The purpose of this article is to permit signs
that will not, by reason of their size, location, construction or
manner of display, endanger the public safety of individuals, confuse,
mislead or obstruct the vision necessary for traffic safety or otherwise
endanger public health, safety, morals and general welfare; to permit
and regulate signs in such a way as to support and complement land
use objectives set forth in this chapter; to prevent the proliferation
of signs which detract from the appreciation of the landscape; and
to preserve and enhance the attractiveness of Caroline County.
[Added 8-12-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-1]
Electronic message board signs, as defined in Article
I of this chapter are permitted in accordance with the following terms, conditions and criteria:
A. Electronic message boards are not permitted in the R-1 and R-2 Residential
Zoning Districts and only by special use exception in the VC and VN
Rural Village Zoning Districts.
B. The surface area copy may not change more frequently than once every
two minutes.
C. The change of copy shall occur simultaneously for the entire electronic
sign face. The time to complete the change from one message to the
next is a maximum of one second.
D. Electronic message boards shall contain a default mechanism that
will cause the sign to revert immediately to a black screen if a malfunction
occurs.
E. Electronic message boards shall have no revolving, flashing, moving,
scrolling, rotating, or similar intermittent lights or features that
simulate movement.
F. An electronic message board display may not be animated, play video
or audio messages or blink in any manner.
G. An electronic message board display shall consist only of alphabetic
or numeric characters on a plain background and may not include any
graphic, pictorial or photographic images.
H. Electronic message boards shall not exceed a maximum illumination
of 5,000 nits during daylight hours and a maximum illumination of
500 nits for the time period between 1/2 hour before sunset and 1/2
hour after sunrise as measured from the sign's face at maximum brightness.
(1)
The applicant shall provide written certification from the sign
manufacturer that the light intensity has been factory preset not
to exceed the levels specified above, and the intensity level is protected
from end-user manipulation by password protected software or other
appropriate methods.
(2)
The change from 5,000 nits to 500 nits shall be controlled by
an automatic dimmer control system.
I. There shall be only one electronic message board on each parcel of
land.
J. Each electronic message board shall be permanently installed or located.
K. Electronic message boards shall not be located within 300 feet of
a traffic light.
L. Electronic message boards shall not exceed 30% of the sign surface
up to a maximum of 32 square feet.
Every application for a sign permit shall be
accompanied by plans drawn to scale and shall include the following:
A. The dimensions of the sign and its supporting structure.
In addition, the dimensions of and location on the building wall surface
shall be included when the sign is to be attached to a building.
B. The proposed location of the sign in relation to the
boundaries of the lot upon which it is to be situated.
C. The wording or design to be carried on the sign.
D. The manner of illuminating and securing the sign to
a building, structure or ground.
E. For all off-premises signs, written permission from
the owner(s) of the property where the sign is to be erected.
F. Materials used in the construction of the sign.
Types of signs that are permitted in Caroline
County and the specific regulations applicable to them are included
in tables specifically concerning on-premises and off-premises signs
found at the end of this chapter.