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Signs

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Summary

The County’s informational and commercial sign regulations help to reduce sign clutter, improve design, and limit sign impacts on scenic roads.

Signs in Residential and Agricultural Zone Districts

No signs or outdoor advertising structure or display of any kind shall be permitted in the R-1, RB, RR, RA, RM, A, AP, or CA Districts except the following:

  • One nonilluminated sign, not larger than one square foot in area, pertaining to a home occupation.
  • One nonilluminated sign up to 6 sq.ft. in area, for the sale, lease or rental of a structure or land.
  • One identification or informational sign, not directly illuminated, not larger than 12 square feet in area. If located on the site of a new discretionary use, such sign shall be included in the development permit for said use. On the site of a non-discretionary use, such sign requires a zoning clearance.
  • One or two nonilluminated signs, single- or double-faced, with a total area not larger than 50 square feet, pertaining to the sale of subdivision lots and included in the permit for said subdivision.

Signs in Commercial, Industrial, VA, PA and PF Districts

No sign, advertising structure or display shall be permitted except the following:

  • One business or identification sign and one small pedestrian-oriented sign per site as provided below.
  • Signs pertaining to a use conducted on the site, with aggregate areas according to the table below.
    Total Sign Area Allowed - Including All Signs on Parcel
    (Table 13.10.581-1)
    Basis for Calculation Total Sign Area¹ Allowed
    Front width of building on an interior lot; or Front width plus street side width of building on a corner lot ½ square foot of sign area per foot of building width
    Width of site along the street (interior or corner lot) ¼ square foot of sign area per foot of site width
    Maximum allowable area on an interior lot less than 40 feet wide at the street 20 square feet
    Maximum allowable area on corner lots or lots wider than 40 feet at the street 50 square feet

    ¹ “Sign area” is defined as the area within a well-defined border; or the area of one side of a double-sided sign; or, on a sign with no defined border, the area within the perimeter which encloses the letters, symbols, or logo.

  • Signs directly across the street from a residential zone are limited to 30 square feet in area as consistent with above table and shall not contain interior illumination or flashing lights.
  • Directional signs are excluded from the above limits but limited to 4 square feet.
  • Signs pertaining to the sale or lease of property shall not exceed 6 square feet.
  • Up to two gas station price displays are excluded, but are limited to numerals, logo, and discount information. Branding elements such as fascia are not signage but subject to design review.
  • Permanent and temporary window signs are each limited to a maximum of 20% of the window area of the building and are counted as part of the total allowed sign area. Temporary window signs not displayed for more than two weeks are not included in the total sign size limitation.

Shopping and Business Centers

  • Businesses which share buildings and/or a parking lot shall have a shared sign program. The program shall include a name sign containing the name of the center, a directory sign either separate or combined with the name sign, and one small pedestrian-oriented sign for each shop. The sign program shall specify sign designs, dimensions, materials, colors, lighting, if any, and placement.
  • The total area of the center’s name sign(s) and directory sign shall not exceed 50 square feet. The area of each individual shop sign shall not exceed ½ square foot per foot of building width measured across the front of the building and shall not exceed a maximum of 18 square feet, whichever is less.

Attached Signs

  • Signs located on a wall or fascia shall be designed as an integral part of the building and located on or below the upper line of the roof fascia.

Freestanding Signs

  • Freestanding signs shall reflect the building’s architecture and be integrated into the landscape plan.
  • Freestanding signs shall not exceed 7 feet in height, measured from the existing grade at the edge of the road. Where on street parking limits the visibility of free-standing signs, such signs may be up to 12 feet high.
  • No sign other than a directional sign shall project more than 12 inches into a required rear yard or required interior side yard.
  • Signs and supports shall be set back a minimum of 5 feet from the edge of the right of way or roadway, whichever is greater, and shall not obstruct vehicular sight distance or pedestrian or bicycle circulation.
  • Moving signs, flags, banners, sandwich board signs or flashing signs shall not be permitted.

Illumination

  • No illuminated signs are allowed in the viewshed of a scenic road or in a mapped scenic area. Visibility of signs within a scenic corridor shall be minimized using appropriate material, size, location, and orientation.
  • Where sign lighting is allowed, only indirect illumination or low-intensity interior illumination shall be used. LED lighting shall be low intensity with day/night phasing. It is preferred that lighted signs be designed with light-colored translucent letters and logos, on a semi-opaque dark background. Box signs are discouraged. Sign lighting shall be unobtrusive to adjacent properties and glare shall be directed onto the site.

Directional Signs

  • Directional and informational signs, including signs for village areas and signs giving directions to properties not situated adjacent to a street, are allowed with an Administrative Site Development Permit (ASP). No such sign shall be larger than 12” by 42” and no village name or directional sign shall be larger than 12 square feet. Such signs shall contain only the name of the site and a direction arrow.
  • Illumination provided for such directional signs shall be stationary and constant in intensity and color.
  • The joint use of single structures for directional signs is encouraged. Where multiple use of a single structure to display signs is allowed, the outside dimensions of the structure shall not exceed 10’ by 10’ and shall not obstruct traffic visibility.

Signs in the PR District

  • One identification sign, not directly illuminated, not larger than 12 square feet in area, located on the site of the use and included in the permit for said use.
  • Direction signs for off-street parking or other facilities not exceeding 4 square feet.
  • Sign design in the PR District shall follow 13.10.581 (d) through (f), Commercial Signs.

Temporary Signs in All Districts

Temporary signs that are to be used in conjunction with a special event or an approved temporary use are permitted subject to the following restrictions:

  • Maximum sign area permitted shall be 6 square feet in a residential zone district and 18 square feet in all other zone districts.
  • Temporary signs shall not be placed so as to constitute a traffic hazard.
  • Temporary signs shall be removed not more than 10 days after the special event or temporary use ceases.

Political Signs

Political signs are not limited as to size or location, provided that they do not constitute a traffic hazard and are removed not more than 10 days after the target election.

Historic Identification Plaques

Non-illuminated historic identification plaques approved by the Historic Resources Commission, not exceeding 2 square feet in size, are permitted on designated historic resources.

Sign Exceptions

In any district, exceptions to sign standards may be considered where warranted by site-specific circumstances such as restricted visibility, location on a corner, large structure or historic preservation concerns.

The exception shall vary from sign standards only to the extent necessary and appropriate to address site-specific circumstances. Exceptions are processed as an Administrative Site Development Permit, except that a Conditional Site Development Permit (CSP) is required if more than three business name signs are proposed, or an area standard exceeded by more than 50 square feet.

Nonconforming Signs

Owners of nonconforming signs, except those signs which have been designated as historic resources pursuant to County Code Chapter 16.42, shall make such signs conform to these regulations (Sections 13.10.580 through 13.10.586). All signs shall be removed, altered, or otherwise made to comply unless a variance is obtained.

  • Signs appurtenant to any use shall be removed within 30 days of the discontinuance of said use.
  • Failure to make a nonconforming sign conform to these requirements shall be deemed a violation subject to abatement per County Code Ch. 1.14.

Additional Information

For additional sign policies, including signage along Highway 1 and signage visible from designated scenic roads, see Chapter 5, Section 5.10 of the County General Plan.

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