[R.O. 2011 §34-106; Ord. No. 6139 §1(Exh. A (part)), 1997]
It is unlawful to erect, permit the erection of, display or
permit the display of any sign in connection with any non-residential
use or in a non-residential zoning district unless such sign is expressly
permitted by this Article, subject to all of the limitations and provisions
stated in this Chapter.
[R.O. 2011 §34-106.1; Ord. No. 6139 §1(Exh. A (part)), 1997]
A. For
purposes of this Section, signs shall be classified as primary signs,
secondary signs, and special-purpose signs.
1. Identification signs are the only signs which are classified as primary
signs.
2. Secondary signs shall include the following signs: bulletin boards,
incidental signs, paper signs, public service message signs, temporary
promotional displays, and window signs.
3. Special purpose signs are limited to directory signs, parking direction
signs, parking regulation signs, directional signs, shopping center
identification signs, and marquee signs.
[R.O. 2011 §34-106.2; Ord. No. 6676 §1(part), 2006]
A. Each business or institution occupying the ground floor of a premise shall be permitted primary signs with a total gross sign area of not more than twenty-five (25) square feet. This total gross sign area may be increased to forty (40) square feet if the building frontage of the portion of the building occupied by the business or institution exceeds nineteen (19) feet, increased to eighty (80) square feet if the building frontage of the portion of the building occupied by the business or institution exceeds ninety (90) feet, and increased to one hundred twenty (120) square feet if the building frontage of the portion of the building occupied by the business or institution exceeds one hundred twenty (120) feet. Primary signs may be freestanding signs, wall signs, roof signs, window signs, or signs affixed to or painted on canopies or awnings, subject to the limitations stated herein. In the "CC" Core Commercial District the above may include wall signs perpendicular to the face of the building if erected according the regulations set forth in Section
400.2220(B)(3).
B. Each business or institution occupying a floor of premises other than the ground floor and having a direct exterior entrance to that business or institution on that floor shall be permitted primary wall or window signs of not more than four (4) square feet. The sign shall only be displayed on the part of the building occupied by that business or institution. If applicable, the business or institution shall be limited to either primary signs or ground floor entrance signs (as described in Subsection
(C) of this Section), but not both. In the "CC" Core Commercial District the above may include wall signs perpendicular to the face of the building if erected according the regulations set forth in Section
400.2220(B)(3).
C. In
addition, each business or institution with no ground floor frontage
other than an entrance on the ground floor shall be permitted to install
a single wall sign, window sign or sign affixed to or painted on a
canopy or awning, provided the sign does not project beyond the limits
of the width of the entrance and the height of the ground floor story.
Such sign shall be limited to a gross sign area equal to one and one-half
(1½) square feet for each foot of building frontage occupied
by the entrance up to a maximum of fifteen (15) square feet. Where
open letter signs are used, the full area of the enclosing rectangle
or circle shall be counted as the gross area of the sign. Where an
entrance is shared by more than one (1) business or institution, only
one (1) sign shall be installed which shall contain the identification
for no more than three (3) businesses or institutions. The term
"entrance", where used in this Subsection, means the space which is allocated to providing ground floor access from the exterior of the building and which is not part of a ground floor tenant space. In the "CC" Core Commercial District the above may include wall signs perpendicular to the face of the building if erected according the regulations set forth in Section
400.2220(B)(3).
D. Freestanding Primary Signs. Each business or institution
occupying the ground floor of a premise (and not located within a
strip center or shopping center) shall be permitted one (1) freestanding
primary sign, not exceeding ten (10) feet in sign height, for each
street frontage; except that when the street frontage exceeds three
hundred (300) feet, such freestanding sign may be increased in sign
height to a maximum of twenty-two (22) feet.
E. Canopy And Awning Signs. Signs may be attached to or painted
directly on a canopy or awning provided such signs shall not extend
beyond the bottom edge of such canopy or awning.
F. Roof Signs. No signs shall be constructed on or project
above the roof unless the sign is composed of individual freestanding
letters or connected strip lettering which does not exceed twenty-four
(24) inches in height above the leading edge of the roof.
G. High-Rise Building Identification Wall Sign. For those buildings
in excess of one hundred (100) feet in height, one (1) building identification
wall sign shall be permitted for each building facade, with a total
of no more than four (4) such signs, containing only the name of the
building or institution, and/or the address in conformance with the
limitations stated below.
1. For signs affixed to a building at a height of seventy-five (75)
feet or less, the gross sign area shall not exceed four (4) feet times
the horizontal dimension of the building facade at the elevation of
the facade where the sign is located; and no sign shall be placed
closer than four (4) feet to the vertical edge, line or corner of
the facade.
2. For signs affixed to a building at a height of seventy-five (75)
feet to one hundred fifty (150) feet, the gross sign area shall not
exceed six (6) feet times the horizontal dimension of the building
facade at the elevation of the facade where the sign is to be placed,
and no sign shall be placed closer than six (6) feet to the vertical
edge, line or corner of the facade.
3. For signs affixed to a building at a height greater than one hundred
fifty (150) feet, the gross sign area shall not exceed seven (7) feet
times the horizontal dimension of the building facade at the elevation
of the facade where the sign is placed; and no sign shall be placed
closer than seven (7) feet to the vertical edge or corner of the facade.
H. Painted Wall And Roof Signs. Painted wall and roof signs
shall be permitted only after posting a bond in a form acceptable
by the City in the amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for
the removal of the sign by sandblasting, re-roofing or other approved
means should the sign become an obsolete sign as defined herein.
[R.O. 2011 §34-106.3; Ord. No. 6139 §1(Exh. A (part)), 1997; Ord. No.
6401 §1(part), 2002; Ord. No.
6496 §1, 2004]
A. Signs
authorized by this Subsection are not to be included in calculating
the allowable gross area for primary signs. Except for temporary promotional
displays, the total gross sign area of all secondary signs shall not
exceed sixty percent (60%) of the allowable gross sign area for primary
signs, except that this limit shall not apply to incidental signs
associated with non-residential uses in the "CC" district.
1. Bulletin boards. No more than one (1) bulletin board,
not exceeding twelve (12) square feet in area, shall be permitted
for each street frontage.
2. Incidental signs. No more than four (4) incidental
signs may be attached to a ground sign structure or to a building
wall, but shall not be attached perpendicular to the wall. Such signs
shall be restricted to trading stamps, credit cards accepted, notices
of services or restrictions, or shall pertain to a major service,
commodity or facility offered on the premises. The area of any one
(1) incidental sign shall not exceed eight (8) square feet.
3. Paper signs and temporary window signs. The total
gross sign area of all paper signs and temporary window signs shall
not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the allowable gross sign area for
primary signs for the street frontage on which the signs are displayed.
Window signs shall not be located in the area between four (4) feet
and seven (7) feet above the level of the ground floor.
4. Public service message signs. Public service message
signs shall be permitted when attached to a freestanding sign or to
a building wall, provided the street frontage of the use involving
the sign exceeds three hundred (300) feet along the street on which
the sign is located. The illuminated message area shall not exceed
ten (10) square feet in area.
5. Temporary promotional displays. Temporary promotional
displays shall be permitted for a maximum of forty (40) calendar days
during a calendar year, with a gross sign area equal to the maximum
gross sign area permitted for primary signs for said use, provided
the displays are securely mounted to minimize movement due to wind
and air currents and a permit is obtained for such temporary promotional
display prior to installation. A permit shall be required for each
incremental period for up to ten (10) days at a time; provided however,
no incremental display period shall exceed ten (10) consecutive days
per permit (any further time increments will require a separate permit).
Such permit shall not be issued unless a permit fee of eleven dollars
forty cents ($11.40) is first paid to the City of University City.
[R.O. 2011 §34-106.4; Ord. No. 6139 §1(Exh. A (part)), 1997]
A. Signs
authorized in this Subsection are not to be included in calculating
the allowable sign area for primary signs.
1. Parking direction signs. Freestanding parking direction
signs shall be permitted for each driveway provided the sign does
not exceed twelve (12) square feet in gross sign area, the sign height
does not exceed five (5) feet, and no portion of the sign is located
closer than twelve (12) feet from a street curb line. If the sign
is located at a private driveway which is for the exclusive use of
a single business or institution, the sign may contain the name or
address of such business or institution. If the driveway is not for
the exclusive use of a single business or institution, the parking
directional sign shall be limited to directional information only
and shall not contain any other information such as the name or address
of a business or institution.
2. Directional signs. Directional signs other than
parking direction signs shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet in
gross sign area or ten (10) feet in sign height and shall not be located
within fifty (50) feet of a public or private right-of-way.
3. Parking regulation signs. One (1) non-illuminated
parking regulation sign, not exceeding five (5) square feet in gross
sign area and not exceeding ten (10) feet in sign height, shall be
permitted for each parking lot. Parking lots with more than twenty
(20) parking spaces shall be permitted one (1) sign for each twenty
(20) parking spaces or fraction thereof.
4. Directory signs. Buildings or a group of buildings
containing various businesses or activities are permitted one (1)
directory sign at or near each building or courtyard entrance. Such
sign shall contain only the names of the businesses served by such
entrance or courtyard and shall not exceed a gross sign area of one
(1) square foot times the number of businesses listed on the sign.
5. Shopping center identification signs. Multi-tenant
shopping centers containing a minimum of fifteen thousand (15,000)
square feet of floor area, a minimum of four (4) establishments, and
a minimum of three hundred (300) feet of street frontage shall be
permitted a shopping center identification sign which may be a wall
sign or a freestanding sign not exceeding twenty-two (22) feet in
sign height and located with a setback of at least five (5) feet from
the right-of-way line. Such shopping center identification sign shall
not exceed eighty (80) square feet in gross sign area and may include
the name of the shopping center, address, and directory information.
6. Marquee signs. Marquee signs for theaters, cinemas, exhibition centers and similar public assembly uses shall be permitted only upon issuance of a conditional use permit in accordance with Article
XI of this Chapter.
7. Group directory signs. Groups of businesses or institutions
shall be permitted one (1) freestanding directory sign, provided that:
a. The group contains a minimum of four (4) establishments with a minimum
average floor area of four thousand (4,000) square feet each; and
b. The sign does not exceed forty (40) square feet in gross sign area
and ten (10) feet in sign height; provided however, if the street
frontage for the group is over three hundred (300) lineal feet, the
sign may be increased to eighty (80) square feet in gross sign area
and fifteen (15) feet in sign height. A commercial group directory
sign which exceeds either ten (10) feet in height or forty (40) square
feet in area shall maintain a minimum right-of-way setback of five
(5) feet and shall not be located closer than one hundred fifty (150)
feet from any property which does not contain a building or establishment
in the group; and
c. No other freestanding signs related to businesses within the group,
other than parking direction signs and directional signs not exceeding
six (6) feet in height, shall be located within two hundred (200)
feet of a commercial group directory sign. A commercial group directory
sign may include the name of the commercial group, address and directory
information.