The purposes of these sign regulations are to:
A. 
Encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication in the City of Laconia.
B. 
Maintain and enhance the aesthetic environment of the City while retaining the City's ability to attract and encourage economic development and growth.
C. 
Improve pedestrian and traffic safety.
D. 
Minimize possible adverse effects of signs on nearby public and private property.
E. 
Enable fair and consistent enforcement of these sign regulations.
[Amended 8-14-2000 by Ord. No. 07.2000.07]
Except as otherwise provided in § 235-53, Signs allowed and exempted from permit requirements, no sign may be erected, placed, replaced, moved, enlarged, illuminated, or substantially altered in the City of Laconia without a permit in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. No permit shall be issued until a Master Signage Plan is filed with the City of Laconia for the parcel on which a permit is being sought. A permit application and fee shall be submitted to the Director of Planning and Community Development or his or her designee and include a set of plans to an appropriate scale showing the location, size, method of illumination and materials proposed for said sign. If required for development of the parcel, site plan approval from the Planning Board must be received prior to issuance of a permit.
The following signs, excluding those prohibited under § 235-57, Prohibited signs, are exempt from the permit requirements of § 235-52, Permit required. The failure to comply with any provisions of this section is considered a violation of this chapter:
A. 
Permanent signs. Permanent signs are as follows:
(1) 
Signs not exceeding four square feet in area that are customarily associated with residential use and that are not of a commercial nature, such as:
(a) 
Nameplate signs giving property identification names or numbers or names of occupants.
(b) 
Signs on mailboxes or newspaper tubes.
(c) 
Signs posted on private property relating to private parking or warning the public against trespassing or danger from animals.
(2) 
Signs erected by or on behalf of or pursuant to the authorization of a governmental body, including legal notices, identification and informational signs, and traffic, directional or regulatory signs.
(3) 
Official signs of a noncommercial nature erected by public utilities.
(4) 
Flags of any governmental organization when not displayed in connection with a commercial promotion or as an advertising device. No flag shall exceed 60 square feet in area or be flown from a pole which is more than 40 feet in height from ground level.
(5) 
Incidental signs directing and guiding traffic on private property that do not exceed four square feet each and that bear no advertising matter.
(6) 
Building marker signs that do not exceed four square feet in area.
B. 
Temporary signs. Temporary signs are as follows:
(1) 
On-premises signs containing the message that the real estate on which the sign is located [including building(s)] is for sale, lease or rent, together with information identifying the owner or agent.
[Amended 10-14-1997 by Ord. No. 10.97.10; 8-14-2000 by Ord. No. 07.200.07; 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(a) 
Individual lots. Such signs may not exceed six square feet in area in residential districts or 32 square feet in area in nonresidential districts and shall be removed within 14 days after the sale, lease or rental of the property. For lots of less than five acres, a single sign on each street frontage may be erected. For lots of five acres or more in area and having a street frontage in excess of 400 feet, a second sign not exceeding six square feet in area may be erected.
(b) 
Subdivision developments. Where multiple lots within a single subdivision are being marketed for sale, one on-premises sign, up to 32 square feet in area, may be erected. Provided it is maintained in good repair, as determined by the Director of Planning and Community Development or his or her designee, it may remain in place for no longer than two years with one two-year extension as may be issued by the Director of Planning and Community Development or his or her designee.
(2) 
Construction site identification signs. Such on-premises signs may identify the project, the owner or developer, architect, engineer, contractor and subcontractors, funding sources, and may contain related information including but not limited to sale or leasing information. Not more than one such sign may be erected per site, and it may not exceed 32 square feet in area. Such signs shall not be erected prior to the issuance of a building permit and shall be removed within 30 days after the issuance of the final occupancy permit.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(3) 
Signs attached temporarily to the interior of a building window or glass door. Such signs, individually or collectively, may not cover more than 75% of the surface area of the transparent portion of the window or door to which they are attached. Such signs shall be removed within 30 days after placement.
(4) 
Displays, including lighting, erected in connection with the observance of holidays. Such signs shall be removed within 30 days following the holidays.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(5) 
Political signs erected in connection with elections or political campaigns pursuant to RSA 664, Placement and Removal of Political Advertising. Such signs shall be removed by the candidate no later than the second Friday following the election unless the election is a primary and the advertising concerns a candidate who is a winner in the primary. No such sign may exceed 16 square feet in area.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(6) 
Signs, including pennant signs, indicating that a special event such as a grand opening, fair, carnival, circus, festival, or similar event is to take place on the lot where the sign is located. Such signs may be erected not sooner than three weeks before the event and must be removed not later than five days after the event.
(7) 
Temporary on-premises signs not covered in the foregoing categories. Such signs must meet the following restrictions:
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(a) 
Not more than one such sign may be located on any lot.
(b) 
Such a sign may not be displayed for longer than seven consecutive days nor more than 14 days out of any one-year period.
(c) 
No such sign may exceed four square feet in area.
A. 
All signs shall be designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with this chapter, the Building Code and the Electrical Code.[1] Except for portable signs, all signs shall be constructed of permanent materials and shall be permanently attached to the ground, a building or other structure. All signs shall be maintained in good structural condition in compliance with the Building and Electrical Codes and with this chapter at all times.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 119, Building Construction, and Ch. 135, Electrical Standards.
B. 
Signs within the Commercial Core Parking Overlay District shall be constructed of natural materials, including wood, masonry, stone, metal or other material that resembles a natural material. Sign design shall be complimentary to the architectural style of the building and be similar to signage that respects the historical period of the structure.
[Added 5-22-2000 by Ord. No. 05.2000.05; amended 8-26-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-235]
No permit shall be issued for an individual sign requiring a permit unless and until a Master Signage Plan for the lot on which the sign will be erected has been submitted. No sign permit shall be issued if the Master Signage Plan reveals that the total existing sign area on a lot, or the total existing sign area for an individual principal use on a lot is in excess of the sign area standards contained in this chapter. If the total existing sign area on a lot or for an individual principal use on a lot is reduced so as to comply with the sign area standards, then additional sign permits may be issued, provided that the lot or the individual principal use on a lot remains in compliance with the sign area standards at all times. The Master Signage Plan shall contain the following:
A. 
An accurate plan of the lot, to scale, showing the location of buildings, parking lots, driveways and landscaped areas.
B. 
The location of all existing signs.
C. 
A description of each existing sign including type, size, height above ground, materials and method of illumination. If located on a building, the location shall be described.
D. 
A photograph of each existing sign shall be included.
E. 
The location of each proposed or future sign for which applications for permits will be submitted.
A. 
Computation of area of individual signs. The area of a sign shall include all of the surface area on which the letters, pictures, designs and symbols appear, together with the background, on which they are displayed, whether open or closed, and all beveled, rounded, angled or bordering surfaces intended or designed to enhance the visual impact of the sign. The area of a sign does not include its sides, or any supporting framework and bracing that is incidental to the display itself and is not designed to attract attention. Where the sign consists of letters or symbols affixed to a surface or building, without any distinguishing border, panel or background, the area shall be considered to be the smallest rectangle or shape which encompasses all of the letters and symbols. The area of one face of a double-faced sign, even if the two faces are not identical in message, shall be regarded as the total area of the sign, provided that such sign faces are part of the same sign structure and are not more than 42 inches apart.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
B. 
Computation of height of a freestanding sign. The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of the existing grades before construction, or the newly established grade after construction exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.
C. 
Properties bisected by district boundaries shall abide by the most restrictive zone's sign regulations.
[Added 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
All signs not expressly permitted under this chapter or exempt from permit requirements hereunder are prohibited in the City of Laconia. Such signs include, but are not limited to, the following:
A. 
On corner lots, signs of a height between 21/2 and eight feet above street grade in an area bounded by the adjacent street right-of-way lines and a straight line joining points along said right-of-way lines 20 feet from the point of their intersection.
B. 
Signs, or any point in a sign, higher than the roof ridge, the plate of a flat roof or the highest point of the roof.
C. 
Wall signs installed in such a way that windows on any story of a building are blocked.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
D. 
Projecting signs that are lower than eight feet above grade or protrude above the sills of the windows above the first story.
E. 
Pennant signs except as specified in § 235-53B, Temporary signs.
F. 
No sign shall contain any flashing lights, except such portion of a sign which consists solely of indicators of time and temperature or is part of an animated sign.
[Added 10-14-1997 by Ord. No. 10.97.10]
G. 
Off-premises signs, except for temporary signs permitted, shall meet zoning standards, and may be allowed by special exception by the Zoning Board of Adjustment if the Board determines:
[Added 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(1) 
Circumstances, unique to the structure, use or access, and the area in which the structure, use or access is located, exist; and
(2) 
The additional sign or sign area is necessary or desirable for public information and safety; and
(3) 
The additional sign or sign area is compatible with the area in which the sign will be located.
(4) 
Off-premises temporary signs for the purposes of advertising special events shall be exempt from this section.
The following table displays the number, area and type of signs permitted for nonresidential uses in each of the zoning districts, and subject to the following provisions:[1]
A. 
The total number of signs for each business is indicated in the table. The total sign area for each lot shall not exceed the lesser of the following:
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
(1) 
In the C and CR Districts, an area equal to 1.5 square foot per linear sign frontage, or the maximum sign area indicated in the table.
(2) 
In all other districts, an area equal to one square foot per linear sign frontage, or the maximum sign area indicated in the table.
B. 
Freestanding and portable signs are permitted on the basis of one per lot where the lot frontage is less than or equal to 500 feet. Where lot frontage is greater than 500 feet, a second freestanding and a second portable sign are permitted.
C. 
Where there is no sign frontage on a lot, freestanding and portable signs are permitted with sign areas that do not exceed the maximum sign area indicated in the table.
D. 
For uses located on upper and lower floors with no sign frontage, window signs are permitted in addition to identification on a directory sign affixed to the building at the ground floor entry door providing access to said use. Directory signs are limited to 12 square feet in size.
E. 
Portable signs shall be located so as not to inhibit, obstruct or be a safety hazard to pedestrian and vehicular circulation.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said table is included at the end of this chapter.
[Amended 10-14-1997 by Ord. No. 10.97.10]
Development identification signs shall not be considered in the calculation of any total square footage of sign area permitted on individual lots or for individual tenants or occupants. However, they shall meet the height requirement in the district in which they are located.
A. 
Residential. One freestanding sign of up to 20 square feet in area is permitted at the main entrance to a residential subdivision or development for the purpose of identifying such subdivision or development. Where such developments or subdivisions are further subdivided into distinct areas, an additional freestanding identification sign of up to 12 square feet in area may be erected at the access point to said area.
B. 
Nonresidential. For nonresidential developments, the property or building name may be displayed on one of the permitted signs. The maximum area of the single sign utilized for this purpose may be increased by 30% for the purpose of displaying this information as a development identification sign, in which case no separate development identification sign shall be permitted.
[Amended 5-27-2014 by Ord. No. 03.2014.03]
A. 
No sign in residential districts may be illuminated from within, but may be illuminated by a fully shielded external light source. For nonresidential uses in residential districts, signs may be illuminated during the hours that the use is open or in operation, or between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
B. 
Fixtures used to illuminate signs shall be located, aimed, and shielded so as to minimize glare perceptible to drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other passersby within adjacent streets or rights-of-way. Light sources shall utilize energy efficient fixtures to the greatest extent practicable. Light fixtures, including bulbs or tubes, used for sign illumination shall be selected and positioned to achieve the desired brightness of the sign while ensuring compliance withal applicable requirements of this chapter.
C. 
Illuminance of a sign face shall not exceed the following standards:
(1) 
External illumination: Illumination suspended or located on the exterior of a sign, such as gooseneck fixtures, shall be limited to 50 footcandles as measured on the sign face.
(2) 
Internal illumination: Illumination of signs from within, but with no graphic displays, shall be limited to 10,000 nits (candelas per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source) during daylight hours and 500 nits between dusk and dawn, as measured at the sign's face.
(3) 
Direct illumination: No more than 10,000 nits during daylight hours and 500 nits between dusk and dawn, as measured at the sign's face.
(4) 
All electronic changing signs shall be equipped with automatic dimming controls, so the brightness level will be highest during the day and lowest at night. Manufacturer specifications shall be submitted at the time of the sign permit specifying maximum sign brightness.
D. 
Electronic message center (EMC). All permitted EMCs shall be equipped with a sensor or other device that automatically determines the ambient illumination and programmed to automatically dim according to ambient light conditions at all times of the day or night. Electronic changing signs may be freestanding or building mounted, one- or two-sided, may be a component of a larger sign or billboard, and shall conform to the following minimum requirements, along with all other requirements for signage within this chapter:
(1) 
Electronic message center portion of the sign shall not make up more than 75% of the actual sign surface. In no case shall an electronic message center exceed 32 square feet.
(2) 
Animation on static EMCs shall be limited to the actual changing of the message. No flashing, blinking, or pulsating of lights shall be allowed. Electronic message centers must be equipped to freeze in one position or discontinue the display in the event that a malfunction occurs.
(3) 
Minimum display time. All illumination elements on the face of static electronic changing signs shall remain at a fixed level of illumination for a period of not less than five minutes.
(4) 
No more than one EMC will be allowed per lot.
(5) 
Software for operating the EMC must be able to show current and factory brightness levels upon request. The owner/installer of electronic message displays shall certify as part of the application that signs will not exceed the brightness levels specified in this section.
Any applicant for a permit to locate a sign over the public right-of-way, in accordance with this chapter, shall file with the City a certificate of insurance indemnifying the City against any form of liability in the minimum amount of $100,000. No permit shall be issued prior to the receipt of said certificate and the permit shall be valid only so long as the certificate remains in effect. The policy shall provide for advance notification to the City in the event of cancellation. Should the policy lapse or be cancelled, the applicant shall remove the sign immediately.
A sign lawfully installed prior to the adoption of this chapter for which a permit has been previously issued, or if a permit is obtained for said sign within six months after the effective date of this chapter, shall be deemed a permitted nonconforming sign. Such a nonconforming sign shall, however, be subject to the following regulations:
A. 
No nonconforming sign shall be altered in any way in structure or material which makes the sign less in compliance with the requirements of this chapter than it was prior to the alteration.
B. 
No nonconforming sign shall be relocated to a position making it less in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
C. 
If the nonconforming sign is removed, except for maintenance or seasonal storage, it shall be replaced only with a sign that is in conformance with the provisions of this chapter.
D. 
Should a nonconforming sign be destroyed by any means to an extent of more than 75% of its replacement cost at the time of its destruction, it shall not be reconstructed except in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.