HomeMy WebLinkAbout685 Sign Regulations1 ~-~
ORDINANCE NO. 685
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
UKIAH REPEALING EXISTING CHAPTER 7 OF DIVISION
3 OF THE UKIAH CITY CODE AND ADOPTING NEW
CHAPTER 7, DIVISION 3 (SIGN REGULATIONS)
The City Council of the City of Ukiah does Ordain as follows:
Section 1. Existing Chapter 7, Division 3 of the Ukiah City Code is
hereby repealed.
Section 2. Chapter 7, Division 3 of the Ukiah City Code is added to read
as follows:
CHAPTER 7 - SIGNS
The purpose of this Chapter is to provide standards for the regulations
of the height, size, location and appearance of signs, in order to safe-
guard and enhance property values; to protect public and private invest-
ment in buildings and open spaces; to preserve and improve the appearance
of the City as a place in which to live and to work and as an attraction
to non residents who come to visit and trade; to encourage sound signing
practices as an aid to business and for the information of the public;
to prevent excessive and confusing sign display;;; to reduce hazards to
motorists and pedestrians; and to promote the public health, safety and
general welfare of the City.
ARTICLE 1 - DEFINITIONS
Section 3200 - Definitions Generally
For the purposes of this chapter, unless otherwise apparent from
the context, certain words and phrases used in this chapter are defined
in this article.
Section 3201 - Building line
"Building line" shall mean a line established by ordinance beyond
which no building may extend. A building line may be a property line.
Section 3202 - Occupant
"Occupant" shall mean one who occupies a group of buildings, a
building, or each substantially separate physical division of a building
devoted to a single enterprise and does not refer to individual tenants
that may share said division of a building.
Section 3203 - Planning Director
"Planning Director" shall mean the Planning Director of the City of
Ukiah or his designated representative.
Section 3204 - Projection
"Projection" s 11 mean the distance which a sign extends over
public propertys,or yox>d tie building line.
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or thing, either privately or publicly owned.
"Sign" shall not include:
a) Official notices issued by any court, public body, or officer;
b) Notices posted by any public officer in the performance of a
public duty or by any person in giving any legal notice; and
c) Directional, warning, or informational signs or structures
required or authorized by law or by Federal, State, or City
authority.
Section 3207 - Sign area
"Sign area" shall mean the area of letters or symbols plus the
area of the background panel on which the grouping of letters or symbols
is painted or mounted. Sign area does not include the area of the
supporting structure of said background panel unless the supporting
structure and background panel are one and the same. All readable sur-
faces of a sign shall be counted in calculating its area.
Section 3208 - Sign, identification
"Identification sign" shall mean any sign advertising a business,
service , or project.
Section 3209 - Sign, in-window
"In-window sign"shall mean any sign painted on the inside or
outside of a window or any sign erected or hung on the inside of a
window, the purpose of said sign to be seen by persons outside of the
building.
Section 3210 - Sign, Off-premise
"Off-premise sign" shall mean a sign which advertises a project,
business, or service which is sold, conductecl or offered at a location
other than the location of the sign. Off-premise sign includes bill-
boards.
Section 3211 - Sign structure
"Sign structure" shall mean the supports, uprights, braces, and
framework of the sign.
Section 3212 - Sign, temporary
"Temporary sign" shall mean and include any sign, banner, pennant,
valance, or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas, light
fabric, cardboard, wallborard, or other light material, with or with-
out frames, and intended to be displayed for a limted period of time
only.
Section 3213 - Structure
"Structure" shall mean that which is built or constructed, an
edifice or building of any kind, or any piece of work artificially
built up or composed of parts joined together in some definite manner.
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c) No sign exceeding forty (40) square feet shall be visible
from an R-District unless it shall be more than 100 feet from the
R District.
d) No sign shall be located so as to create a safety hazard by
obstructing vision, or shall interfere with or resemble any authorized
warning or traffic sign or signal.
e) A projecting sign shall have a minimum clearance of eight
(8) feet above the existing or future grade of the finished sidewalk,....
and a minimum clearance of fifteen (15) feet above an area used for
vehicular movement.
f) These regulations shall apply only t:o those signs which are
located outside of buildings or which are directly affixed to the
inside of a window. Where signs are affixed to or painted on a
window, such signs shall not exceed twenty-five (250) percent of
any window area, and such signs shall be counted as part or all
of permitted sign area except as allowed in Section 3228 of this
Chapter.
g) Service stations on corners: signs from ground level to
eight (8) feet in height shall be pro~ribited in the area formed
measuring at the property line a distance of thirty (30) feet from
the point of intersection of the two streets and connecting two at
these lines in triangular fashion.
ARTICLE 3 - PERMITS
Section 3226 - Sign permit and approval
Except as provided herein, no sign shall be painted or erected
in the City of Ukiah, nor shall a sign be modified in structure,
without a sign permit issued by the Planning Director. No permit
shall be issued unless the sign or signs both conform to the
general regulations of this Article and has received design review
and approval as also prescribed in this Article. A sign permit
is not required for nonstructural modification of face, copy, or
color of an existing sign, however, design review and approval of
such modification is required. Normal maintenance of any sign re-
quires no permit. Applications for a sign permit shall contain all
information deemed necessary by the Planning Director to adequately
& accuratelydescribe the proposed signing. The Planning Director shall, after
determining that adequate information has been presented, review
the proposed signing and shall approve or deny approval of the
signing. Any person not satisfied with the decision of the Plann-
ing Director may appeal said decision to the Planning Commission.
Section 3227 - Building, encroachment, and electrical permits
A building permit shall be
opinion of the Chief Building
or structural alteration. An
from the City of Ukiah Public
within or projecting into the
permit shall be required for
required for any sign which, in the
Official, constitutes a structure
encroachment permit shall be required
Works Departrnent for any sign located
public right-of-way. An electrical
sny sign to be served by electricity.
Section 3228 - Signs, exempted from permit requirements
The following signs do not require a sign permit:
1) Professional or business sicrns in residential zones not
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4) Names of buildings or dates of erection of buildings when
cut in a masonry surface or constructed of bronze or other incombustible
material.
5) Traffic or other municipal signs, railroad crossing signs,
danger, and other such emergency signs including wording painted on
streets.
6) Signs of a directional nature for special events not to exceed
24 square feet each to be allowed for the duration of the event, but
not to exceed 14 days.
?) Permanent signs serving as directional signs to institutes of
an educational, religious, charitable or civic nature not to exceed
four (4) square feet in area.
8) Directional signs located within parking lots identifying the
entrance and exit and other directional information only. Such signs
shall not exceed four (4) square feet each or eight (8) square feet
for all such signs per acre of parking.
9) In-window signs other than permanent identification signs to
be allowed for not more than 45 days. The area of all such signing at
any given time shall not exceed thirty percent (30%) of the total
window area.
10) Signs showing the location of public telephones, restrooms,
and underground utility facilities.
11) Signs (or decals) advertising credit cards, association mem-
berships, or trading stamps not to exceed two (2} square feet for each
sign.
12) Any and all signs, lights, banners, flags, or other advertising
devices placed on an occupant's property for a maximum of sixty (60)
consecutive days to announce the opening of a new business. Although
no sign permit is required, the Planning Director shall review and approve
plans for such signing to ensure that it offers no hazard to the safe
movement to traffic and also that it does not block permanent identifi-
cation signs on neighboring properties.
13) Holidays lights, decorations and displays, provided such
lights, decorations and displays are removed within ten (10) days after
the holiday.
14) Any sign, posting, notice, etc., placed by or required by a
governmental entity in carrying out its responsibility to protect the
general health and welfare of the community.
15) Street signs and address numbers.
ARTICLE 4 - GENERAL SIGN REGULATIONS
Section 3229 - Permitted sign area, encroachment, height
number, illumination and movement
a) Commercial and Industrial Zones
1) One (1) square foot of sign area for every ground level
lineal foot of parcel frontage; or, in the case of buildings with multipl
frontages, one (1) square foot of sign area for every ground level
lineal foot of the longest parcel frontage plus one-half (1/2) square
foot of signing for every lineal foot of second frontage.
2) In no case shall the total square footage of signs on a
building frontage exceed the number of lineal feet in the frontage or
seven hundred fifty (750) square feet whichever is the lesser figure.
3) Signs in commercial and industrial zones shall not
overhang the public right-of-way in excess of one (1) foot.
4) In no case shall there be more than one (1) free-standing
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exceed the roof-height of the main building on a parcel.
d) shall not contain "reader boards".
6) Regardless of any other provision in this Section, no sign,
whether free-standing or attached to a building shall exceed the roof
height of the main building on a parcel.
7) Signs in commercial and industrial zones, if illuminated,
shall be indirectly illuminated, i.e. - shall not have directly exposed
bulbs, lamps, tubes, or other illumination devices.
8) Signs in commercial and industrial zones shall not flash,
revolve, move, or be animated in any way.
9) A shopping center, in addition to the signing permitted each
occupant on the basis of their frontage, may have free-standing main
identification signing with area equal to one fourth (1/4) square
foot for each ground floorfoot of total building frontage up to a maxi-
mum of 200 sauare feet. This signing may k~e a name, a roster of tenants,
or a combination thereof. The maximum heiq_ht of this free-standing
sign shall be thirty (30) feet.
b) R-3, General Multiple Family Zone and P, Public Zone.
1) The total permitted sign area is one quarter (1/4)
square foot for each lineal foot of the longest property frontage,
In no case shall a sign exceed forty (40) square feet in tbtal area.
2) In no case shall there be more than one sign for any one
use in these zones.
3) Signs in the R-3 and P zones shall not revolve, flash,
move, or be animated in any way, nor shall such signs be illuminated
other than by low level indirect lighting devices.
4) Free-standing signs in the R-3 and P Zones shall not ex-
ceed four (4) feet in height and shall be either of wood or masonry
construction.
5) Signs in the R-3 and P Zones :;hall not encroach into the
public right-of-way.
6) Signs advertising home occupations shall conform to
the requirements of Article 3, Section 3229(c)(1) below.
7) Signs in the R-3 and P Zones which are attached to build-
ings shall not exceed the eave height of the first story of the
main building on any parcel.
c) R-1, Single Family Residential and R-2, Multiple Family
Residential District.
1) One sign not exceeding two (2) square feet in total
area attached to the principal structure or; a parcel for the purpose
of identifying the occupant of the parcel.
2) One sign not exceeding two (2) square feet in total area
attached to a curbside mailbox for the purpose of identifying the
occupant of the parcel or owner of the mailbox.
3) Signs in the R-1 and R-2 Zones shall not flash, revolve,-
move, or be animated in any way, nor shall such signs be illuminated
other than by low-level indirect lighting devises.
4) Signs in the R-1 and R-2 Zones shall not encroach
into the public right-of-way except where attached to a curbside
mailbox.
5) Signs in the R-1 and R-2 Zones shall not exceed the eave
height of the first story of the principal structture on a parcel.
ARTICLE 5 - NONCONFORMITY
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ARTICLE 6 - MAINTENANCE & REMOVAL
Section 3231 - Maintenance
a) Signs erected, painted, or altered under the provisions of
this Chapter shall be maintained in an attractive and pleasing manner.
Section 3232 - Removal
a) Signs which advertise a business or activity which has relocated
or ceased to exist shall be completely removed within thirty (30) days from
the time of relocation or cessation.
ARTICLE 7 - VARIANCES
Section 3233 - Sign Variances
a) Where practical difficulties, unnecessary hardships and results
inconsistent with the general purpose of this Chapter may result from the
strict application of certain provisions thereof, a Variance may be grante
as provided in Section 9207 et. seq. of the Ukiah Municipal Code.
Economic hardship shall not be considered a practical difficulty,
unnecessary hardship, or a result inconsistent with the general practice-c
of this Chapter because of the amortization period allowed in Section
3230 above.
ARTICLE 8 - PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION
Section 3240 - Penalties for Violation
a) Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions
of this Chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction
thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not more than Five Hundred
($500) Dollars, or by imprisonment for a period of not more than six
(6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Section 3. This ordinance shall be published as required by law in
a newspaper of general circulation published in the City of Ukiah.
Section 4. This ordinance shall become effective 30 days after its
adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 19th day of May, 1976 by the following
roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmen
Mayor Wood
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
Feibusch, Brannon, Simpson, Councilwoman Pearson
s/Barry Wood
Mayor
ATTEST:
s/Hattie M. Tillotson
City Clerk ~~(
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