§ 17.48.100. General Provisions for On-Premise Signs

A.

Change or vacation of business. When the name of a business location changes or upon vacating a business location, the business or property owner shall remove the sign copy that advertised the previous business. At no time shall a sign cabinet remain empty and without a copy panel so that the internal lighting and electrical fixtures are exposed. During any period when a sign cabinet is not being utilized for identification of a business, a blank opaque copy panel (face) shall be installed in the sign cabinet structure.

B.

Frontage allocation not transferable. No sign or sign area allowed on one frontage shall be transferred to another frontage.

C.

Historic signs. A sign designated as a Category 1 historic resource (Section 17.52.110) shall be exempt from the requirements of this Chapter as to height, illumination, location, movement, and sign area and may be maintained as legally conforming signs subject to the following conditions.

1.

All parts of the exempted historic sign including neon tubes, incandescent lights and shields, and sign faces shall be maintained in a functioning condition as historically intended for the sign to the greatest degree possible.

2.

Parts of historic signs originally designed to flash or move may be allowed to continue to flash or move. There shall be no alterations to the historic pattern, speed, or direction of flashing or moving elements.

3.

The wording or image of a historic sign may be altered only if the alterations do not substantially change the historic dimensions, height, scale, style, or type of materials of the historic sign.

4.

Failure to maintain a historic sign as required above shall be grounds for disallowing an exemption from the requirements of this Chapter. The sign shall thereafter be brought into compliance with the requirements of this Chapter subject to a determination by the Director.

5.

Full reconstruction of a historic sign shall require approval of the Historic Preservation Commission or, in the CD zoning district, the Design Commission.

D.

Illumination of signs. The artificial illumination of signs, either from an internal or external source, shall be designed to eliminate negative impacts on surrounding rights-of-way and properties. The following standards shall apply to all illuminated signs:

1.

External light sources shall be directed and shielded to limit direct illumination of any object other than the sign.

2.

Signs shall not have exposed fluorescent tubes or incandescent bulbs exceeding 15 watts, and the brightness of luminous or backlighted signs shall not exceed 250 footlamberts.

3.

Light sources (e.g., light bulbs) used for externally illuminated signs shall not be visible within 100 feet of any residential zoning district. Internally illuminated signs visible from any residential zoning district shall not be illuminated between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless they identify an establishment open for business during those hours.

4.

Electrical raceways and conduits shall be placed so that they are not within public view. Where this is physically impractical, or doing so would damage significant architectural features or materials, the Zoning Administrator may grant a waiver of this requirement provided all conduits, raceways, and similar devices are kept as small as possible and are painted the same colors as adjacent wall surfaces.

5.

Signs with electrical components shall be constructed, inspected, and approved by the Underwriters Laboratory (UL), or equal, and a label of approval from the laboratory shall be affixed to the sign in plain view.

6.

The use of neon signs and lighting is regulated by Section 17.48.110.D (Neon signs and architectural lighting).

7.

Awnings with back-lit text or graphics are not allowed.

8.

For residential districts the lighting shall not exceed one foot candle.

E.

Maintenance, alteration, and removal.  

1.

All signs and sign structures including those otherwise specifically exempt from the provisions of this Chapter, including all parts, portions, and materials, shall be maintained in good repair, and structurally sound. The display surface of all signs shall be kept clean, neatly painted, and free from rust and corrosion. Banners shall be replaced if tattered or worn. Any cracks, broken surfaces, malfunctioning lights, missing sign copy, or other unmaintained or damaged portion of a sign shall be repaired or replaced within 30 calendar days following notification by the City. Noncompliance with the notification shall constitute a public nuisance.

2.

Existing signs shall not be physically altered (except for routine general maintenance and repair), moved, or relocated unless the sign complies with all provisions of this Chapter. Legal, nonconforming signs shall comply with the requirements of Section 17.48.140.

3.

When a sign is removed or replaced, all brackets, poles, and other structural elements that supported the sign shall also be removed. Affected building surfaces shall be restored to match the adjacent portion of the structure.

F.

Measurement of sign height. The height of a sign shall be measured as the vertical distance from the uppermost point used in measuring the area of the sign to the lowest elevation of the existing grade immediately below and adjoining the sign. See Figures 4-13 and 4-14.

Figure 4-13 - Sign height

G.

Measurement of sign area.  

1.

The surface area of a sign shall be calculated by enclosing the extreme limits of all lettering, background, emblem, logo, corporate banding, representation, or other display within a single continuous perimeter composed of squares or rectangles with no more than eight lines drawn at right angles. See Figure 4-15.

Figure 4-15 - Sign area measurement

2.

Supporting framework or bracing that is clearly incidental to the display itself shall not be computed as sign area.

3.

Double-faced signs with back-to-back sign faces shall be regarded as a single face sign if the distance between each sign face does not exceed two feet at any point.

4.

Where a sign contains three-dimensional objects (e.g., balls, cubes, clusters of objects, sculpture, or statue-like objects), the sign area shall be measured as the maximum projection of the objects upon a single vertical plane.

Figure 4-16 - Types of signs

(Ord. 7160 § 40, 2009; Ord. 7074 § 4, 2006)