9.1.1

The purpose of this Article is to establish standards and regulations to ensure the orderly and effective display of off-premises advertising and to define those structures that are not in compliance. This will effectuate the intent of the U. S. Congress and the Louisiana State Legislature in adopting the Highway Beautification Act and the state version of that law, who, in so acting, have declared that it is in the public interest to regulate and restrict the erection and maintenance of outdoor advertising devices along the Interstate and Primary Highway Systems, to promote the safety of public travel, and to enhance the beauty and attractiveness of the city to its residents and visitors for residential and commercial growth in an orderly plan.

9.1.2

These regulations, when properly enforced, will control the locations, size, spacing, illumination and maintenance of all off-premises advertising devices thereby resulting in the overall enhancement of the safety, health and welfare of the citizens residing in the planning limits of the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission.

This Article shall apply to "off-premises advertising devices," as herein defined in Section 18.2.64. Signs with subject matter relating to the premises (business signs) or signs of a noncommercial nature placed on the premises by the owner or occupant thereof are subject to regulation under Article 8 of this Code. All signs located in the public right-of-way are expressly prohibited.

9.3.1

No off-premises sign shall be erected, altered, or relocated without first securing a Sign Location Permit from the Metropolitan Planning Commission and a Building Permit from the Permits and Inspections Department. The sign location permit shall contain the location of the sign structure, the name and address of the sign owner, the sign erector, a drawing showing the type, size, location and zoning and such other pertinent information as the MPC may require to ensure compliance with this Code and all ordinances affecting the subject property.

9.3.2

Application and approval procedures for construction or modification of an off-premises sign are specified in Subsection 3.4.2 of this Code.

The following off-premises signs shall be allowed and shall not require a permit, although they may otherwise be subject to this Code:

9.4.1

A traffic control sign on private property, such as "Stop," "Yield" and similar signs, the face of which meet Traffic Engineering standards and which contain no commercial message of any sort;

9.4.2

Flags of the United States, state flags, municipal flags, flags of foreign nations and any other flag representing a governmental agency. These flags shall not be associated with any commercial message whatsoever.

9.5.1

No new off-premises outdoor advertising device shall be permitted unless it is located adjacent to and oriented toward an Interstate Highway.

9.5.2

Approved off-premises outdoor advertising displays, signs or billboards may be constructed, erected and maintained in the commercial and industrial zoned areas listed in this subsection and as further defined by the Zoning Ordinances of the City and Parish and the respective official zoning maps. Off-premises signs shall be permitted only in the following zoning districts and not in any others: B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, RT, I-1, I-2, A-1.

9.5.3

No property shall be rezoned to one of the specified zoning districts for the sole purpose of allowing the erection of an off-premises advertising device unless the property proposed for rezoning:

A.

Is designated on the adopted Comprehensive Plan for future industrial or business use or at least 25 percent of the perimeter of the property proposed for rezoning abuts land zoned for industrial or business use and has actually been developed for one or more industrial or business uses other than outdoor advertising devices; and

B.

Has contiguous access to a major arterial or Interstate Highway frontage road and is otherwise suitable for industrial or business use, although it is not essential that sewer and water service be immediately available.

9.5.4

Off-premises advertising devices shall be separated from one another and from other specified uses as set forth in Table 9.5.6. Measurements between off-premises signs shall be performed without regard to which side of the street or highway the sign is on, except the Interstate.

9.5.5

For the purpose of these regulations, each side of the interstate system shall be considered separately.

9.5.6

V-type or back-to-back sign surfaces on the same device shall be considered one sign.

Table 9.5.6
Separation Requirements
for Off-Premises Advertising Devices (feet)

9.5.7

Off-premises advertising devices shall be setback from the front property lines on the properties on which they are located by the distances set forth in this paragraph. Setbacks shall be measured from the sign surface. Minimum front yard setbacks shall comply with the requirements of Table 9.5.7.

Table 9.5.7
Required Setbacks for Off-Premises Advertising Devices from Front Property Lines (in feet)

9.5.8

Side and rear minimum setbacks shall be 5 feet.

9.5.9

Where Table 9.5.6 requires a separation from another sign or another use and that separation requirement is greater than the setback requirement under this paragraph, the greater separation requirement shall apply.

9.5.10

No off-premises sign shall be located on or project over a building.

9.5.11

No off-premises sign shall be located in such a manner as to obscure, obstruct, or otherwise physically interfere with the clear or unobstructed view of an official traffic sign, signal, or device, or obstruct or physically interfere with the driver's view of approaching merging or intersecting traffic.

9.5.12

No off-premises outdoor advertising device shall be located within 1,000 feet of the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway.

9.5.13

No off-premises advertising sign larger than 72 square feet, except temporary signs may be built on wooden poles; all other off-premises signs must be constructed on steel beams, metal pipes, or similar material and painted with a neutral or subdued color.

9.5.14

Public transportation benches and transit shelters or similar structures are permitted within the public right-of-way only and must have approval of the Bossier City Council or Bossier Parish Police Jury. Off-premises advertising on the bench or shelter shall not exceed 50% of the surface area.

No off-premises advertising device shall exceed the most restrictive height applicable to it under Table 9.6, subject to the further specific conditions set forth in this section:

Table 9.6
Height Limits for Off-Premises Advertising Devices (in feet)

9.7.1

Table 9.7.1 below specifies the maximum permitted sizes for off-premises advertising devices by zoning district.

Table 9.7.1
Size Limits on Off-Premises Advertising Devices, by Zoning District (sizes in square feet)

9.7.2

The maximum area, heights of surface, and length of surface dimensions in the above table are exclusive of any border or trim, the base or supports, and other structural members. For signs in I-1, I-2, A-1, RT, B-3 and B-4 Districts, cut-outs or extensions up to 50 square feet of additional area may be allowed without MPC approval and cut-out from 51 to 150 square feet may be permitted with MPC approval.

9.7.3

When 2 off-premises sign surfaces are placed back-to-back or V-type on the same device with an angle between them of not more than 60 degrees, each side shall conform to the maximum size limitations. No more than 2 sign surfaces are allowed on one device. Two-sided signs must have the same surface area one each side.

9.7.4

Signs and sign faces shall not be stacked; only one sign face is allowed on each side.

9.7.5

The maximum area, heights of surface, and length of surface dimensions in the above table are exclusive of any border or trim, the base or supports, and other structural members.

9.7.6

For purposes of measurement, Trivision technology, or comparable electronic video or animation technology, faces shall be considered to be one face.

A 5 percent distancing reduction shall be available as a bonus to applicants who choose to landscape non-interstate oriented sign location sites. To be eligible for the distancing reduction, the required landscaping shall be shown on the site plan, and maintenance of such landscaping shall be required as a continuing condition of the permit for the sign. The landscaping shall meet at least the following standards:

9.8.1

Area to be Landscaped. An 8-foot radius around the base of the sign.

9.8.2

Required Plant Materials, Type, Quality and Quantity. Acceptable plant materials include shrubs, grasses, ground covers, and other plants. Note: Landscaped boards accepted under the distance bonus program shall be considered conforming locations.

Signs may be illuminated, subject to the following restrictions:

9.9.1

A sign location permit for a new sign or changing a legally existing sign to include LED or similar electronic technology, shall only be issued if the applicant agrees in writing to remove one or more existing off-premises signs, including the poles, with a total area of two (2) times the square footage of the sign face or faces to be approved, altered or upgraded.

For example: An Off-Premises sign with a sign face area of 300 square feet may be upgraded if one or more signs, including the sign poles, that have a sign face area of at least 600 square feet, are removed from the MPC jurisdiction. For the purpose of upgrading to LED or other electronic technology, each sign face shall be treated separately. Any additional square footage, greater than the require amount that is removed, may be credited toward future sign face conversions. Approval shall follow the same process as a new sign location and the location and square footage of signs to be removed shall be included in the application package.

9.9.2

No revolving or rotating beam or beacon of light that simulates any emergency light or device shall be permitted as part of any sign. Flashing devices shall not be permitted upon a sign except illuminated signs which indicate such customary public service information such as time, date, temperature or other similar information. No flashing sign shall be allowed within 1,000 feet of residential property.

9.9.3

No animated signs, including message center or video boards, shall be allowed within 720 feet of property zoned for residential use from which the sign face can be seen; no animated signs, including message center or video boards, shall be allowed under any circumstances within 500 feet of property zoned for residential use. LED or similar electronic static face signs shall not be closer than 200' from residential property as defined in Table 9.5.6.

9.9.4

No neon, LED or similar electronic technology signs shall be allowed within the Air Base Buffer-North (A-1) District or within the area designated by Barksdale Air Force Base as the North Approach Zone. (Site Map and legal description available in the MPC office.)

9.9.5

External Lighting, such as flood lights, thin line and goose neck reflectors are permitted provided the light source is directed on the face of the sign and is effectively shielded as to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed or reflected onto any portion of the interstate highway or public street. All lighting shall be located below the sign face and directed upward at the sign. Within the A-1 District and the North Approach Zone any legal alterations to existing signs shall include conversion of external lighting so that the lights will be located above the sign and directed downward at the sign face. Any new sign location with the A-1 District and North Approach Zone shall have all external lighting located above the sign and directed downward at the sign face.

9.9.6

Neon signage and back-lit signage is permitted subject to the same guidelines as external lighting.

Temporary signs containing no commercial message and related to an election or other event or matter of public interest may be erected in any zoning district of the City or Parish but not within the public right-of-way. Such signs shall not exceed 9 square feet in residential districts. For the purposes of this paragraph, "temporary signs" shall refer to those described in Subsection 18.2.90.

The following signs or sign components shall not be permitted to remain or be erected as a part of an off-premises sign:

9.11.1

Any sign that copies or imitates an official sign or purports to have official status;

9.11.2

Beacons;

9.11.3

Windblown devices;

9.11.4

Pennants;

9.11.5

Portable signs, including any sign that is not securely fixed on a substantial structure, securely connected to the ground in such a way that it cannot easily be moved from one location to another, including skid mounted or trailer mounted signs;

9.11.6

Any sign attached to an accessory structure, except an incidental sign, if such sign is legible from the public right-of-way or from other property;

9.11.7

Any other attention-attracting device, except for those conforming to the dimensional, design, lighting and other standards applicable to a sign in the same location;

9.11.8

Any sign which is obsolete or abandoned, including any sign which does not have 100 percent of the sign surface fully covered with a promotional panel for a continuous period of 6 months;

9.11.9

Any sign which is illegal under State laws or regulations;

9.11.10

Signs which are erected or maintained upon trees or painted or drawn upon rocks or other natural features;

9.11.11

Signs located on public property, unless placed thereon under lease arrangements or otherwise permitted by legal authority;

9.11.12

Signs which contain statements, words, or pictures of an obscene nature as defined by law;

9.11.13

Signs which contain as part of the message mirror-like surfaces; (Note: 1" reflective discs that do not cover more than 5 percent of the sign surface and produce no traffic impeding glare will be permitted.)

9.11.14

Signs which are constructed so as to periodically change the direction toward which any place containing the sign surface area is oriented; and

9.11.15

Signs which emit smoke, vapor, particles, or odor.

9.12.1

Construction Standards. All off-premises signs shall be designed, constructed and maintained in accordance with the following standards:

A.

All signs shall comply with applicable provisions of the City or Parish building code.

B.

All wiring to new signs and existing signs that are being upgraded shall be placed underground. Electric signs that have internal wiring or lighting equipment, and external lighting equipment that directs lights on signs, shall not be erected or installed until and electrical permit has been obtained from the appropriate building official. Signs and their installation shall conform to applicable construction and electrical codes. All wiring to electric signs or to freestanding equipment that lights a sign shall be installed underground, unless a hardship variance is approved by the Metropolitan Planning Commission. All electric signs shall have a power disconnect switch located either on the exterior of the sign or accessible through an operable cover, and shall be labeled with a sticker or other notice on the exterior of the sign to indicate the voltage and amperage of electrical circuits connected to the sign.

C.

Except for permitted banners, flags, temporary signs and window signs conforming in all respects with the requirements of this Article, all signs shall be constructed of permanent materials and shall be attached to the ground, a building or another structure by direct attachment to a wall, frame or structure.

9.12.2

Backs of Signs. Visible backs of signs shall be suitably painted or otherwise covered to present a neat and clean appearance.

9.12.3

Maintenance Standards. All signs shall be maintained in good structural condition, in compliance with all building and electrical codes, and in conformance with this Code. Specifically:

A.

A sign shall have no more than 20 percent of its surface area covered with disfigured, cracked, ripped or peeling paint, poster paper or other material for a period of more than 30 successive days.

B.

A sign shall not stand with bent or broken sign facing, with broken supports, with loose appendages or struts, or more than 15 degrees from vertical for a period of more than ten successive days.

C.

A sign shall not have weeds, trees, vines, or other vegetation growing upon it, or obscuring the view of the sign from the public right-of-way from which it is to be viewed, for a period of more than 30 successive days.

D.

An internally illuminated sign shall be allowed to stand with only partial illumination for a period of no more than 30 successive days.

E.

Electronic signs, such as LED illuminated, with a static face shall have a minimum display time of 8 seconds and transition time between.

F.

All internally illuminated signs shall meet the following brightness standards:

1.

No sign shall be brighter than .3 footcandles over ambient lighting conditions and shall have automatic dimming capability. An automatic light sensing device (such as photocell or similar technology) shall be utilized for automatically adjusting the digital billboard's brightness. Brightness measurement shall be taken with a footcandle meter, perpendicular to the sign face from a distance of 200' for signs less than 390 square feet in size and 250' for all others.

2.

No sign shall be of such intensity or brilliance as to impair the vision of a motor vehicle driver or to otherwise interfere with the driver's operation of a motor vehicle.

3.

No sign shall be of such intensity or brilliance that it interferes with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, device, or signal.

9.12.4

Signs in A-1 or A-2 Airbase Buffer District. In addition to meeting the above standards, any sign constructed in the A-1 district must also meet regulations set forth by the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Air Force.

Nonconforming off-premises signs shall comply with the requirements specified in Section 7.6 of this Code.

In the event of Eminent Domain, the relocation of an existing sign on the same land parcel shall follow the same approval procedures of Section 3.4.2 of this Code. The new location shall meet all requirements of this Article.