Bel Air City Zoning Code

The purpose of this Part 3 is to regulate all exterior signs placed for observance in an effort to protect property values, to protect the character of the various neighborhoods in the Town, to protect health, safety and to promote the public welfare. The principal features of these regulations are the restriction of advertising to the business or use of the premises on which the sign is located and the restriction of the total sign area permissible per site. Signs have a direct and substantial impact on traffic safety, pedestrian safety, community aesthetics and property values. While recognizing the important function signs serve for the community and the economy, the Town also recognizes the need to control location, size, brightness, legibility, operational characteristics and maintenance of signs.

The sign regulations are intended to:

Residential zoning districts.

Business districts.

Temporary signs.

Permanent identification signs.

Double-faced signs. Only one face of a sign having obverse and reverse faces shall be considered in calculating advertising area. In the event that the faces of such a sign are of different area, the face having the larger area shall determine the advertising area of the sign.

Multifaced or curved surface signs. The advertising area of a multifaced or curved surface sign shall be calculated from dimensions derived from its greatest plane projection.

Irregularly shaped signs. The advertising area of irregularly shaped signs shall be calculated by totaling the area of one or more horizontally described rectangles completely enclosing the extremities of the sign.

Tracked, carved or painted signs. The advertising area of a sign consisting of two or more individual letters, characters, numbers or other figures shall be determined by the area of a horizontally described rectangle completely enclosing the extremities of all of the individual letters, characters, numbers or figures; provided, however, that if such individual modules are mounted on a background other than an integral structure component of a building, the entire area of such a background shall be calculated as advertising area.

Cylindrical signs. The advertising area of cylindrical signs shall be computed by multiplying 1/2 the circumference of the sign by the height of the sign.

Public signs. Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the furtherance of a governmental or public interest, such as directional signs, regulatory signs, warning signs, and informational signs. Public signs shall not exceed five square feet in area for each sign unless a waiver is approved by the Zoning Administrator. Horizontal directional signs on and flush with paved areas are exempt from this size restriction. All traffic-related signs must meet Maryland Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Specifications.

Integral signs. Names of buildings, dates of erection, monumental citations, commemorative tablets and the like when carved into stone, concrete or similar material or made of bronze, aluminum or other permanent type of construction and made an integral part of the structure.

Homeowner's identification signs. Signs identifying the name and address of residents shall not exceed one square foot. Such signs shall be allowed on mailboxes, but shall otherwise be mounted on the building.

Window signs. Temporary signs shall be allowed inside of a window or interior display of merchandise. The total area of all window signs shall not exceed 20% of all the window glass area.

Murals. An artistic representation, sculpture or painting. Any commercial image, message or advertisement shall be included as part of the sign square footage.

Signs directly related to a Town approved construction activity of any business zoned property provided the sign material is maintained in good condition and free of any vandalism.

Billboards, a permanent sign including but not limited to all signage advertising products or services not located on the site upon which the sign is placed.

Signs containing statements, words, or pictures of an obscene, indecent, or immoral character, such as will offend public morals or decency.

Signs which imitate an official traffic sign or signal or which contain the words "stop," "go slow," "caution," "danger," "warning," or similar words.

Signs which are of a size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination which may be confused with or construed as a traffic control device or which hide from view any traffic or street sign or signal or which obstruct the view in any direction at a street or road intersection.

Permanent signs which advertise an activity, business, product or service no longer produced or conducted on the premises on which the sign is located. Such signs may remain in place for not more than 60 days from the date of vacancy.

Signs which distract motorists, create disruptive movement or excessive glare containing or consisting of pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, strings of light bulbs, rotating signs, flashing lights, searchlights, windsail signs, LED light signs and electronic reader boards (except for gasoline signs) or other similar or moving devices including commercial signs held by pedestrians. These devices, when not part of any sign, are similarly prohibited.

Signs which are placed on municipal, county, or state property or rights-of-way, except as provided in § 165-109 of this Part 3.

Signs which are pasted or attached to utility poles, trees, fences or other signs, except those specifically permitted under the provisions of the Town banner permit policy.

All signs of a temporary or portable nature, except those specifically allowed under the provisions of this Part 3.

Signs which produce odor, sound, smoke, fire or other such emissions.

Vehicle signs, signs affixed to automobiles, trucks, trailers or other vehicles on public or private property for the basic purposes of advertising, identifying or providing direction to a person, business or activity not related to the lawful use of the vehicle for delivering merchandise or rendering service for a use associated with the property on which it is parked.

Internally illuminated signs are permitted in the B-1, B-2, B-2A, B-3, B-3A and M-1 Districts only. If interior lighting is used, sign face material must be opaque, with no translucent materials other than individual letters.

The light from any illuminated sign or from any light source, including interior of a building, shall be so shaded, shielded or directed that the light intensity or brightness shall not adversely affect surrounding or facing premises nor adversely affect safe vision of operators of vehicles moving on public or private roads, highways, or parking areas. Light shall not shine or reflect on or into residential structures. Illumination projected onto a sign must be confined as completely as possible to the face of the sign.

No illuminated signs shall cast light to exceed 0.4 maintained footcandle illumination onto a residential zoning district. All internal illumination shall not exceed 10 footcandles, measured at a distance of 10 feet from the sign.

No sign shall have blinking, flashing, or fluttering lights or other illuminating devices which have a changing light intensity, brightness or color, or which are so constructed and operated as to create an appearance or illusion of writing or printing. Nothing contained in this Part 3 shall, however, be construed as preventing the temporary use of lights or decorations related to religious, cultural and patriotic festivities. Beacon lights or searchlights shall not be permitted as a sign or for advertising purposes.

No exposed reflective-type bulbs and no strobe lights or incandescent lamps which exceed 15 watts shall be used on the exterior surface of any sign so as to expose the face of the bulb, light or lamp to any public street or adjacent property.

Permit requirements. No sign shall be erected, altered, replaced or relocated without a permit issued by the Zoning Administrator unless specifically exempted in this chapter.

Applications. All permit applications shall be signed by the applicant, and, when the applicant is any person other than the owner of the property, the permit application shall also be signed or so authorized by the owner of the property and shall contain the location of the sign structure, the name and address of the sign owner and of the sign erector, drawings showing the design, dimensions and locations of the sign and such other pertinent information as the Zoning Administrator may require to ensure compliance with the laws of the Town of Bel Air.

Nullification. A sign permit shall become null and void if the work for which the permit was issued has not been completed within a period of 12 months after the date of the permit. A permit may be renewed for a period of six months, and no additional fee shall be collected for the renewal.

Permit exceptions. The following operations shall not be considered as creating a sign and shall not require a sign permit:

Revocation. The Zoning Administrator is hereby authorized and empowered to revoke any permit issued upon failure of the permittee to comply with any provision of this chapter.

Fees. Fees for sign permits shall be as established by the Board of Town Commissioners.

Inspection. Signs for which a permit is required may be inspected periodically by the Zoning Administrator for compliance with this chapter.

Maintenance. All signs and components thereof, but not limited to the sign surface, supporting structure, lighting mechanisms and sign copy, shall be kept in good repair and in safe, neat, clean and attractive condition.

Removal of unsafe or unlawful signs. The Zoning Administrator shall order the removal of any sign erected or maintained in violation of this Part 3. In the case of a permanent sign, 10 days' notice, in writing, shall be given to the owner of such a sign, or of the building, structure or premises on which such a sign is located, to remove the sign or to bring it into compliance with this Part 3. All portable or temporary signs, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, strings of light bulbs or other similar or moving devices erected in violation of this Part 3 shall be removed immediately upon receipt of written notice from the Zoning Administrator. Upon failure to remove the sign or to comply with this notice within the time specified, the Zoning Administrator shall require the sign to be removed. The Zoning Administrator shall require the sign to be removed immediately and without notice if it reasonably appears that the condition of the sign is such as to present an immediate threat to the safety of the public. Any costs of removal incurred by the Town of Bel Air shall be assessed to the owner of the property on which such sign is located and may be collected in the manner of ordinary debt or in the manner of taxes, and such charges shall be a lien on the property. Notwithstanding the above, the owner of the sign may file an appeal, in writing, to the Board of Appeals within 30 days of the date of the violation notice.

Abandoned signs. A sign shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises upon which the sign is located when the business which it advertises is no longer conducted on the premises. If the owner or lessee, after notice, fails to remove the sign, the Zoning Administrator shall require it to be removed in accordance with this Part 3. These removal provisions shall not apply where a succeeding owner or lessee conducts the same type of business and agrees to maintain the signs to advertise the type of business being conducted on the premises and provided the signs comply with the other provisions of the Town of Bel Air Development Regulations. A temporary sign shall be deemed abandoned on and from the seventh consecutive day following the conclusion of the event or activity to which it pertains. A permanent sign shall be deemed abandoned on and from the 180th consecutive day after the enterprise to which it was accessory permanently ceases operation on the premises on which the sign is located.

All signs or other advertising structures lawfully in existence upon the effective date of this Part 3, or any applicable amendment thereto, which, by reason of their size, height, area, location, design or construction, do not conform to the requirements of this Part 3 shall constitute nonconforming signs. Nonconforming signs that were otherwise lawful on the effective date of this Part 3, or any applicable amendment thereto, may be continued if properly repaired and maintained as provided in this Part 3, until such time as the use is discontinued. A change in the information on the face of an existing nonconforming sign is allowed. However, any nonconforming sign shall either be eliminated or made to conform with the requirements of this Part 3 when any proposed change, repair or maintenance would constitute a physical change to the sign box or modification to the support structure. If a change to the height, location or advertising area reduces the nonconformity by 50% then a one-time modification to the box or structure may be permitted.

Variance. The Board of Appeals may grant a variance from the provisions of this Part 3 pursuant to the requirements outlined in § 165-92. Minor variances may be permitted by the Zoning Administrator in accordance with Article XII of the Town of Bel Air Development Regulations.

Administration and penalties.