The Building Official is the primary City official responsible for enforcing the provisions of this article. However, the City Manager, in his or her discretion, may delegate the authority of enforcing the provisions of this article to any official or employee of the City.
(Ordinance 6773 adopted 5/19/15; Ordinance 7040 adopted 2/19/19)
(A) 
Permit Required.
No person may erect, construct, alter, rebuild, enlarge, extend, convert, replace, or relocate, a sign, or cause or suffer the same to be done without first obtaining a sign permit for each sign (except for certain exempt signs as provided in Section 4.67 and as otherwise provided below). A sign permit applies to only one applicant and one physical location.
(B) 
Responsible Official.
The Building Official, or his or her designee, is the responsible official for issuance of a sign permit.
(C) 
Creation of a Site.
The Building Official may not issue a permit for construction, erection, or placement of any type of permanent sign until a site is established for the sign by an approved site permit, building permit, or certificate of occupancy (whichever comes first for a particular project).
(D) 
Application.
To obtain a sign permit, the applicant must file an official application in writing and include plans and all information required by the Building Inspection Department.
(E) 
Fees and Refunding of Fees.
(1) 
Sign Permit Fee.
The fee for a sign permit is provided in Chapter 30, Article XVI of the City Code.
Where work is started or commenced without first obtaining a required sign permit, the sign permit fee shall be doubled. The Board of Adjustment may waive or reduce any amount over the standard sign permit fee, as provided for in Chapter 30, Article XVI of the City Code, upon a reasonable determination that the sign was (a) designed and constructed in conformance with this article and all other City codes and ordinances, and (b) a reduction or waiver would be equitable after taking into account the facts and circumstances of the case. The payment of any fee does not relieve any person from fully complying with the requirements of this article or any other City codes or ordinances.
(2) 
Fee Refunds.
The Building Official may authorize a refund of a sign permit fee if it is determined that a sign permit was issued in error or that a sign permit cannot be legally issued. Any such fee refund shall be processed in the manner provided in Chapter 30, Article XVI of the City Code.
(F) 
Issuance of Sign Permit.
A sign permit shall be issued by the Building Official provided that the plans and specifications meet with all the requirement of this article, all other applicable codes of the City, and the appropriate fee has been paid.
(G) 
Expiration of Sign Permit.
A sign permit issued under the provisions of this article expires if the work authorized by the permit is not completed within 90 calendar days following the sign permit issuance date. Upon expiration of, and before work may recommence, the applicant must apply for and obtain a new sign permit.
(H) 
Suspension or Revocation of Sign Permit.
The Building Official may suspend or revoke any sign permit issued under the provisions of this article upon a determination that the permit was issued in error or on the basis of incorrect or false information, or whenever the permit was issued in violation of any of the provisions of this article or any other ordinance of the City or any state or federal law. The suspension or revocation is effective immediately upon written notice being personally delivered or mailed to the person to whom the sign permit was issued at the address provided by the applicant in the respective sign permit application, to the owner or benefactor of the sign, or to the owner of the premises upon which the sign is located. Any sign installed under a revoked sign permit must be removed by the permit holder, sign owner, or property owner within fifteen calendar days following the mailing of the written notice of the revocation.
(Ordinance 6773 adopted 5/19/15; Ordinance 7040 adopted 2/19/19)
(A) 
All signs that require a permit are subject to a pre-inspection and a final inspection (see subsection (B) below), and any additional inspections as reasonably determined necessary by the Building Official.
(B) 
Pre-Inspection.
The Building Official, upon receipt of an application for a sign permit, may conduct a pre-inspection. The following requirements must be met by the applicant for the issuance of a sign permit: (i) the work described in an application for a sign permit complies with the provisions of this article, state, and federal law; (ii) the plans, specifications, and other information filed in the application comply with the provisions of this article, state, and federal law; and (iii) the related sign permit fees have been paid in full.
(C) 
Final Inspection.
The sign permit holder must, within 3 working days of completion of the sign installation, request a final inspection.
(Ordinance 6773 adopted 5/19/15; Ordinance 7040 adopted 2/19/19)
The following types of signs or activities must comply with all sign requirements of this article, but are not required to have a sign permit:
(A) 
Maintenance.
No sign permit is required for maintenance to a lawfully placed sign. Maintenance includes all care and minor repair needed to maintain a safe, attractive, and finished structure, frame pole, brackets, or surface and that does not enlarge or materially alter any face or display portion of the sign. Replacing a damaged or structurally unsound frame pole with another frame pole on a legally conforming sign of the same size and height is considered maintenance. Changing the copy on a sign without changing the dimensions of the face or the size of the copy is considered maintenance if the sign serves the same establishment or entity after the change.
(B) 
Temporary Signs on Single-family Lots.
A sign permit is not required for temporary or seasonal signs on residential lots, not including multifamily tracts, lots, or properties.
(C) 
Address signs.
A sign permit is not required for address signs placed pursuant to Section 4.70(A)(3).
(D) 
Traffic or Movement Control Sign.
The following standards serve an important public health and safety function, and are intended to be used by the owners of private property that is open to the public to reduce confusion and to limit the risk of accidents involving vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Subject to the following provisions of Subsections (1)–(5), no permit is required for a small, incidental, on-site sign designated specifically for the purpose of directing or providing safety guidance to vehicular or pedestrian traffic on private property. Traffic-control signs on private property:
(1) 
shall not exceed a maximum height of 3 feet from the ground;
(2) 
shall not exceed a maximum surface area of 6 square feet;
(3) 
are permitted in all multifamily, single-family attached, mixed-use, and nonresidential zoning districts, and are allowed for any nonresidential use that is lawfully located in an agricultural, single-family, or two-family zoning district;
(4) 
shall be placed or setback a minimum of 3 feet from any right-of-way line; and
(5) 
if illuminated, a sign permit must be obtained through the Building Inspection Department.
(E) 
Sandwich Board Sign.
A permit is not required for a sandwich board sign. A sandwich board sign is a self-supporting A-shaped temporary sign with two visible sides that is placed in front of a business, generally on a sidewalk, to attract patrons into the establishment. A sandwich board sign must comply with the following provisions:
(1) 
The maximum height shall be 4 feet.
(2) 
The maximum surface area of each side is 10 square feet and a maximum of 30 inches wide.
(3) 
A sandwich board sign is allowed in all mixed-use zoning districts.
(4) 
The sign may not be placed or located a distance greater than 5 feet from the building in which the advertised use is located, and must be placed within close proximity of the main entrance of the business. Sandwich board signs must be placed so that a minimum walkway width of 4 feet is maintained, not including the area upon which the sandwich board sign is located.
(5) 
A property or business may have only one sandwich board sign per street frontage.
(6) 
A sandwich board sign may be displayed only during hours of operation.
(F) 
Vehicle Signs.
A permit is not required for a vehicle sign that complies with the provisions of this article.
(G) 
Window Sign.
A window sign is a sign painted or affixed to the exterior or interior surface of a window, or placed behind, or within 3 feet of, the window surface so as to be visible from the exterior. Window signs must comply with the following provisions:
(1) 
Window signage on buildings used for commercial or retail purposes may occupy or cover no more than 25 percent of the total window surface area for each leased space within a multi-tenant building. Window signage, in aggregate, may occupy or cover no more than 25 percent of the total window surface area for each building facade that is visible from a public street or alley (maximum 25 percent coverage for all window surfaces combined).
(2) 
Luminous gaseous tubing, LED lights, or other strip lighting attached directly to a window, window frame, door, doorframe, or within 3 feet of a window or door shall be considered a “window sign” when forming a border, when directing attention to a premises, or when forming letters, logos, symbols, or pictorial designs of any kind. Luminaries shall not blink, flash, rotate, scroll, change color, increase or decrease in intensity. In addition to these window sign limitations, electronic programmable window signs shall comply with Sections 4.78(O)(3), (7), and (8).
(Ordinance 6773 adopted 5/19/15; Ordinance 7040 adopted 2/19/19)