§ 17.5-12. Sign standards, design, construction, and maintenance.

All signs shall be designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with the following standards:

(1)

General requirements:

a.

All signs shall comply with applicable provisions of the current city adopted building and electrical code.

b.

Except for temporary signs and window signs conforming in all respects with the requirements of this chapter, all signs shall be constructed of permanent materials and shall be permanently attached to the building by direct attachment to a rigid wall, frame or structure, or to the ground, as the case may be, in a manner acceptable to the director of public works.

c.

All signs shall be maintained in good structural condition, in compliance with all building and electrical codes, and in conformance with this Code, at all times.

d.

Building marker such as cornerstones are permitted and do not count against the total area of signage provided such signs are less than four (4) square feet in area; have the wording etched in stone or cast in metal or other permanent material; and are permanently installed in the buildings.

(2)

Wall sign regulations:

a.

Single occupant building on a single zoned lot:

1.

One (1) wall sign per face of building facing a street or side street contiguous with the subject property or which faces a driveway or parking lot located between the street and the building.

2.

Sign area as determined by section 17.5-13(1) is restricted to one-fourth (¼) square feet of sign area per lineal foot of street frontage, provided that no sign shall be required to be less than twenty (20) square feet.

3.

Maximum wall sign area is eighty (80) square feet.

4.

Not more than two (2) incidental signs, limited to a maximum of four (4) square feet for each sign, is allowed per building face.

b.

Single story building with multiple tenants on a single zoned lot:

1.

The total of all wall signage on a building may not exceed thirty (30) percent of the wall area facing the street.

2.

One (1) building identity sign having an area of eighty (80) square feet or less for each commercial property.

3.

Each tenant having a grade level public entry from the street, or side street contiguous with the subject property, or which faces a driveway or parking lot located between the street and the building, is entitled to one (1) wall sign.

4.

Wall sign area as computed by section 17.5-13(1) is restricted to one-fourth (¼) square feet of sign face per lineal foot of tenant frontage on a street, provided that no sign shall be required to be smaller than twenty (20) square feet.

5.

Maximum sign area per tenant is restricted to eighty (80) square feet.

6.

Not more than two (2) incidental signs, limited to a maximum of four (4) square feet for each face of each sign, is allowed per building face.

c.

Multifloor building with multiple tenants on a single zoned lot:

1.

The total of all wall signage on a building may not exceed thirty (30) percent of the wall area facing the street.

2.

One (1) building identity sign having an area of eighty (80) square feet or less for each commercial property.

3.

Each grade level tenant having a public entry from the street, or from a side street contiguous with the subject property, or which faces a driveway or parking lot located between the street and the building, is entitled to one (1) wall sign.

4.

Wall sign area as computed by section 17.5-13(1) is restricted to one-fourth (¼) square feet of sign face per lineal foot of tenant frontage on a street, provided that no sign shall be required to be smaller than twenty (20) square feet.

5.

Maximum sign area per tenant is restricted to eighty (80) square feet.

6.

Not more than two (2) incidental signs, limited to a maximum of four (4) square feet for each face of each sign, is allowed per commercial property.

(3)

Ground sign regulations:

a.

Each property accommodating a commercial entity is entitled to one (1) ground sign per street frontage. For purposes of this section, a commercial entity is a single building housing one (1) or more businesses.

b.

Not more than one (1) face of the sign may be visible by the public from any point (except from points on or around the prolongation of the axis of a "V" shaped sign) on the street.

c.

The ground sign must display the street number in addition to the sign language. The street number does not count against the area limit of the sign, but the area allocated to the street number may not be larger than four (4) square feet.

d.

If there is not enough physical room between the building and the street to accommodate a ground sign, a building projecting sign may be authorized in accordance with the provisions of section 17.5-12(5).

e.

Incidental signage intended to direct traffic flow or give other needed information is permitted.

f.

Reserved.

g.

Sign regulations:

1.

No part of the sign may be located within five (5) feet of the public right-of-way or be positioned in any manner that will interfere with the line of sight of pedestrians or vehicles attempting to enter or exit from the property.

2.

Sign area is restricted to one-fourth (¼) square feet per lineal foot of street frontage, but will not be required to be smaller than twenty (20) square feet nor may any sign be larger than eighty (80) square feet.

3.

Maximum height of sign is twenty (20) feet above grade level.

(4)

Window signage:

a.

Window signage is permitted in an amount less than or equal to twenty-five (25) percent of the window area of any business engaged in retail sales who is located on the grade level of a building.

b.

The area for window signage is in addition to any other permitted signage.

(5)

Projecting signs:

a.

Projecting signs are permitted only in those cases where a business is entitled to a ground sign but is prevented from installing one due to physical conditions. A permit application for a projecting sign that is rejected by the director may be appealed to the board of adjustment.

b.

Sign regulations:

1.

Maximum size is twenty-four (24) square feet per sign face and is not dependent upon building frontage or lot frontage.

2.

No more than two (2) faces per sign. Faces must be within eighteen (18) inches of each other.

3.

In all cases, at least ten (10) feet of clearance for pedestrian or vehicular traffic must be provided.

4.

No part of the sign may be closer than five (5) feet to the right-of-way.

(6)

Canopies and canopy signs:

a.

For businesses directly fronting on a public pedestrian sidewalk, canopies may be installed for purposes of shielding pedestrians from the weather or to afford protection for merchandise in store windows that may be harmed by direct sunlight.

b.

Canopies may bear a sign up to a maximum of twelve (12) inches in height and the width of the surfaces of the canopy to a maximum width of twelve (12) feet.

(7)

Temporary outdoor attractions: Attraction displays used in connection with a temporary outdoor attraction including a grand opening, a special event or the sale of merchandise shall be permitted and maintained subject to the following regulations:

a.

A temporary outdoor attraction permit shall be obtained from the department of public works prior to the erection of any attraction display. Applications for such permits shall provide a detailed site plan showing the location of the proposed attraction displays, their shape and size.

b.

A maximum of five (5) attraction displays may be permitted on one (1) zoned lot at any given time.

c.

Temporary outdoor attraction permits shall be limited to a maximum of forty-five (45) days during any six-month period. The time limitations set forth herein may be extended at the discretion of the city council.

d.

Placement of displays shall not interfere with the safety of patrons, pedestrians or motorists.

e.

Cold air or helium inflatables shall be roof or ground mounted, designed and tethered properly to resist movement and no higher than thirty (30) feet above grade.

f.

Banners in excess of fifteen (15) square feet shall be wall mounted.

(8)

Electronic changing image message sign (ECIMS): All electronic changing image message signs must be freestanding, ground-mounted signs that conform with all requirements relative to the ground sign regulations of this section, and the following standards and limitations:

a.

All electronic changing image message signs shall comply with the following standards and all other applicable requirements under chapter 17.5 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Black Jack or other applicable law:

1.

ECIMS are not permitted in residential zones.

2.

ECIMS must be installed more than two hundred (200) feet from a residential property line.

3.

No ECIMS may exceed a height of twenty (20) feet above grade level.

4.

The mounting structure and display area must conform to the architecture of surrounding properties.

5.

The ECIMS display area may consist only of alphabetic or numeric characters on a plain background. Graphic images may be displayed in the size and identical color of the alphabetic or numeric characters of the message or display.

6.

The ECIMS must not have any distracting appearance of motion, flashing, blinking, or shimmering. The display changes may not move forward or away from the viewer, expand or contract, bounce, rotate, spin, twist, or otherwise portray graphics or animation as it moves onto, is displayed on, or leaves the sign face.

7.

A single line display alternating between a display of time and temperature may change no more frequently than once every five (5) seconds.

8.

The ECIMS must operate so that the message or display, other than time and temperature, changes no more frequently than once every ten (10) seconds.

b.

The sign must be constructed, operated, and function so as not to exceed the following illumination limitations:

1.

For a sign comprised of red only, the intensity level (NIT) may be no more than three thousand one hundred thirty (3,130) in the daytime and one thousand one hundred twenty-four (1,124) in the nighttime;

2.

For a sign comprised of green only, the intensity level (NIT) may be no more than six thousand three hundred (6,300) in the daytime and two thousand two hundred fifty (2,250) in the nighttime;

3.

For a sign comprised of amber only, the intensity level (NIT) may be no more than four thousand six hundred ninety (4,690) in the daytime and one thousand six hundred seventy-five (1,675) in the nighttime; and

4.

For signs with full color, the intensity level (NIT) may be no more than seven thousand (7,000) in the daytime and two thousand five hundred (2,500) in the nighttime.

c.

The sign owner shall submit to the director of public works a written certification from the sign manufacturer, stating that the light intensity of the sign has been factory pre-set not to exceed the levels as specified in this section, and the intensity level is protected from end-user manipulation by password-protected software or other method as deemed appropriate by the director of public works.

d.

No other flashing lights, or attraction devices are permitted on a sign containing an ECIMS.

(9)

Directory signs:

a.

Only a collection of shops or other businesses located on a single parcel of land are allowed to display a directory sign.

b.

A collection of shops or other businesses containing less than twenty-five thousand (25,000) and more than five thousand (5,000) square feet of gross floor area may have a directory sign containing a maximum of two hundred (200) square feet.

c.

A directory sign may be erected on one (1) or more supports, provided such sign:

1.

Has a maximum height of twenty (20) feet above the mean ground level below the sign.

2.

Has a minimum height of ten (10) feet above the mean ground level below the sign.

3.

Does not extend beyond any property line.

4.

Is not within ten (10) feet of any side property line.

5.

Is constructed in the frontage as defined in the zoning ordinance.

6.

Is built of noncombustible materials.

7.

Is illuminated only internally.

d.

No collection of shops or other businesses located on a single parcel of land in the C-2 Shopping Zone shall have any ground sign other than a directory sign.

e.

Commercial centers and office buildings containing less than five thousand (5,000) square feet of gross floor area may have directory signs as provided for in section 17.5-12(9)b. above, but they must comply with the ground sign area requirements of section 17.5-12(3).

(10)

Religious/eleemosynary institution signage: A church, place of worship or other eleemosynary institution shall be permitted one (1) ground sign and one (1) wall sign on the same premises. A church, place of worship or other eleemosynary institution which has frontage on two (2) or more roadway streets shall be permitted one (1) ground sign and one (1) wall sign on the same premises fronting on not more than two (2) such roadways on which it has frontage. In a "NU" Non-Urban or any "R" Residence District, no part of any ground sign shall extend more than eight (8) feet above grade and the portion of any ground sign or wall sign consisting of a board or surface for information shall not exceed fifty (50) square feet in area [and each church, place of worship or other eleemosynary institution shall be permitted one additional (1) freestanding sign not to exceed fifteen (15) feet in height]. However, a church or place of worship that contains a school, child care center or adult day care center as an accessory use located in a "NU" Non-Urban District or any "R" Residence District shall be permitted one (1) ground sign and one (1) wall sign not to exceed seventy-five (75) square feet in outline area per facing on not more than two (2) roadways on which it has frontage.

( Ord. No. 1085 , § 1, 11-17-15)