accessory structures.
E. The maximum building sign area provided for in this section shall apply to signage with a commercial message. See Section 1127.10(c)(8)A.ii for wall signs permitted without a commercial message.
Building Type/Occupancy | CF, C-1 and C-4 Districts | C-2, C-3, I-1, I-2 and I-3 Districts |
Single-Tenant or Multi-Tenant Buildings [1] | 1.5 square foot of sign area per lineal foot of facade width | 2.0 square foot of sign area per lineal foot of facade width |
Large-Scale Nonresidential Buildings with a Single Tenant [2] | Not Applicable | The sign area shall not exceed 5 percent of the total facade area and shall not exceed 35 percent of the height of the facade, as measured from the bottom most point of the message to the top most point of the message. [3] |
Notes: [1] For buildings with multiple tenants, the ratio shall be applied to each lineal foot of building facade width assigned to each individual tenant. [2] Large-scale nonresidential buildings shall be defined as a building with a single tenant that exceeds 200,000 square feet of gross floor area. [3] Signs shall be limited to wall signs only. If the owner wants to utilize other building sign types, the maximum sign allowance shall be the same for single-tenant or multi-tenant buildings. | ||
(7) Sign Bonuses for Large Building Setbacks. The maximum allowable area for a building signs may be increased by 10 percent for each 100 feet or fraction thereof of building setback when the principal building is located more than 100 feet from the principal street on which the building is located and the building is visible from the street, not to exceed 20 percent of the maximum allowable.
(8) Standards for Permanent Building Sign Types.
A. Wall Signs.
i. Wall Signs with a Commercial Message
a. Wall signs shall be mounted on or flush with a wall and shall not protrude more than 24 inches from the wall or face of the building to which it is attached.
b. A wall sign may be painted directly on a building wall, mounted on the façade wall, or mounted on a raceway.
c. Any wall sign, except for signs painted directly onto the wall, shall be mounted so there is a minimum clearance of eight feet above the sidewalk and 16 feet above any driveway or vehicular use area.
d. Permanent signs that are attached to gas pumps, gas pump islands, or similar structures, that can be read or understood from a public street by most persons of normal vision shall be considered a wall sign for the purposes of this chapter and shall be based on the wall sign allowance for the principal building.
e. Cabinet style wall signs are prohibited in landmark districts or on landmark properties.
f. Wall signs in the landmark districts may be illuminated through the following methods, if approved as part of the Certificate of Appropriateness:
1. Indirect lighting methods such as gooseneck lighting;
2. Individual reverse channel letters (halo-lit or reverse-lit);
3. Individual channel letters with transparent plastic covering to shield the source of illumination; and
4. Neon, however the neon tubes shall not be directly visible.
g. In all other districts, signs may be internally or externally illuminated.
ii. Wall Signs without a Commercial Message. Permanent wall signs that do not contain a commercial message may be considered in accordance with the following regulations:
a. The wall sign shall require an approval of a sign permit. If the sign is proposed for a Landmark building or for a building in a Landmark District, the sign shall also require an approval of a certificate of appropriateness, subject to all applicable review criteria and standards.
b. Only signs permanently painted directly onto a wall are permitted.
c. External illumination may be approved as part of the development plan and/or certificate of appropriateness review but any such illumination shall be through indirect lighting methods such as up-lighting or gooseneck lighting.
d. The sign shall not obstruct any architectural features, windows, doors, points of access, or other similar elements of the building.
e. The sign may only be permitted on secondary facades.
f. The sign shall not cover more than 75 percent of the applicable facade.
B. Awning, Canopy, or Marquee Signs. Any canopy, awning, or marquee sign allowed pursuant to this section shall comply with the following standards:
i. Signage shall not cover more than 50 percent of any individual awning, canopy, or marquee with a maximum of 20 square feet per individual awning.
ii. All components of the awning, canopy, or marquee shall have a minimum height clearance of eight feet from the sidewalk.
iii. Marquee signs may include manual changeable copy signs.
C. Projecting or Hanging Signs.
i. Only one projecting or one hanging sign shall be permitted for each tenant on each street frontage where the tenant has building frontage.
ii. A projecting sign shall be perpendicular to the wall of the building to which it is attached and shall not extend more than four feet from the façade wall to which it is attached.
iii. A hanging sign may be attached to the ceiling of an outdoor arcade or underneath a canopy, awning, or marquee if it complies with the sign area, height, and clearance standards of this section.
iv. Projecting and hanging signs shall maintain a minimum six-inch clearance from the façade of any building.
v. Decorative supporting structures for projecting signs are encouraged and shall not count toward the maximum square footage of signs allowed, however, in no case shall the supporting structure exceed six square feet.
vi. The maximum sign area shall be 10 square feet.
vii. All components of the projecting sign shall have a minimum clearance of eight feet above a sidewalk or any walkway and a maximum height of 14 feet.
viii. Projecting signs shall not be internally illuminated.
ix. Projecting and hanging signs must be suspended from brackets approved by the Building Official and contain no exposed guy wires or turnbuckles.
x. Projecting or hanging signs may extend into the right-of-way up until one-foot setback from the back of the curb.
xi. If such projecting sign is illuminated it shall be by indirect lighting methods such as gooseneck lighting.
(d) Permanent Freestanding Signs. Permanent freestanding signs permitted in nonresidential districts shall comply with the following regulations:
(1) Only one freestanding sign shall be permitted on any lot unless otherwise provided for in Section 1127.10(d)(4).
(3) Electronic Message Centers.
A. Electronic message centers may only be used on signs in the C-2, C-3, I-1, I-2, or CF Districts in compliance with Section 1127.06(n)(4) and any other applicable standards of this chapter.
B. The size of an electronic message center sign shall not exceed 50 percent of the applicable maximum area permitted or 40 square feet, whichever area is less.
C. The area of an electronic message center sign shall be included in the applicable maximum sign area allowed pursuant to Table 1127-2.
District | Maximum Sign Area (Square Feet) | Maximum Sign Height (Feet) | Minimum Setback from a ROW | Minimum Setback from Side Lot Line [4] |
CF, C-1 or C-4 Districts [1] | 30 [2] | 6 Feet | 3 feet | 10 Feet |
C-2 District | 40 [3] | 12 Feet | 3 feet | 10 Feet |
C-3 District | 55 [3] | 15 Feet | 3 feet | 10 Feet |
I-1, I-2 or I-3 Districts | 40 [3] | 8 Feet | 3 feet | 10 Feet |
[1] Not permitted on the site when the building is setback less than 10 feet from the street right-of-way. [2]When all buildings on a lot have a combined floor area greater than 10,000 square feet, the maximum sign area may be increased by one square foot for every 7 feet of lot frontage that exceeds 200 feet. In no case shall the sign area exceed 200 square feet. [3] When all buildings on a lot have a combined floor area greater than 10,000 square feet, the maximum sign area may be increased by one square foot for every 5 feet of lot frontage that exceeds 200 feet. In no case shall the sign area exceed 200 square feet. [4] When the lot line is located adjacent to a residential zoning district, the minimum setback shall be 30 feet. | ||||
(4) Additional Freestanding Signs for Large Lots. The maximum sign area allowed in Table 1127-2 may be distributed to one or more freestanding sign(s) for each 250 feet of lot frontage or fraction thereof. For example, a lot with 400 feet of frontage would be permitted to have two freestanding signs provided the total aggregate sign area does not exceed the maximum sign area allowed in Table 1127-2. See Figure 1127-G.
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(5) Signs on Lots with Multiple Public Street Frontages. For lots that have frontage on multiple public streets, each street frontage shall be calculated separately and signage shall be allowed in accordance with the following:
A. The allowable sign area permitted by this section may be distributed to one or more freestanding sign(s) for each 250 feet of lot frontage or fraction thereof.
C. Two signs may be aggregated into a single sign provided that the area of any freestanding sign face shall not exceed 175 percent of the maximum area permitted for a single sign.
(6) Freestanding signs on the same lot shall be separated by a minimum of 200 feet, as measured along the street right-of-way line. For corner lots, both sides of the intersection shall be used in measuring spacing.
(8) When a freestanding sign is permitted on a site that has more than one occupant, it is the property owner's responsibility to determine if the sign area shall be devoted to identification of the building, the anchor occupant, all occupants, or some combination thereof.
(9) Landscaping Permanent Freestanding Signs.
A. All permanent freestanding signs shall be located in a landscaped area equal to or larger than the total sign area of the applicable sign. Such landscaped area may be an area that fulfills any landscaping requirements of this code.
B. The landscaped area shall include all points where sign structural supports attach to the ground.
C. Exposed sign foundations shall be constructed with a finished material such as brick, stone, or wood, or be screened with evergreens to the top of the anchor bolts.
(e) Signs at Driveway Entrances or Intersections. Permanent signs shall be permitted near driveway entrances to a street and at intersections of internal drives under the following provisions:
(1) Driveway signs shall comply with the intersection visibility requirements of Section 1115.02(d), but in no case shall the sign be set back more than 25 feet from the driveway entrance or intersection of internal drives.
(2) Signs at driveway entrances or intersections are prohibited in the C-4 District.
(3) Up to two driveway signs may be permitted per individual driveway or internal intersection.
(4) Driveway signs may not exceed six square feet in area and four feet in height.
(5) Driveway signs may be internally or externally illuminated.
(6) Driveway signs shall not be included in the total calculated allowed signage for a property under the remainder of this chapter.
(f) Drive-Through Signs.
(1) Up to two freestanding drive-through signs shall be allowed for each waiting lane in a drive-through facility provided the total aggregate sign area of all drive-through signs, for each facility, does not exceed 72 square feet. In no case shall a single drive-through sign exceed 36 square feet in sign area.
(2) If a drive-through sign is completely screened from view from any right-of-way or adjacent residential uses, there shall be no maximum sign area.
(3) Drive-through signs shall only be permitted in a side or rear yard.
(4) Drive-through signage shall not be included in the total calculated allowed signage for a property under the remainder of this chapter. Any signs attached to a wall of building or the structure shall be calculated as part of the building signage allowance in Section 1127.10(c).
(5) No drive-through sign shall exceed seven feet in height measured from the grade of the adjacent driving surface to the top of the sign.
(6) If the drive-through signs are located in the side or rear yard, they may be 100 percent electronic message center subject to Section 1127.06(n)(4) and only in the C-2 and C-3 Districts.
(7) Drive-through signs may be internally or externally illuminated.
(Ord. 2018-009. Passed 5-7-18; Ord. 2017-17. Passed 10-7-19.)