Signs
(a) Purpose. The purpose of these regulations is to encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication in the town, provide for the scenic, historic, cultural and natural character of Narragansett, maintain and enhance a healthy business environment in commercial and industrial zones, improve pedestrian and traffic safety, minimize the adverse effect of visual clutter on property values, and to enable fair and consistent enforcement of these sign restrictions.
(b) Definitions. See section 2 of this ordinance.
(c) Off-premises signs. Unless otherwise specified elsewhere in this ordinance, all signs shall pertain to the principal use, service rendered, or product sold on the premises on which the sign is located and shall not include advertisement, identification, publicity or notice of goods, services, establishments, enterprises, activities, persons, organizations and facilities which are not located on the premises or which are incidental to the primary use of the premises.
(d) Permits required. Except as specified in this ordinance, it shall be unlawful to erect, replace or relocate any sign within the Town of Narragansett without first obtaining a sign permit as required by the provisions of this ordinance.
(e) Signs allowed in all districts without permits. The following signs are allowed without permits issued by the building inspection division, and shall not be counted when calculating the quantity of signs permitted and the total allowable sign area; however, such signs shall conform with all other applicable regulations:
(1) Building plaque. Historical plaques identifying the building, year of construction, not to include any commercial advertising. Such signs shall not exceed two square feet in sign area and shall be nonilluminated and not internally illuminated.
(2) Residential identification sign. Name and address of owner and/or any permitted activity on the lot in question. Said sign is not to exceed two square feet and may be illuminated by light of no more than 150 watts per side, but may not be internally illuminated.
(3) Cautionary signs. No trespassing sign or other such signs regulating the use of the property or advising of dangerous conditions on the lot on which it is located, provided such signs do in commercial and industrial zones where such signs may not exceed five square feet in area. Such signs may be lighted but shall hot [not] be internally illuminated.
(4) Temporary signs. Temporary signs which advertise the sale, rental, lease or improvement of the property on which it is located provided such signs do not exceed six square feet in any residential zone, 20 square feet in commercial zones, and 30 square feet in industrial zones. Signs advertising pending improvements shall not be in place more than 60 days prior to commencement of such improvements. Temporary signs shall be removed within ten days after completion of the activity advertised. Such signs shall not be lighted nor internally illuminated. Election signs shall be considered temporary signs and shall comply with the above requirements.
(5) Institutional bulletin boards. Bulletin boards for public charitable or religious institutions when located on the property thereof provided the area of such sign does not exceed 25 square feet and bears no commercial advertising. Such signs shall not be internally illuminated.
(6) Incidental signs. Signs identifying on-premises traffic, parking or other functional activity, such as lavatory facilities, telephone, signs denoting other sections of a building, signs denoting entrances, offices, etc., bearing no commercial advertising. There shall be no more than one sign for each activity, and each sign shall not exceed two square feet in area if wall-mounted and four square feet if freestanding. Such signs may be lighted but shall not [be] internally illuminated. (No commercial messages.)
(7) Governmental signs. Signs erected by the Town of Narragansett and/or traffic control devices erected by the State of Rhode Island or by the United States of America, provided such signs bear no commercial advertising.
(8) Flags. The flag, pennant or insignia of any government. No portion of flag or pale [pole] shall project closer than eight feet above a right-of-way or sidewalk.
(9) Banners. Signs of light weight fabric or similar material that is mounted to a pole or building at one or more edges (excluding governmental flags) provided said banner shall not exceed 15 square feet and shall not project to a point closer than eight feet above a designated walkway or street. No more than one banner is allowed per business.
(10) Special event signs. Temporary signs no larger than 16 square feet which advertise auctions and special events or charities on the premises, provided such signs shall not be in place for more than ten days. Such signs shall not be lighted or internally illuminated. The town council, upon recommendation of the planning board, may erect off-premises signs in public spaces advertising special events.
(11) Institutional signs. Signs identifying churches, and places of worship, charitable and nonprofit educational organizations when located on the property thereof. Such signs may be illuminated but not internally illuminated.
Signs identifying nonprofit educational institutions, when located on the property thereof. Such signs may be lighted but not be internally illuminated.
(12) Incidental business signs. Signs indicating hours of operation, credit cards, business affiliations, and the like, provided the total area of all such signs for a single business does not exceed two square feet per entrance.
(13) Holiday decoration. A display of temporary signs, banners and/or lighting celebrating a recognized secular or religious holiday.
An owner of a residential or business property in Narragansett may display holiday decorations using lights and/or signs. To be considered as holiday decorations, said lighting and signage may be in use only for a 30-day period before the holiday and must be removed or discontinued within ten days after the holiday.
(f) Signs prohibited in all districts. The following signs shall not be permitted in any district or zone.
(1) Signs which incorporate in any manner any flashing or moving illumination.
(2) Signs which have any visible moving parts, including signs which achieve movement by action of wind currents, excluding barber poles.
(3) Any sign or sign structure which constitutes a hazard to public safety or health, including signs which by reason of size, location, content, coloring or manner of illumination obstruct the vision of a driver, or obstruct or detract from the visibility or effectiveness of any traffic sign or control device on public streets and roads; or which obstruct free ingress or egress from escape, door, window or other required exitway; or which make use of words such as stop, look, one way, danger, yield, or any similar words, phrases, symbols, lights, or characters, in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.
(4) Any obsolete sign, which no longer advertises a bonafide business conducted or product sold on the premises. Such signs shall be removed within 30 days of the date on which they became obsolete.
(5) Signs on public property or public rights-of-way, other than signs erected by the Town of Narragansett, the State of Rhode Island or the United States of America. No sign located on public property or in a public right-of-way shall bear any commercial advertising or the name of any commercial business unless otherwise specified in this ordinance. (See section 4)
(6) Signs painted on, attached to or supported by a tree, stone, cliff or other object that is part of a natural landscape.
(7) String lights and strip lighting other than allowed under section M. (Except for the historic towers district.)
(8) Off-site directional signs are not permitted unless otherwise specified in this ordinance. (See governmental signs and sign plazas)
(9) Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; sandwich board signs, balloons used as signs; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless said vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of the business.
(10) Billboards.
(11) Roof signs.
(g) Sign plaza. The town council of the Town of Narragansett may, upon recommendation by the planning board, establish sign plazas as defined in this ordinance and may establish fees for the erection of signs in such plazas. With approval of the planning board and town council, such plazas may be owned and operated by private civic organizations such as the chamber of commerce, or an association of businesses within an industrial park.
The planning board may establish regulations regarding the content, size, shape, color, material, texture and the like of signs to be erected in the plaza, and shall have the right to approve or disapprove the layout and design of the plaza itself.
(h) Safety and maintenance. Every sign and all parts thereof, including framework, supports, background, anchors, and wiring systems shall be constructed and maintained in compliance with the applicable building, electrical, and fire prevention codes of the Town of Narragansett. All signs and all parts thereof shall be kept in a good state of repair and maintenance.
(i) Zoning district regulations.
(1) Residential signs: All signs in residential zones other than those exempted in section 7.18(e)(4) (above) shall require a building permit, and are limited in size and type as below:
a. The owner of an occupied residential lot, may, in addition to or in conjunction with a residential identification sign, erect a sign identifying a customary home occupation or other legally permitted use on the lot in question.
The sign may be wall mounted or free standing and shall not exceed three square feet in area.
b. Permanent signs at major entrances to residential development which identify the development will be permitted, provided that such signs shall bear no commercial advertising and shall not exceed 15 square feet of area. Note section 7.6(c), "sight distance on corner lots."
c. Internally illuminated and/or electric signs shall not be permitted in residential districts however signs may be externally illuminated by illumination not to exceed 150 watts per face.
(2) Commercial signs. All commercial signs for which a permit is required that are located in a B-A, B-B and B-C zone shall conform to the following regulations:
a. In a B-A, B-B and B-C zone there mar [may] be one wall-mounted sign on each entrance wall, one on each wall facing a street, and one on each wall facing a municipal or public parking area or parking area designed for use by persons utilizing or patronizing the establishment on which such sign is located. The area of such sign shall not exceed two square feet for each lineal foot of the building frontage on which the sign is located and shall not exceed 80 percent of the width of the storefront or wall of that portion of the premises occupied by the business erecting the sign and upon which it is attached. No sign shall exceed 40 square feet of area without the granting of a special use permit. Said signage may be internally or externally illuminated.
b. In a B-A, B-B, and B-C zones these may also be a freestanding sign for each building, 40 square feet of area and may be dual-faced. Said sign shall be no more than 15 feet in height and shall be set back at least ten feet of the right-of-way. Said signage may be internally or externally illuminated. Note section 7.6(c), "sight distance on corner lots."
c. In B-A, B-B and B-C zones upon the granting of a special use permit, projecting sign, or suspended sign may be allowed, provided such sign shall not exceed 40 square feet of area. Said signs may be internally or externally illuminated.
(3) Industrial signs. Industrial signs shall conform to the following regulations:
a. In I-A and I-B zones there may be one wall-mounted sign on each entrance wall, one on each wall facing a street, and one on each wall facing a municipal or public parking area or parking area designated for use by persons utilizing or patronizing the establishment on which such sign is located. The area of each such sign shall not exceed two square feet for each lineal foot of the building frontage on which the sign is located and shall not exceed 80 percent of the width of the building or wall of that portion of the premises occupied by the business erecting the sign and upon which it is attached. No sign shall exceed 40 square feet without prior approval of the zoning board of review as a special use permit. In addition, there may be one freestanding sign for each building. Such signs shall be no more than 15 feet in height and shall be set back at least ten feet from the right-of-way. Such signs may be dual-faced, with a maximum area of 40 square feet per side. A single-faced sign parallel to the road may have a maximum area of 40 square feet. Signs permitted in these zones may be illuminated or electric.
(4) Industrial sign plaza. The owner or group of owners may, with the approval of the planning board erect an off-site sign indicating the location and identity of business located within an industrial park at the nearest intersection of a major collector road or arterial highway with the road on which the park's road system fronts. The sign must comply with the dimensional requirements for signs in industrial zones and section 7.6(c), and contain no commercial messages other than the name or logo and location of or direction to the industrial properties. The planning board may require such site improvements and amenities it sees fit to protect the visual quality of the intersection.
(5) Signs for nonconforming uses in residential zones. Signs for legally maintained nonconforming uses in residential zones shall not exceed 20 square feet in area. They may be lighted but not internally illuminated, and may be free-standing or building mounted.
(6) Nonconforming signs. With the exception of signs allowed by action of the zoning board of review, which shall be considered as conforming subject to any conditions placed by the zoning board of review at the time of the approval, any sign which does not conform to these regulations but was legally installed prior to, and in existence at the time of the adoption of this ordinance shall be considered a legal nonconforming sign. Such signs may be continued until the occurrence of one of the following events at which time the sign may not be reerected except in conformity with the provisions of this ordinance.
a. The nature of the business conducted on the premises changes or the name of the business changes, in such a manner to occasion a change in scope, size or legend of the existing sign.
b. The sign is damaged or deteriorated to the extent of more than 50 percent of its replacement value except that a sign may be restored that has been destroyed by accident. In such a case the sign owner must act to rebuild the sign within six months of the date of destruction.
(7) Urban renewal district. The sign restrictions and regulations incorporated in the redevelopment plan for the urban renewal district as defined in chapter CLXXV of the town ordinances, as amended, shall supersede the provisions of subsection 7.18(i), zoning "district regulations" set forth herein.
(j) Enforcement. The administration of this section is hereby vested with the zoning enforcement agency of the Town of Narragansett, which shall be responsible for:
(1) Determining conformance of all proposed signs in accordance with the rules and regulations established by this ordinance;
(2) Issuance of licenses for all signs determined to be in accordance with this ordinance.
(k) Permits required. A permit shall be required for all signs not specifically exempted by this section. Application for a permit shall be made on forms as required by the building inspection division, and shall be accompanied by a scale drawing indicating the following:
(1) The size of the proposed sign, general configuration of lettering and/or symbols, and such descriptive material as may be necessary to fully explain the intent of the application;
(2) The location of the proposed sign in relation to the building and all property lines;
(3) Dimensions of the structure on which the proposed sign is to be located.
(l) Fees. All applications for a sign permit shall be accompanied by an application fee in accordance with the following schedule:
(1) Twenty-five dollars for any sign not exceeding 20 square feet in area, with an additional charge of $0.50 per square foot for the areas of such sign in excess of 20 square feet.
(m) False advertising. It shall be unlawful for any person to intentionally erect, locate, relocate and maintain any sign which falsely identifies the premises or occupant of any premises or building, or which falsely advertises for sale on any premises or in any building any product no longer available therein, and an intentional violation of this section shall subject the violator to the penalty provisions of this ordinance after due notice as required herein.