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Caroline County, MD
 
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (29) Index
The purpose of this article is to permit signs that will not, by reason of their size, location, construction or manner of display, endanger the public safety of individuals, confuse, mislead or obstruct the vision necessary for traffic safety or otherwise endanger public health, safety, morals and general welfare; to permit and regulate signs in such a way as to support and complement land use objectives set forth in this chapter; to prevent the proliferation of signs which detract from the appreciation of the landscape; and to preserve and enhance the attractiveness of Caroline County.
A. 
No sign shall be erected until a zoning certificate and/or building permit has been issued, except for those signs specifically exempted in this article.
B. 
Interference; distracting signs.
(1) 
No sign shall by reason of intensity, color, location or movement interfere with traffic lights, signals or controls, obscure the view of a road or in any manner impair public safety.
(2) 
Flashing or animated signs are prohibited, except those elements of a sign displaying time or temperature.
(3) 
The light from any illuminated sign or from any light source illuminating a sign shall be so shaded, shielded or directed that the light intensity or brightness shall not adversely affect safe vision of operators of vehicles moving on public or private roads, highways or parking areas. Light shall not shine or reflect on or into residential structures and shall be directed away from neighboring properties and roads.
C. 
No sign, other than on official traffic sign, shall be located within the right-of-way of any road.
D. 
No sign shall be attached to a utility pole or any other unapproved supporting structure. No sign which requires a zoning certificate and/or building permit shall be attached to a tree.
E. 
These regulations do not apply to a sign on a legally registered truck, bus or other vehicle which identifies the product, service or activity for which the vehicle is used and which is incidental to the primary business use of the vehicle for transportation.
[Amended 8-12-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-1]
F. 
Any freestanding sign shall be set back from the side and front lot lines a distance at least equal to the height of the sign or a minimum distance of 10 feet, whichever is greater.
G. 
Each off-premises sign requiring a zoning certificate and/or building permit shall be clearly marked with the permit number and the name and address of the person or firm placing the sign on the premises.
H. 
No sign may contain, depict, or simulate any adult-oriented entertainment or material, but an otherwise permissible sign may otherwise advertise the fact that adult-oriented entertainment or material is available at or from the business so advertising.
A. 
Political signs or posters may be erected upon private property, provided that such signs:
(1) 
Do not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic or cause or enhance a danger thereto by interfering with reasonable sight lines and distances; and
(2) 
Do not, as a result of size, construction, or placement, present a physical danger to others.
B. 
Political signs are not subject to application requirements or permit fees.
[Added 8-12-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-1]
Electronic message board signs, as defined in Article I of this chapter are permitted in accordance with the following terms, conditions and criteria:
A. 
Electronic message boards are not permitted in the R-1 and R-2 Residential Zoning Districts and only by special use exception in the VC and VN Rural Village Zoning Districts.
B. 
The surface area copy may not change more frequently than once every two minutes.
C. 
The change of copy shall occur simultaneously for the entire electronic sign face. The time to complete the change from one message to the next is a maximum of one second.
D. 
Electronic message boards shall contain a default mechanism that will cause the sign to revert immediately to a black screen if a malfunction occurs.
E. 
Electronic message boards shall have no revolving, flashing, moving, scrolling, rotating, or similar intermittent lights or features that simulate movement.
F. 
An electronic message board display may not be animated, play video or audio messages or blink in any manner.
G. 
An electronic message board display shall consist only of alphabetic or numeric characters on a plain background and may not include any graphic, pictorial or photographic images.
H. 
Electronic message boards shall not exceed a maximum illumination of 5,000 nits during daylight hours and a maximum illumination of 500 nits for the time period between 1/2 hour before sunset and 1/2 hour after sunrise as measured from the sign's face at maximum brightness.
(1) 
The applicant shall provide written certification from the sign manufacturer that the light intensity has been factory preset not to exceed the levels specified above, and the intensity level is protected from end-user manipulation by password protected software or other appropriate methods.
(2) 
The change from 5,000 nits to 500 nits shall be controlled by an automatic dimmer control system.
I. 
There shall be only one electronic message board on each parcel of land.
J. 
Each electronic message board shall be permanently installed or located.
K. 
Electronic message boards shall not be located within 300 feet of a traffic light.
L. 
Electronic message boards shall not exceed 30% of the sign surface up to a maximum of 32 square feet.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former §§ 175-114 through 175-116 were renumbered as §§ 175-115 through 175-117, respectively, to accommodate the addition of this new § 175-114.
Every application for a sign permit shall be accompanied by plans drawn to scale and shall include the following:
A. 
The dimensions of the sign and its supporting structure. In addition, the dimensions of and location on the building wall surface shall be included when the sign is to be attached to a building.
B. 
The proposed location of the sign in relation to the boundaries of the lot upon which it is to be situated.
C. 
The wording or design to be carried on the sign.
D. 
The manner of illuminating and securing the sign to a building, structure or ground.
E. 
For all off-premises signs, written permission from the owner(s) of the property where the sign is to be erected.
F. 
Materials used in the construction of the sign.
A. 
Any sign associated with an activity on a vacated premises shall be removed from the premises, altered or resurfaced by the owner or lessee within one year from the time such activity ceases so that the sign will not display letters, numerals, symbols, figures, designs or any other device for visual communications pertaining to the former activity.
B. 
All signs shall be maintained in good condition and appearance. The Zoning Administrator shall remove or cause to be removed any sign which shows gross neglect, becomes dilapidated or where the area around such sign is not well maintained.
C. 
The Zoning Administrator shall remove or cause to be removed any sign erected or maintained in conflict with this chapter if the owner or lessee of either the site or the sign fails to correct the violation within 30 days after receiving written notice of violation from the Zoning Administrator. Removal of a sign by the Zoning Administrator shall not affect any proceedings instituted prior to removal of such sign.
Types of signs that are permitted in Caroline County and the specific regulations applicable to them are included in tables specifically concerning on-premises and off-premises signs found at the end of this chapter.