The following sign regulations are established to assure compatibility
of exterior signs with surrounding land usage, to enhance the economy
of the County, to protect the public investment in streets and highways,
to promote the safety and recreational value of public travel, to
protect the historic, rural and natural beauty of the County, and
to promote the reasonable, orderly and effective display of outdoor
advertising.
All signs shall be installed in conformance with the provisions
of this article, and other applicable provisions of this chapter.
Where there is conflict between the provisions of this article and
other applicable provisions of this chapter, the most restrictive
shall govern.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
Any display of any letters, words, numerals, figures, devices,
emblems, pictures, or any parts or combinations thereof by any means
whereby the same are made visible for the purpose of making anything
known, whether such display be made on, attached to, or as a part
of a structure, surface, or any other thing, including, but not limited
to, the ground, any rock, tree, or other natural object, which display
is visible beyond the boundaries of the parcel of land on which same
is located. A display of less than one square foot in area is excluded
from this definition.
Any sign or part of a sign that changes physical position
or light intensity by any movement or rotation or that gives the visual
impression of such movement or rotation.
A sign that is mounted, painted, or attached to an awning
or other window or door canopy.
Any sign made of fabric or any non-rigid material with no
enclosing framework.
A sign which directs attention to a product, commodity, or
service available on the premises.
A sign (one end of which may be pointed, or on which an arrow
may be painted, indicating the direction to which attention is called)
giving the name and approximate location only of the firm or business
responsible for the erection of same.
Any sign supported by an upright structural member or by
braces on or in the ground and not attached to a building.
A sign which directs attention to a product, commodity, or
service not necessarily conducted, sold, or offered upon the same
lot where such sign is located.
A sign which is used for the introduction, promotion, or
announcement of a new business, store, shopping center, office, or
the announcement, introduction, or promotion of a new establishment.
A sign directing attention to a product, commodity, or service
available on the premises, but which product, commodity, or service
is clearly a secondary use of the dwelling.
A sign which carries only the name of the firm, the major
enterprise, or the principal product offered for sale on the premises,
or a combination of these.
Any sign illuminated by electricity, gas, or other artificial
light, including reflecting or phosphorescent light.
A freestanding sign supported primarily by an internal structural
framework or integrated into landscaping or other solid structural
features other than support poles.
A sign which directs attention to a business, commodity,
service or establishment conducted, sold or offered at a location
other than the premises on which the sign is erected.
A freestanding or building-mounted sign bearing a message
which is not appurtenant to the use of the property where the sign
is located, and which does not identify the place of business where
the sign is located as the purveyor of merchandise or service upon
the sign. Such signs may also be referred to as billboards or poster
panels.
Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other
permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including
signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the
public right-of-way, unless such vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day
operations of the business and is currently licensed by the state
with a valid inspection decal displayed.
Any sign which projects from the exterior of a building.
A sign erected wholly upon or over the roof of a structure.
A sign erected either on the edge of the roof or on top of
the parapet wall, whichever forms the top line of the building silhouette
and, where a building has several roof levels, this roof or parapet
shall be the one belonging to that portion of the building on whose
wall the sign is located.
Any sign not permanently attached to a structure nor permanently
mounted in the ground which can be transported to other locations.
Such signs may include, but not be limited to, paper or poster signs,
portable signs, sandwich board signs, or other movable signs announcing
or advertising weekly specials, real estate, or special services offered
by a business establishment, seasonal, or brief activities or the
like.
A sign affixed directly to or painted on or otherwise inscribed
on an exterior wall or parapet and confined within the limits thereof,
of any building and which projects from that surface less than 12
inches at all points.
A sign painted, stenciled, or affixed on a window, which
is visible from a right-of-way.
The following regulations apply generally to all signs and are
in addition to the regulations contained elsewhere in this chapter.
A.
Sign permit required. No sign, unless herein exempted, shall be erected,
constructed, posted, altered, painted, or relocated except as provided
in this article and in these regulations, until a zoning permit has
been approved and issued by the Mathews County Department of Planning
and Zoning. All signs which are electrically illuminated shall require
a separate electrical permit approved and issued by the building official.
(1)
Before any permit is granted for the erection of a sign, plans
and specifications shall be filed with the Department of Planning
and Zoning showing the dimensions, type of materials and the details
of construction including anchorage, illumination, colors and wording
or graphics.
B.
Signs prohibited in all districts. The following signs are prohibited
in all zoning districts.
(1)
Any sign that violates any provision of any law of the state
or federal government relative to outdoor advertising.
(2)
Any sign that violates any provision of the Uniform State-wide
Building Code.
(3)
Any sign which advertises an activity, business, product, or
service no longer conducted or sold on the premises upon which the
sign is located.
(4)
Any sign that uses the word "stop" or "danger" or which a copy
or imitation is of or which for any reason is likely to be confused
with any sign displayed by a public authority.
(5)
Any sign of which all or any part is in motion by any means,
including fluttering, rotating, or other moving signs set in motion
by movement of the atmosphere. This shall not apply to the hands of
a clock or a weathervane.
(6)
Any sign that contains or consists of pennants, ribbons, streamers,
strings of light bulbs, spinners, or other similarly moving devices.
(7)
Any sign, except official notices and advertisements, which
is nailed, tacked, posted, placed or in any other manner attached
to any utility pole or structure for supporting wire, cable, or pipe,
or to any tree on any street or sidewalk.
(8)
Any sign placed in any public right-of-way except publicly owned
signs, such as traffic control signs and directional signs.
(9)
Any sign attached to a chimney, tower, tank, or structure of
like kind which extends above the district height limits.
(10)
Any sign located above the roofline of a building.
(11)
Any sign attached to, or placed on, a vehicle or trailer parked
on public or private property, except for signs displayed on vehicles
that are decals, magnetic signs or painted on vehicles used in the
daily function of the business to which such signs relate.
(12)
Any luminous tube (neon or xenon) sign external to a building.
C.
Exempt signs. The following signs are exempted from the provisions
of these regulations and may be erected, constructed or altered without
a permit.
(1)
Official traffic signs, warning signs, rezoning, conditional
use, and the like, when required to be erected by a governmental agency,
and temporary signs indicating danger.
(2)
Commemorative plaques and historical markers erected by a recognized
historical agency or governmental body.
(3)
Address or identification sign, indicating the address and/or
names of occupants of the premises, not exceeding four square feet
in area.
(4)
Flags, emblems and insignia of any governmental agency or religious,
charitable, public or nonprofit organization; provided, however, that
no single flag shall exceed 50 square feet in area and no single zoning
lot shall display more than three such flags.
(5)
Handicapped parking space signs.
(6)
Security and warning signs posted on private property warning
the public against trespassing, hunting, fishing or similar messages,
provided that any such sign does not exceed four square feet in area.
(7)
Political campaign signs on private property up to a maximum
of 32 square feet in area.
(8)
Real estate signs advertising the sale, rental, or lease of
the premises, or part of the premises on which the signs are displayed.
The total aggregate sign area shall not exceed 32 square feet. No
real estate sign shall exceed a height of six feet. One such sign
is permitted per parcel.
(9)
Construction signs not to exceed one per road frontage. The
total area of all such signs shall not exceed 12 square feet and are
limited to a maximum height of six feet. Such signs shall be removed
within 14 days following completion of the project.
(10)
Freestanding, ground-mounted or monument signs, not exceeding
a total of 40 square feet in area for the identification of a subdivision
or planned development, if located at the entrance to the subdivision
or planned development. No subdivision or planned development sign
shall exceed a height of six feet.
(11)
Signs which are within a ball park or other similar private
recreational use.
D.
Determining sign area.
(1)
Measurement. The sign area shall be measured as the area of
a sign face within the smallest area that encompasses the limits of
the letters, figures, designs, devices, pictures, projected images,
symbols, fixtures, logos, emblems or insignias, or any part of combination
thereof, together with any materials or colors forming an integral
part of the background of the sign face or used to differentiate the
sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed. Whenever
a double-faced or V-shaped sign contains lettering or other advertising
information on both sides, one side only shall be used in computing
the surface area of the sign.
(2)
Area not included. The sign area shall not include any supporting
framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such feature otherwise
complies with the regulations and is clearly incidental to the sign
itself.
E.
Determining sign height. The sign height shall be measured as the
vertical distance from the normal grade directly below the sign to
the highest point of the sign or sign structure, whichever is higher,
and shall include the sign base.
F.
Determining structure frontage. The structure frontage shall be measured
to calculate the permitted wall/building-mounted signage as provided
herein.
(1)
Measurement. The structure frontage is the horizontal length
of the outside structure wall of the establishment adjacent to a right-of-way.
G.
Illumination.
(1)
The light from any illuminated sign shall not cause direct glare
into or upon any building or property other than the building or property
to which the sign may be related.
(2)
No sign shall display flashing or intermittent lights, or other
lights of changing degrees of intensity, brightness or color, except
a sign indicating time or temperature, which changes alteration on
not less than a five-second cycle when such time or temperature sign
does not constitute a public hazard, in the judgment of the Zoning
Administrator.
(3)
No colored lights shall be used at any location or in any manner
so as to be confused with, or constituted as, traffic-control devices.
(4)
Neither the direct nor reflected light from primary light sources
shall create a traffic hazard to operators of motor vehicles on public
thoroughfares.
H.
Projections. No projecting sign shall be erected or maintained from
a building more than four feet, measured perpendicularly from the
building.
I.
Setback requirements. Freestanding, ground-mounted or monument signs
shall be subject to a ten-foot side yard setback and shall be set
back from all rights-of-way according to the following sign height
and minimum setback requirements:
|
Sign Height
(feet)
|
Minimum Setback
(feet)
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Less than 6
|
5
| |
|
6 to 10
|
10
| |
|
Greater than 10
|
15
|
J.
Removal of signs. The Zoning Administrator may order the removal
of any sign erected or maintained in violation of this chapter. He
shall give 30 days' notice in writing to the owner of such sign or
of the building, structure, or premises on which such sign is located
to remove the sign or to bring it into compliance. Failure to comply
shall constitute grounds for the Zoning Administrator to have the
sign removed at cost to the owner.
K.
Abandoned signs. A sign shall be removed by the owner or lessee of
the premises upon which the sign is located when the business which
it advertises is no longer on the premises. If the owner or lessee
fails to remove it, the Zoning Administrator shall give the owner
30 days' notice in writing to remove such sign. Failure to comply
shall constitute grounds for the Zoning Administrator to have the
sign removed at cost to the owner.
L.
Structural requirements. All signs shall meet the structural requirements
for same as set forth in the Uniform State-wide Building Code.
A.
Signs permitted in the Conservation (C) District, Rural (RU) District,
and Residential Districts (R-1) and (R-2).
(1)
The following signs shall be permitted in the Conservation (C)
District, Rural (RU) District and Residential Districts (R-1) and
(R-2):
(a)
One freestanding home occupation sign limited to eight square
feet in area and eight feet in height.
(b)
For permitted commercial/recreational/public/institutional/religious
uses, the total sign area for building-mounted (wall or facade) signs
on buildings shall not exceed in the aggregate one square foot of
sign area for each linear foot of building frontage. No such sign
area shall be required to be less than 20 square feet, nor shall it
exceed 60 square feet.
(c)
Projecting signs, provided that such signs shall not exceed
eight square feet in area and shall not project more than four feet
from the building front.
(d)
In addition to building-mounted signs, freestanding (post or
pedestal) signs shall be permitted for structures that are set back
from a right-of-way. The area permitted for freestanding signs shall
be in addition to that permitted for building-mounted signs. Freestanding
(post and pedestal) signs shall not exceed 40 square feet in area
and shall not extend higher than 20 feet. No more than one freestanding
sign shall be permitted for each building, unless otherwise specified.
No freestanding sign shall project beyond any property line.
(e)
In place of a freestanding sign, a ground-mounted or monument
sign shall be permitted. The area permitted for a ground-mounted or
monument sign shall not exceed 40 square feet in area and shall not
extend higher than six feet.
(f)
Temporary grand opening signs shall be permitted, provided that
such signs shall not be displayed more than 30 days and no such sign
shall exceed 25 square feet in area. A permit is required.
(g)
Temporary signs advertising special sales shall be permitted,
provided that such signs shall not be displayed more than 30 days
and no such sign shall exceed 25 square feet in area. A permit is
required.
(h)
Directional signs limited to two square feet in area each, no
limit on number.
B.
Signs permitted in Business Districts (B-1) and (B-2) and Industrial
District (I).
(1)
The following signs shall be permitted in Business Districts
(B-1) and (B-2) and Industrial District (I):
(a)
One freestanding home occupation sign limited to eight square
feet in area and eight feet in height.
(b)
For permitted commercial/recreational/public/institutional/religious
uses, the total sign area for building-mounted (wall or facade) signs
on buildings housing one tenant shall not exceed in the aggregate
one square foot of sign area for each linear foot of building frontage.
No such sign area shall be required to be less than 20 square feet,
nor shall it exceed 80 square feet.
(c)
On lots containing buildings housing more than one tenant, sign
area for building-mounted (wall or facade) signs for each tenant shall
not exceed in the aggregate one square foot for each linear foot of
building frontage occupied by that tenant. No such sign area shall
be required to be less than 20 square feet, nor shall it exceed 80
square feet.
(d)
Projecting signs, provided that such signs shall not exceed
eight square feet in area and shall not project more than four feet
from the building front.
(e)
In addition to building-mounted signs, freestanding (post or
pedestal) signs shall be permitted for structures that are set back
from a right-of-way. The area permitted for freestanding signs shall
be in addition to that permitted for building-mounted signs. Freestanding
(post or pedestal) signs shall not exceed 40 square feet in area and
shall not extend higher than 20 feet. No more than one freestanding
sign shall be permitted for each building, unless otherwise specified.
No freestanding sign shall project beyond any property line.
(f)
No more than one freestanding (post or pedestal) sign shall
be permitted for a multiple tenant complex or shopping center, limited
in area to 60 square feet, and shall not extend higher than 20 feet.
Such sign shall indicate only the name of the multiple tenant complex/shopping
center and/or a business use or a combination of business uses within
the complex/shopping center. No other freestanding (post or pedestal)
sign shall be permitted. No freestanding (post or pedestal) sign shall
project beyond any property line.
(g)
In place of a freestanding sign, a ground-mounted or monument
sign shall be permitted. The sign area permitted for a ground-mounted
or monument sign shall not exceed 60 square feet and shall not extend
higher than six feet.
(h)
Temporary grand opening signs shall be permitted, provided that
such sings shall not be displayed more than 30 days and no such sign
shall exceed 25 square feet in area. A permit is required.
(i)
Temporary signs advertising special sales shall be permitted,
provided that such signs shall not be displayed more than 30 days
and no such sign shall exceed 25 square feet in area. A permit is
required.
(j)
Directional signs limited to two square feet in area each, no
limit on number.
(k)
Window signs shall be permitted, provided that the aggregate
area of all such signs shall not exceed 25% of the window area on
which such signs are displayed.
(l)
Luminous tube signs (neon, xenon, etc.) shall be permitted on
the interior of storefront windows, provided that the aggregate sign
area of all such signs does not exceed four square feet.
(m)
Signs on awnings, provided that such signs shall be limited
to the drop leaf and letters shall not exceed 10 inches in height.
(n)
Roof signs, provided that such signs shall not project above
the roof line.
Off-premises signs for businesses other than home occupations
shall be permitted by the Zoning Administrator in accordance with
the following criteria:
A.
Signs are permitted only if a business is not visible from a state
primary or secondary road.
B.
Signs shall be limited to the following information: business name
and/or logo, business function(s), operating hours, location and route
directions.
C.
No more than two non-illuminated signs will be permitted and such
signs shall be constructed of wood with nonreflective painted surfaces.
D.
Signs on primary roads shall be no larger than 32 square feet in
area and signs on secondary roads shall be no larger than 16 square
feet in area.
E.
Businesses with access to a primary road shall not have signs located
on a secondary road. Businesses with access to a secondary road shall
have no more than one sign located on a primary road but may have
both permitted signs on secondary roads only.
F.
Signs will be permitted only on properties zoned B-1, B-2 or I along
those state routes leading to a business.
No nonconforming sign shall be enlarged nor be worded so as
to advertise or identify any use other than that in effect at the
time it became a nonconforming sign.
A.
Signs lawfully existing on the effective date of this article or
prior ordinances, which do not conform to the provisions of this article,
and signs which are accessory to a nonconforming use shall be deemed
to be nonconforming signs and may remain except as qualified below.
Such signs shall not be enlarged, extended or structurally reconstructed
or altered in any manner, except a sign face may be changed so long
as the new face is equal to or reduced in height and/or sign area.
The burden of establishing nonconforming status of signs and of the
physical characteristics/location of such signs shall be that of the
owner of the property. Such nonconforming signs shall comply with
the requirements of Article 16, relating to nonconforming uses.
B.
Nothing in this section shall be deemed to prevent keeping in good
repair a nonconforming sign; provided, however, that no nonconforming
sign which has been declared by the Zoning Administrator to be unsafe
because of its physical condition, as provided for in this chapter,
shall be repaired, rebuilt or restored unless such repair or restoration
will result in a sign which conforms to all applicable regulations.
C.
No nonconforming sign shall be moved for any distance on the same
lot or to any other lot unless such change in location will make the
sign conform to the provisions of this article.
D.
If a nonconforming sign is destroyed, demolished, or removed due
to any reason, it shall not be replaced without complying with all
provisions of this article.
E.
A nonconforming sign which is changed to or replaced by a conforming
sign shall no longer be deemed nonconforming, and thereafter such
sign shall be in accordance with the provisions of this article.
