Section 4.36.020 Definitions.

A-1 "Abandoned/obsolete signs" means any sign which does not display any advertisement, copy or message or any sign which identifies or advertises a business, lessor, service, owner, product, or activity, which is no longer available at the indicated location or no longer available on the premises or for which no legal owner can be found.

A-2 "Animated sign" means a sign which uses movement or change of light to depict action or to create a special effect or scene (does not include time, temperature or message signs).

A-3 "Arcade sign" means a sign projecting beneath the underside of any structural overhang or passageway.

A-4 "Awning/canopy sign" means a sign painted on, printed on, or attached flat against the surface of an awning or canopy projecting from and supported by the exterior wall of a building.

B-1 "Banner sign" means a sign made of fabric or other nonrigid materials with no enclosing framework.

B-2 "Building front" means one exterior wall of a building facing a front line of a lot or one exterior wall containing the primary entrance to the building.

B-3 "Building sign" means any sign supported by uprights, braces, or other devices, or painted on, or otherwise attached to any building.

B-4 "Bulletin board" means any free standing sign not exceeding six feet in height, listing the names, times, uses and other locations of various services, offices or activities within a building or group of buildings limited to:

B-5 "Bus" means any motor vehicle generally used for the transporting of people within the city limits for fixed hire and that generally follows a regular route or time schedule.

B-6 “Billboard” means any freestanding sign which directs attention to a business, product, service, or activity that is not offered, sold, or conducted on the lot upon which the sign is displayed.

C-1 "Changeable copy sign" means a sign on which copy is changed manually in the field, such as a reader board with changeable letters or changeable pictorial panels.

C-2 "Clearance" (of a sign)" means the smallest vertical distance between the grade of the adjacent street or street curb and the lowest point of any sign, including framework and embellishments, extending over that grade.

C-3 "Construction sign" means a temporary sign identifying an architect, contractor, subcontractor, and/or material supplier participating in construction on the property on which the sign is located.

C-5 Campus Complex. Institutional type facilities that provide comprehensive hospital and health services and/or higher educational training from facilities located on a site of five or more acres.

D-1 "Directional/information sign" means any on-premises sign giving directions, instructions, or facility information, e.g., parking or exit and entrance signs, and which may contain the name or logo of an establishment but no other advertising copy.

D-2 "Director of inspections services" means the city official or authorized representative charged with the responsibilities of enforcing the ordinance.

D-3 "Double-faced sign" means any sign with copy on two faces that are back to back, facing in opposite directions.

F-4 "Flashing sign" means any directly or indirectly illuminated sign which contains an intermittent flashing light source. This does not include message center or time/temperature signs.

F-5 “Freestanding sign” means any monument sign, pylon sign, or billboard supported by uprights or braces placed on or in the ground and not attached to any building.

H-1 "Height" (of a sign) means the vertical distance measured from the highest point of the sign, excluding decorative embellishments, to the grade of the adjacent street or the surface grade beneath the sign, whichever is less.

H-2 "Home occupation/occupant sign" means any unlighted sign not over one square foot in area attached flat against the dwelling and displaying only the occupants name and/or address and/or occupation.

I-1 "Identification sign" means any sign whose copy is limited to the name and address of an apartment building, business, institution or person and/or to the activity or occupation being identified. (Does not include home occupation.)

I-2 "Illegal sign" means any sign and/or advertising structure erected without a permit required by this Ordinance, or in violation of any of the limitations, prohibitions or requirements of this Ordinance.

I-3 "Illuminated sign" means any sign with an artificial light source incorporated internally or externally for the purpose of illuminating the sign.

I-4 "Incidental sign" means any small sign, emblem or decal informing the public of goods, facilities, or services available on the premises.

M-1 "Maintenance" means for the purposes of this chapter, the cleaning, painting, repair, or replacement of defective parts of a sign in a manner that does not alter the basic copy, design, or structure of the sign.

M-2 "Marquee sign" means any sign attached to a permanent rooflike structure or canopy of rigid materials supported by and extending from the facade of the building. (Does not include a canopy sign.)

M-3 "Message center" means electronically or computer controlled reader board where different copy changes are shown on a lamp bank or other electronic displays.

M-4 “Monument sign” means a freestanding sign with no minimum clearance and limited height.

a. Any sign which was erected legally but which does not comply with subsequently enacted sign regulations and restrictions:

b. A sign which does not conform to the sign code requirements but for which a variance has been issued.

O-1 “Off premises advertising sign" means any sign which directs attention to a business, profession, product, service, activity or entertainment not conducted, sold or offered on the premises upon which the sign is located but shall not include advertising banners allowed pursuant to Section 8.24.070 of this code.

O-2 "On-premises advertising sign" means any advertising sign directing attention to a business, profession, product, service, or activity conducted, sold or offered on the same premises where the sign is located (does not include home occupations).

P-1.1 “Painted directional wall sign” means any directional or “no parking” sign intended to be permanent painted directly to the façade or wall of a building and containing no structural members other than the wall or façade.

P-1.2 “Painted wall sign” means any sign intended to be permanent painted directly to the façade or wall of a building and containing no structural members other than the wall or façade. Murals or similar works of art are not intended to be considered painted wall signs. Advertising intended to be temporary in nature, applied to interior surfaces or windows are not intended to be considered painted wall signs.

P-2 "Pole cover" means covers enclosing or decorating poles or other structural supports of a sign.

P-4 "Portable sign" means any sign which by its construction or nature may be or is intended to be freely moved from one location to another. When on a trailer, the removal of the wheels or undercarriage does not place the sign in another category, neither does the anchoring of the sign by means of concrete blocks, sandbags or other types of temporary anchors.

P-5 "Premises" means a lot, plot or parcel of land, together with the buildings and structures thereon.

P-6 "Projecting sign" means any sign, other than a flat wall sign, which is attached to and projects more than twelve inches from a building wall or other structure not specifically designed to support the sign.

P-7 "Public sign" means any temporary or permanent sign erected and maintained by the city, county, state or federal government for traffic direction or for the designation of or direction to any school, hospital, historical site, or public service, property or facility.

P-8 “Pylon sign” means a freestanding sign with an eight-foot minimum clearance above grade and a limited height.

R-1 "Real estate sign" means any temporary sign advertising the real estate upon which the sign is located as being for rent, lease or sale.

R-2 "Roof line" means the top edge of a roof or building parapet, whichever is higher, excluding any cupolas, pylons, chimneys or minor projections.

R-3 "Roof sign" means any sign erected, constructed or maintained wholly or partially upon or over the roof line of any building with the principal structural support on the roof or building structure.

R-4 "Rotating sign" means any sign in which the sign itself or any portion of the sign moves in a revolving or similar manner. Such motion does not refer to the methods of changing copy.

S-1 "Sign" means any object, device, graphic design or part thereof, situated outdoors or indoors and which object, device, graphic design or the effect produced is used to advertise, announce, identify, declare, demonstrate, display, instruct, direct or attract attention by any means including words, letters, figures, designs, fixtures, colors, motion, illumination, sound and projecting images. Any sign requiring a permit is considered to be a structure.

a. Freestanding, Roof and Projecting Signs. For a sign composed of one face, the area shall be determined based on the outer dimensions of the frame surrounding the sign face, but excluding the structure supporting the sign unless it is part of the communication of the sign. In the case of a freestanding sign that includes blank spaces with the intention of adding wording in the future, the blank spaces shall be included in measuring sign area.

For a sign composed of two faces constructed back to back, or at less than a sixty (60º) angle to each other, the sign area shall be determined based on the outer dimensions of the frame of the larger of the two sides, but excluding the structure supporting the sign unless it is part of the communication of the sign.

For a billboard sign composed of two faces constructed at more than a sixty degree (60º) angle to each other, the sign area shall be determined based on the total area of the outer dimensions of both frames surrounding the sign faces, but excluding the structure supporting the sign unless it is part of the communication of the sign.

For a billboard sign composed of three faces, the sign area shall be determined based on the outer dimensions of all three frames surrounding the sign faces, but excluding the structure supporting the sign unless it is part of the communication of the sign. All three faces can be, but shall not exceed 672 square feet each. See the following illustrations “A” and “B”. Codemaster viewers: See these illustrations on file in the office of the city clerk.

b. Wall, Awning and Canopy Signs. For a sign composed of individual letters or figures, the area is that of the smallest rectangle or other geometric shape that encompasses all the letters or symbols. See the following illustrations “C”, “D” and “E”. Codemaster viewers: See these illustrations on file in the office of the city clerk.

S-3 "Sign permit" means a written permit granted by the Director of Inspection Services for the erection, construction, enlargement, relocation or conversion of any on-premises or off-premises sign for which a permit is required.

S-5 "Street frontage" means the length of the property line of any one premises parallel to and along each public right-of-way (other than an alley) in borders.

S-6 "Subdivision identification sign" means a freestanding or wall sign identifying a recognized subdivision, condominium complex, or residential development.

S-7 "Swinging sign" means any sign installed on an arm or mast or spar that is by design intended to allow the sign to swing due to wind action.

S-8 “Sign Structure” means the supports, uprights, bracing or framework of any structure exhibiting a sign.

T-1 "Time and temperature sign" means electrically controlled public service time, temperature and date signs displayed on a lamp, bank or other electronic display.

T-2 "Temporary sign" means any sign, banner, pennant, valance or advertising display or sign constructed of light fabric, cardboard, wallboard, plywood, paper or other light materials, with or without frames, intended to be displayed for a limited period of time, i.e., garage sale, rummage, open house and similar types of signs.

V-1 "Vehicle-mounted sign" means any sign painted on or attached to a vehicle relating to the business, activity, use, service or product of the owner of the vehicle, or to sale of the vehicle and which sign is incidental to the primary use of the vehicle.

W-1 "Wall sign" means any sign which is affixed directly to or otherwise inscribed or painted on a wall or parapet wall of any building or structure with the exposed face of the sign in a plane approximately parallel to the plane of such wall and extending therefrom less than twelve inches.

W-2 "Window sign" means any on-premises business sign installed in or on a window and intended to be viewed from the outside.

Z-1 Zones. The following zones are established within the city and all references to enforcement by zone in this chapter shall be as per the official zoning designation of the property in question under Title 25 of the municipal code and official zoning map of the city.

MH heavy manufacturing zone. (Ord. 2009-0128; 2007-0634, 2005-0385; 2005-0137; 2004-0983; 91/T-9471; 89/T-7554; 86/T-4332; 84/T-2853)