8-4 Performance Criteria

All signs in the City of Ouray shall meet the requirements of this section. The City may order signs not in compliance with these criteria removed or may confiscate the signs.

A.    Requirements

1.    All signs shall be maintained in good, legible and safe condition and in accordance with applicable requirements or laws. Signs in disrepair due to lack of maintenance and upkeep or that are illegible will be considered a nuisance and abated in accordance with City regulations. A building permit is required for any structural work associated with a sign.

2.    No part of any sign attached to or within six feet of a building shall be higher than the line of the roof or parapet of the building.

3.    No part of any sign shall be higher than 20 feet above grade.

4.    No sign may be erected or maintained which creates a public or private nuisance, or which unreasonably interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of the adjacent property by reason of unreasonable light, shade or other effects.

5.    Any building or combination of businesses in a building are allowed a total sign face area not to exceed the lesser of one square foot per foot of street frontage of the premises or one hundred fifty (150) square feet. For purposes of this Section street frontage is defined as the length of the building that abuts the right of way. Exceeding the maximum allotted for total sign face area in this Section is permitted only in the following circumstances:

a.    Businesses with less than 20 feet of street frontage shall be allowed 20 square feet of sign face area.

b.    Buildings with a combination of businesses meeting the criteria of Section 8-4-5-a.

6.    Buildings with frontages on two sides of a corner lot may display signage on both frontages subject to the following limitations:

a.    Sign face area on any frontage may not exceed one square foot per foot of frontage on that side.

7.    The maximum sign face area allowed for any individual sign is 75 square feet.

8.    Directional signs approved by the City may not exceed two (2) square feet each of sign face area, except in the P-1 Zone District where one (1) sign identifying the area may not exceed six (6) square feet in sign face area.

9.    No sign shall have more than two sign faces.

10.    Signs may be erected only upon property or be extended onto property which the sign owner has a legal right to erect or extend such sign.

11.    Signs must be removed from a vacated premises within 7 days of the last day of operations.

12.    The following rules and standards shall apply in establishing the type of illumination, which may be used for signs:

a.    Indirect lighting of all types of signs is permitted.

b.    The light from any illuminated sign shall be shaded, shielded or directed so that the light intensity or brightness will not be disruptive to residential property or create a distraction to a motorist.

c.    No sign shall have or contain blinking, flashing, fluttering or intermittent lights or other devices, which create a change in color, brightness, direction or intensity of lighting.

d.    Colored lights shall not be used at any location or in any manner so as to be confused with or construed as traffic-control devices.

e.    Only indirect illumination of signs is allowed in R-1 Zones.

f.    The intensity of sign lighting shall not exceed that necessary to illuminate and make legible a sign from the adjacent travel way or closest Municipal Street.

13.    Signs with exposed neon tubing attached to the inside of a window may only be illuminated during business hours. "Closed" signs may be illuminated after business hours.

14.    Signs must identify the use or establishment upon which they are located.

15.    Any business may install canvas or fabric awnings and have its business name lettered once on any awning, or combination of awnings, in letters, not more than one foot high, following review and approval by the City.

16.    Window signs shall not occupy more than 50% of the area of subject window.

17.    The City may approve real estate development identification signs, used during construction or as permanent identification, to be erected and maintained subject to the following:

1.    No such sign shall exceed thirty two (32) square feet in sign face area.

2.    Only one (1) such sign shall be permitted per development project.

18.    Banners attached to the exterior of a building shall only be displayed for a maximum of 120 days per calendar year. No single banner shall exceed 20 square feet in total size. No more than 1 banner shall be displayed on any business front at any one time. Once a permit has been obtained for a banner, the permittee is not required to obtain a new permit for consecutive calendar years, provided that the banner and display times remain as originally permitted. Banners in compliance with these provisions shall not count towards total sign face area.

19.    Portable freestanding signs may not exceed 24 square feet of total signage area. The signage area includes both sides of a freestanding sign.

20.    Sandwich board or directional sign may be placed within the public right of way for events sponsored by non-profit organizations and must meet the following criteria:

a.    Only three sandwich board or directional signs per organization or event at any one time.

b.    Only one sandwich board or directional sign shall be permitted per platted block at any one time.

c.    Each sign shall not exceed 24" X 36" in size, per side.

d.    Must allow a minimum of 6 consecutive feet of unobstructed area for use by pedestrians.

21.    Signs may be erected over or upon City-owned streets and alley rights-of-way subject to the following conditions and in addition to other applicable requirements:

a.    The sign must be supported and attached to a building located in the R-2, C-1 or C-2 Zoning Districts.

b.    The sign may extend a maximum of five (5) feet from the building and no portion of a sign may be located within six (6) feet to the curbline.

c.    No part of the sign may be less than ten (10) feet above the ground over City right-of-way unless special approval is received from the City.

d.    Only one (1) sign per business may extend over the City right-of-way.

e.    No sign face that is parallel to the wall of the building to which it is attached, may extend more than twelve inches from the building.

f.    Banners hung over public property or right-of-way that promote an event or activity of public benefit may be allowed. These banners shall conform to Colorado Department of Transportation Regulations.