Appendix 2103. On-premises, commercial signs.

These signs shall comply with all state and county building codes and the National Electric[al] Code. Clearance of signs is required from high voltage power lines and signs shall be located in such a way that they will maintain horizontal and vertical clearance of all overhead electrical conductors in accordance with the National Electric[al] Code specifications, provided that no sign shall be installed closer than ten feet horizontally or vertically from any conductor or public utility guy wire.

2103.1. On-premises signs shall be permitted in all zones provided that the sign advertises the principal use of the lot and meets the requirements of section 2100.

2103.2. No on-premises sign shall be located closer than ten feet from the right-of-way or five feet from the side property lines.

2103.3. One ground or pole on-premises sign shall be permitted per parcel, unless the use is located within a complex, such as a business complex or office complex and shall not exceed ¾ square foot to each linear foot of road frontage (e.g., 100 feet of road frontage would allow a 75 square foot sign) or the maximum sign area permitted in a district, whichever is less. On-premises wall signs are permitted in any district, but cannot exceed more than 50 percent of the total wall area.

2103.4. The height of a ground or pole on-premises sign shall not exceed 20 feet in height from the grade of the right-of-way or surface grade beneath the sign, whichever is less. The clearance of a ground or pole on-premises sign shall not be less than eight feet from the grade of the right-of-way or finished grade beneath the sign, whichever is less. Signs may be located closer to surface grade if the setback is increased by one foot for every one foot closer to the ground the sign is located. Setback examples are shown below:

Setback	Clearance of Sign
10 feet	8 feet
11 feet	7 feet
12 feet	6 feet
13 feet	5 feet
14 feet	4 feet
15 feet	3 feet
16 feet	2 feet
17 feet	1 foot
18 feet	ground level

 

2103.5. Signs which are placed parallel to the right-of-way shall be permitted to be located at ground level ten feet from the right-of-way, as shown below:

Signs parallel to right-of-way

2103.6. No sign shall be erected at the intersections of streets, driveways, or alleys in such a manner as to obstruct clear vision.

2103.7. On-premises signs may be illuminated by indirect or internal illumination.

2103.8. No sign shall copy or simulate official governmental signs or signals.

2103.9. Sign copy shall be submitted for all proposed signs to the planning department. No sign shall have lewd or lascivious letters, words or characters designating the same.

2103.10. Special events displays are permitted provided that they are in accordance with all sections of this ordinance.

2103.11. In the event a business is located on a corner lot, two on-premises ground or pole signs shall be permitted per parcel, provided that it is the intersection of two thoroughfares (i.e., Highways 70, 24, 58, 101 and 12).

2103.12. No sign shall be placed within 50 feet of a lot zoned for residential purposes unless the sign is permitted in residential districts.

2103.13. Electronic message boards can be used as a portion of the allowed signage area. Blinking, flashing, flickering, oscillating, rotating, or scrolling of the changeable area or stationary area shall not be permitted. The message cannot change more than once every 30 seconds. The message board shall have one background color and one text color. The sign shall not emit any sound or noise of any type. The message board lighting shall be limited to LED or similar low-intensity lighting. The stationary portion may be externally illuminated with down lighting so as not to affect the view of motorists.

(Ord. of 6-16-14(2))