Chapter 17.27
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING DISPLAYS

Sections:

17.27.010    Purpose.

17.27.020    Placement.

17.27.030    Maintenance and removal.

17.27.040    Prohibitions.

17.27.050    Permitted uses by district.

17.27.060    Requirements.

17.27.070    Off-premise advertising sign chart.

17.27.010 Purpose.

This subchapter is intended to provide reasonable standards for off-premise advertising signs while discouraging their proliferation, disrepair or garishness. Off-premise signs shall not be included with on-premise signs in determining the total number or size of signs permitted on any site.

(17.27.010, Amended, 08/09/1999)

17.27.020 Placement.

A.    An off-premise advertising sign means an identification, description or illustration which directs attention to a product, person, business or service not offered or sold as the primary use, business or activity on the premises where it is located.

B.    An off-premise advertising sign may not be erected or placed in any district until an improvement location permit has been issued by the Area Plan Commission and prior consent has been obtained from the owner of the premises on which the sign is located. Items needed for an improvement location permit include the following:

1.    Engineered structural plans including elevation and plan views showing height above grade level, dimensions, spacing between faces and degree of angle for V-type signs.

2.    Commercial site plans meeting the requirements for Commercial Review by the Site Review Committee, including a surveyor certification of the exact location of sign from property lines; center lines of abutting streets or right-of-way; distance to the nearest point of any existing off-premises sign within a 500 foot radius; distance to the nearest sign within 1,000 feet along the same side of the street; and distance to the nearest residential district or residence, public park, church, school or museum within a 300 foot radius.

3.    Legal description or boundary description of the property where the sign is to be located.

4.    Proof of consent from the owner of the site.

5.    Outline of the pole and the extreme limits of the sign must be clearly indicated on the site at the time of application, prior to inspection of the site.

C.    Nonconforming off-premise signs and billboards are subject to the provisions of §17.12.150.

(17.27.020, Amended, 08/09/1999)

17.27.030 Maintenance and removal.

A.    When the product, person, business or service that is advertised on an off-premise advertising sign is abandoned or altered the sign must be removed or altered within 60 days to depict an existing product, person, business or service. The owner and tenant of the land are equally responsible for removal or alteration of the sign. The alteration of a sign or the erection of a previously removed and/or abandoned sign requires the procurement of an improvement location permit and compliance with Zoning Code 17.27.020 (B). This does not apply to the face change of an off-premise sign.

B.    An off-premise advertising sign is considered not functional when any of the following conditions exists:

1.    Its essential elements are no longer readable.

2.    It is physically obstructed from view.

3.    A condition of dilapidation or danger exists.

4.    The area that is leased for the sign or within 25 feet of a sign on an undeveloped property is not kept free of weeds, debris or refuse.

C.    The Building Commissioner has the right of entry to inspect off-premise advertising signs to determine whether they are functional.

D.    When relocation or removal of an off-premise sign becomes necessary due to construction, expansion or other development planned on the site where the sign is located, the sign may be moved by the sign owner to another location on that same site within 20 feet of the location of the original sign, providing the location within 20 feet of the original sign does not increase the nonconformity of the sign. Once the sign has been removed a temporary approval shall be effective for a period of ninety days. During that time an off-premise sign may be erected after issuance of all required permits. Permit fees may be waived if the off-premise sign structure is the same configuration and erected in the same manner as the original sign, is of the same or smaller size than the original sign and documentation is provided from the owner of the site that the relocation of the sign is necessary due to construction, expansion or other development planned for the site, and a valid permit for the construction, expansion or other development has been obtained.

E.    All off-premise signs must display copy encompassing the entire display face at all times. If copy is not displayed for a period exceeding sixty days, the permit for the off-premise sign may be revoked.

(17.27.030, Amended, 08/09/1999)

17.27.040 Prohibitions.

The following are prohibited in connection with any off-premise advertising sign:

A.    Placement where the sign or its illumination may interfere with, obstruct the view of or be confused with traffic or railroad signs or signals or oncoming traffic; or where they would present a traffic hazard.

B.    Lights resembling danger or emergency lights; rotating or revolving beams of light.

C.    Flashing or intermittent lights, electronic messages, animated, moving or changing messages, revolving slats and similar signs unless approved as a special use by the Board of Zoning Appeals.

D.    Placement which displaces any required parking space(s).

E.    Placement within any parking or access aisle unless approved by Site Review Committee.

F.    Temporary placement of mobile or movable off-premise signs.

G.    Placement on any lot prior to establishment of a commercial or industrial use on said lot. If the lot is part of a larger commercial or industrial development, off-premise advertising will be prohibited until such time as a use is established on at least 50 percent of the overall land area (as defined by gross square feet of the development).

H.    Placement within 300 feet of the center of the Greenway Passage which has been purchased, leased or completed and a legal description of said Greenway is on record.

(17.27.040, Amended, 08/09/1999)

17.27.050 Permitted uses by district.

A.    An off-premise advertising sign may be erected in C-2, C-4, M-1, M-2 and M-3 districts limited to the size, height and setbacks as shown on the off-premise advertising chart.

B.    A double-faced off-premises sign whose two faces are not more than ten feet apart (back-to-back) or a V-type off-premises sign whose two faces are no further than 15 feet apart (back-to-back) at the farthest point between the two faces shall be considered one sign and shall be exempt from the spacing requirements between two signs.

C.    The area of the sign shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle or triangle that will encompass the extreme limits of one face of the entire display exclusive of base supporting members which bear no message. See Examples 1 and 2 for figures to provide assistance in determining correct sign size.

D.    Fees shall be based on total display area.

(17.27.050, Amended, 08/09/1999)

17.27.060 Requirements.

A.    Height. Maximum height of any off-premise advertising sign may not exceed 30 feet in a C-2 district and may not exceed 50 feet in any other district where such signs are permitted. The height of signs intended to be read from raised roadways and advertising in C-4, M-1, M-2 and M-3 districts located along raised roadways may exceed the height limit by an amount equal to the height of the raised roadway, but may not exceed 65 feet. This provision for height of signs exceeding 50 feet shall apply only to those off-premise signs advertising to the raised roadway and erected within 100 feet of the right-of-way of the raised roadway.

B.    Embellishments. The total area of a temporary addition to the sign on which a continuation of the advertising message is placed may not exceed ten percent of the total area of the sign to which it is added and the total area of the sign may never exceed the maximum size permitted within the district in which it is located. Aprons not exceeding two feet may be utilized as embellishments providing the total area of the sign does not exceed the maximum size permitted within the district in which it is located.

C.    Distance from certain districts and uses. An off-premise advertising sign may not be erected or placed within a 300 foot radius of a residential dwelling (excluding detached residential accessory buildings) or within a 300 foot radius of a property line of an undeveloped residential district. In no circumstance shall any off-premise advertising sign be erected within 60 feet of any residential property line. An off-premise advertising sign may not be erected or placed within a 300 foot radius of the property boundary of a public park, church, school or museum.

D.    Spacing. The distance between two off-premise advertising signs may not be less than 500 feet as measured from the closest point of both signs. Along the same side of the street, the distance between two off-premise advertising signs may not be less than 1,000 feet as measured from the closest point of both signs.

E.    Screening. The backs of off-premise advertising signs must be concealed by another advertising sign or kept in good repair and appearance as determined by the Building Commissioners.

(17.27.060, Amended, 08/09/1999)

17.27.070 Off-premise advertising sign chart.

	C-2	C-4	M-1, M-2, M-3
MAXIMUM SIZE OF SIGN	300 sq. ft.	500 sq. ft.	700 sq. ft.
MAXIMUM HEIGHT	30 ft.	50 ft.	50 ft.
MINIMUM SETBACK FROM RIGHT-OF-WAY	Equal to Table A setbacks	Equal to Table A setbacks	Equal to Table A setbacks
MINIMUM SETBACK FROM RIGHT-OF-WAY: CONTROLLED ACCESS THOROUGHFARES*	50 ft.	50 ft.	50 ft.
MINIMUM SPACING BETWEEN SIGNS	Minimum 500 ft. 1,000 ft. along same side of street	Minimum 500 ft. 1,000 ft. along same side of street	Minimum 500 ft. 1,000 ft. along same side of street
SPECIAL PROVISIONS	Non-illuminated signs only	Height limit increased along elevated roadways Maximum 65 ft.	Height limit increased along elevated roadways Maximum 65 ft.

*Streets defined within 17.34.030 (Thoroughfare)

(17.27.070, Amended, 08/09/1999)