A. Sign Area Determination.
1. The surface area of a sign is computed as including the entire area within a parallelogram, triangle, circle, semi-circle, or other regular geometric figure, including all of the elements of the display, including incidental or changeable copy signage, frames, display of identification or licensing officially required by any governmental body, and structural elements.
2. The supporting structure for a projecting sign shall not be included within the calculation of the surface area of a sign.
3. In the case of signs mounted back-to-back, only one side of the sign is to be included in the calculation of sign face area. Otherwise, the surface area of each sign is to be separately computed.
4. When two identical sign faces are placed back to back so that both faces cannot be viewed from any point at the same time, and when such 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.
5. For multi-faced signs, the sign area shall be computed by including all sign faces visible from any one point.
6. In the case of cylindrical signs, signs in the shape of cubes, or other signs, which are substantially three-dimensional with respect to their display surfaces, the entire display surface or surfaces, is included in computations of area.
7. Embellishments such as display portions of signs extending outside the general display area, incidental signage, changeable copy, or supplemental signage affixed to or included on a sign or sign support structure shall be computed as part of the total surface area of the sign.
8. If a sign is attached to an entrance wall or fence, only that portion of that wall or fence on which the sign face or letters are placed shall be calculated in the sign area.
B. Sign Height Determination.
1. Sign height shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at the finished grade or from the nearest adjacent street grade to which the sign is oriented and on which the lot has frontage, whichever is higher, to the top of the highest component of the sign.
2. Finished grade shall be the grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.
C. Wall Area (For the Purposes of Sign Area Measurement). For the purposes of determining allowable sign area, a wall is the vertical exterior surface of a building, the area of which shall be determined as follows:
1. The area of all parallel vertical surfaces along a single building elevation regardless of offsets shall be counted as one wall.
2. The front of each unit of a multiple tenant commercial building shall be counted as a separate wall.
3. The area of an angled wall surface shall be counted as part of whichever adjoining wall surface it is most parallel with.
4. A 45-degree angled wall may be counted as part of the area of either adjoining wall, but not as a part of both.
(Ord. 2020-36, passed 12-2-2019)