§ 185-97
Permitted signs in business and manufacturing districts
Within the Neighborhood Business (NB), Residence-Business Flex (RBF), Business (B), Waterfront Business (WB) and Limited Manufacturing (LM) Districts, only the following signs shall be permitted:
- A. Flush wall sign.
- (1) Building or structure occupied by a single business establishment or activity.
- (a) One flush wall sign with a sign area of up to 3% of the building facade area (BFA) or 20 square feet, whichever is greater, not to exceed 32 square feet.
- (b) The sign shall be located on the entrance facade of the business establishment or activity.
- (c) The content of such signs should be limited to only the address, the name of the business, a business logo and/or product or service information.
- (2) Building housing more than a single business establishment or activity.
- (a) One flush wall sign with a sign area of up to 3% of the building facade area (BFA) or 20 square feet, whichever is greater, not to exceed 32 square feet, for the entrance facade of each business establishment or activity.
- (b) All such signs shall be of harmony and consistency with regard to placement of signs, materials, and type of lighting.
- (c) Businesses are strongly encouraged to limit the content of their signs to the address, the name of the business, a business logo and/or product or service information.
- (d) Whenever possible, such signs shall be located above the doorway but below the building cornice or roofline. When there is insufficient space over the doorway for such signs, the signs may be located at the side of the doorway, preferably on the left.
- (3) Buildings with a public entrance and parking in the rear, as well as the front facade of the building.
- (a) A second sign not exceeding 15 square feet may be placed over the rear entrance to the building.
- (b) Whenever possible, all such signs shall be located above the doorway but below the building cornice or roofline. When there is insufficient space above the doorway for such signs, the signs may be located to the side of the doorway, preferably on the left.
- (c) Businesses are strongly encouraged to limit the content of their signs to only the address, the name of the business, a business logo and/or product or service information.
- (4) For single-occupant buildings with frontage on two or more public streets.
- (a) One wall sign per street frontage is permitted, not to exceed two wall signs. The maximum sign area of the wall sign on the main entrance facade is limited to 3% of the building facade area (BFA) or 20 square feet, whichever is greater, not to exceed 32 square feet. The second wall sign shall not exceed 20 square feet in sign area.
- (5) Stores located in a shopping center that are more than 500 feet from a state highway and located parallel to a state highway.
- (a) There may be one flush wall sign for each use, not to exceed one square foot for each linear foot of the front wall of the portion of the building containing the use, and on which the sign is located, not to exceed 75 square feet.
- (6) For establishments that also have a projecting sign or freestanding sign, the maximum flush-wall sign area shall be 20 square feet.
- (7) One flush wall sign not exceeding four square feet in area identifying the location of parking for the business establishment or activity is permitted.
- (8) All such flush wall signs shall not extend beyond the wall upon which they are mounted nor project more than one foot outward from the mounting wall. Where more than one sign is placed on a structure, such signs shall be of uniform shape and shall be affixed to the building in the same manner and at the same height above ground level.
- (1) Building or structure occupied by a single business establishment or activity.
- B. Projecting sign.
- (1) One projecting sign not exceeding 16 square feet per side in area under the following conditions:
- (a) The facade of the building to which the sign is attached shall be no more than 10 feet from the paved portion of any street or right-of-way used for travel purposes.
- (b) The sign shall not project above the cornice line of the building. Projecting signs shall clear sidewalks and pedestrian and bicycle paths by a height of at least eight feet above finished grade and shall project no more than four feet from the building to which they are attached. The bottom of the sign shall not be more than 10 feet above ground level. In no case shall the sign present a hazard to pedestrian travel.
- (c) Businesses shall limit the content of their signs to only the building's street number, the name of the business, a business logo and/or product or service information.
- (d) There is no equivalent flush wall-mounted sign for the business establishment or activity larger than 20 square feet in sign area.
- (e) No projecting sign shall be permitted on the same zoning lot street frontage along which there is a freestanding sign.
- (f) Projecting signs shall not be located at the intersection of building corners except at right angles to a building facade.
- (g) Projecting signs shall be centered over or located near the principal doorway to the building.
- (h) Projecting signs shall not overhang into any roadway.
- (2) One such projecting sign may be permitted for each business establishment or activity in a building or structure housing more than a single business establishment or activity. All such signs shall be of harmony and consistency with regard to placement of signs, materials, and type of lighting.
- (3) Businesses shall limit the content of their signs to only the street number, the name of the business, a business logo and/or product or service information.
- (4) For businesses providing hair-cutting services, one striped red and white pole (customarily referred to as a "barber pole") shall be permitted. In no case shall the pole present a hazard to pedestrian travel. It shall be located to the side of the doorway, preferably on the left, and shall protrude less than one foot from the building and be no more than eight feet from the ground to the top.
- (1) One projecting sign not exceeding 16 square feet per side in area under the following conditions:
- C. Freestanding sign.
- (1) The zoning lot on which a freestanding sign is located shall be accessible by automobile and contain off-street parking for the principal use(s).
- (2) One freestanding sign for an individual business establishment or activity subject to the prohibitions in § 185-98, provided that the buildings or structures housing the principal use(s) on a zoning lot on which a freestanding sign is located are set back at least 10 feet from the abutting street right-of-way. Such sign shall be in compliance with the following additional conditions:
- (a) The total area shall not exceed 25 square feet, except that when the total gross floor area (GFA) of the individual business use associated with the sign exceeds 5,000 square feet, the total area of the sign shall not exceed 32 square feet.
- (b) No such sign shall exceed seven feet in height from ground level to the top of the sign.
- (c) No such sign shall be located closer than four feet to any street right-of-way, which, absent a survey, is assumed to be the back edge of a sidewalk along a public street, within four feet of any side property line or within 50 feet of any dwelling on an adjacent lot, nor shall it obstruct driver visibility.
- (d) Businesses shall limit the content of their signs to only the building's street number, the name of the business, a business logo, the name of the building and/or product or service information.
- (e) There is no equivalent projecting sign for the business establishment or activity.
- (3) Whenever possible and without obstructing driver visibility, freestanding signs shall be incorporated in a hedge or landscaping feature.
- (4) No freestanding sign shall be permitted for an individual business located in a multitenant building or in a multibusiness shopping center, provided that one such sign may be permitted for the building or shopping center to provide joint identification of the occupant business enterprises and the name of the center. (See Subsection D below.)
- D. Directory sign.
- (1) One flush wall-mounted or freestanding directory sign for any building or structure housing more than one business establishment or activity having a common public access, under the following conditions:
- (a) The total area of the directory sign shall not exceed 25 square feet, except under the provisions of Subsection D(2) below.
- (b) Each sign panel for individual businesses shall contain only the address, the name of the tenant businesses and/or business logos; the color of the panel and text shall be consistent for the individual panels in the directory sign
- (2) For shopping centers or for parcels used for more than one business or manufacturing activity, directory signs shall conform to the following regulations:
[Amended 9-11-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-13]
Zoning District GFA of Shopping Center (square feet) Maximum Area of Directory Sign (square feet) Maximum Height of Freestanding Sign (feet)* NB, RBF All GFA 25 7 B, WB, LM Less than 7,000 25 7 B, WB, LM 7,000 or more 32 8 *NOTE: Directory signs not exceeding four feet in height are preferred. - (3) No such sign shall be located closer than four feet to any street right-of-way or back edge of a sidewalk or within 50 feet of any dwelling located on an adjacent lot, nor shall it obstruct driver visibility.
- (4) Whenever possible and without obstructing driver visibility, freestanding directory signs shall be located to the left of the entrance to parking for the building or structure and incorporated in any hedge or landscaping feature.
- (1) One flush wall-mounted or freestanding directory sign for any building or structure housing more than one business establishment or activity having a common public access, under the following conditions:
- E. Window sign. Permanent window signs indicating the name and/or logo of the business, the nature of the business, the hours and days of business, the credit cards honored and/or other information related to the business establishment or activity may be painted on or affixed to the inside of windows located on the entrance facade of the business. Temporary window signs may be affixed to the inside of the windows of a business establishment or activity to advertise specific goods, services or sales. Window signs shall not cover more than 40% of the total area of any one window.
[Amended 2-6-2023 by Ord. No. 2022-23]
- F. (Reserved)
Editor's Note: Former Subsection F, which regulated temporary window signs, was repealed 2-6-2023 by Ord. No. 2022-23. For current provisions, see Subsection E.
- G. Awnings shall be of traditional angular, rather than rounded, design and shall be constructed of canvas or canvas-like material only. Awning signs shall include only the address, the name of the business and/or a business logo, not to exceed 15 square feet of the awning area.