§ 19.1-13. General size and location requirements in non-residential districts.
(a)
Signs at street intersections. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, no freestanding sign may be located:
(1)
Within twenty (20) feet of the intersection of the extended rights-of-way of city or county streets; or
(2)
Within one hundred (100) feet of the intersection of the extended rights-of-way of a state highway and another state highway or city or county road.
(b)
Signs posted without property owner's consent. No sign shall be located on any building, fence or other property belonging to another person without the consent of the owner, and as permitted under the provisions of this article.
(c)
Billboard signs.
(1)
Billboard signs shall not exceed six hundred (600) square feet of sign area. Billboard sign faces shall not exceed twelve (12) feet in height or fifty (50) feet in length.
(2)
Billboard signs shall be located only on parcels: (1) which are zoned commercial or industrial and (2) which are classified as "Transportation and Warehousing" or "Community Gateway" character areas, as identified on the future development strategy land use map adopted by the mayor and council of the City of Port Wentworth on October 23, 2008, and as amended thereafter.
(3)
Billboard signs shall be located only on parcels adjacent to designated state or federal highways and shall be oriented only towards those highways and shall be located within four hundred (400) feet of the right-of-way of the highway to which it is oriented.
(4)
No billboard sign shall be located within two thousand (2,000) feet of another billboard sign, measured as a radius, except as otherwise provided under subsection 19.1-10(a) hereunder.
(5)
No billboard sign shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of any residential zoned parcel.
(6)
No billboard sign shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of any public park, public playground, public recreation area, public forest, designated historic site, scenic area, or cemetery.
(7)
No billboard sign shall be erected to a height in excess of eighty (80) feet in height.
(8)
The number of billboard faces within the corporate limits of the city shall not exceed the number of faces within the corporate limits of the city as of September 30, 2009. An inventory of these existing faces shall be maintained by the office of the city administrator. Billboard permits and applications for permits approved on or before September 30, 2009 shall be counted towards the total number of billboard faces permitted.
(9)
Billboard signs shall be lighted by down-lighting or otherwise so as not to cast light on adjoining property or shine in such a manner as to cause traffic interference. In no event shall the light source be visible to vehicular traffic from any street or highway. Illumination shall not exceed 20,000 lumen.
(10)
For the purposes of this section, "interstate interchange" is defined as the intersection of Interstate 95 and GA Highway 21. Billboard signs located adjacent to an interstate interchange are subject to the following additional regulations:
a.
Up to six (6) billboard signs may be located in each quadrant of the interchange adjacent to and visible from the federal interstate highway. These signs must be located within an area two thousand five hundred (2,500) feet long beginning at a point five hundred (500) feet from the point where the pavement widens on the main traveled way to accommodate the longest entrance or exit ramp. No billboard sign shall be located within five hundred (500) feet of another billboard sign, measured as a radius. The geographical coordinates of the point where the pavement widens on the main traveled way to accommodate the longest entrance or exit ramp to the northeast of the interstate interchange are: 32.196326 latitude/-81.190791 longitude and 32.196075 latitude/-81.190338 longitude. The geographical coordinates of the point where the pavement widens on the main traveled way to accommodate the longest entrance or exit ramp to the southwest of the interstate interchange are: 32.186445 latitude/-81.199103 longitude and 32.186173 latitude/-81.198675 longitude. To the extent the geographical location of the boundary nearest the interstate interchange is different from the written description, the geographic coordinates control.
(d)
Stanchion signs.
(1)
The sign area of a stanchion sign to be located on a parcels exceeding three (3) acres shall not exceed three hundred (300) square feet.
(2)
The sign area of a stanchion sign for a parcel less than three (3) acres, but equal to or greater than thirty thousand (30,000) square feet shall not exceed one hundred and eighty (180) square feet.
(3)
The sign area of a stanchion sign for a parcel less than thirty thousand (30,000) square feet in size shall not exceed one hundred and forty (140) square feet.
(4)
Stanchion signs shall be located only on property in commercial or industrial zoning areas and shall be limited to one (1) such sign per parcel per street frontage.
(e)
Monument signs. Monument signs shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet of total area, which shall include sign face and structure, and shall be limited to one (1) such sign per parcel per street frontage.
(f)
Roof signs. Roof mounted signs shall not extend above the peak of the roof nor shall any sign attached to the facade of a building extend more than four (4) feet above the roof line or parapet.
(g)
Wall and awning signs.
(1)
Wall and awning signs shall not project above the parapet wall.
(2)
Wall signs shall not project beyond the building face. Awning signs shall not project beyond the building face by more than four (4) feet.
(3)
Wall and awning signs shall not exceed a sign area of three hundred (300) square feet or twenty-five (25) percent of the wall face of the premises to which the sign relates, whichever is less, on each street facing wall.
(4)
Wall and awning signs shall not exceed a sign area of three hundred (300) square feet or fifty (50) percent of the wall face of the premises to which the sign relates, whichever is less, on each wall other than a street-facing wall.
(5)
The maximum wall or awning sign height shall be ten (10) feet.
(6)
Wall signs shall only be located on property in commercial or industrial zoning areas.
(7)
Each building tenant shall be limited to one (1) wall or awning sign on each street-facing wall.
(h)
Animated signs.
(1)
Animated or changeable copy signs shall be erected, posted, displayed or modified only in accordance with the criteria hereunder as well as all other generally applicable standards of this article related to the location, height, size, and other characteristics.
(2)
Each image or message displayed on an animated sign having a sign area greater than sixteen (16) square feet shall remain static for at least ten (10) seconds following the completion of its transition from the previous message. As used in this subsection "static" shall mean fixed, with no portion of the image or message being in motion or changing in color or light intensity as viewed by a person with normal visual acuity. Messages shall not be illuminated by blinking, scrolling, intermittent, or flashing lights.
(3)
Any change in the image or message of an animated sign having a sign area greater than sixteen (16) square feet shall be substantially instantaneous, two (2) seconds or less, as seen by a person of normal visual acuity, and shall not use fading, rolling, window shading, dissolving or similar effects.
(4)
No display or other effect from any electronically changed sign shall cause glare or that impairs the vision of the driver of any motor vehicle or otherwise interferes with the safe operation of a motor vehicle.
(5)
Video technology in digital or electronic message board signs shall use automatic light level controls to reduce light levels at night and under cloudy or other darkened conditions in accordance with the following standards. All digital or electronic message board signs shall have installed ambient light monitors, and shall at all times allow such monitors to automatically adjust the brightness level based on ambient light conditions. Maximum brightness levels for electronic or digital display boards shall not increase by more than 0.3 foot candles over ambient levels.
(6)
Any animated sign which malfunctions, fails, or ceases to operate in its usual or normal manner causing therein motion, movement, flashing or any other similar effects shall be repaired or disconnected within forty-eight (48) hours by the owner or operator of such sign.
(7)
No animated billboard sign (for the purpose of this section, "animated billboard sign" is defined as a billboard sign that is animated) shall be placed within two thousand (2,000) feet of another animated sign, said distance to be measured in a radius from the proposed location of the animated sign.
(8)
An applicant will only be permitted to erect an animated billboard sign within the corporate limits of the city if the applicant removes a number of existing nonconforming billboards that corresponds to a ratio of the respective surface areas of the billboard face. The ratio shall be three to one (3:1), thus requiring the removal of three (3) square feet of existing nonconforming billboard face space for every one (1) square foot of animated sign to be erected. Nonconformity shall be determined by application of the definition of "non-conforming sign" contained in section 19.1-2 of this chapter. Approval of an animated billboard sign permit shall not be granted until the nonconforming billboard faces are removed and the removal is certified by the city administrator or his/her designee. The applicant for an animated sign shall meet all other requirements of the city's ordinances, including the provisions of this chapter.
(i)
Maximum aggregate sign area. Parcels may contain more than one (1) freestanding sign, provided that:
(1)
Parcels exceeding three (3) acres shall be allowed a maximum aggregate sign area of three hundred (300) square feet for the entire parcel.
(2)
Parcels less than three (3) acres but greater than thirty thousand (30,000) square feet shall be allowed a maximum aggregate sign area of one hundred and eighty (180) square feet for the entire parcel.
(3)
Parcels less than thirty thousand (30,000) square feet in size shall be allowed a maximum aggregate sign area of one hundred and forty (140) square feet for the entire parcel.
(4)
These limits shall not include the area of any wall signs, window signs or billboard signs located on the parcel.
(5)
These limits shall include the area of all freestanding signs on the parcel other than billboard signs.
(Ord. No. 09-06A, § 13, 5-28-09)