[Amended 11-1-2005 by Ord. No. 53-05; 4-3-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-10; 8-17-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-18; 10-4-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-18]
The sign regulations provide standards for communicating information
in the environment of the City of Seward and its jurisdiction. The
regulations recognize the need to protect public health, safety, and
welfare; to maintain the City's attractive appearance; to provide
for adequate business identification, advertising, and communication
of information; and to encourage the fair enforcement of sign regulations.
The following definitions shall be used for terms contained
in this article that are not otherwise defined in the Seward Municipal
Code or in this Unified Land Development Ordinance:
ATTACHED SIGN
A sign that is structurally connected to a building or depends
upon that building for support.
AUXILIARY DESIGN ELEMENTS
Terms that describe secondary characteristics of a sign,
including its method of illumination and other features within the
bounds of its basic shape.
AWNING AND AWNING SIGN
A temporary or movable shelter supported entirely from the
exterior wall of a building and composed of nonrigid materials, except
for a supporting framework. An awning sign is a message printed on
such a shelter.
BANNER
Material with a printed message or graphic secured or mounted
on a structure in such a way as to allow wind movement.
BUILDING MARKER
An historic or commemorative plaque; or a building name or
cornerstone carved into a masonry surface.
CLEARANCE
The distance from the bottom of a sign face elevated above
grade and the grade below.
DETACHED SIGN
A sign that is self-supporting and structurally independent
from any building.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN
A sign that serves only to designate the location or direction
of any area or place.
DOUBLE-FACED SIGN
A sign consisting of no more than two parallel or near-parallel
faces supported by a single structure. The angle created by the two
faces of a double-faced sign shall not exceed 15°.
ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SIGNS
Signs which use an array of electrically illuminated lights,
generally controlled by a computer or other electronic programming
device, to display information or supporting graphics.
FLAG SIGN
A sign that is emblazoned on a flag and intended to be displayed
in a free- flowing manner.
FLASHING SIGN
A sign that has a lighting source or lighting element that
periodically illuminates or is not maintained stationary or constant
in intensity and/or color at all times when the sign is in use, usually
in a manner so as to draw the attention of the viewer. This definition
specifically excludes electronic information signs.
FRONTAGE
The length of a property line of any one premises abutting
and parallel to a public street, private way or court.
GROUND SIGN
A detached on-premises sign built on a freestanding frame,
mast or pole(s) with a clearance no greater than three feet.
ILLUMINATION
Lighting sources installed for the primary purpose of lighting
a specific sign or group of signs.
MARQUEE
A permanent roofed structure attached to and supported by
a building and extending over a public right-of-way.
MONUMENT SIGN
An on-premises freestanding sign with the appearance of a
solid base.
MOVING SIGN
A sign that conveys its message through rotating, changing
or animated elements.
NONCONFORMING SIGN
A sign that was legally erected prior to the adoption of
this chapter or any amendment thereto but which violates the regulations
of this chapter.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN
A panel for the display of information relating to a business,
product, event, or other subject of advertising or publicity. Outdoor
advertising signs may advertise on-premises or off-premises businesses
or products, but are not included in the definition of "premises identification
sign." Special regulations or permissions apply to outdoor advertising
signs in certain geographic locations within the City of Seward and
its jurisdiction.
POLE SIGN
An on-premises sign built on a freestanding frame, mast or
pole(s) with a clearance greater than three feet.
PORTABLE SIGN
Any sign supported by frames or posts rigidly attached to
bases not permanently attached to the ground or a building and capable
of being moved from place to place.
PREMISES
A tract of one or more lots or sites that are contiguous
and under common ownership or control.
PREMISES IDENTIFICATION SIGN
A sign which pertains to the use of a premises and which
contains information about the owner or operator of that use; the
type of business being conducted or the principal brand name of a
commodity sold on the premises; and other information relative to
the conduct of the use.
PROJECTING SIGN
A sign, other than a wall sign, that is attached to and projects
from a building face.
RESIDENTIAL SIGN
A small detached or attached sign located on a residential
premises, conveying a message communicated by the owner of the property.
ROOF SIGN
Any sign or part of sign erected upon, against, or directly
above a roof or on top of or above the parapet or cornice of a building.
A.
INTEGRAL ROOF SIGNA roof sign positioned between an eave line and the peak or highest point on a roof, substantially parallel to the face of a building.
SIGN
A symbolic, visual device fixed upon a building, vehicle,
structure, or parcel of land which is intended to convey information
about a product, business, activity, place, person, institution, candidate
or political idea.
SIGN TYPE
A functional description of the use of an individual sign;
includes owner identification, advertising, directional, electronic
message, and temporary.
STREET FACADE
Any separate external face of a building, including parapet
walls and omitted wall lines, oriented to and facing a public street,
private way, or court. Separate faces oriented in the same direction
or within 45° of one another are considered part of the same street
facade.
TEMPORARY SIGN
Any sign designed or fabricated of materials of relatively
low durability; or is portable or easily removable.
WALL SIGN
A sign attached to and parallel with the side of a building.
WINDOW SIGN
A sign painted on or installed inside a window for the purpose
of viewing from outside the premises.
ZONE LOT
A parcel of land in single ownership that is large enough
to meet the minimum zoning requirements of its zoning district and
can provide such yards and other open spaces that are required by
the site development regulations.
Table 35D,
included as an attachment to this chapter, sets forth the maximum permitted number of signs per premises; the maximum permitted dimensions of each sign; and the required setbacks for detached signs.
Within the total amount of sign area permitted to them, some
parcels at specific locations in the AG, C-2, I-1 and I-2 Zoning Districts
may elect to devote a portion of their sign budgets to installation
of an outdoor advertising sign, subject to the conditions contained
in this section. This provides a variation from the maximum size of
an individual detached sign set forth in Table 35C.
A. Location. Eligible properties must be located within an AG, C-2,
I-1 or I-2 District along Nebraska Highway 15 or U.S. Highway 34.
B. Impact on business identification and other signage. Utilization
of this provision does not entitle any parcel to additional permitted
sign area, and the area of the sign counts against the total sign
area permitted the parcel. The outdoor advertising sign shall count
as a detached sign for the purpose of calculating the total number
of permitted detached signs.
C. Maximum size and height.
(1)
The size of an outdoor advertising sign shall not exceed 500
square feet.
(2)
The maximum height of such a sign shall be 35 feet.
D. Separation factors.
(1)
Where permitted along Nebraska Highway 15, outdoor advertising
signs in excess of the maximum size permitted by Table 35D shall be
separated by 2,000 feet from any other outdoor advertising sign of
any size and 300 feet from any other detached sign.
(2)
Any such outdoor advertising sign shall be separated by 200
feet from any property in a residential zoning district, including
RR through R-4 and RM Districts.
E. Other standards.
(1)
New installations of stacked signs or other installations of
two signs facing the same direction on a single structure are prohibited.
(2)
The area around the base of the sign shall be maintained by the sign owner or property owner in clean condition. A radius of 10 feet around the base of the sign shall be landscaped in accordance with the provisions of Article
33.
(3)
Nothing in this section shall be taken to abrogate or limit
the ability of a property owner to devote a sign that is fully consistent
with the regulations and dimensions set forth by Tables 35C and 35D
for an advertising message. This section only addresses terms under
which a larger than otherwise permitted outdoor advertising sign may
be installed.
For projects with an overall site area in excess of six acres,
an applicant may submit a sign master plan, detailing the size, location,
and design of all signs on the site. The sign master plan may adjust
the strict application of these standards, but must clarify the exact
nature of the adjustments. Such a sign master plan shall be approved
by the City Council after review and recommendation by the Planning
Commission. This review follows the same process as review of a PUD
District.