[HISTORY: Adopted by the Annual Town Meeting
of the Town of Salisbury 5-20-1996 by Art. 23. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Handbills — See Ch. 97.
Zoning — See Ch. 300.
The purpose of this bylaw is to regulate, restrict
and place such limitations on the size, location, type, illumination
and other characteristics of all signs to assure that they will be
appropriate to the land, building or use to which they are appurtenant;
be uniform within zoning districts; be protective of property values
and the safety of the public; and serve the informational purposes
for which signs are intended while not detracting from the aesthetic
qualities and characteristics of the Town of Salisbury. Terms used
in this bylaw that are not defined herein shall have the meanings
given in the Salisbury Zoning Bylaw.[1]
A.
No sign shall be erected, altered or relocated without
a permit issued by the Building Inspector, except as otherwise provided
herein.
B.
The applicant proposing to erect, alter or relocate
a sign shall submit to the Building Inspector a completed sign permit
application, together with the required application fee and sketches
of all proposed signs. The drawings shall specify the building and
sign dimensions, colors, attachment methods, location of the signs,
method of illumination and any other pertinent information which may
be required.
AWNINGS — An awning with lettering
or logo advertising the name of the business shall constitute a sign.
All such awnings over doorways and windows shall only count as one
sign.
Signs with letters which can be manually or mechanically
moved in order to change the message or wording of the sign.
Shall be solely for pedestrian or vehicular traffic. Directional
signs shall indicate parking entrances, exits, trail signs, etc. They
shall not include any other information or advertising, except for
logos.
Electronically controlled signs which can change messages
without the physical movement of the letters.
A use whereby an outdoor sign or billboard, whether double-faced,
back-to-back, or V-shaped, with a screen(s) that is 100 square feet
or larger, serves to advertise, direct or call attention to any business,
article, substance, or service, or anything that is digitally or electronically
projected, on or by a structure of any kind on real property or upon
the ground itself, and that advertises services, products or commodities
that are not available on said real property or parcel. Electronic
outdoor advertising is a use to be regulated by the Zoning Bylaw and
not the General Bylaw.
[Added 5-20-2019 ATM
by Art. 8; amended 10-28-2019 ATM by Art. 17]
Any sign supported by a structure permanently anchored to
the ground which is independent from any building.
A sign or advertising display that is not permanent, affixed
to a building, structure or the ground.
An entertainment event open to the general public such as
outdoor concerts, winter carnivals, parades, etc.
Where more than one business is located in a building only
one freestanding sign may be erected, which shall serve all of the
businesses at that location.
Any device designed to inform or attract the attention of
the public which either conveys a commercial message to the public
or intends to advertise, direct, invite, or call attention to a use
conducted, goods, products, services, or available facilities, either
on the lot or on any other premises. This shall include but not be
limited to banners, flags, freestanding signs, roof signs, wall signs,
etc.
A.
Measurements.
(1)
The measurement of a sign's area shall be the area
as measured by the product of its total height and total width and
shall be considered to include all lettering or elements of a sign
but not including any support framework or bracing which is incidental
to the sign and which is not designed to attract attention.
(2)
The area of one side of a double-faced sign shall
be regarded as the total area of the sign.
B.
Dimensional and display requirements.
(1)
Portable signs. The maximum size of any portable sign
shall be 12 square feet, with a limit of one portable sign per business
facility (including multiple attached businesses). All portable signs
shall be removed from public view when the business is not open.
(2)
Projecting signs. The size of a projecting sign shall
be measured as a percentage of the business wall it is attached to.
Where a building houses more than one business, only the wall of the
business using the projecting sign shall be included in determining
maximum size. If businesses share such a sign, the total area of the
walls of the businesses shall be included in determining permitted
size. If walls cannot be attributed directly to businesses in shared
buildings, then the sign shall be based on the proportionate share
of the business share of the gross floor space of the building.
(3)
Public event banners. Maximum of two per event, each
being no greater than 120 square feet. They may be displayed for not
more than 21 days prior to the event.
(4)
Shopping center signs. If a freestanding sign is used
for a shopping center, the sign shall be no larger than the square
footage allowed for the zone in which the sign is located plus five
square feet per additional business, up to a total of 100 square feet.
The maximum size of any freestanding sign, if allowed, shall be 100
square feet.
(5)
Wall signs. Where there is more than one wall sign
on a wall, the total area of all wall signs on the business wall shall
not exceed the allowable percentage for wall signs. All conforming
wall signs on any one wall shall be counted as one sign.
C.
Location.
(1)
Signs must be placed, with the exception of the freestanding
sign, at the location of the business requesting the sign permit.
Exceptions shall be made for temporary signs advertising the sale
of the property, and other signs specifically allowed by this bylaw.
(2)
No more than one freestanding sign shall exist on
an individual parcel unless specifically allowed by this bylaw.
(3)
Directional signs must be located on the premises
of the business.
|
Sign Types
|
Beach Com-
mercial Zone
|
Square Feet
|
Other Com-
mercial Zones
|
Square Feet
|
All Resi-
dential Zones
|
Square Feet
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Awnings
|
1
|
—
|
1
|
—
|
1
|
—
|
|
Banners
|
0
|
—
|
1
|
32
|
0
|
—
|
|
Flags (non governmental)
|
0
|
—
|
1
|
12
|
0
|
—
|
|
Freestanding
|
0
|
—
|
1
|
36
|
1
|
16
|
|
Portable
|
0
|
—
|
1
|
12
|
0
|
—
|
|
Projecting signs
|
1
|
10%
|
1
|
4%
|
1
|
9
|
|
Roof sign
|
1
|
40
|
1
|
40
|
0
|
—
|
|
Wall signs
|
1
|
25%
|
1
|
20%
|
1
|
20
|
|
Maximum number allowed
|
3
|
4
|
2
|
A.
Internally illuminated signs.
(1)
All permitted signs in the Beach Commercial District
may be internally illuminated.
(2)
Internally illuminated signs are prohibited in all
residential districts.
(3)
In all other commercial districts:
(a)
Only one internally illuminated sign is allowed
per business.
(b)
Internally illuminated signs must be located
at the business location and may only be either a wall sign or freestanding
sign.
(c)
The maximum size of an internally illuminated
sign or the internally illuminated portion of a wall or freestanding
sign may not exceed 24 square feet.
C.
Changeable copy signs.
(1)
Only one changeable copy sign is allowed per business
and only within the Commercial District.
[Amended 10-23-2006 ATM by Art. 2]
(2)
Changeable copy signs must be located at the business
location and may only be on a freestanding or wall sign.
(3)
The maximum size of a changeable copy sign or portion
of a permitted sign with changeable copy may not exceed 12 square
feet.
D.
Luminescent paint. The use of luminescent paint for
any part of a sign or its structure is prohibited.
The following signs are allowed without a permit.
A.
One sign advertising the sale, lease, or rental of
the premises upon which the sign is located, which sign shall not
exceed six square feet in area.
B.
One sign not exceeding 32 square feet on a building
or project under construction, repair, or renovation identifying the
contractor, architect, and/or owner.
C.
Window display signs.
D.
Political signs, erected in accordance with state
law.
E.
Signs that are not intended to be read from the highway
and/or adjacent property. These include, but are not limited to, head-in
parking, rest room signs, trail markers, "keep off the grass," etc.
The following signs are prohibited:
A.
Any sign which is positioned or lighted such that
street traffic would be endangered by obscuring a clear view or by
confusion with official street signs and signals.
B.
Any freestanding sign which exceeds 20 feet above
the road grade of the entrance to the property, in commercial/industrial
districts, and eight feet above road grade in residential districts.
C.
Any sign extending two feet above the roof ridge of
the building to which it is affixed.
D.
Any sign placed on any public right-of-way or on and
above any public road. The only exception shall be public event banners.
E.
Electronic message boards.
F.
Inflatable signs and tethered balloons, except for
three-day public events.
G.
Signs attached to, in, or on top of parked vehicles.
H.
Any flashing or oscillating signs, or signs with visible
or not visible moving parts of intermittent lighting which creates
the visual effect of movement except in the Beach Commercial District.
I.
Pennants, streamers, spinners or similar devices shall
not be permitted.
A.
All signs shall be maintained in good condition and
appearance or they shall be removed.
B.
Any sign that pertains to an abandoned or former use
or business later than 30 days after discontinuance of that use or
business must be removed.
C.
Any sign which is neglected and/or dilapidated in
which more than 50% of the sign's area requires repairs must be removed.
These signs may only be replaced if they are in conformance with this
bylaw.
D.
Any sign which is insecure, in danger of falling,
or is otherwise deemed unsafe by the enforcement officer shall be
removed.
All nonconforming signs shall be removed or
altered to conform with the provisions of this bylaw when the following
conditions occur:
A.
When a nonconforming sign is changed or modified in
shape or size.
B.
When the business changes and the wording of the signs
is modified.
C.
On May 1, 1997, all nonconforming portable signs shall
be removed.
D.
On January 1, 1999, all nonconforming freestanding
signs erected prior to May 1, 1979, or those erected without a permit
shall be removed.
A.
Any person aggrieved by his or her inability to obtain
or retain a sign permit may file for a special permit in writing within
30 days of such decision to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
B.
The applicant of the appeal for the relaxation of
these bylaws and the issuance of a special permit must be able to
prove to the satisfaction of the Board:
(1)
There is a hardship of the condition of the land or
preexisting building location which necessitates the granting of the
special permit.
(2)
The granting of the special permit will not have a
negative effect on surrounding property values.
(3)
Sign scale is appropriate in relation to development
scale, viewer distance and travel speed and sign sizes on adjacent
properties.
(4)
Sign materials, colors, lettering style and form are
compatible with building design and use.
(5)
The issuance of the special permit is not contrary
to the purpose of this bylaw.
C.
All conditions must be met for the appeal to be granted.
In the event any one or more provisions of this
bylaw are found or determined to be illegal or unenforceable by the
Massachusetts Appeals Court or the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
Court, then the illegality of any such provision shall not affect
the validity of any other provision of this bylaw which provisions
will remain in full force and effect.
