[Ord. No. 1857 §1, 11-21-2013]
A.
Purpose. It is the purpose of this Section to regulate
and control the location, installation, number, and maintenance of
signs and matters relating thereto within the City of Woodson Terrace
in order to promote the public safety, health, and general welfare
of the community except when preempted by State or Federal law.
B.
Intent. It is the intent of this Section to:
1.
Provide for uniform regulation and orderly development of signs
consistent with established policies and ordinances of the City.
2.
Provide a desirable and attractive living environment through
harmonious and uniform signage.
3.
Accommodate the identification and communication needs of businesses
and other organizations.
4.
Enable the public to easily locate goods, services, and facilities
in the City.
5.
Acknowledge diverse needs businesses and organizations have
for signage with rules adaptable to varying circumstances.
6.
Permit artistic freedom while controlling the adverse impacts
of excessively obtrusive signage.
C.
Overall Design Requirements. Signs shall meet the
following design requirements:
1.
Signs shall legibly convey their messages without being distracting
or unsafe to motorists reading them.
2.
Signs shall be designed not to compete with one another, but
to contribute to the convenience of the public and the attractiveness
of the streetscape.
3.
Signs shall be an integral architectural element of the buildings
and sites that they identify.
4.
Signs shall be consistent with, and not detract from, the overall
character of the buildings and sites that they identify.
5.
Signs shall be carefully crafted, durable, and consistent with
the quality and permanence of the buildings and sites that they identify.
D.
Scope.
1.
The provisions of this Section shall govern the installation,
alteration, and maintenance of all signs and outdoor display structures,
together with their appurtenant and auxiliary devices, with respect
to location, size, content, construction, structure, and fire safety.
2.
This Section generally regulates only the sign structure or
design and not the sign's content and is not intended to prohibit
any sign otherwise permitted by Federal or State law. For example,
pole-mounted signs are regulated only by size, height, location, structure,
and lettering size. The references to sign structure and sign copy
have no bearing on the sign's content, message or viewpoint.
E.
In General. In order to carry out the provisions of these regulations, signs are divided into groups as set forth below. Certain words and terms pertaining to signs are defined in the definitions in Section 400.070. General regulations pertaining to all signs are established below. Specific district sign requirements are contained in the district regulations sections of this Chapter.
F.
Sign Permits. No sign, unless exempted in Subsection (Q), shall be erected, constructed, posted, painted, altered, or relocated, except as provided in this Chapter, until a permit has been approved by the Woodson Terrace Board of Aldermen. Before any permit is issued, an application, forms of which are provided by the Director of Economic Development, shall be filed with the Director of Economic Development, together with a plan containing such drawings and specifications as may be necessary to fully advise and acquaint the Planning Commission and Board of Aldermen with the location, construction, materials, manner of illuminating, and securing or fastening, and the wording and/or delineation to be carried on the sign.
G.
Commercial Signs. Signs in a commercial district
shall conform to the general sign regulations outlined in this Section
and the following specific sign requirements:
1.
Detached business signs. Detached business
signs shall comply with the following:
a.
In the "C-1" District one (1) detached business sign not exceeding
thirty (30) feet in height or fifty (50) square feet in outline area
per facing is allowed for each street on which the development has
frontage as long as the sign is not closer than fifteen (15) feet
to the street right-of-way.
b.
In the "C-2" District one (1) detached business sign not exceeding
thirty (30) feet in height or fifty (50) square feet in outline area
per facing is allowed for each street on which the development has
frontage as long as the sign is not closer than thirty (30) feet to
the street right-of-way.
c.
In the "C-3" and "C-4" Districts one (1) detached business sign
not exceeding thirty-five (35) feet in height above street level nor
one hundred fifty (150) square feet in outline area per facing is
allowed for each street on which the development has frontage as long
as the sign is not closer than fifteen (15) feet to the street right-of-way.
d.
Portable signs are not allowed, unless permitted elsewhere in
this Chapter or otherwise permitted by law.
2.
Attached (wall or roof) business signs. One
(1) attached wall or roof business sign is allowed for each permitted
use or tenant on the premises and for each street on which a permitted
use has frontage. For the purpose of this Section, frontage on a parking
area serving this use may be considered the same as frontage on a
street, providing there is direct access to the use from the parking
area and that said access is the primary access to said use.
b.
Wall signs shall not extend beyond buildings in this district
more than eighteen (18) inches horizontally and shall not project
more than four (4) feet above the highest elevation of the roof or
a total of thirty (30) feet above the ground grade, whichever is the
lower elevation. Wall signs shall comply with the following:
(1)
In the "C-1", "C-3" and "C-4" Districts, no attached
wall sign shall cover more than five percent (5%) of the wall area
to which it is attached, except that no wall sign shall exceed fifty
(50) square feet in outline area;
(2)
In the "C-2" District, no attached wall sign shall
cover more than eight percent (8%) of the wall area to which it is
attached, except that no business sign shall exceed one hundred fifty
(150) square feet in outline area.
H.
Industrial Signs. Signs in an industrial district
shall conform to the general sign regulations outlined in this Section
and the following specific sign requirements:
1.
Detached business signs. One (1) detached business
sign not exceeding thirty (30) feet in height or fifty (50) square
feet in outline area per facing is allowed for each street on which
the development has frontage as long as the sign is not closer than
ten (10) feet to the street right-of-way.
2.
Attached business signs. One (1) attached wall
or roof business sign is allowed for each permitted use or tenant
on the premises and for each street on which a permitted use has frontage.
For the purpose of this Section, frontage on a parking area serving
this use may be considered the same as frontage on a street, providing
there is direct access to the use from the parking area and that said
access is the primary access to said use.
b.
Wall signs must be flat and shall not project beyond the building
horizontally or vertically. Each sign may be equal in outline area
to not more than five percent (5%) of the area of the wall on which
it is attached, except that no such business sign shall exceed three
hundred (300) square feet in outline area.
I.
Structural Approval And Inspection. Structural and
safety features and electrical systems shall be in accordance with
the requirements of the latest edition of the Building Officials Conference
of America (BOCA) Basic Building Code and National Electric Code.
No sign shall be approved for use unless it has been inspected by
the Director of Public Works after installation and is found to be
in compliance with:
J.
Removal Of Non-Conforming Signs. Owners of all permanent,
non-conforming signs shall have one (1) year from receipt of written
notice of non-conformity to remove or bring said signs into conformance
with applicable sign ordinance provisions. If this requirement is
not met, the City Attorney may then initiate legal action to achieve
compliance with the provisions of this Chapter.
K.
Violation Responsibility. The owner and/or tenant
of the premises and the owner and/or erector of a sign shall be held
responsible for any violation of these regulations; except that the
erector of a sign shall be relieved of all responsibility under these
regulations after the sign has been approved by the Board of Aldermen
and inspected by the Director of Public Works.
L.
Vacated Premises. Any sign previously associated
with a vacated premises shall be removed from the premises by the
lessee or owner not later than ninety (90) days after the property
is vacated.
M.
Neglected Or Dilapidated Signs. All signs shall
be maintained in good condition and appearance. The Board of Aldermen
may cause to be repaired or removed any sign which, in its opinion,
shows gross neglect or becomes dilapidated after first providing the
owner written notice and an opportunity to cure said sign.
N.
Conflict. The Director of Public Works shall remove
or cause to be removed any sign erected or maintained in conflict
with these regulations if the owner or lessee of either the site or
the sign fails to correct the violation within thirty (30) days after
receiving written notice of violation from the Director of Economic
Development. The owner shall have the right to appeal the determination
of the Director of Economic Development within twenty (20) days of
the receipt of written notice of the violation to the Board of Adjustment,
and removal of said sign shall be stayed until a final decision by
the Board. The cost of removal shall be paid by the owner of the property
upon which the sign was located, and, if not paid within thirty (30)
days from receipt of the bill, said cost shall become a lien against
the property. Removal of a sign by the Director of Public Works shall
not affect any legal proceedings instituted for sign violation prior
to removal of said sign.
O.
Penalties. Any person, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions of this Section shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the penalties set forth in Section 400.470 of this Chapter.
P.
Appeals. Any appeal as to the interpretation of these regulations shall be in accord with those provisions contained in Section 400.400 of this Chapter.
Q.
Exempted Signs. The following signs do not require
permits:
1.
Official traffic signs and their supports; directional, informational,
or warning signs or sign supports; and street signs and their supports
when erected or authorized to be erected by a governmental agency.
2.
Temporary signs indicating danger.
3.
Changing of the copy or parts of any sign that is required in
the course of normal maintenance.
4.
During the construction period of a development, a temporary
sign which identifies the architects, engineers, contractors, and
other individuals or firms involved with the construction and announces
the character of the building, enterprise or the purpose for which
the building is intended, but not including any advertisement of any
product; providing, however, that there is only one (1) sign erected
for each street frontage. The area of the sign for any one (1) firm
shall not exceed nine (9) square feet in area or five (5) feet in
height in residential districts, and fifteen (15) square feet in area
or ten (10) feet in height in commercial and industrial districts.
The sign shall be confined to the site of the construction and shall
be removed within fourteen (14) days of the issuance of an occupancy
permit for the structure with which the sign is associated.
5.
Public notices and legal notices as required by law.
6.
Signs on a truck, bus, trailer or other vehicle, while in use
in the normal course of business. This is not to be interpreted to
permit parking or storage of a vehicle to which signs are attached
for merely advertising purposes.
7.
Public signs of a non-commercial nature and in the public interest
erected by or on the order of a public officer in the performance
of his/her public duty, including, but not limited to, safety signs,
danger signs, trespassing signs, memorial plaques, and signs of historical
interest.
8.
Political campaign signs announcing the candidates seeking public
office and other data pertinent thereto, to a maximum height of six
(6) feet, and to a maximum area for any one (1) sign of eight (8)
square feet and a total sign area of sixteen (16) square feet for
each premises. These signs shall be confined to private property (placement
of said signs shall not be placed in any road right-of-way).
9.
Special decorative displays used for public holidays and then
only for a maximum of thirty (30) days before and ten (10) days after
the specific holiday.
10.
Window display signs affixed to a window or part of a display
of merchandise inside the window when limited in area to twenty percent
(20%) of the total glass area of the window.
11.
Integral sign. Name of building, date of erection, monumental
citation, commemorative tablet and the like when carved into stone,
concrete, or similar material, made of bronze, aluminum, or other
permanent-type construction and made an integral part of the structure.
12.
One (1) name plate per property not exceeding two (2) square
feet in area, stationary and not illuminated, announcing only the
name and occupation of the building occupant.
13.
Barber poles that are not more than six (6) inches in diameter
or more than twenty-four (24) inches in overall length.
14.
Building street number and warning signs not exceeding one (1)
square foot in sign area per sign.
R.
Special Purpose Signs. The Board of Aldermen, subsequent
to application to the Director of Economic Development, may issue
permits for the following signs and displays when, in their opinion,
the use of such signs and displays would be in the public interest
and would not result in damage to public property.
1.
For a period of time not to exceed fifteen (15) days.
a.
Signs advertising a special civic or cultural event such as
a fair or exposition, play, concert, or meeting sponsored by a governmental
or non-profit organization not exceeding twelve (12) square feet in
area and four (4) feet in height.
b.
Special sales promotion displays in a district where such sales
are permitted, including displays incidental to the opening of a new
business.
2.
For an indefinite period of time. Time and
temperature signs where deemed to be a service to the general public,
providing that the portion of any sign solely displaying time and
temperature does not exceed ten (10) square feet in area and providing
that there are no other time and temperature signs within one thousand
(1,000) feet of the proposed sign location.
S.
Prohibited Signs. The following signs shall not
be allowed in any district:
1.
Neon signs, except as permitted as a window sign.
2.
Temporary signs in residential districts, unless as approved
by the Board of Aldermen and the appropriate fees, as determined by
the Board, are paid in full.
3.
Signs of which all or any part moves or which appears to move
by any means, including fluttering, rotating, or otherwise moving
devices, or is set in motion by external sources (including, but not
limited to, pennants, flags, propellers, etc.).
4.
Signs displaying flashing or intermittent lights or lights of
changing degrees of intensity.
5.
Strips or strings of lights outlining property lines, sales
area, roof lines, doors, windows, wall edges, or other architectural
feature of any building.
6.
Any off-premises (advertising) sign, mechanical sign, or flashing
sign, including billboards.
7.
Signs painted on the surface of roofs that are visible from
the public right-of-way.
8.
Any sign that appears to simulate, copy, or imply any official
traffic warning either for vehicles or pedestrians.
9.
Signs so located and illuminated as to provide a background
of colored lights blending with traffic signal lights which might
confuse a motorist when viewed from normal approaching position of
a vehicle. No sign shall be located so as to impair the visibility
of any official highway sign or marker, nor shall be so placed as
to unnecessarily obstruct the visibility of any other sign.
10.
Projecting signs.
T.
Signs Over Streets, Alleys, And Sidewalks.
1.
No sign shall project over that portion of any street or alley
right-of-way used or proposed to be used for vehicular travel, except
that this shall not apply to special purpose and public signs erected
by public agencies or utilities in the performance of their work as
required by law.
2.
No sign projecting over any part of a sidewalk shall be erected
less than eight (8) feet, measured vertically, above any part of such
sidewalk, except for a barber's pole that is not more than six (6)
inches in diameter, twenty-four (24) inches in length and projects
not more than ten (10) inches from the building wall to which it is
attached.
U.
Light As A Sign. When the direct or indirect source
of artificial lighting possesses a degree of intensity greater than
twenty (20) footcandles, measured at the object to be illuminated,
when used to light any part of the exterior of a building, or when
the use of any source or intensity of light is employed to outline
any portion of the building or structure, other than illuminated as
defined herein, the area illuminated shall not be considered in determining
the number of permitted signs, but shall be included in the computation
of permitted sign area by calculating the area of the building lighted
or, in the case of strip lighting, by multiplying the width of the
source of light plus six (6) inches by the length of the source of
light.
V.
Roof Signs. Roof signs shall only be permitted on
one-story buildings as follows:
1.
On buildings with pitched roofs, the sign shall not be set back
more than three (3) feet from the face of the wall of the building
and shall not project above an imaginary line connecting the top of
the roof with a point on the ground fifty (50) feet distant from the
wall base of the building and at that point five (5) feet higher than
the first-floor elevation of the building.
2.
On canopy roofs, where there is either a building wall or parapet
wall for a background, the sign shall not be set back more than three
(3) feet from the front edge of the canopy roof and shall not project
above an imaginary line connecting the top of a building or parapet
wall with a point on the ground fifty (50) feet distance from the
wall base of the building and at that point five (5) feet higher than
the first-floor elevation of the building. However, in no case shall
the top of the sign extend more than four (4) feet above the canopy
roof. Whenever there is more than one (1) sign on the same canopy
roof, they shall be set the same distance back from the front edge
of the canopy roof.
3.
The supporting members of a roof sign shall appear to be free
of any extra bracing, angle iron, guy wires, cables, etc. The supports
shall appear to be an architectural and integral part of the building.
W.
Information Signs. Information signs shall not exceed
sixteen (16) square feet in area per facing nor be more than six (6)
feet in height if freestanding. Flat wall information signs shall
not extend beyond the perimeter of the wall surface to which they
are attached.
X.
Directional Signs. Signs designating entrance and
exit driveways shall be of rectangular design and shall contain the
word "Entrance" or the word "Exit." The sign may be double-faced,
non-illuminated or internally illuminated by artificial light from
within itself. Each directional sign shall not exceed five (5) square
feet in area per facing or four (4) feet in height, and may be located
where necessary, except that no such signs shall be located on or
over a public right-of-way without approval of the responsible road
agency.
Y.
Signs For Non-Conforming Uses. Permitted signs for
a non-conforming commercial or industrial use shall consist of those
signs permitted in that commercial district that has the most restrictive
sign requirements.
Z.
Real Estate Signs. Real estate signs advertising the sale, rent or lease of the premises or part of the premises on which the signs are displayed up to a total of four (4) square feet for residential property and thirty (30) square feet for commercial and industrial property, but no more than one (1) sign for each street on which the property has frontage. Such sign shall be removed within seven (7) days of the finalization of the sale, rent or lease of the affected property. Real estate signs are allowed in the "R-1" Single-Family Residential District only under provisions of Subsection (Q)(11).
AA.
Electronic Message Display Signs. Electronic message display signs shall contain static messages only, and shall not have movement, or the appearance or optical illusion of movement, of any part of the sign structure, design, or pictorial segment of the sign, including the movement or appearance of movement of any illumination or the flashing, scintillating or varying of light intensity. No lighting or glare associated with electronic message display signs shall be cast on adjacent streets or properties and shall comply with Article VII, Zoning Performance Standards.
