Words and phrases used in this chapter have the meanings set forth in this section. Words and phrases not defined in this section but defined in Chapter 70, Zoning, shall be given the meanings set forth in Chapter 70. Principles for computing sign area and sign height are contained in § 53-2.2. All other words and phrases shall be given their common, ordinary meaning, unless the context clearly requires otherwise. Section headings or captions are for reference purposes only and shall not be used in the interpretation of this chapter.
Any change in size, shape, location, color, lighting, style
of lettering, name of business, location or height of a sign from
the terms of its permit.
Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict
action or create a special effect or scene.
Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is
mounted to a pole or building by a frame at one or more edges. National
flags or state or municipal flags shall not be considered to be banners.
Any light with one or more beams directed onto the atmosphere
directed at one or more points not on the same zone lot as the source;
also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or move.
Any sign indicating the name of a building or date and incidental
information about its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry
surface or made of bronze or other similar permanent material.
Any sign attached directly to any building wall, as contrasted
to a freestanding sign.
Any sign that is part of an attached awning, canopy of fabric
or plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance,
window or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations
that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or surface
of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than one time
per three days shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable
copy sign for the purposes of this chapter. A sign on which the only
copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time
or temperature, or "Vacancy" and "No Vacancy" signs used in conjunction
with approved motel signs shall not be considered a changeable copy
sign for the purposes of this chapter.
Any wording, logo or other representation that, directly
or indirectly, names, advertises or calls attention to a business,
product, service or other commercial activity.
Any sign designed solely for the purpose of traffic and pedestrian
direction, and may be located on the property to which the public
is directed.
Any sign which lists the tenants or occupants of a building
and that may indicate their respective professions.
The district underlying the property, as defined by the Zoning
District Map of the Town of Williamstown, as amended. If the property
is divided by two zoning districts, the district underlying the building
shall be considered the district for the purposes of this chapter.
Any fabric, banner or bunting containing distinctive colors,
patterns or symbols, used as a symbol of a government or political
subdivision.
Any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed
upon, or anchored upon the ground and that are independent from any
building or other structure.
A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary
to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as "no parking,"
"entrance," "loading only," "telephone" and other similar directives.
No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the
zone lot on which the sign is located shall be considered incidental.
A sign which is externally lit, but its lighting is integral
to the sign, such as bulbs that spell out the sign message.
Any permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building
or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of the building,
generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the
weather.
Any sign attached to, in any manner, or made part of the
marquee.
Any sign that would be permitted under this chapter with
a sign permit, but which was in existence on May 17, 1994, and which
was constructed in accordance with the applicable Bylaw provisions
in effect on the date of its construction, but which is not in conformance
with the standards or requirements of this chapter.
Any freestanding sign relating to a business, service, activity
or product not related to the premises upon which the sign is located.
Any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether
or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire
or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.
Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other
permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported by wheels;
signs converted to A- or T-frames; menu and sandwich board signs;
balloons used as signs; umbrellas used as advertising; and signs attached
to or painted on vehicles and visible from the public right-of-way,
unless said vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of
the business.
The building in which is conducted the principal use of the
lot on which it is located. Lots with multiple principal uses may
have multiple principal buildings. Storage buildings, garages and
other clearly accessory uses shall not be considered principal buildings.
Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that
its leading edge extends more the six inches beyond the surface of
such building or wall.
Any sign located in a residentially zoned district that contains
no commercial message except advertising for goods or services legally
offered on the premises where the sign is located.
Any sign erected or constructed wholly on and over the roof
of a building, supported by the roof structure, and extending vertically
above the eave line or parapet of the building, except that a sign
placed entirely within the gable end of a building with a pitched
roof shall not be considered a roof sign.
Any sign erected as an integral part of a normal roof structure
of any design, such that no part of the sign extends vertically above
the highest portion of the roof and such that no part of the sign
is separated from the rest of the roof by a space of more than six
inches.
The distance from the property line to the nearest part of
the applicable building, structure or sign, measured perpendicularly
to the property line.
Any device, fixture, placard or structure that uses color,
form, graphics, illumination, symbols or writing to advertise, announce
the purpose of or identify the purpose of a person or entity, or to
communicate information of any kind to the public and is on private
property, within public view of a public way, public park or reservation.
The dividing line between a street and a lot, and in the
case of a public way, the street line established by the authority
laying out the way upon which the lot abuts.
A sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal
plane surface and is supported by such surface.
Any sign that is used only temporarily and is not permanently
mounted.
Illumination provided by a tube filled with neon or other
gas in which the tube is bent to form letters, symbols or other shapes.
Any sign attached parallel to, but within six inches of,
a wall, painted on the wall surface of or erected and confined within
the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which
is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one
sign surface.
Any sign, pictures or symbol, or combination thereof, designed
to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity,
event, sale or service that is placed inside a window or upon the
windowpanes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window.
A parcel of land in single ownership that is of sufficient size to meet minimum zoning requirements for area, coverage and use, and that can provide such yards and other open spaces as required by Chapter 70, Zoning.
The following principles shall control the computation
of sign area and height:
A.Â
Computation of area of individual signs. The area of a sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, rectangle, triangle, circle or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets the dimensional requirements of Chapter 70, Zoning, and is clearly incidental to the display itself.
B.Â
Computation of the area of multifaced signs. The sign
area for a sign with more than one face shall be computed by adding
together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point. When
two identical sign faces are placed back to back, so that both faces
cannot be viewed from any point at the same time, and when such sign
faces are part of the same sign structure and not more than 12 inches
apart, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of
the faces.
C.Â
Computation of height. The height of a sign shall
be computed as the distance from the base of the sign, or grade from
the nearest roadway, to the top of the highest attached component
of the sign, whichever is lower.
