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HomeMy WebLinkAbout759-00 Amend LDC re. Sign Standards Intih' �/I? i�icr.fl.{�Id,i ; 41ij0i ( il41 ill ORDINANCE NO.: 759-0 0 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ZEPHYRHILLS, FLORIDA, A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION, AMENDING CHAPTER 11 (SIGN STANDARDS) OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE OF THE CITY OF ZEPHYRHILLS, FLORIDA; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. 441172 R c . 64.50 DS Q-:.00 i'1". 0.00{{/� 'FI'+ 09! Opt y BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Zephyrhills, Florida, sitting in regular meeting that: Section 1: That'Chapter 11, Sign Standards is hereby deleted in its entirety and a document-entitled Sign Standards, attached hereto as Exhibit "A", is hereby adopted by reference. Section 2: The provisions of this Ordinance are severable, and if any section, sentence, clause, or phrase is for any reason held to be unconstitutional, invalid, or ineffective, this holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the Ordinance, it being expressly declared to be the City Council's intent that it would have passed the valid portions of this Ordinance without the inclusion of any invalid portion or portions. Section 3: This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon its passage. The foregoing'Ordinance•To.1E7-06 was read and passed on its first reading by the City Council-of glipCity of Zephyrhills, Florida, on this o1��`' day of at,X. A.D. .20flU.. .... p,'i ' /2i • A CL DE C. BRACKNELL ATTEST: {-► _;; ilt� P esident of City Council .00-1c,.00-1c,City , L,' ►A D. BEAN' (' • C.,,, Thc'rtupini drdinance No. 10-0 was read and passed on its second reading by the City Council of the City of Zephyrhills,Florida, on this J/ day of• A.D., 2000. 0` p t P \ C DE C. B ' CKNELL %�a� P esident of City Council ATTES' . . • J +�,,� � ;SLC' 1-I ! t.�,lra ct,�:,t:O ��i:. dY t;L i;!K �ity 1. ApqJAN UR i 3 p, 6. ;l+ -fir:{ •q The foregoing Ordinance No. 76/-0o was approved by me this / 'day of iv 0 • , A.D., 2000. *t . A14/LAA.440._ A. ROY :URNSIDE, Mayor c:\amendldc.11 • Record and Return to: . City Clerk's Office et - 5335 8th Street , • - Zephyrhills, FL 33540 m' _; ra fr� i`� ,.,,:� �.i. �W r.; u' 114 CHAPTER ELEVEN SIGN STANDARDS PAGE NO. 11000. PURPOSE AND INTENT 11-1 11010. DEFINITIONS 11-1 11100. GENERAL PRQVISIONS 11-3 11110. APPLICABILITY 11-3 11120. IDEOLOGICAL MESSAGES 11-3 11130. RELATIONSHIP TO BUILDING&ELECTRICAL CODES 11-4 11140. PERMIT REQUIRED 11-4 11150. MAINTENANCE 11-4 11200. EXEMPT SIGNS 11-4 11300. PROHIBITED SIGNS 11-5 11400. PERMITTED SIGNS 11-6 11410. GENERAL LOCATION AND DESIGN STANDARDS 11-6 11420. TEMPORARY SIGNS 11-7 11430. PERMANENT SIGNS 11-8 11431. Signs in Residential Areas 11-8 11432. Signs in Nonresidential Areas 11-9 11500. MEASUREMENT DETERMINATIONS 11-11 11510. DISTANCE BETWEEN SIGNS 11-11 11520. SIGN AREA 11-11 11521. Ground and Projecting Signs 11-11 11522. Window Signs 11-11 11523. Marquee Signs 11-11 11524. Other Signs 11-11 11530. SIGN HEIGHT 11-12 11540. NUMBER OF SIGNS 11-12 11600. NONCONFORMING SIGNS 11-12 11610. CONTINUATION OF NONCONFORMING SIGNS • 11-12 . 1 “2. I . • I I . . . • • . .' . . • • -• i• • , . 11- 1 CHAPTER ELEVEN SIGN STANDARDS 11000. PURPOSE AND INTNT 1;x 1 a s'" 14 This chapter shall be construed and implemented to create a comprehensive and balanced system of sign control which accommodates both the need for a well-maintained, safe and attractive community, and the need for effective business identification, advertising and communication. It is the intent of this Chapter, and it shall be interpreted,to promote the health, safety, convenience, aesthetics, and general welfare of the community by controlling signs which are intended to communicate to the public,and to authorize the use of signs which are:- 1. Compatible with their surroundings; 2. Designed, constructed, installed and maintained in a manner which does not endanger public safety or unduly distract motorists; 3. Appropriate to the type of activity to which they pertain; 4. Large enough to convey sufficient information about the owners or occupants of a particular property, the products or services available on the property, or the activities conducted on the property, and small enough to satisfy the needs for regulation; and . 5. Reflective of the identity and creativity of individual occupants. The standards and regulations are designed to protect against: 1. Unlimited proliferation in number and location of off-site and on-site signs, including mobile signs; 2. Construction and placement of over-sized, unsightly, animated, flashing, and other aesthetically unpleasant signs which dominant and detract from the surrounding visual environment; 3. Commercial and other signs being placed in residential neighborhoods; 4. Signs being constructed and placed without first obtaining permits as well as permission of the owner of the property on which the signs are placed; 5. Signs failing to be properly maintained once erected and placed; and 6. Signs which are placed dangerously in or near street intersections and rights- of-way so as to pose actual or potential hazards to traffic and pedestrians. 11010. Definitions The following words, terns and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different 111 meaning: Area or s4rface area of signs shq.11 mean that area enclosed by one(1)rectangle, 4 parallelogram,triangle, circle or semicircle,the sides of which make contact with the extreme points or edges of the sign, including the supporting structure which does not form part of the sign proper or of the display. The area of a sign composed of characters or words attached directly to a large, uniform building wall surface shall be the smallest rectangle, parallelogram,triangle, circle or semicircle which encloses the whole group. Bench sign shall mean a sign which is indelibly drawn, painted, printed or otherwise affixed upon a bench. Billboard shall mean an outdoor advertising sign, erected and maintained by an advertising business or service, upon which advertising matter may be displayed and which advertises firms and organizations that, along with their goods and services, are not located on the same premises as the sign, and which surface is sold,rented or leased for the display of advertising material. • Double-faced sign shall mean a sign which has two (2) display surfaces backed against the same background, one (1) face of which is designed to be seen from one (1) direction and the other from the opposite direction, every point on each face being either in contact with the other face or in contact with the same background. Location shall mean a lot, premises, building, wall or any place whatsoever upon which a sign is located. Marquee sign shall mean a sign attached to or hung from a marquee and"marquee" shall mean a canopy or covered structure projecting from and supported by a building. Non-conforming sign shall mean a lawful sign existing at the_time of the passage of this code which does not conform to the provisions, requirements, and regulations of the code. Parcel shall mean a contiguous quantity of land owned and recorded as property of the same claimant, person or company. Roof line shall mean either the edge of the roof or the top of the parapet,whichever forms the top line of the building silhouette and, where a building has several roof levels,this roof or parapet shall be the one belonging to that portion of the building on whose wall the sign is located. Shopping center or business center shall mean a group of three (3) or more business establishments within a single architectural plan, with common ownership of property, or cooperative or condominium ownership. Sign shall mean any letters, figures, design, symbol, trademark, or illuminating device intended to attract attention to any place, subject, person, firm corporation, public performance, article, machine or merchandise whatsoever and painted, printed or constructed and displayed in any manner whatsoever out of doors for recognized advertising purposes. However,'this shall not include any official court or public notices nor the flag, emblem or insignia of a government, school or religious group when displayed for official purposes. Interior signs, if located on a window or within a distance equal to the greatest dimension of the window and if obviously intended for viewing from the exterior, shall be considered an exterior sign for purposes of this article. Sign, identity shall mean any sign which carries only the name of the firm,the major enterprise or the principal prods. t offered for sale on the premises. '_t'". .f" 11-3 , a Sign, illuminated shall mean any sign containing integral artificial illumination or a sign which is artificially illuminated from an exterior source or any sign containing electric wiring. Sign, lollypop shall mean a sign which is attached to a single pole or stake that is designed to be_driven into the ground and is not stabilized into the ground or affixed in place by any other device than the stake to which the sign is attached. Sign,projecting shall mean a sign which projects from and is supported by a wall of a building or structure. Sign, real estate shall mean any sign advertising the sale, rental or lease of premises or part of the premises on which the sign is displayed. Sign, roof shall mean a sign located on or projecting above the roof of any building. Sign, sandwich/A-frame shall mean any double or single-faced sign which is portable and may readily be moved from place to place. This type of sign is generally freestanding and not affixed to the ground in any way although some temporary type of attachment to the ground is occasionally used. Sign, snipe shall mean any small sign of any material including paper, cardboard, wood and metal when tacked, nailed or attached in any way to trees, poles or other objects. Sign, subdivision shall mean a sign which contains only the name of a platted subdivision. Sign, trailer shall mean any sign that is affixed or placed on a trailer or other portable device that may be pulled by a vehicle. Sign, wall shall mean a sign affixed directly to or painted on or otherwise inscribed on an exterior wall, parapet or mansard. Sign, window shall mean any sig}i placed in a window or affixed thereto in such a manner as to be observable from the exterior of the premises. Street shall mean a public right-of-way used for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Vehicles shall mean automobiles,trucks,trailers, construction equipment and other such mobile equipment whose major purpose is other than the display of advertising. 11100. GENERAL PROVISIONS 11110. Applicability The requirements of this section shall apply to all incorporated land within the City of Zephyrhills. 11120. Ideological Messages An ideological message, not constituting advertising as defined herein,may be substituted for the advertising message which tl}ese regulations allow on a permitted permanent sign. This provision shall not be construed to increase the number or sign area of permanent signs permitted by these regulations. s, .,X....;:x`!k 11-4 ..4 .:.i. ,.6 ..3 ' I 11130. lltelationship to Building and Electrical Codes These regulations are intended to complement the requirements of adopted building and electrical codes. Wherever there is inconsistency between these regulations and the building or electrical code,the more stringent requirement shall apply. 11140. riermit Required All signs, except signs exempt under section 11200 of this Code, shall require a sign permit. 11150. Maintenance All signs for which a permit is required by this Code, including their supports, braces, guys and anchqrs, electrical parts and lighting fixtures, and all painted and display areas, shall be maintained in accordance with the building and electrical codes. The vegetation around,in front of,behind, and underneath the base of ground signs for a distance of ten feet shall be neatly trimmed and free of unsightly weeds. No rubbish or debris that would constitute a fire or health hazard shall be permitted under or near the sign. 11200. XEMPT SIGNS The following signs are exempt from permit requirements: 1. Signs not exceeding four square feet on a show window or door of a store or business establishment announcing only the name of the proprietor, nature of the business and hours of operation. 2. A sign not exceeding one and a half square foot in area and bearing numbers, post office box number,name of occupants of premises or other identification not having commercial connotations. Post office box and/or post shall be restricted to owner or occupants name and address. 3. Any flag, emblem or insignia of any nation, state, or political subdivision except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion or advertising. 4. Legal notices and identification,informational or directional signs erected or required by governmental bodies, including signs erected or placed by the City of Zephyrhills, County of Pasco or State of Florida. 5. Paper signs inside of shop windows of retail establishments. 6. Signs, not to exceed six square feet in area per organization mounted at the City entrances and meeting locations for religious, civic, fraternal and nonprofit organizations. 7. Memorial signs pr tablets,name of buildings and date of erection when cut into masonry surface or when constructed of bronze or other noncombustible materials as may be approved by the Building Official. 8. Changeable copy signs and identification signs for public, nonprofit and religious facilities, located on the premises and not exceeding thirty square feet in area. 9. - Signs that are wholly within a group of buildings or complex and that are not .5. 1 r, T - 11-5 d i • I visible from the public thoroughfare or above the buildings. 10. In OP, Cl, C2, C3 and LI districts, one sign may be attached to the bottom of the marquee at a business entrance, provided it is five square feet in area or less and maintains an eight foot minimum clearance above the sidewalk grade and shall not exceed beyond the marquee perimeter. 11. Incidental signs may be attached to a ground sign structure or to a building wall,but may not be attached pe}pendicular to the wall. Such signs are restricted to trading stamps, credit cards accepted, official notices of services required by law or trade affiliations. Area of each sign may not exceed five square feet;the total area of all such signs may not exceed ten square feet. 12. Allowable vehicle signs as defined herein. 11300. PROHIBITED SIGNS The following signs are expressly prohibited unless otherwise exempted by Section 11200 of this Code: 1. Signs which are in violation of the building code or electrical code. 2. Obsolete signs are those which identify or advertise an activity,business, product or service which has not been conducted or available for more than thirty days. 3. Signs with visible moving, revolving, or rotating parts or visible mechanical movement of any description or ether apparent visible movement achieved by electrical, electronic, or mechanical means, except for time-temperature-date signs and traditional barber poles. 4. Signs or sign structures which interfere in any way with free use of any fire escape, emergency exit, or standpipe, or which obstruct any window to such an extent that light or ventilation is reduced to a point below that required by any provision of this Code or otherordinance of this City. 5. Signs which resemble any official sign or marker erected by any governmental agency, or which by reason of position, shape, or color, would conflict with the proper functioning of any traffic sign or signal, or be of a size, location,movement, content,color, illumination which may be reasonably confused with or construed as, or conceal, a traffic-control device. 6. Signs which obstruct the vision of pedestrians, cyclists, or motorists. 7. Signs which are of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair the vision of any motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian, or which are a hazard or a nuisance to occupants of any property because of glare or other characteristics. 8. Illuminated signs in any residential area, except residential nameplates and street address signs that are illuminated by soft and muted light. 9. Signs placed upgn benches,bus shelters or waste receptacles, except as may be authorized by written agreement pursuant to 337.407,F.S. 10, Signs, commonly referred to as snipe signs. 11-6 11. Signs erected on public property other than signs erected by public authority for public purposes (and signs authorized by written agreement pursuant to 337.407,F.S.). Provided,however,that this provision shall not apply to temporary signs erected by a publicly oriented not for profit corporation or other specifically named group as acknowledged by City Council arid whose signs promote activities of community wide benefit and which otherwise comply with the provisions of Section 11420. 12. Signs with lights or illuminations that flash,moved,rotate, scintillate,blink, flicker, or vary in intensity or color except for time-temperature-date signs. This includes signs with the opti1cal illusion of movement by means of a design that presents a pattern capable of giving the illusion of motion or changing of copy. 13. Signs, commonly referred to as wind signs, consisting of one or more banners, flags,peniants,ribbons, spinners, streamers or captive balloons, or other objects or material fastened in such a manner as to move upon being subjected to pressure by wind. 14. Signs which are painted, pasted, or printed on any curbstone, flagstone, pavements, or any portion of any sidewalk or street, except house numbers or traffic control signs. ' 15. Portable, or trailpl-signs. 16. Billboard signs. 17. Roof signs 11400. IERMITTED SIGNS 11410. General Location and Design Standards The following requirements shall apply to all permitted signs. 1. No sign shall be erected at the intersection of any streets, highways, driveways in such a manner as to obstruct free and clear vision of operators of motor vehicles. Refer to Section 6404 A-#6. 2. Illumination used in connection with any permitted sign or billboard shall be located and installed in such a manner that it will not result in direct undue glare upon a public street or upon any adjacent property. 3. Signs and supporting structures shall not exceed a height of forty feet above grade as measured at the base of the sign. 4. All signs, and the illumination thereof, shall be designed, constructed and maintained in conformity with applicable provisions of adopted building and electrical codes. 5. The following illumination standards shall apply to all signs: a. Lights are permitted except that lights may not be designed or located to cause confusion with traffic lights. b. Floodlight illumination is permissible, except that none of the light ?� , , ,.,..r ..� . 11-7 d s3 emitted may shine directly onto an adjoining property or into the eyes of motorists or pedestrians. c. Searchlights shall not be permitted to illuminate signs or properties to advertise pr promote a business or to attract customers to a property. d. All transformer boxes and other accessory equipment of illuminated signs shall not be visible from the exterior. e. Illuminated signs shall not have lighting reflectors that project more than eighteen inches perpendicularly from any surface of the sign, and no projection may be less than ten feet above a sidewalk and fifteen feet above a vehicular driveway. 6. All signs, lighting reflectors and/or sign supports shall have a minimum five feet setback from property line. 7. Measurements for setback of signs shall be make from that portion of the sign nearest the property line. The height of signs shall be measured from the grade level at the edge of the street paving or right-of-way, whichever is higher, and shall include all decorative portions of the sign. 11420. Temporary Signs In addition to the general standards of section 11410,the following standards shall be met by any temporary sign: 1. All temporary signs must be permitted,exception real estate signs. Any non- permitted sign may be removed by Code Enforcement without notice. 2. A permitted temporary sign shall be placed on private property, outside any required buffer, landscaping, off-street parking area, or detention/retention area, no closer than five feet from a property line and in full compliance with any and all provisions of this Code regarding locations of structures, except as detailed in Section 11300, paragraph 11. 3. A temporary sign shall not contain advertising, except as follows: a. To indicate that an owner, either personally or through an agent, is actively attempting to sell,rentor lease the property on which the sign is located. Property located in_zoning districts, C-1, C-2, C-3,LI, AP-1, AP-2 sign size is limited to 32 square feet total. In all other zoning districts the limit is 6 square feet total. b. To indicate the grand opening of a business or other activity. Such message may be displayed for a period not exceeding fourteen consecutive days within the first three months that the occupancy is open for business. c. To identify construction in progress. Such message shall not be displayed more than sixty days prior to the beginning of actual construction of the project, and shall be removed when construction is completed. Such sign shall not exceed an area of 32 square feet total. d. To indicate the existence of a new business, or a business in a new location, or a business under new ownership, if such business has no permanent signs. Such, message may be displayed for a period of not more than sixty days or until installation of permanent signs, whichever shall occur first. ,N '� 111- 8 e. To announce or advertise such temporary uses as fairs, carnivals, circuses, revivals, sporting events, or any public, charitable, educational or religious event or function. Such message may be posted no more than 14 days prior to the beginning of the special event and shall be removed within 7 days after the event. f. To announce or advertise an employment opportunity, provided the employment activity is conducted at the location of the advertisement. 5. Temporary signs permitted to be displayed on public property, pursuant to Section 11300 (11) shall, in addition to the requirements above: a. Be placed in right-of-ways bound by non-residentially zoned areas. b. Be installed no more than fourteen(14) days prior to the date of the event advertised. c. Be removed within seven(7)days after the conclusion of the event. 6. Political signs or posters shall not exceed sixteen square feet in area. No political signs shall be erected or placed on City owned property. Each candidate shall be allowed one sign per parcel. Political candidates may erect or post signage 30 days prior to an election date(including primary,preference or general election) for which they have been duly qualified. All signs must be removed within 7 days from the date in which the election is held or in which a candidate has been eliminated from the election. 11430. Permanent Signs In addition to the requirements of section 11410,the following standards shall be met by any permanent sign: 11431. Signs in Residential Areas Signs located in areas developed and used for residential purposes shall be limited to subdivision and multi-family development identification signs and signs for model home centers. Signs permitted in residential areas shall conform to the following requirements: 1. Residential development identification signs shall conform to the following standards: a. Signs may be located at each principal entrance to a development, up to a total of three such identification signs. Principal entrances are considered to be those locations involving the intersection of a subdivision street with a collector or arterial roadway, or the intersection of a private multi-family development street with a collector or arterial roadway. b. Signs shall be set back from any property line at least five feet. c. Signs shall not exceed a combined total of 196 square feet of sign face area. No individual sign shall exceed 48 square feet. d. Signs shall not obstruct the clear visibility triangles, however, ground mounted signs shall not exceed 2 1/2 feet in height above the natural g}-ade shall be allowed, • • rti d,�i J2. ...5. 11-9 and shall pct be considered to impede clear visibility. 2. A model home center, consisting of two or more model homes on a single block which does not contain occupied residences, shall be eligible for identification signs according to the following requirements: a. One sign may be permitted per model home. b: Each permitted sign shall be located on the same lot as the model home. c. Signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in area. d. Signs shall be set back form any property line 5 feet. e. Illumination of identification signs is limited to the hours between sunset and 10:00 p.m. 3. Additional signs in residential developments may be permitted, subject to the following requirements: a. A model home center may be permitted up to two additional identification signs with an aggregate sign area of 16 square feet. b. Up to four single-pole flags per street frontage may be permitted. Flagpoles shall be separated by.a minimum distance of 20 feet. Flags shall not exceed 15 square feet each. Flags shall be displayed only between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. 4. Banners, streamers, or similar devices are expressly prohibited in areas of residential development. The following maintenance requirements for signs in residential areas shall be met: 1. Provisions shall be made for the establishment of an owner's association or other appropriate provisions for continuing maintenance of residential development signs after the project developer no longer has maintenance responsibility. 2. If maintenance responsibilities are not provided, the developer following the sale of 75% of lots or dwelling units shall remove signs. 3. The requirements of this section shall be assured by the developer through posting bond to assure removal. 11432. Signs in Nonresidential Areas Each parcel of land developed at the time of enactment of this Code, or proposed for development subsequent to the enactment of this Code, may be permitted on-site signs, subject to the following requirements: 1. Each parcel shallbe allowed one freestanding sign per street frontage. Each 1 1 L__..:�..._._ ._� the. parcel ..1..11 L._ allowed .._.7 „.,_ ._l�L,. following ..:.�,,.., �...._... projecting,wall, business on Lhe parcel shall Ue allowed olle of inc follow ng sign types: projecting, Wall, 01 marquee, subject to the standards stated in this section. 2. One permanent off-site sign may be erected by any one business. An off-site sign may be continued with other permitted signs,but may not be placed in addition to the total square footage of permitted signs. An off-site sign may be no larger than 16 square feet. 3. The maximum area per sign face for a freestanding signs shall be one square foot of sign area for each lineal foot of street frontage. 4. Directional signs such as entrance, exit,parking and other similar information shall not exceed two square feet. Such signs may be permitted up to the property line and shall not be considered a freestanding sign for the purpose of this Code. Directory signs affixed to wall or_ground sign for shopping centers and office buildings limited to four square feet per occupant. 5. Any proposed freestanding sign shall be located at the maximum distance feasible from any preexisting freestanding sign(s) on adjacent properties. 6. The top of a freestanding sign shall not exceed 40 feet when measured from the natural grade at the sign base. 7. No freestanding sign shall be erected within the minimum buffer required by the use of the site on which it is erected. 8. Freestanding signs shall maintain a minimum ground clearance of eight feet measured from the crown of the road unless there is a minimum setback of 20 feet from the property line. 9. Wall or projecting signs shall conform to the following requirements: a. Signs shall not project more than two feet beyond the face of the building. b. Sign area shall not exceed the equivalent of 11/2 square feet for each linear foot of building frontage.. For corner lots,the dimension used shall be the larger of the two. c. Wall signs shall not extend more than three feet above the intersection of the roof and vertical wall. d. A wall sign shall not project beyond the top or edge of any parapet wall or mansard to which it is attached. e. The bottom of a projecting sign shall be a minimum of eight feet above grade. 10. Marquee signs shall conform to the following requirements: a. Marquee signs shall not be larger than 80% of the marquee face area. b. Marquee signs may be on the vertical faces of marquees and may project below the lower edge of the marquee not more than 12 inches. The bottom of marquee igns shall be no less thin 8 feet above the sidewalk or grade at any point. No part ' a 11- 11 of the sign shall project above the vertical marquee face or beyond the marquee itself This does not prohibit the placement of the sign message on the sloping portion of an awning. 11500. MEASUREMENT DIrTERMINATIONS 11510. pistance Between Signs The minimum required distance between signs shall be measured along street rights of way from the closed parts of any two signs. 11520. Sign Area 11521. Ground and Projecting Signs The sign area is a regular geometric shape which contains the area within a single continuous perimeter. This is the area enclosing the extreme limits of writing, representation, emblem, or any figure or similar character,together with any frame or other material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background against which it is placed. This excludes the necessary supports or uprights on which the sign is placed. Where a sign has two display faces which are placed back to back and are at no point more than two feet from one another,the area of the sign shall be taken as the area of one face if the two faces are of equal area, or as the area of the larger face if the two faces are of equal area. Where a sign has more than one display face, all areas which can be viewed simultaneously shall be considered as the sign area. In the case of three dimensional product displays,the area shall be determined by drawing a geometric figure around the proJected image of the sign and multiplying that area by two. The"projected image" is that image created by tracing the largest possible two-dimensional outline of the sign. 11522. Window Signs The area of any sign painted directly on a window shall be the area within a continuous geometric figure formed by extending lines around they extreme limits of writing, representation, or any figure of similar character depicted on the surface of a window. The area of any sign placed on or behind the window glass shall be as described in section 11521. 11523. Marquee Signs The area of signs applied directly to the fabric of the marquee shall by the total of all signs on all faces of the structure. All sign copy on each face shall be computed within one geometric figure formed by extending lines around the extreme limits of writing, representation, or any figure of similar character depicted on the surface of the face of the marquee. The area of any sign suspended from or attached to a marquee shall be as described above in Section 11521. 11524. Other Signs In the case of a sign(other than freestanding, projecting or marquee) whose message is fabricated together with the background which borders or frames that message, sign face area shall be the total area of the entire background. In the case of a sign(other than freestanding, projecting or marquee) whose message is applied to a background which-provides no border or frame, sign face area shall be the smallest regular geometric shape which can encompass all words, letters, figures, emblems • 716 1.i4 and other elements of the sign message. 11530. Sign Height The vertical distance from the finished grade at the base of the supporting structure to the top of the sign, or its frame or supporting structure, whichever is higher. 11540. Number of Signs For the purpose of determining the number of signs, a sign shall be construed to be a single display surface, effect, or device containing elements organized, related, and composed to form a single unit. In cases where material is displayed in a random or unconnected manner, or where there is a reasonable doubt as to the intended relationship of such components, each unrelated component or element shall be considered to be a single sign. Where a sign has two faces which are placed back to beck and are at no point more than two feet from one another, it shall be counted as one sign. If a sign has three faces arranged in a triangle, it shall be counted as one-and-a-half signs. If a sign has four faces arranged in a square, rectangle or diamond it shall be counted as two signs. 11600. NONCONFORMING SIGNS 11610. Continuation of Nonconforming Signs Subject to the limitation imposed by this Code, a nonconforming sign may be continued and shall be maintained in good condition, however, a nonconforming sign shall not be: 1. structurally changed to another nonconforming sign, but its message or pictorial content may be changed. 2. structurally altered to prolong the life of a sign, except to meet safety requirements. 3. altered in any manner that increases the degree of nonconformity. 4. expanded. 5. continued in use after cessation or change of the business or activity to which the sign pertains. 6. reestablished after damage or destruction if the estimated cost of reconstruction exceeds fifty percent of the replacement cost. 7. continued to use when a conforming sign or sign structure shall be-permitted and erected on the same premises or unit. 8. continued in use when any land use to which the sign pertains has ceased for a period of 180 consecutive days.