§ 16.5-6. Business district sign requirements.
(a)
Detached signs (on-premise).
(1)
Detached signs are permitted in business zoning districts as provided in this chapter.
(2)
Detached signs must be premise signs; off-premises signs may be allowed according to section 16.5-8, billboards and other off-premises signs.
(3)
Number of signs—Only one (1) detached sign of any type may be erected on any premise or lot, except that:
a.
Premises that have more than four hundred fifty (450) feet of frontage along the public right-of-way, other than an alley, may have one (1) additional detached sign for each additional four hundred fifty (450) feet or portion thereof of frontage.
b.
Properties having frontage on two (2) streets may have two (2) freestanding detached signs, one (1) facing each direction of travel.
(4)
Design specifications—Pole signs, advertising both single tenant and multi-tenant users, shall be allowed and shall be governed by the following design standards and regulations:
a.
Detached signs exceeding ten (10) feet in height but not exceeding twenty (20) feet in height and with an effective area of fifty (50) square feet or less may be located as near as ten (10) feet to the public right-of-way as measured from the closest edge of the sign. Total cross-sectional area shall not exceed three (3) square feet.
b.
A detached sign of an effective area of one hundred fifty (150) square feet or less may be located as near as fifteen (15) feet to the right-of-way, provided that said sign is a premise sign at least ten (10) feet high, and does not exceed thirty (30) feet in height. In the event of back-to-back signs, the space between signs shall not exceed six (6) feet measured horizontally.
c.
A detached sign of an effective area of three hundred (300) square feet or less may be located as near as twenty-five (25) feet to the right-of-way or as near as the building setback line specified by the Zoning Ordinance, whichever is further, provided that the sign is at least ten (10) feet high and does not exceed a height of forty (40) feet. Total cross-sectional area shall not exceed nine (9) square feet.
d.
No detached sign(s) shall exceed three hundred (300) square feet in effective area or forty (40) feet in height except as hereinafter provided in section 16.5-8 for certain detached non-premise signs.
e.
All set backs shall be measured from right-of-way to nearest edge of sign (see Appendix—Illustration 2).
(5)
Multiple occupants or establishments.
a.
Detached sign designed to identify multiple establishments and/or advertise multiple occupants within a shopping center, office park or medical center are acceptable but must conform to subsection (4) above.
b.
Signs for bed and breakfast facilities shall be limited to one (1) on-premise detached sign not exceeding eight (8) square feet.
(6)
Changeable electronic variable message signs (CEVMS) signs may be used in detached sign applications as follows:
a.
The change in message capability of CEVMS signs allows one (1) sign to present multiple messages. Therefore, only one (1) sign may be used per parcel or property (whichever is more restrictive) and no additional signs may be attached to a CEVMS sign or CEVMS sign support.
b.
On premises detached CEVMS signs are limited to two hundred and twenty (220) square feet in message area.
c.
The maximum height of a CEVMS sign, including supporting structure, is forty-two and one-half (42½) feet above nearest grade or street height, whichever is lower.
(7)
Monument signs are permitted (see Appendix—Illustration 3).
(b)
Attached signs. Attached signs are permitted in business districts in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
(1)
All attached signs must be on-premise signs.
(2)
Maximum effective area. Total effective area of attached signs shall not exceed the following:
a.
An attached sign located at a height up to thirty-six (36) feet or less shall be limited to two and one-half (2½) square feet of sign area for each linear foot of building frontage on a public street not to exceed six hundred and seventy-two (672) square feet.
b.
An attached sign located at a height of thirty-six (36) feet or above shall be permitted an increase in maximum effective area. Such increases shall not exceed four (4) square feet in effective area for each additional one (1) foot of height above thirty-six (36) feet, measured from the base of the sign.
(3)
Specifications for special purpose signs. Any premise or any nonresidential occupancy may temporarily display one special purpose attached sign on each building façade, limited to eight (8) words with characters equal to or exceeding a height of four (4) inches. The total effective area of the combined signage shall contain no more than fifty (50) square feet.
(4)
Projection from building surface. All attached signs and their words shall be mounted parallel to the building surface to which they are attached, and shall project no more than eighteen (18) inches from the surface except as follows:
a.
Any premise or any nonresidential occupancy may erect not more than one (1) attached sign projecting up to a maximum of four (4) feet from a vertical building surface, but not above the roof, provided that the premise or occupancy maintains no detached sign on the premise, and that the sign does not exceed twenty (20) square feet in effective area and that no part of the sign descends closer to site grade than ten (10) feet, nor projects into or over any public right-of-way (see Appendix—Illustration 4).
b.
On any premise or nonresidential occupancy, a sign may be erected at the eaves or edge of the roof or on a parapet or edge of a canopy, provided that the sign is parallel to the façade, and does not project more than four (4) feet from the surface to which it is attached (see Appendix—Illustration 5).
c.
Notwithstanding any of the above requirements, no building front or wall shall exceed thirty-five (35) percent of that wall or front in signage including signs attached to windows.
(5)
Approved metal or wood backing is required for all attached wall or projected signs and shall be adequately anchored.
(Ord. No. 2010-20, §§ 1, 2, 5-18-10; Ord. No. 2018-46, § 4, 10-16-18)