Definitions. Various terms or words in these regulations shall be
interpreted and defined as follows:
ADDRESS SIGN
A sign containing only the name of an occupant and/or street
number or other address identification.
AWNING SIGN
Any lettering or graphic display located on the front or
side of any awning or canopy projecting from a building facade.
BANNER
A strip of cloth, paper, plastic or other similar nonrigid
material imprinted with words, pictures, and/or designs for decoration
or advertising.
BILLBOARD
Any sign that advertises a business, services or products
conducted, provided, offered or sold on a lot other than the lot on
which the sign is located.
BUILDING FACE
An exterior building surface area uninterrupted by corners,
which shall include all visible aboveground portions of the wall,
including the foundation and windows comprising that particular exterior
surface of the building, but which shall exclude all roof areas of
the building, and shall also exclude all exterior surface areas extending
more than two feet above the highest portion of the interior space
of the building which is permitted for human occupancy under the New
York State Building Code. In general, all buildings will have four
building faces.
BUSINESS IDENTIFICATION SIGN
An on-premises sign that principally serves to identify the
name of the business or other nonresidential use being conducted in
the building and/or on the premises with which the sign is associated
and which contains no other advertisements.
BUSINESS SIGN
A sign which directs attention to a business, service or
product or other commodity conducted, provided, offered or sold on
the lot on which such sign is located.
COPY CHANGE SIGN
A sign on which the visual advertising message may be electronically
preprogrammed to change on a regular or intermittent basis without
action or intervention by a human operator.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN
An on-premises sign for the safety of the general public,
identifying direction of traffic flow, parking areas, fire zones,
entrances and exits, not exceeding two square feet per face and mounted
not more than four feet above grade. Institution names and logos shall
be allowed, excluding all other advertising messages.
DIRECTORY SIGN
A wall sign which is secondary or accessory to any other
sign(s) and which consolidates identification of all uses within a
building in a simple word list format.
GROUND SIGN
A sign which is not attached to any building and which is
supported solely by one or more poles, uprights, braces or other structural
elements in or on the ground.
HISTORIC SIGN
Any sign attached to or part of a contributing building in
an historic district which may reasonably be considered to be part
of the contributing historic or architectural use, character or value
of the building.
HOME OCCUPATION SIGN
A sign attached to a residence indicating the identity and/or
nature of a home occupation being conducted within the residence in
accordance with applicable provisions and requirements of this Code.
MONUMENT SIGN
A style of ground sign constructed as, or giving the appearance
of, a solid structure, which appears to the observer as a continuous,
unbroken mass from the ground up, not more than five feet in height,
which may display one face, or two parallel sign faces; sometimes
referred to as a "pedestal sign."
NEON SIGN
A sign manufactured with tubing visible to the viewer which
contains neon or other inert gas which produces light of various colors
when electrified.
PROJECTING SIGN
Any sign that projects from the exterior of any building,
structure or post more than six inches horizontally. This term shall
exclude signs on awnings, canopies and marquees.
ROOF SIGN
Any signs, any portion of which is either situated above
the upper edge of any building wall or parapet or erected or painted
on or above the roof covering any portion of a building, including
signs supported on the roof or on an independent structural frame
or located on any roof structure, including but not limited to a penthouse,
stairwell or elevator housing, roof shed or mechanical equipment.
SHOPPING/BUSINESS CENTER SIGN
A ground sign identifying any building or group of buildings
containing more than two retail stores or other business or other
commercial enterprises on one lot, or through coordinated development
on two or more adjoining lots, exclusive of permitted individual business
identification signs. A shopping/business center sign, in addition
to identifying the commercial center or building, may also identify
individual businesses or tenants within the center or building. No
other advertising messages may be included on a shopping/business
center sign. A shopping/business center sign may not be internally
illuminated.
SIGN
Any representation placed to identify, advertise or promote
the interests of any person, business or other entity on a building
or structure or elsewhere on a lot in view of the general public.
"Representation" shall include any lettered, pictorial or graphic
matter, including letters, words, symbols, logos, colors, emblems
and insignias, and any background panel, frame, structure, or other
material or part thereof which displays such representation. This
term shall include all signs.
SIGN AREA
The surface area of a sign measured and calculated within
a single continuous perimeter line enclosing the extreme limits of
the sign representation, including background panel or other material
forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate such
sign from the background against which it is placed, excluding any
supports or uprights on which such sign may be placed. Signs with
two or more faces designed to be viewed from more than one direction
such as double-faced, V and sandwich-type signs, shall be considered
to have only one face for purposes of calculating the sign area.
WALL SIGN
Any sign which is attached and parallel to an exterior wall
of a building or structure or part thereof, projecting not more than
six inches therefrom. This term shall not include a window sign or
projecting sign.
WINDOW DISPLAY
A display of items of merchandise or services for sale within
the building which is visible through the window from the street,
and which may include incidental brand and price information associated
with the specific merchandise displayed.
WINDOW SIGN
A sign painted or affixed on the interior or exterior glass
surface of a window of a business establishment, or otherwise visible
through a window from a public street, stating the name of the business
establishment, advertising goods or services for sale within the premises,
and/or hours of operation, credit cards accepted and/or business contact
information for the business located within the building, but not
including a window display. Neon signs shall be permitted as window
signs only where such sign(s) are compatible with the building's use,
architecture and neighborhood character, and shall be illuminated
only when the establishment displaying the neon sign is open for business.
No window sign shall contain blinking, flashing, intermittent, rotating
or moving lights. For restaurants and taverns only, an exterior menu
display shall be considered a window sign comprising a portion of
the allowable window sign area, whether affixed to the window or contained
in a separate glass display case.