Any change to the sign display.

Any sign that uses movement or the visual impression of movement, sound or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect and/or scene. Such signs include but are not limited to those that give the impression of flashing, running, blinking, oscillating, twinkling, scintillating, expanding or contracting.

Any temporary or retractable covering or shelter which is supported entirely by the exterior wall of a building. (See also "canopy sign.")

See "canopy sign."

See "internally illuminated sign."

Any object and/or sign filled with helium or other gas used to expand its shape and/or form.

Any sign of fabric or similar material that is mounted to a pole, building or other structural support.

Any off-premises sign exceeding 15 square feet in area.

The device used to attach and support a sign face to a building or freestanding structure.

Any sign indicating the name of a building and/or date and/or incidental information about its history or construction, which sign is incombustible material and is attached parallel to the surface of the building. Building markers may not exceed four square feet in area.

A board or wall area on which bulletins, notices or displays are temporarily posted. Such signs may not exceed five square feet in area for public, charitable or religious institutions when located upon the premises of said institutions.

A roof-like projection or portico over a door, entrance, window or outdoor service area, including but not limited to industry-standard gas station roofs independent of an enclosed structure. Such projections shall provide at least eight-foot clearance to grade from the bottom edge of the canopy.

Any sign that is part of or attached to an awning, canopy or other fabric, plastic or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window or outdoor service area. (A marquee is not a canopy sign.) Where canopy signs are permitted, they shall be allowed in lieu of wall signs. The maximum width of the area of sign display shall be 70% of the linear frontage associated with the business. The maximum height of the sign display shall be 36 inches. A canopy sign shall not be lit from underneath or behind. A canopy sign shall provide at least eight-foot clearance to grade from the bottom edge of the canopy.

Any sign wording, logo or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises or calls attention to a business, product, service or other commercial activity.

Any sign whose purpose is to display the name of the contractor and/or subcontractors employed on a work site and/or the consultants and/or financial institutions participating in the project. Such signs shall be either freestanding or attached to the structure and shall not exceed 12 square feet in residential zones or 30 square feet in all other zones. Such signs shall be temporary in nature and shall be removed upon completion of construction. Such signs shall not be erected until building permits for the relevant project are pulled. This definition does not include signs located on the premises of the general offices of a contractor.

Any sign whose purpose is to direct vehicles and/or pedestrians onto, around and off of a premises. Such signs shall be limited to four square feet in area including any attached corporate logos or other symbols. Such signs shall be limited to three feet in height from the top of the sign to grade. These signs may contain the name or logo of an establishment but no advertising copy. Such logos shall not comprise greater than 20% of the total sign area.

A sign which provides dedicated space for listings of two or more professional, service, business and/or commercial activities and is designed and constructed with provision to allow changes of occupancy to be reflected on the sign. One such sign shall be permitted per building, either as a wall directory sign or as a freestanding directory sign. Freestanding directory signs are permitted in lieu of individual freestanding signs and shall not exceed 15 feet in height or 60 square feet in sign area.

Any sign whose light source is located outside of the sign. This includes, but is not limited to, spotlights.

See "construction sign."

Any fabric or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns, words and/or symbols. One flag shall be permitted for every 150 feet of frontage associated with the property, with a maximum of three flags permitted per business or residence. Flags attached to a building shall be displayed at a height where the lowest portion of flag material is a minimum of seven feet off the ground if hanging over a public right-of-way. Flags containing a commercial message or business name shall not exceed 12 square feet in area. Standing flags shall be allowed in existing flag holes in the sidewalk within the Commercial Downtown (CD) Zone without a minimum clearance restriction.

See "animated sign."

Any sign supported by a structural device or devices that is placed on or anchored into the ground and that is independent from any building. One freestanding sign shall be permitted per lot with a maximum visible sign area of 40 square feet. (See also Subsection B, Computations, for multifaced signs.) Where more than one business is located on a lot, up to three freestanding signs shall be permitted, provided that the total square footage of visible sign area does not exceed 40 square feet. A minimum sign clearance of eight feet is required between the grade and the base of the lowest part of the sign to ensure adequate site clearance for pedestrians and vehicles. Maximum sign height shall be 15 feet, and all such signs shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all lot lines. The area immediately underneath and around the base of the sign shall be landscaped per the landscaping requirements found in § 260-28G of this chapter.

Signs necessary to the operation of filling and service stations, limited to the following:

Signs erected by or on behalf of the United States of America, the State of Rhode Island and the Town of East Greenwich, traffic controls, legal notices or other signs required by law, including all signs erected under the authority of the Town of East Greenwich. The Town shall have the ability to erect such signs without sign approval.

Any sign, exclusive of gas-filled signs, whose light source is located behind and/or within the sign itself or behind and/or within any individual element(s) of a sign.

A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as "no parking," "loading zone," "open," "telephone" and other similar directives. Such signs shall not exceed six square feet in area and shall not count toward the maximum visible sign area as addressed in § 260-28A below.

(1) A sign which was erected legally prior to the enactment of this article; (2) a sign which does not conform to the sign code requirements, for which zoning relief has been granted through the Zoning Board of Review.

Roadway frontage on a local access road. Frontage along limited access highways such as Routes 4 and 1-95 shall not be considered as lot frontage.

Any sign whose base is in contact with or within one foot of the ground. Where permitted, only one monument sign shall be allowed per lot in lieu of a freestanding sign and shall have a maximum sign area of 50 square feet and shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from all property lines. Maximum sign height shall be eight feet. The area immediately underneath and around the base of the sign shall be landscaped per the landscaping requirements found in § 260-28G of this chapter.

Any sign moved by mechanical or natural means, such as wind.

A picture or painting applied directly to a wall or roof of a structure, containing no written copy or text.

Material on which a name and/or professional designation is inscribed or painted. Professional nameplates shall indicate a name and/or professional designation and/or affiliation and shall not exceed one square foot per professional occupant. Residential nameplates shall display the name and address of a resident and shall not exceed one square foot in area. All such nameplates shall be affixed either to a door, an adjacent wall of the premises, or a lamppost/mailbox.

An electronic sign illuminated by inert gas confined to a glass tube. Such signs may be classified as "window" signs or as "projecting" signs and must meet all definitions and requirements of those sign types as addressed in this article.

Any sign that does not conform to the requirements of this chapter.

Any sign that is either a commercial off-premises sign or a noncommercial off-premises sign.

Any wall sign or perpendicular sign which is a part of and affixed to a permitted peddler's vehicle.

Any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, string or line, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.

Any mobile sign not permanently attached to the ground or permanent structure or a sign which may be transported, including, but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless said vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operations of the business. Sandwich board signs as described and regulated elsewhere in this chapter shall not be considered portable.

The building in which the principal use of the lot is conducted. Lots with multiple principal uses may have multiple principal buildings, but storage buildings, garages and other clearly accessory uses shall not be considered principal buildings.

Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that it extends more than 10 inches beyond the surface of such building or wall. Such signs shall be permitted in lieu of freestanding signs or monument signs. Only one projecting sign shall be permitted per business and shall be perpendicular to the wall to which it is attached, its nearest edge being no less than three inches and its furthest edge projecting no greater than 48 inches from the wall. The projecting sign shall have a maximum sign area of 10 square feet and its lowest edge shall be a minimum of eight feet from the ground.

Any temporary sign advertising the real estate upon which the sign is located as being for rent, lease or sale. Residential real estate signs shall be permitted for individual residential properties and shall not exceed six square feet in area. Only one residential real estate sign per lot shall be permitted. Commercial and industrial real estate signs shall be permitted for industrial and commercial properties and shall not exceed 32 square feet in area. All residential, commercial and industrial signs shall be removed within two weeks of the sale or lease of the property or unit. Subdivision real estate signs shall be permitted for subdivisions of five or more lots. One common sign with a maximum sign area of 32 square feet per side shall be permitted in lieu of individual real estate signs and shall not be in place for greater than two years.

Any single-faced wall sign or freestanding sign in a residential zone, including, but not limited to, preservation plaques and bed-and-breakfast signs. Freestanding signs of this nature shall have an area not exceeding four square feet, shall be no greater than four feet in height overall, and shall be located a minimum of five feet from all property lines.

A wall sign or freestanding sign whose sign display is not to exceed 12 square feet and is used on premises for church, hospital, library, museum, art gallery or charitable purposes.

Any sign erected over or on the roof of a building and which is supported by the roof structure.

Any double-sided portable sign designed as an "A" or "T" frame, typically hinged or joined at one or more points. One such sign shall be permitted per business and shall be located so as to provide a public passage of a minimum of three feet on any public right-of-way. Each face of the double-sided sign shall not exceed six square feet in area. No driveways, doorways, walkways or handicap ramps may be blocked by the sign. Sandwich board signs shall not be attached to any public structure or street furniture.

Any light with one or more beams directed into the atmosphere or directed at one or more points not on the same lot as the light source; also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or move.

Any temporary sign which promotes holiday greetings. Signs promoting businesses, products, services or sales do not constitute season's greetings.

Any device, fixture, display, placard or structure that uses any color, form, graphic, illumination, symbol and/or writing to advertise, announce the purpose of, or identify the purpose of a person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to the public. A wall sign shall consist of both a sign face and a bracket. A freestanding sign shall consist of the sign face(s), bracket(s), post(s) and frame. A monument sign shall consist of the sign face(s) and support base.

One freestanding permanent sign may be installed at all exclusive entrances to a development. Each sign shall have a maximum sign area of 16 square feet. These signs shall not be located within the public right-of-way or on Town-owned or -controlled land.

Any sign not permanently installed or any sign only intended for use for a limited period of time. Such signs shall be permitted in all zoning districts and may be of any type and size of sign allowed therein and shall be subject to the same requirements, restrictions and setback limitations applicable to other sign types in those zones. Temporary signs are prohibited from all public rights-of-way, municipal buildings and Town-owned property, and shall not be affixed to any traffic signs, utility poles, nor to any trees located in public rights-of-way or on Town property. Such signs shall not remain in place for more than 120 days in any calendar year.

Refers to all governmental entities of the Town of East Greenwich, including, but not limited to, Town municipal offices and the School Department.

Any trademark that is registered with the United States Patent Office under 15 U.S.C. § 1051.

Any sign attached parallel to but within 10 inches of a wall, painted on the wall surface, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure which is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one sign surface and is supported by such wall or building. One such sign shall be permitted per business per building face with a maximum of three per business. The maximum width of the sign display shall not exceed 70% of the linear frontage associated with the business unit. In the CD-1 and CD-2 (Commercial Downtown 1 and 2) and W (Waterfront) Zones, such signs may be either a total of 30 square feet in area or a maximum of 36 inches in height and no greater than six inches from the wall. In the Route 2 corridor, MUPD (Mixed Use Planned Development), CH (Commercial Highway) and L1/O (Industrial) Zones, wall signs may either total 30 square feet in area or be a maximum of 48 inches in height and no greater than 10 inches from the wall. For businesses located within shopping centers having greater than 100,000 square feet of gross floor area, such signs shall not be limited in height or width but shall not exceed 30% of the building's facade associated with the business. This provision shall only apply to those businesses located within the main structure(s) and shall not apply to any other freestanding structures (i.e., pad sites, kiosks, outbuildings, etc.). All wall signs must directly advertise or promote the business, entity or enterprise located within the building or structure to which they are attached, painted or erected as described above. Any wall signs that do not directly advertise or promote said business, entity or enterprise are strictly prohibited.

Any sign that is placed inside a window, upon the window panes or glass, or within 12 inches of the window (exclusive of merchandise display). Permanent window signs may be applied to, painted on or attached to the inside of each window associated with a business. The area of such window signs shall be counted toward the maximum visible sign area as addressed by § 260-28A herein. Temporary interior signs advertising business openings, specials, sales, events and greetings shall be permitted in accordance with the definition above of "temporary sign" for a period not to exceed 14 days.