Part III. UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE

Article 6. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

§ 6.5. Signs

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6.5.1

General Provisions.

The requirements of this Section 6.5 shall apply to signs in all districts, unless otherwise specifically noted.

The area of signs composed in whole, or in part, of freestanding letters, devices or sculptured matter not mounted on a measurable surface, shall be construed to be the area of the least square, rectangle or circle that will enclose the letters, devices or sculptured matter. The area of a double-faced sign shall be the area of one face of the sign.

6.5.2

Signs Requiring a Sign Permit.

Except as otherwise provided in this Ordinance, no sign may be erected, moved, enlarged or substantially altered except in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

The following signs shall require a permit:

Permanent residential subdivision identification signs, not to exceed twelve (12) square feet in area and identifying only the development upon which the sign is located. No more than two (2) such signs per entrance may be allowed. In addition, one ground-mounted sign may be allowed at the entrance of sub-areas within the subdivision not to exceed six (6) square feet located behind the street property line to signify sub-areas of a development.

Signs not exceeding six (6) square feet in area giving information pertaining to the location or use of accessory off-street parking facilities or off-street loading facilities.

Nonresidential temporary real estate signs advertising specific property for sale, lease, or development on private property provided such signs are located only on the property being advertised. The size of the sign shall be determined by applying the following formula: One square foot of sign area for each five (5) linear feet of frontage of the advertised property which abuts a street, not to exceed two hundred (200) square feet. Only one temporary sign shall be permitted, except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three (3) or more streets or is on a through lot. The additional sign shall be subject to the same regulations and size formula as set forth herein. All temporary signs may remain on the advertised property for a period not to exceed two (2) years from the date of issuance of permit for the temporary sign. Such temporary sign shall be kept in good repair at all times.

6.5.3

Signs Not Requiring a Permit.

The following signs shall not require a permit:

One sign, per dwelling unit, including a mobile home, denoting the name of the occupant and/or street address, not to exceed one and one-half (1½) square feet in area.

Historical markers placed by a governmental agency or a recognized historical society.

Signs required to be posted by law.

Signs established by governmental agencies.

One sign advertising real estate "for sale," not greater than six (6) square feet in area, located behind the street property line on the property so advertised. In addition, one directional sign, not exceeding two (2) square feet in area, the message thereon being restricted to "Lot (Home) For Sale," and an arrow, shall be permitted to be located off the subject premises, on private property. Such signs shall be removed within seven (7) days after the property has been sold.

Temporary signs advertising events of religious, charitable, civic, fraternal, or similar organizations are allowed thirty (30) days in advance of the advertised date of that event. Such signs shall be removed within forty-eight (48) hours after the termination of the advertised event.

Political campaign signs are allowed sixty (60) days in advance of an election date. Such signs shall be removed within seven (7) days of the close of the election.

A maximum of two (2) temporary signs not exceeding four (4) square feet in area for the sale of seasonal products produced on the property on which such sign (or signs) is displayed.

Warning signs and no trespassing signs.

6.5.4

Prohibited Signs.

All portable signs are prohibited.

No sign except that posted by a public agency for safety purposes, shall use the word "stop," "danger" or any other word, phrase, character, color or symbol, in a manner that might be misconstrued as a public safety warning or traffic sign.

6.5.5

Permitted Signs; Location, Size and Number.

No sign shall be located on the roof of any structure or extended above the parapet or eave line of any structure.

All signs attached to a structure shall be located flat against the wall upon which they are mounted and shall not project a distance greater than eighteen (18) inches from the wall. Such signs shall not project more than six (6) inches into any street right-of-way, except that when the bottom of the signs are a minimum of ten (10) feet above the grade immediately under said signs, such signs may extend eighteen (18) inches from the face of the wall.

Signs shall comply with the provisions of Section 6.9.5 (Visibility at Intersection), except that sign support structures with a maximum combined width of 12 inches shall be permitted in the space between a height of two and one-half (2½) feet and ten (10) feet above the elevation of the intersection of the center lines of the two (2) streets.

No electric sign shall be located with relation to pedestrian traffic so as to permit such sign to be easily reached by any person. The bottom of such sign shall be located a minimum of ten (10) feet above the grade immediately under said sign, if the sign is in the line of pedestrian traffic.

No ground-mounted sign shall be located higher than six (6) feet above average grade as measured to the top of the sign. No freestanding sign shall be located higher than twenty (20) feet above grade as measured to the top of the sign. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a ground-mounted sign associated with a multi-tenant medical office building located in any zoning district in which such use is permitted, excluding the Downtown Overlay District, and that contains more than 50,000 square feet of gross building area shall have a maximum height of ten (10) feet above average grade as measured to the top of the sign.

6.5.6

Sign Design and Construction Standards.

The signs in the Table of Sign Requirements are permitted with a permit as accessory uses to a principal permitted use in the respective districts, as the uses in each district are indicated in the Table of Principal Permitted Uses, Section 5.2 of this Ordinance.

Signs under arcades, porticos, porches or any other roofed area in which the signs are visible from a street, except temporary nonflashing signs located within a building, are subject to all the requirements of this Ordinance.

Uses not specifically indicated shall be placed in the category having similar uses by action of the Board of Adjustment. At such time, sign requirements for such uses shall be established.

The following table indicates the sign requirements for each use category, A, B, C, etc., as indicated in the Table of Principal Permitted Uses, Section 5.2. Specific uses in each category, having different requirements, are so indicated.

RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT PERMITTED USES		PURPOSE OF SIGN	SIGN ILLUMINATION N = Not lighted L = Lighted M = Luminous	SIGN LOCATION	MAXIMUM SIZE PER SIGN	NUMBER OF SIGNS PERMITTED
A.	AUTOMOTIVE	No Signs Permitted	—	—	—	—
B.	COMMUNICATION, TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES	Identification	N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
C.	CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL
	Art Galleries & Museums, Libraries	Identification only	N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Public Schools	Identification only	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
D.	GOVERNMENTAL
	Town Hall	Identification	L or M	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		Public Bulletin Board	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only plus identification sign
E.	INSTITUTIONAL
	Churches, Synagogues & Other Places of Worship	Identification only	L or M	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
F.	RECREATIONAL
	Community Recreation Centers	Identification only	N or L	On structure or freestanding behind street property line	18 square feet	Two ground-mounted per entrance or one freestanding except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	N or L	Freestanding behind street property line	32 square feet	One ground-mounted per entrance or one freestanding only
	Municipal Parks, Playgrounds and Athletic Fields	Identification	N or L	Freestanding behind street property line	32 square feet	One ground-mounted per entrance except that one additional sign is permitted when development front on three or more streets or is on a through lot
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	N or L	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Non-Municipal Parks, Parks, Playgrounds and Athletic Fields	Identification	N or L	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	N or L	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
G.	RESIDENTIAL
	Day Care/Day Health Centers	Identification	N or L	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
	Single-Family Residential	Identification	N or L	On structure or freestanding behind street property line	One and one-half square feet	One only per dwelling unit
	Dwellings, Multifamily	Identification	N or L	On structure or freestanding behind street property line	18 square feet	Two ground-mounted per entrance or one freestanding except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot, plus identification signs above.
	Mobile Home Parks	Identification	N or L	On structure or freestanding behind street property line	18 square feet	Two ground-mounted per entrance of one freestanding except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot
H.	MISCELLANEOUS	Identification	N or L	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	Six square feet	One except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot

OFFICE, APARTMENTS DISTRICT PERMITTED USES		PURPOSE OF SIGN	SIGN ILLUMINATION N = Not lighted L = Lighted M = Luminous	SIGN LOCATION	MAXIMUM SIZE PER SIGN	NUMBER OF SIGNS PERMITTED
A.	AUTOMOTIVE	No Signs Permitted	—	—	—	—
B.	COMMUNICATION, TRANSPORTATION & UTILITIES	Identification	L or N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
C.	CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL
	Art Galleries & Museums, Libraries, Vocational & Professional Schools	Identification only	L or N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
D.	GOVERNMENTAL
	Town Hall	Identification	L or N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		Public Bulletin Board	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One plus identification sign above
E.	INSTITUTIONAL
	Churches, Synagogues & Other Places of Worship	Identification only	L or N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only plus identification sign above
F.	OFFICE	Identification	L or N	On structure	18 square feet	One only plus below
			L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
	Office Building	Identification	L or N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only plus signs as allowed above
G.	RECREATIONAL
	Fraternal, Social & Recreational Organizations	Identification only	L or N	On structure	18 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification only	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Parks, Playgrounds and Athletic Fields	Identification	N or L	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	N or L	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
H.	RESIDENTIAL
	Day Care/Day Health Centers	Identification	N or L	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	One only
	Dwellings, Multifamily	Identification	L or N	On structure or freestanding behind street property line	Six square feet	One only per dwelling unit
		Identification	L or N	On structure or ground-mounted behind street property line	18 square feet	Two ground-mounted per entrance or one per building plus identification signs above

BUSINESS DISTRICT PERMITTED USES		PURPOSE OF SIGN	SIGN ILLUMINATION N = Not lighted L = Lighted M = Luminous	SIGN LOCATION	MAXIMUM SIZE PER SIGN	NUMBER OF SIGNS PERMITTED
A.	AUTOMOTIVE	Business or Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot.
B.	COMMUNICATION, TRANSPORTATION & UTILITIES	Identification or Business	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification or Business	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Bus Station	Business or Identification	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only
C.	CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL
	Art Galleries & Museums, Libraries, Vocational & Professional Schools	Identification	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification only	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
		or Identification and Public Bulletin Boards	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
D.	GOVERNMENTAL	Identification	L or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
		Public (1) Bulletin/Community Sign	L, N or M	Ground-mounted located at approved intersections in Downtown	32 square feet	Maximum of two per approved intersection
	Town Hall	Public Bulletin	L or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only plus identification signs above
E.	INSTITUTIONAL
	Churches, Synagogues & Other Places of Worship	Identification or Business	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One per unit (plus below)
		or Identification and Public Bulletin	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
F.	OFFICE	Identification or Business	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only
		Identification or Business	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Office Building	Identification or Business	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind property line or on structure	32 square feet	One per building
	Multi-Tenant Medical Office	Identification or Business	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	• 32 square feet for multi-tenant medical office buildings up to 10,000 gross square feet; • 64 square feet for multi-tenant medical office buildings 10,001—75,000 gross square feet; • 100 square feet for multi-tenant medical office buildings greater than 75,000 gross square feet	One
G.	RECREATIONAL	Identification or Business	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification or Business	L or M	Freestanding behind property line	32 square feet	Two ground-mounted per entrance or one freestanding only
	Fraternal, Social & Recreational Organizations	Identification or Business	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification or Business	L or M	Ground-mounted behind property line	32 square feet	One only
	Theaters	Business	L or M	On Marquee, attached	Unlimited	One only
		Business	L or M	On face of building	64 square feet	Two
		Identification	L or M	Business or identification ground-mounted	32 square feet	One only
H.	RESIDENTIAL	Identification	L or M	On structure or freestanding behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
I.	RETAIL SALES & SERVICES	Business or Identification	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
		Business or Identification if Public Bulletin/Community Sign is located on the property	L or M	Ground-mounted located at approved intersections in downtown	20 square feet	Maximum of two on corner lots at approved intersections in downtown
	Shopping Centers	Business or Identification	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only per business (Refer also to Subsection 7.2.11)
		Identification	L or M	Freestanding behind street property line	100 square feet	One except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot
J.	MISCELLANEOUS	Identification or Business	L or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification or Business	L or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only

INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT PERMITTED USES		PURPOSE OF SIGN	SIGN ILLUMINATION N = Not lighted L = Lighted >M = Luminous	SIGN LOCATION	MAXIMUM SIZE PER SIGN	NUMBER OF SIGNS PERMITTED
A.	AUTOMOTIVE	Business or Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
B.	COMMUNICATION, TRANSPORTATION & UTILITIES	Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Bus Station, Television or Radio Broadcasting Studios, Truck Terminals	Business or Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
C.	GOVERNMENTAL	Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
D.	INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING & STORAGE	Business or Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only
		Business or Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot
	Industrial Parks
	Each Building	Business or Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only per industry (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Park Entrance	Identification of Park	L, M, or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	Two per entrance
	Planned Industrial Parks	Business or Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only per industry (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One except that one additional sign is permitted when development fronts on three or more streets or is on a through lot
E.	INSTITUTIONAL	Identification	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Armories	Identification only	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One (plus below)
		or Identification and Public Bulletin Board	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
F.	OFFICE	Identification or Business	L, M or N	On structure	64 square feet	One only per office (plus below)
		Identification or Business	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only
	Multi-Tenant Medical Office	Identification or Business	L, M or N	Ground-mounted behind street property line	• 32 square feet for multi-tenant medical office buildings up to 10,000 gross square feet; • 64 square feet for multi-tenant medical office buildings 10,001—75,000 gross square feet; • 100 square feet for multi-tenant medical office buildings greater than 75,000 gross square feet	One
G.	RECREATIONAL	Business or Identification	L, N or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Business or Identification	L, N or M	Freestanding behind street property line	32 square feet	Two ground-mounted per entrance or one freestanding only
H.	MISCELLANEOUS	Identification or Business	L, N or M	On structure	64 square feet	One only (plus below)
		Identification or Business	L, N or M	Ground-mounted behind street property line	32 square feet	One only

6.5.7

Sign Lighting Standards.

Lighted or luminous signs shall employ only devices emitting a light of constant intensity, and no signs shall be illuminated by a flashing, intermittent, rotating or moving light.

Any illuminated sign or lighting device shall be so oriented as not to cast light upon a public right-of-way so as to cause glare or reflection that may constitute a traffic hazard or a nuisance or cast light upon adjacent property that may constitute a nuisance. Such signs or devices adjacent to a public street shall be subject to G.S. 136-32.2.

6.5.8

Change of Use in a Multi-Tenant Medical Office Building.

In the event that a building that was previously determined to be a multi-tenant medical office building for signage purposes is subsequently devoted to nonmedical uses such that it is no longer considered to be a multi-tenant medical office building by the Land Use Administrator, then the owner(s) of the building must remove the monument sign structure and the monument sign approved pursuant to Subsections 6.5.5(E) and 6.5.6(D) of the Ordinance within thirty (30) days of receiving written notice of such determination. The owner(s) of the building may then install signage that complies with the signage regulations applicable to the new use or uses.

In lieu of removing the monument sign structure, the owner(s) of the building may modify the monument sign structure so that it complies with the signage regulations applicable to the new use or uses of the building.

6.5.9

Abandoned Signs and Signs for Abandoned Uses. Any sign which has been abandoned or advertises any product, business or activity which product is no longer sold, or such business or activity is no longer in existence, for at least sixty (60) days, shall be removed within thirty (30) days after notice to that effect from the Administrator, the Land Use Administrator or the Planning Director or their designee.

6.5.10

Permitted Modification of Size or Number of Permitted Signs.

Within business and industrial zoning districts, permitted uses shall be allowed to increase the size of attached business or identification signs in accordance with any of the following regulations:

Any legal use shall be allowed to display attached business or identification signs in the number and size indicated in the Table of Sign Requirements, except the maximum aggregate size of such signs shall be allowed to be increased to a maximum of not more than seven and one-half (7.5) percent of the elevation of the wall of the building oriented toward the street on which said building fronts, provided that no use will be allowed to display signs under this provision where the combined aggregate area of such signs would exceed three hundred (300) square feet. For the purposes of this Section, multiunit buildings will be entitled to increase the size of signs at the stated ratio for the portion of the front elevation of the building which is in front of a particular unit of said multiunit building.

Any legal use shall be allowed to increase the maximum aggregate size of attached signs at a ratio of fifty (50) percent additional permitted area for each additional fifty (50) feet beyond the minimum required setback observed by the building. In cases where a use is eligible for a sign area bonus under Subsections 6.5.10(A)(1) and (2), the maximum aggregate size of signs shall be computed by first applying the building elevation bonus of Subsection 6.5.10(A)(1) and then applying the increased setback bonus of this Subsection provided that no use shall be allowed to display signs under this provision in excess of three hundred (300) square feet.

Within business or industrial districts, the number of permitted attached building signs may be increased to three (3) provided that the combined aggregate area of all such signs attached to the building does not exceed the maximum permitted area as shown in the Table of Sign Requirements and as supplemented by Subsections 6.5.10(A)(1) and (2).

(Ord. No. 598, 4-14-2011; Ord. No. 606, 10-13-2011)

                    
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