Definitions. The following words and terms shall, for the purposes
of this section and as used elsewhere in these regulations, have the
meanings shown herein:
A-FRAME SIGN
A portable, temporary sign or device capable of standing
without support or attachments.
ABANDONED SIGN
A sign that has ceased to be used for more than two years
or a sign that the owner or interested party no longer intends to
use for the display of sign content; provided, however, this shall
not relieve the owner or interested party of its obligation to remove
sign content to the extent that such content is obsolete.
ACCESSORY SIGN
A sign that advertises activities, goods, products, or a
specific use, owner, or tenant, available within the building or on
the premises on which the sign is located, or advertises the premises
as a whole or any part thereof for sale or rent.
ANIMATED SIGN
Any sign that uses movement or the illusion of movement or
a change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or
scene that is activated electrically, wirelessly, environmentally
(wind, thermal, and other similar changes), mechanically, manually
or by some other means using either:
1.
Flashing: Signs with illumination that are characterized by
a repetitive cycle in which the period of illumination is either the
same as or less than the period of nonillumination. For purposes hereof,
"flashing" will not be defined as occurring if the period between
on/off phases of illumination exceeds 60 minutes.
2.
Patterned illusionary movement: Signs with simulated movement
through alternate sequential activation of various illuminated elements
for the purpose of producing repetitive light patterns designed to
appear in some form of constant motion or action.
3.
Revolving: Signs that revolve about an axis.
|
Animated signs shall not be defined to include signs that only
display numeric or digital images of time/temperature.
|
APPLICANT/INTERESTED PARTY
Any advertiser, tenant, or other persons known to the Building
Commissioner as having control of or a substantial interest in said
sign.
AWNING
An architectural projection or shelter projecting from and
supported by the exterior wall of a building and composed of a covering
of rigid or nonrigid materials and or fabric on a supporting framework
that may be either permanent or retractable.
AWNING SIGN
An awning with sign content on the surface of the fringe
of an awning.
BANNER SIGN
A sign consisting of flexible substrate on which sign content
may be displayed.
BUILDING FRONTAGE
The length in feet of the ground floor level of the wall
of a building that faces a street from which legal frontage is derived.
CANOPY SIGN
A sign affixed to the visible surface of an attached or freestanding
canopy, which is a multisided overhead structure or architectural
projection supported by attachments to a building and cantilevered
or supported by columns. The surface or soffit of an attached canopy
may be illuminated by means of internal or external sources of light.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN
A nonaccessory sign that is located on the premises giving
direction and/or orientation for pedestrian or vehicular traffic within
said premises but containing no advertising material.
ELECTRIC MESSAGE BOARDS
A sign with the capability of content change by means of
manual or remote input that is not defined as an animated sign under
these regulations, may be used only on ground signs and with the issuance
of a special permit by the Board of Appeals.
ERECT
Shall mean and include the construction, placement, relocation,
enlargement, alteration, attachment, suspension, adhering, lettering,
posting, and any other manner of affixing a sign at any premises.
GROUND SIGN
Any sign erected on the ground which is self-supported and
anchored to the ground by a pole, columns, braces, or placed on the
ground and not attached to any building. See the figures shown on
Exhibit 1, attached hereto, for a depiction of permitted ground signs.
ILLUMINATED SIGN
Any sign illuminated by artificial light either projecting
through its surface (internally illuminated); or reflecting off its
surface (externally illuminated).
INTERIOR SIGNS
Any sign placed within a building, but not including window
signs as herein defined. Interior signs, with the exception of window
signs, are not regulated by this regulation.
OBSCENE
In accordance with MGL c. 272, § 1, any sign content
that would be defined as "obscene" if it: appeals to the prurient
interest of the average person applying the contemporary standards
of the county where the offense was committed; depicts or describes
sexual conduct in a potentially offensive way; and lacks serious literary,
artistic, or political or scientific value.
OFF-PREMISES SIGN
Any nonaccessory sign erected to advertise or give directions
to an establishment or merchandise which is not sold, produced, manufactured
or furnished at the premises on which the sign is located.
OWNER
The individual, partnership, company, corporation, or other
entity owning all or a portion of the premises or having a long-term
ground lease for the premises on which a sign is to be erected as
evidenced by a deed recorded with the Essex South District Registry
of Deeds for the premises or part thereof.
PERMANENT SIGN
Any sign permitted to be erected and maintained for more
than 60 days.
POLITICAL SIGN
A temporary sign intended to advance a political statement,
cause or candidate for office. A legally permitted outdoor advertising
sign shall not be considered to be a political sign.
PREMISES
Shall refer to an entire property, complex, park, development,
plaza, or center, which may consist of one or more individual lots
or tax parcels, including all buildings and improvements located thereon.
PROJECTING SIGN
Any sign which is attached or suspended from a building or
other structure and any part of which projects more than 12 inches
from the wall surface of that portion of the building or structure.
REAL ESTATE SIGN
A temporary sign advertising the sale, lease, or rental of
all or any part of the premises upon which it is located.
ROOF SIGN
Any sign erected, constructed, and maintained wholly upon,
connected to, or over the roof or parapet (extension of a building
façade about the line of the roof) of any building with the
entire support on the roof or roof structure. See the figure shown
on Exhibit 2, attached hereto, for a depiction of permitted roof signs.
SIGN
Any structure, mechanically or electrically driven, still
or moving device, light, letter, figure, word, model, banner, pennant,
trade flag, or representation that is designed to be seen from outside
the premises on which it is erected. It advertises activities, goods,
places, persons, objects, institutions, organizations, associations,
businesses or events, products, services, or facilities available
either on the premises where the sign appears or in some other location.
The definition includes electric signs in windows or doors, but does
not include window displays or merchandise. A sign may be permanent
or temporary.
SIGN AREA
The entire area of a sign within a single continuous perimeter
enclosing the extreme limits of lettering, representation, emblems,
or other figures, together with any material or color forming an integral
part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background
against which it is placed. Structural members bearing no sign content
and the address of the premises shall not be included in determining
sign area. See Exhibit 3, attached hereto, for an example of how to
compute sign area.
SIGN CONTENT
The information contained on the face of any sign.
SIGN PERMIT
A permit issued by the Building Commissioner entitling an
owner or applicant to erect a sign at a premises.
SPECIAL PERMIT
A special permit granted by the Board of Appeals pursuant
and in accordance with Section 9.4 of the Zoning Bylaws.
TEMPORARY SIGN
A sign permitted to be used on a short-term basis for the
duration of no longer than 60 days unless otherwise specifically provided
herein.
WALL SIGN
Any sign affixed to, suspended from or painted on an exterior
wall of a building or structure and that does not project more than
12 inches from the building or structure wall, including signs affixed
to architectural projections from a building, provided the sign content
remains on a parallel plane to the face of the building facade or
to the face of the architectural projection to which it is affixed.
See the figures shown on Exhibit 4, attached hereto, for a depiction
of permitted wall signs.
WINDOW SIGNS
Any sign affixed to the surface of or inside display windows,
lighted only by the general building illumination with its message
intended to be visible to and readable from the public way.