§ 15.2. Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
Abandoned sign means a sign which advertises a business, lessor, owner, product, or activity no longer conducted or available.
Accessory use means a use incidental to the principal use of a building.
Animated sign means any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.
Area identification sign means a sign to identify a common area containing a group of structures, or a single structure on a minimum site of two acres, such as a residential subdivision, apartment complex, industrial park, or shopping area, located at the entrance of the area, and consisting of a fence or wall or archway with letters or symbols affixed thereto.
Awning sign means any sign painted or applied to the surface of an awning or canopy.
Banner means a sign intended to be hung either with or without a frame, possessing characters, letters, illustrations, or ornamentations applied to paper, plastic, or fabric of any kind excluding flags, emblems, and insignia or political, professional, religious, education, or corporate organizations providing that such flags, emblems and insignia are displayed for noncommercial purposes.
Beacon means any light with one or more beams directed into the atmosphere or directed at one or more points not on the same zone lot as the light source; also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or move.
Billboard means a display sign that contains a message unrelated to or not advertising a business transacted or goods sold or produced on the premises on which the sign is located.
Broken sign means a sign composed of individual letters fastened to a building surface.
Building marker means any sign indicating the name of a building and date and incidental information about its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
Bulletin board/announcement sign means a sign related to a public school, parochial school, private school, public park or recreation facility, church or other religious institution, which identifies activities or events to take place involving the patrons of such specific use.
Canopy sign means any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy, or other fabric, plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
Changeable copy sign/reader board means a sign or portion thereof with characters, numbers, letters, or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this Ordinance. A sign on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall be considered a "time and temperature" portion of a sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this Ordinance.
Decorative display means a temporary display designated for the entertainment or cultural enrichment of the public and having no direct or indirect sales or advertising content.
Directional sign means a sign of a noncommercial nature which directs the reader to the location of public or educational institutions, or to the location of historical structures or areas, or to the location of public parks or buildings.
Display sign means a structure or device that is arranged, intended, designed or used as an advertisement, announcement or direction.
Erect means to build, construct, attach, hang, place, suspend or affix.
Flag means any fabric, banner, or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns, or symbols, used as a symbol of government, political subdivisions, or other entity.
Flashing sign means an illuminated sign on which artificial or reflected light is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color at all times when in use.
Freestanding sign/ground sign means a sign which is attached to or a part of a completely self-supporting structure. The supporting structure shall be set firmly in or below the ground surface and shall not be attached to any building or any other structure whether portable or stationary.
Height means the height of a sign which shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of 1) existing grade prior to construction; or, 2) the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign. In cases in which the normal grade cannot reasonably be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the zoning lot, whichever is lower.
Identification sign means a sign stating the name or description of the use of the premises on which the sign is located.
Incidental sign means a sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as "no parking," "entrance," "loading only," "telephone," and other similar directives.
Illuminated sign means any sign which has characters, numbers, letters, figures, designs or outline illuminated by electric lights or luminous tubes as a part of the sign proper.
Incombustible material means any material that will not ignite at or below a temperature of 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and will not continue to burn or glow at that temperature.
Marquee sign means a display sign attached to or hung from a marquee, canopy or other structure projecting from and supported by the building and extending beyond the building wall, building line or street lot line.
Marquee means any permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of the building, generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the weather.
Monument sign means a sign, not more than six feet high as measured from the ground, attached to a permanent foundation and not attached or dependent for support from any building, pole, posts, or similar up-rights.
Noncombustible material means material that meets the following criteria for at least three of four specimen materials or as otherwise defined by the current BOCA Code:
1.
The recorded temperature of the surface and interior thermocouple shall not at any time during the test rise more than 54 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) above the furnace temperature at the beginning of the test.
2.
There shall not be flaming from the specimen after the first 30 seconds.
3.
If the weight loss of the specimen during testing exceeds 50 percent, the recorded temperature of the surface and interior thermocouple shall not at any time during the test rise above the furnace air temperature at the beginning of the test, and there shall not be flaming of the specimen.
Nonaccessory sign means a sign which is not accessory to the main or principal use of the premises.
Nonconforming sign means any sign that does not conform to the requirements of this Ordinance.
Painted wall sign means a sign that is painted on the wall of a building.
Pennant means any lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.
Portable sign means 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; sign converted to A- or T-frames; menu and sandwich board signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; 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.
Projecting sign means a display sign which is affixed to any building or structure other than a marquee, any part of which sign extends beyond the building wall and the horizontal surface of which sign is not parallel to the building wall.
Public right-of-way means that area of land on which a public road is built, and that land owned by governmental bodies on which traffic ways for both pedestrians and vehicles are provided.
Real estate sign means a sign placed upon a property advertising that particular property for sale, rent, or lease.
Residential sign means any sign located in a district zoned for residential uses that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located, if offering such service at such location conforms with all requirements of the Zoning Ordinance.
Residential development sign means a sign placed on the premises of a subdivision, or other real estate development site, to identify a proposed start of development, the participants of such development (such as owner, contractor, architect, leasing agent, etc.), and relative date of availability.
Roof sign means a display sign which is erected, constructed and maintained above a portion of the roof or exterior wall of a building or structure or which is attached to an exterior wall at a height in excess of three feet above the horizontal plane of the roof abutting such wall.
Shopping center means a group of three or more stores, offices or shops selling merchandise or services and served by a common off-street automobile parking area which is located on private property. All stores, offices or shops served by one parking area shall be considered one shopping center.
Sign means any name, announcement, identification, insignia, description, display or illustration which is affixed to, painted or represented, directly or indirectly, upon a building, structure, parcel or lot and which directs attention to an object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization, or business. This shall be deemed to be a single sign whenever the proximity, design, content or continuity reasonably suggests a single unit, notwithstanding any physical separation between parts. "Sign" includes any banner, bulb or other lighting device, figures, emblems, streamer, pennant, balloon, propeller, picture, flag (other than the official flag of any nation or state) and any similar device of any kind, whether bearing lettering or not. Any of the above which is not placed out of doors, when placed near inside the surface of a window in such a way as to be in view of the general public and used or intended to be used to attract attention or convey information to motorists and pedestrians, shall also be considered as a sign.
Streamers means strips or ribbons of lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, or string, designed to move in the wind.
Structural trim means the molding, battens, cappings, nailing strips, latticing and platforms that are attached to the sign structure.
Surface means that part of a sign upon, against or through which the message is displayed or illustrated.
Suspended sign means a sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal plane surface and is supported by such surface.
Swinging sign means a sign which is designed or constructed to move or pivot as a result of wind pressure for the purpose of attracting attention.
Temporary sign means a display sign, banner or other advertising device constructed of cloth, canvas, fabric, plastic or other light temporary material, with or without a structural frame, or any other sign intended for a limited period of display, but not including decorative displays for holidays or public demonstrations. Any sign that is used only temporarily and is not permanently mounted.
Total surface area of sign means the sum total of all exterior surfaces of a sign computed in square feet. The area shall be determined using the largest sign area or silhouette visible at any one time from any one point including all displays and background. This area does not include the main supporting sign structure, or supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets zoning ordinance regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself. In the case of a broken sign, the total surface area shall be measured by multiplying the height of the individual letters or combination of letters by the distance between the outer edges of the two furthermost letters.
Wall sign means a display sign that is attached directly to a building wall, the horizontal surface of which sign is parallel to the building wall.
Window sign means signs painted on, or affixed to glass surfaces of windows or doors and pertaining to and identifying only the lawful business conducted therein.