[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
It is the intent of the City of Clayton to regulate signage
in a manner which is effective for conveying messages while compatible
with the image of Clayton and protecting public health, safety and
welfare. The provisions of this Chapter are designed to encourage
excellence in the design of signage, to promote compatibility with
the immediate surrounding areas and to project Clayton as a premier
business and residential environment. To accomplish the above-stated
goal, the provisions of this Chapter shall apply to the display, construction,
erection, alteration, use, location, size, type and maintenance of
all signs within the City. A sign permit shall be secured, and all
requirements of this Chapter and the Building Code shall be complied
with before approval for the installation of any sign will be granted.
All signs shall be constructed of materials which are weather-resistant
and consistent with the manufacturing of quality signs.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
As used in this Chapter, the following words, terms and phrases
shall have the meanings ascribed to them by this Section:
ACCESSORY SIGN
A sign relating to an accessory use on a premises and signs
that are deemed beneficial by providing directional information to
pedestrians or motorists.
ADVERTISING DEVICE
Banners affixed on poles, wires, ropes, streamers, pennants,
wind-operated devices, flashing lighting, searchlights, balloons,
lights aligned on wires or other supports, objects attached to buildings
or placed in front yards or unusual colors applied to a building facade
or similar types of devices. Sculptures, fountains or any other artwork
approved by the Architectural Review Board are excluded from this
definition.
BLADE SIGN
A sign attached to and projecting from the face of a building
with the sign face perpendicular to the plane of the building wall.
CUSTOMARY USE
Use consistent with current City regulations or consistent
with the intent of current City regulations.
FRONT WALL AREA
Front wall area is equal to the length of the building face
along the street frontage multiplied by the height of the building
face along the street frontage. For buildings with multiple ground
floor tenants with separate entrances, the front wall area for each
ground floor tenant space is equal to the length of the tenant space
along the street frontage multiplied by the height of the dedicated
tenant space along the street frontage.
GROUND SIGN
A detached sign with two (2) or more supports or erected
on a solid base or wall and placed upon or affixed to the ground.
INTERSTATE SYSTEM
That portion of the national system of interstate highways
located within the boundaries of Missouri as officially designated,
or may be hereafter designated by the State Highways and Transportation
Commission with the approval of the Secretary of Transportation pursuant
to Title 23, United States Code, as amended.
PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ROUTE (PAR)
The PAR is an accessible corridor for pedestrian use and
functions as a path that provides a continuous connection along a
sidewalk and from the sidewalk to building or property entry points,
parking areas, public transportation, and/or other destinations. The
PAR shall be free of obstacles and protrusions. The minimum width
of a PAR is five (5) feet or as established by the United States Access
Board, Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG), per
the Director of Public Works.
PRIMARY HIGHWAY
That portion of the interstate system of this State officially
designated by the State Highways and Transportation Commission as
being in the primary highway system as authorized by the Constitution
and laws of Missouri.
SIDEWALK SIGN
A temporary sign designed to be placed on the ground or attached
to an outdoor seating area pedestrian barrier which may consist of
one (1) or more sign faces in a base or frame, back-to-back or joined
together to form an A shape or similar style.
SIGN
Any identification, description, illustration or device,
illuminated or non-illuminated, which is visible from any public place
or is located on private property and exposed to the public and which
directs attention to a product, service, place, activity, person,
institution, business or solicitation, including any emblem, painting,
numbers exceeding twelve (12) inches in height, placard or temporary
sign designed to advertise, identify or convey information, with the
exception of national flags. For the purpose of removal, signs shall
also include all sign structures.
SIGN AREA
The total area of the space to be used for advertising purposes,
including the spaces between open-type letters and figures, including
the background structure or other decoration or addition which is
an integral part of the sign. Sign supports shall be excluded in determining
the area of the sign. Examples of sign areas are shown below by the
boxes drawn around the signs of various shapes.
TEMPORARY SIGN
A sign displayed for a maximum of thirty (30) days within
a sixty (60) day period or for an extended time as approved by the
Director of Planning and Development Services.
WALL SIGN
A sign attached or erected against the wall of a building
with the face in a parallel plane to the plane of the building wall.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
A. The general requirement of this Chapter is that all wall signs shall
face a fronting street, be attached to front walls at or near the
first floor ceiling level as determined by the Director of Planning
and Development Services and project no more than eighteen (18) inches
from the wall.
B. All signs shall be constructed of materials which are reasonably
weather resistant and consistent with materials normally used in the
manufacture of quality signs.
C. The design, shape and colors used shall be compatible with the building
to which the sign is attached; compatibility shall be determined by
the City Manager of the City, or his/her designee, prior to the issuance
of the sign permit by the Director of Planning and Development Services
of the City. At his/her option, the City Manager may refer any proposed
sign to the Architectural Review Board for approval.
D. Temporary signs shall be designed, lettered and constructed in accordance
with normally accepted professional standards.
E. An existing sign shall not be enlarged, altered or relocated except
in conformity to the provisions for new signs, nor until a proper
permit has been secured as required by the Building Code of the City.
F. Any signs not expressly permitted in this Chapter are prohibited.
G. Multiple signs will be permitted, provided that their total area
is within the limits of the ordinance and are of the same dimension
as described in the provisions applying to their particular building.
H. A sign district or subdistrict may develop a uniform series of coordinated signs per Section
425.120.
I. Corner buildings or tenant spaces may install signage on each street
frontage.
J. A sign permit must be obtained prior to the installation of a sign.
1.
One sign permit shall be obtained for each individual sign.
2.
Sign permit fees shall be determined based on the approved fee
schedule on file with the Department of Planning and Development Services.
3.
Exception: temporary signs in residential zoning districts that
comply with all size, location and design requirements contained herein
shall not require a sign permit.
K. Signs may be illuminated in accordance with the following:
1.
Lighting shall comply with regulations of the Section
405.360, Outdoor Lighting Standards.
2.
Lighting shall be shielded or angled so that it illuminates
only the face of the sign and does not shine directly onto adjacent
property or right-of-way.
3.
Lighting shall not create a traffic hazard or distraction to
vehicle operators.
4.
Signs shall not be illuminated by flashing, intermittent lights,
or lights of changing degrees of intensity or color.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
A. This Section pertaining to billboard signs is adopted under the authority
of the City in furtherance of the more general purposes set forth
in the sign ordinance. It is adopted and hereafter amended pursuant
to Section 71.288, RSMo. By enacting the sign ordinance pursuant to
the Statute and 23 U.S.C. 131(d), the City establishes its own customary
use determinations specific to the City.
B. Billboards shall be allowed within six hundred sixty (660) feet of
the nearest edge of the right-of-way of Highway 170 in areas zoned
"C-1," "C-2," "C-3," "C-4" or "S-1" subject to the following regulations.
1.
Application.
a.
The City shall not accept a billboard application for consideration
and issuance unless it is accompanied by a valid permit issued by
the State of Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, a site
plan drawn to scale, and plans sealed by an engineer licensed and
registered in the State of Missouri.
b.
Such plans shall include structural drawings, foundation specifications,
landscape plan, wind load calculations, electrical/lighting specifications
and a survey depicting the distance:
(1) From the nearest billboards in both directions
along the same side of the highway;
(2) From areas zoned residential;
(3) From property lines and roofed structures;
(4) From the right-of-way, as of the date of application.
All plans must meet the specifications as depicted in Subsection (B)(3) and (7) of this Section.
|
c.
All billboards must be approved by the Architectural Review
Board.
2.
Fees.
a.
Every billboard applicant, before being granted a permit hereunder,
shall pay to the City a fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00) for
processing the application and initial inspection. No fee shall be
incurred for changing the display face or performing routine maintenance.
b.
Any application received for billboard sign intended to replace
an existing billboard sign shall be regulated by the provisions of
this Chapter and any other applicable regulations normally applied
to new signs.
3.
Spacing.
a.
Billboards shall be oriented toward traffic on the primary highway.
b.
No billboard along the primary highway shall be erected closer
than four thousand (4,000) feet from another billboard on either side
of the primary highway. The distance measured shall be lateral.
c.
No billboard shall be erected closer than five hundred (500)
feet from any residential zoned property, residential structure, church,
park or school.
d.
No billboard shall be erected closer than two hundred (200)
feet from any on-premises sign located on a building or other non-sign
structure.
e.
No billboard shall be erected within five hundred (500) feet
of an interchange or intersection at grade. Such five hundred (500)
feet shall be measured from the beginning or ending of the pavement
widening at the exit from and entrance to the main traveled way.
4.
Size.
a.
No billboard sign shall exceed three hundred seventy-five (375)
square feet per sign face with a maximum sign face height of fifteen
(15) feet and a maximum width of twenty-five (25) feet.
b.
Only single-sided, back-to-back or V-type construction billboards
with a single display per facing and a single pole support structure
design are allowed.
c.
No portion of the billboard shall exceed the height requirements
for the zoning district in which it is located or the approved height
for existing buildings within the district.
5.
Lighting.
a.
Revolving or rotating beam or beacon of light shall not be permitted
as part of any billboard.
b.
Flashing or intermittent or moving light or lights shall not
be allowed.
c.
External lighting, such as floodlights, thin line or gooseneck
reflectors may be permitted, provided the light source is directed
upon the face of the sign and is effectively shielded from casting
light on adjacent properties.
d.
Lights shall not be of such intensity or placed in such a manner
so as to cause glare, impair the vision of the driver of a motor vehicle
or otherwise interfere with a driver's operation of a motor vehicle.
e.
No sign shall be so illuminated so as to interfere with the
effectiveness of, or obscure, an official traffic sign, device or
signal.
f.
Applicant must obtain all necessary electrical permits before
any sign may be illuminated.
6.
Landscaping.
a.
All billboard applications shall have landscape plans approved
by the Architectural Review Board. The landscaping may include, but
is not limited to, broadleaf evergreens or evergreen shrubs and ground
cover and shall be designed to ensure the structure will be aesthetically
compatible with its surroundings and the aesthetic standard of the
community and neighboring property, insofar as may be practicable,
as well as safe and secure from trespassers or vandals.
b.
The determination of whether the landscaping plan is reasonably
suitable shall be made based upon a consideration of the nature of
the location, the impact on surrounding properties, the safety and
security of the proposed billboard, as well as Clayton's aesthetic
quality.
7.
Disuse And Removal.
a.
If any billboard lacks a commercial advertisement or public
service message for a period exceeding sixty (60) days, regardless
of intent to resume use of same, it shall be considered a discontinuance
of use and shall be removed within thirty (30) days of notice by the
Director of Planning and Development Services.
b.
The Director of Planning and Development Services may, upon
forty-eight (48) hours' written notice, remove any sign constructed
for which an application has not been approved. The costs of such
removal shall be assessed to the billboard owner.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
A. Non-Residential Zoning Districts.
1.
Flags and flagpoles may be erected in the front yard of non-residential
properties. A maximum of four (4) such flagpoles may be erected on
one (1) building site and shall be uniform in height, size and arrangement.
2.
Such flagpoles shall not exceed thirty (30) feet in height unless
a greater height is authorized by the Architectural Review Board.
3.
A maximum of eight (8) flags may be displayed at one time.
4.
The number of flagpoles and the shape, size and location of
such flags shall be subject to approval of the Architectural Review
Board.
B. Residential Zoning Districts.
1.
Flags may also be displayed on residential properties either
attached to the structure, placed in the window or on a flagpole.
2.
Non-residential uses located in residential zoning districts
and properties in multi-family zoning districts shall be subject to
the same regulations as outlined above for non-residential zoning
districts.
3.
In single-family zoning districts, a maximum of two (2) flagpoles
may be erected on one (1) site and shall be uniform in height, size
and arrangement.
4.
Such flagpoles shall not exceed twenty-five (25) feet in height
unless a greater height is determined by the Architectural Review
Board to be consistent with the mass and scale of the primary residential
structure.
5.
A maximum of four (4) flags may be displayed at one time.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
A. General Regulations.
1.
Temporary signs may be placed for a maximum of thirty (30) days
in any sixty (60) day period. Any temporary sign to be displayed in
excess of thirty (30) days in any sixty (60) day period must have
the permission of the Director of Planning and Development Services
and the City Manager.
2.
All temporary signs must be professionally lettered and meet
the standards set forth in the sign regulations.
3.
A sign permit shall be secured for all temporary signage prior
to installation except for yard signs in single-family zoning districts
conforming to the regulations.
B. Non-Residential Zoning Districts.
1.
Window Sign. A temporary sign may be attached or applied to
the inside of a display window for each building or store, provided
the area of the sign does not exceed nine (9) square feet. If the
length of a continuous display window on any one (1) building or store
exceeds thirty (30) lineal feet, two (2) such signs may be installed,
provided they are remote from each other.
2.
Wall Or Ground Sign. The Director of Planning and Development
Services may authorize one (1) temporary sign for each building provided
the sign is mounted flat on the wall of the building and does not
exceed twenty-five (25) square feet in area. The Director of Planning
and Development Services and the City Manager may approve an alternate
ground sign design in lieu of the wall sign if a wall sign is determined
to be an ineffective means of communication.
3.
Construction Fence Sign. A construction sign may be erected
in commercial districts in conjunction with a construction fence after
issuance of a building permit. Such sign shall be attached to or be
located behind the construction fence and shall not exceed thirty-two
(32) square feet in area unless the construction fence adjacent to
a street exceeds fifty (50) feet in length, in which case said sign
shall not exceed fifty (50) square feet in area. Projects on lots
with a street frontage and a construction fence one hundred (100)
feet or more in length shall be permitted a sign one hundred (100)
square feet in area. The total sign area allowed may be divided into
a maximum of two (2) signs per frontage. Upon removal of the construction
fence, the sign shall be removed. Building alteration projects in
which no construction fence is required may have a temporary sign
conforming to the temporary sign regulations above.
4.
Special Event Sign Or Display. The City Manager or his/her designee
is authorized to temporarily and selectively suspend strict enforcement
of and required adherence to the temporary sign regulations and permit
the display of otherwise prohibited temporary signs, banners, advertising
devises and other temporary attention-getting devices in association
with a special event under the following conditions:
a.
The proposed temporary display is reasonably likely to improve
the economic vitality of the area and would be beneficial to the City
as a whole.
b.
The proposed temporary display will not compromise vehicle or
pedestrian access or safety.
c.
The materials, placement and character of the proposed temporary
display will not be a detriment to the public aesthetic of the area,
or be so out of keeping with the character of permitted signage as
to be inimical to the purposes of the City's sign regulations.
d.
The temporary permit shall be for a specified period of time
and location.
e.
The temporary display should be located on private property
to the maximum extent feasible.
f.
The temporary display shall be designed and located to maintain
an unobstructed pedestrian access route as required by the Public
Works Department.
g.
If the temporary display extends onto public property, the permittee shall provide proof of and maintain liability insurance satisfying the requirements of Section
510.090 of the City's Code of Ordinances.
C. Residential Zoning Districts.
1.
Wall Or Window Sign. Temporary signs may be displayed in windows
or attached to walls provided the aggregate total sign area does not
exceed six (6) square feet in one- and two-family districts or twelve
(12) square feet in area in multi-family districts.
2.
Ground Sign. Temporary yard signs may be erected in residential
yards, provided such signs do not exceed an aggregate total area of
six (6) square feet per yard. Yard signs shall be erected at least
ten (10) feet back from the front property line.
3.
Construction Fence Sign. A construction sign may be erected
in residential districts after the erection of a construction fence
on the site providing adequate warning or information to the public.
Such signs shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in area in
multiple dwelling districts and twelve (12) square feet in area in
one- and two-family dwelling districts.
4.
Garage sale signs in residential districts must conform to the requirements of Section
605.330 of this Code.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
A. It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any of the following signs
or devices in the City unless specifically authorized through another
Section of this Chapter:
1.
Advertising devices as defined in Section
425.020.
2.
Paper posters applied directly to the wall of a building or
pole or other support and letters and pictures in the form of advertising,
printed or applied directly to the wall or surface of a building.
3.
Signs painted directly on the walls of buildings.
4.
Any sign or signs which are no longer applicable to the property
or building upon which such sign or signs are located shall be considered
unlawful signs and shall be immediately removed.
5.
Mechanical contrivances. Mechanical or moving signage is prohibited
except as provided for in Section 425.040(C)(1)(c), above.
6.
Conflicting signs. Signs or devices which by color, location
or design resemble or conflict with traffic control signs or devices
are prohibited in the City.
7.
Signs displayed in windows above the grade floor.
8.
Any signs which project in the right-of-way (except as expressly permitted in Section
425.080).
10.
Signs which impede access or prevent ready access to any window,
door, or passageway that provides required egress to or from a building
or space.
11.
Signs which constitute a hazard to motor vehicles or pedestrian
traffic or obscure view of vehicle operators or pedestrians or could
be confused with official traffic signs or other signs erected by
governmental agencies.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
The windows in all ground level vacant spaces must be covered
in a workmanlike manner with white butcher paper or a window covering
provided by the City of Clayton. A temporary sign either advertising
the space or announcing a future tenant may be displayed, provided
it follows the provisions governing that type of signage.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
Where practical difficulties exist in the application of these
provisions in regard to the determination of the permitted sign area
or locations of permitted signs due to unusual conditions, such as
facades that are angled or curved to the front street or streets or
land uses which involve substantial accessory uses both inside and
outside of buildings and requiring identification or substantial open
space or street frontage or a similar unusual condition, the Architectural
Review Board shall have the authority to determine the appropriate
location, size or number of signs, provided the intent of these regulations
is met. No individual sign shall be approved that exceeds the area
limits normally permitted a single tenant or building. The Architectural
Review Board shall also have authority to allow signs to be located
above the first floor ceiling level when the allowed sign location
is obstructed from view or not designed to support signage and the
proposed alternate location is compatible with the surrounding character
and would support public health, safety and welfare.
[Ord. No. 6794, 1-10-2023]
A. The purpose of a sign district shall be to support creative, cohesive and coordinated signage for a specific area, development, or property. A sign district shall be used to support the same intent or purpose of the sign regulations as outlined by Section
425.010 in situations that may be unique in character or design which would suffer from strict application of this Chapter. The intent of a sign district is not to allow more signage than necessary for visibility, readability or public safety.
B. A sign district shall supersede the requirements of this Chapter
as applicable.
C. A sign district shall govern the specific property identified during
approval of said plan and shall remain in effect until it is amended,
replaced or voided.
D. Sign districts or subdistricts shall require approval by the Architectural
Review Board.
E. Criteria for review.
1.
Compatibility with the character of the subject property and
surrounding area.
2.
The number, location, and size of signage.
3.
The design, materials, lighting, and quality of the signs.
4.
Functionality of signs for identification and wayfinding.
F. Application Requirements.
1.
Site diagram showing the location and type of all signs along
with building placements, driveways, walkways, and access points.
2.
Elevation drawings showing the location of signs, depicting
the maximum size and noting the sign type for each location.
3.
Breakdown of details for each sign type including maximum size,
any material restrictions, any mounting type restrictions, and lighting
type.
4.
All permanent and temporary sign options should be identified.