The words and phrases used in this chapter shall be construed as defined in this section, unless the context clearly appears otherwise. Unless specifically defined in this section, the definitions set forth in other provisions of this code shall likewise apply to this chapter.
means a sign, the face of which has been removed or is broken and is not refaced within 180 days thereafter. Abandoned signs shall also include signs with rusted, faded, peeled, cracked or otherwise deteriorated materials or finishes that have not been repaired within 90 days after the city provides notice of the sign's deteriorated condition under the city's code enforcement chapter (Chapter 20.82 PMC).
means a permanent, freestanding sign of limited height and size that provides supplemental opportunity for freestanding signage on a site.
means a free floating balloon, kite or similar object not directly secured to property within the city.
See also "portable sign" or "sandwich board sign"; means signs capable of standing without support or attachment.
means to change the copy, color, size, shape, illumination, position, location, construction or supporting structure of a sign, not including ordinary maintenance.
means the smallest square, rectangle, parallelogram or circle that will enclose the extreme limits of writing, representation, logo, or any figure of similar character, together with any frame, background area, structural trim, or other materials or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate such sign from the background against which it is placed. The supports or uprights on which any such sign is supported shall not be included in determining the sign area. The area of signs with two faces shall be considered to be the area of the largest face. The area of signs with three or more faces shall be considered to be the area of the largest face or one-half the area of all of the faces, whichever is less (see PMC § 20.84.120).
means a sign affixed to or imprinted on a temporary shelter or a permanent architectural projection, such as an awning or canopy, composed of nonrigid materials on a supporting framework, affixed to the exterior wall of a building, extending over a door, entrance, window or outdoor service area.
means an enterprise offering goods, services, or other consideration to the public, in legal occupancy of a site or of a specific portion of a site and under separate and distinct management from any other enterprise located on the same site.
means the horizontal dimensions of a building or individual business elevation measured at ground level.
See definition under "awning or canopy sign."
means a sign or portion thereof which is designed to have its message or copy readily changed manually or by remote or automatic means without altering or replacing the face or surface. Changeable copy signs support hardcopy text or graphics and do not use digital or electronic text or images.
means a changeable copy sign with monochrome LED (light emitting diodes) text, graphics or symbols over a black, nonilluminated background.
means a sign erected for the purpose of facilitating or controlling the efficient and safe movement of pedestrians or vehicles within a multitenant development.
means an electrically activated changeable copy sign having variable message and/or graphic presentation capability that can be electronically programmed by computer or handheld device from a remote location. EMCs typically use light emitting diodes (LEDs) or liquid crystal display (LCD) as a lighting source.
means the visible vertical plane of the side of a building from ground level to the roofline.
means the side of a building directly abutting either a street or a parking area. A business owner may choose which elevation is considered the primary elevation, except that in a multi-tenant building, the elevation which is contiguous to other businesses shall be the primary elevation.
means any elevation of a building not determined to be a primary elevation.
means the elevation of a building extending from the ground level up to the bottom of the fascia on a pitched roof building, and up to the top of the wall or parapet on a flat roof building. The area of a facade for purposes of calculating allowable wall signage includes the area of the windows and doors but excludes openings that do not have solid coverings, such as breezeways, colonnades and gateways that extend to the backside of the building.
 |
means an architectural term for a vertical frieze or board under a roof edge or which forms the outer surface of a cornice, visible to an observer.
means materials or devices, whether or not they contain printed material, which are attached to real or personal property with the purpose or effect of attracting public attention to an object or site. Festoons include flags, pennants, balloons, ribbon, tinsel and other similar materials, regardless of size.
Examples of Festoons  |
means a flat piece of cloth with distinctive colors, patterns or symbols, having one end of the cloth attached to a vertical staff (directly or by rope and pulley mechanism) and all other ends free-flowing under natural movement of wind.
means a line of flags, or a series of lines of flags, suspended above a site.
means an electric sign or portion thereof, except electronic message center signs, which changes light intensity in a sudden transitory burst, or which switches on and off in a constant pattern in which more than one-third of the nonconstant light source is off at any one time.
means a unit of illumination equal to that given by a source of one candela at a distance of one foot (equivalent to one lumen per square foot or 10.764 lux).
means a sign and its support pole or base standing directly on the ground that is independent from any building or other structure.
means a limited access highway, state route or interstate.
means a sign within 150 feet of a freeway right-of-way that has its sign face parallel to, perpendicular to, angled toward, or otherwise readable from the freeway right-of-way.
means the ground floor horizontal distance of a building or portion thereof occupied by the subject tenant. Building frontage shall only be measured along a ground floor wall which has a customer entrance that faces and has access onto a public open space, such as a courtyard or plaza, or is adjacent to a public street, or adjacent to a driveway or parking lot which serves that use. If any building frontage does not consist of one straight line, the frontage of any offset portion shall be projected, for computation purposes, to the extension of the line of the most forward face of the building.
means area of a single leasable space, regardless of the number of tenants or leases within the space.
means a light source placed behind totally opaque letters or symbols so that the light reflects off the wall or background to which the letters or symbols are mounted rather than emanating through the letters or symbols, creating a halo effect that leaves the letters or symbols viewable in silhouette form only.
means the overall height of the sign above grade directly below or at the base of the sign.
means a sign which does not conform to the requirements and standards of this chapter and which does not meet the criteria of a nonconforming sign as defined in this section.
means any commercial or noncommercial development site, regardless of the number of lots or individual tenants, that is developed with common parking, layout, architecture or design features.
means a word, figure, logo, abbreviation or other symbolic representation.
means a design of letters, colors or symbols used as a trademark or for identification in lieu of, or in conjunction with, other signs.
means a logo contained within an area no greater than four square feet, incorporated into a larger sign face or designed as an individual sign or component of a sign containing individually mounted sign graphics.
means a line that separates two lots.
means the photometric quality most closely associated with the perception of brightness. Luminance is measured in candelas per square meters or "nits."
means a roof with two slopes on each side of the four sides, the lower steeper than the upper.
means a coordinated sign plan which includes the details of all signs (not including exempt or temporary signs) which are or will be placed on a site.
means a freestanding low profile sign with the sign width greater than the sign height and designed with a solid base and background.
means the depiction of movement or change of position of text, images or graphics. "Motion" shall include, but not be limited to, visual effects such as dissolving and fading text and images, running sequential text, graphic bursts, lighting that resembles zooming, twinkling or sparkling, changes in light or color, transitory bursts of light intensity, moving patterns or bands of light, expanding or contracting shapes and similar actions.
means a group of structures housing more than one type of retail business, office or commercial venture, and generally under one ownership and control.
means the topographic condition or elevation of a site or portion of a site over the past five years, or the finished grade of an approved site development plan. Changes to grade or elevation resulting from fill, mounding or berming within five years preceding any requested permit other than a site development plan shall not be considered natural grade for permitting purposes.
means a sign with illumination affected by a light source consisting of a neon or other gas tube which is bent to form letters, symbols or other shapes.
means from one-half hour before sunset to one-half hour after sunrise.
means any sign, which at one time conformed to all applicable requirements and standards of this chapter, including all permit requirements, but which subsequently ceased to so conform due to changes in such requirements and standards.
means, in the context of this chapter, any zone that does not include residential dwelling units except for mixed-use zoning districts where residential units are located above or behind nonresidential uses and the ground floor streetscape is characterized by commercial and other nonresidential uses.
means a material that does not transmit light from an internal illumination source.
means a sign painted directly on a building or on material which is then attached to a building. See also "wall sign."
means a sign graphic that is constructed of a three-sided metal channel, usually having a light source contained within the channel. The open side may face inward, resulting in silhouette lighting, or it may face outward to allow full illumination. The open side of the channel may be enclosed with a translucent material.
means a protective wall or barrier projecting above any canopy, balcony or roof.
means a sign constructed of weather resistant material and intended for permanent use and that does not otherwise meet the definition of "temporary sign." Wall-mounted sign holders designed for insertion of signs and posters shall be considered permanent signage and subject to all standards of this chapter.
means a sign mounted on a weighted base, intended to be movable.
means a freestanding sign that is readily movable and not permanently affixed to the ground, including A-frame or sandwich board signs, pole signs mounted on weighted bases, and similar signs that are used on more than a temporary basis.
means a sign attached to a building with the face not parallel to the vertical surface of the building. Projecting signs include signs projecting directly from walls, or signs hanging from porch ceilings or other support structures.
means a box-type conduit to house electrical wires for signs and used to support and/or affix signage on a wall.
is the strip of land platted, dedicated, condemned, established by prescription or otherwise legally established for the use of pedestrians, vehicles or utilities.
means that portion of the street improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel and parking, exclusive of the sidewalks and shoulder. Where there are curbs, the roadway is the curb-to-curb width of the street.
means the uppermost edge of the roof or the top of the parapet excluding mechanical equipment screens, whichever is highest. Where a building has several roof levels, the roofline shall be the one belonging to that portion of the building on which the sign is located.
means a sign which has a point of attachment to the roof or mansard of a building. Architectural projections, including mechanical equipment screens, above any parapet or roofline whose sole function is a background for signs shall be considered a sign structure. A sign on such an architectural projection shall be considered a roof sign.
See "A-frame sign" definition.
means a permanent sign displayed on the service island of a gas station.
For monument and freestanding signs, the "setback" from any property line shall be the outside edge of the sign closest to the property line (see Figure 20.84.290B).
Figure 20.84.290B Setback  |
means letters, figures, symbols, trademarks, or logos, with or without illumination, intended to identify any place, subject, person, firm, business, product, article, merchandise or point-of-sale. A sign also includes balloons attached to sign structures, products, streamers, spinners, pennants, flags, inflatables, festoons or similar devices intended to attract attention to a site or business, as well as architectural or structural forms, illuminated panels, spandrels, awnings and other structural or architectural features not common to classic vernacular or noncorporate regional architecture and that are intended to convey a brand, message or otherwise advertise a location or product, whether or not such features include text or graphics and whether or not they serve other practical purposes such as lighting, covering or enclosure of persons or products. A sign includes any device which streams, televises or otherwise conveys electronic visual messages, pictures, videos or images, with or without sound or odors. Refer to PMC § 20.84.040 for a list of prohibited signs.
means a sign carried by a person.
means the area of the largest rectangular portion of a face of a building to which a sign is affixed or proposed to be affixed, which can be included within parallel, vertical and horizontal lines uninterrupted by significant architectural features of the building.
means a unit of land, together with all improvements thereon, determined as follows:
A unit of land which may be conveyed separately from any and all adjacent land without the requirement of approval of a boundary line adjustment, short plat or a preliminary plat.
Two or more buildings or business activities that are or will be related to each other physically or architecturally, such as by sharing off-street parking facilities, so as to form an integrated development, such as a shopping center, industrial park, or office complex.
means a panel or box-type structure that spans between and/or is connected to the support columns of a porch, colonnade or canopy, usually for architectural embellishment and/or signage purposes.
means signs or advertising displays or a combination thereof which advertises or attracts public attention to a special one-time event, including, but not limited to, the opening of a building or business activity, the sale of goods and services at discounted or otherwise especially advantageous prices or similar event.
means without motion.
means that portion of a building included between the upper surface of a floor and the upper surface of the floor or ceiling next above.
means a sign mounted above a sidewalk adjacent to a business, affixed to a beam, overhang, roof or other fixture that is an integral part of a building.
(which may include "temporary use sign") means any sign that is used temporarily and is not permanently mounted, painted or otherwise affixed, excluding portable signs as defined by this chapter, including any poster, banner, placard, stake sign or sign not placed in the ground with concrete or other means to provide permanent support, stability and rot prevention. Temporary signs may only be made of nondurable materials including, but not limited to, paper, corrugated board, flexible, bendable or foldable plastics, foamcore board, vinyl canvas or vinyl mesh products of less than 20-ounce fabric, vinyl canvas and vinyl mesh products without polymeric plasticizers and signs painted or drawn with water-soluble paints or chalks. Signs made of any other materials shall be considered permanent and are subject to the permanent sign regulations of this chapter.
means the entire building which encompasses a building or use on a site; or in buildings designed for multi-tenant occupancy, it is the space between demising walls and which has an independent entrance to common corridors or to the outside. Portions of tenant spaces that are sublet to or otherwise allowed to be used by persons or businesses other than the principal person or business of a tenant space are not considered tenant spaces in the context of this chapter.
means an external illumination source which is exposed to view.
means a sign which is attached parallel to or painted on a wall, including parapet or canopy fascia, or a building.
means the total horizontal dimension of a sign, including all frames or structures.
means the entire window unit including individual sashes or panes that might otherwise divide the area between the head, jamb and sill; except that in commercial storefront window assemblies, a single "window" is the glass area between each mullion that divides the window assembly, whether installed as a single piece of glass or as multiple pieces of glass divided by muntins.
means a sign that is attached to or is intended to be seen in, on or through a window of a building and is visible from the exterior of the window.
 |
(Ord. 1965 § 2, 2017)