Franklin County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

SIGN REGULATIONS

§ 155.350 PURPOSE.

(A) Signs use private land and the sightlines created by the public right-of-way to inform and persuade the general public by publishing a message.

(B) This subchapter provides standards for the erection and maintenance of private signs. All private signs not exempted as provided below shall be erected and maintained in accordance with these standards.

(C) The general objectives of these standards are to promote the health, safety, welfare, convenience and enjoyment of the public and in part to achieve the following.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.01)

§ 155.351 SAFETY.

To promote the safety of persons and property by providing that signs:

(A) Do not create a hazard due to collapse, fire, collision, decay or abandonment;

(B) Do not obstruct fire fighting or police surveillance; and

(C) Do not create traffic hazards by confusing or distracting motorists, or by impairing the driver’s ability to see pedestrians, obstacles or other vehicles or to read traffic signs.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.02)

§ 155.352 COMMUNICATIONS EFFICIENCY.

To promote the efficient transfer of information in sign messages by providing that:

(A) Those signs which provide messages and information most needed and sought by the public are given priorities;

(B) Businesses and services may identify themselves;

(D) No person or group is arbitrarily denied the use of the sight lines from the public right-of-way for communication purposes; and

(E) Persons exposed to signs are not overwhelmed by the number of messages presented and are able to exercise freedom of choice to observe or ignore such messages according to the observer’s purpose.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.03)

§ 155.353 DEFINITIONS.

(A) For the purpose of this subchapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.

ACCESS-CONTROLLED HIGHWAY. Any roadway, which has only limited access points, which are determined by the Transportation Cabinet.

ADDRESS. The numeric reference of a use or building to a street name.

AREA OF SIGN. The total area of the sign face, which is used to display a message, not including its supporting poles or structures. Computation of AREA OF SIGN is addressed in § 155.363 of this chapter.

AWNING. A shelter projecting from and supported by the exterior wall of a building.

BUILDING. A structure, which has a roof by columns, walls or air for the shelter, support or enclosure of persons, animals or personal possessions.

CANOPY BUILDING. A rigid multi-sided structure, which has a roof covering of fabric, metal or other material and supported by a building at one or more points and by columns or posts at the other points, may be illuminated by means of internal and/or external sources.

CANOPY, FREE-STANDING. A rigid multi-sided structure, which has a roof covering of fabric, metal or other material supported by columns or posts, may be illuminated by means of internal or external sources.

DEVELOPMENT IDENTIFICATION. A sign, which indicates the name of the development or shopping center, which is located within the planned mixed, planned residential or planned commercial zone districts.

ELEVATION. A geometric projection of a building on a vertical plane.

GRADE. The average level of the finished surface of the ground adjacent to a sign or to the exterior wall of the building to which a sign is affixed.

HEIGHT. As applied to a sign, shall be measured as the vertical distance between the highest part of the sign or its supporting structure, whichever is higher, and a level plane going through the centerline of the nearest improved public right-of-way, other than an alley. In the event a sign is equidistant from more than one improved public right-of-way, none of which are alleys, the highest point shall be used.

INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS UNIT. A business, which is located in a structurally independent building, which has its own entrance and exit.

INTERSECTION. The junction of the centerlines of any two public rights-of-way, other than alleyways, crossing at grade or where the crossing is separated at grade, the intersection shall be the point at which expressway travel pavements converge or diverge or the point at which any expressway interchange ramp intersects the expressway travel pavement.

MANSARD-STYLE ROOF. A mansard-style roof is a decorative structure, which is attached to the fascia of the building, but is not structurally integrated into the building. See the attached diagram.

MEASUREMENTS ALONG THE WAY. The measurement taken along the centerlines of a public right-of-way or sequence of intersecting centerlines, but in no event an alley. If the measurement is from a zoning boundary, then it shall be taken from any point where the zoning district boundary line touches the centerline to the first point on the public right-of-way centerline which is perpendicularly opposite any point on the sign. The line from the sign shall be perpendicular to the public right-of-way and shall always be taken to the public right-of-way nearest the sign.

OCCUPANCY. The purpose for which a building is used or for which it is intended to be used. The term shall also include the building or room housing such use. Change of OCCUPANCY is not intended to include change of tenants or proprietors.

PREMISES. Any lot or unplatted tract or any combination of contiguous lots or unplatted tracts held under single ownership.

READER BOARD. A sign, or portion thereof, with characters, letters or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign. READER BOARDS that are not part of a fascia, monument or pole sign shall be considered “special purpose signs”.

SETBACK. The required distance between any point on private land and the nearest point at the edge of the nearest public right-of-way, other than an alley. Where a public way crosses a railroad right-of-way, the SETBACK DISTANCE is to be measured from the public right-of-way line extended across the railroad right-of-way.

SIGN. Any object, device, display or structure, or part thereof, situated outdoors, which is used to advertise, identify, display, direct or attract attention to an object, person, institution, organization, business, product, service, event or location, by any means, including words, letters, figures, designs, symbols, fixtures or images, but excluding striping not integral to the sign.

SIGN, ATTACHED. Any sign attached to, applied on or supported by, any part of a building such as a wall, roof, window, canopy, awning, arcade or marquee which encloses or covers usable space.

SIGN, AWNING. A sign painted on, printed on or attached flat against the surface of an awning.

SIGN, BENCH. A sign painted on or affixed to any portion of a bench or seating area at bus stops or other such pedestrian areas.

SIGN, BILLBOARD. Any off-site sign, available for rent, on a permanent structure on which the copy is periodically changed and which is not located on the premises to which such advertising copy pertains.

SIGN, BUILDING-MOUNTED. A sign, which is connected to a building. This includes, but is not limited to, a wall, building canopy, projecting or awning sign. See also SIGN, ATTACHED.

SIGN, CHANGEABLE COPY/READER BOARD. A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign. A sign on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall be considered a “time and temperature” portion of a sign and not a CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN for purposes of this subchapter.

SIGN, DETACHED. Any sign connected to the ground, which is not an attached sign, inclusive of signs on movable objects, except signs on vehicles, which are moving or are parked only temporarily and are incidental to their principal use for transportation.

SIGN, DIRECTIONAL. A non-premises sign whose content is limited exclusively to the identification of a specific premises or occupancy location, and which tells the location of or route to that premises or occupancy.

SIGN, DIRECTORY. A sign, which lists the names of the occupants of a multiple occupancy building.

SIGN, ELECTION. Any type of non-premises sign, which refers only to the issues or candidates, involved in a political election.

SIGN, FASCIA. Any sign attached to, applied on, or supported by, any part of a building such as a wall, roof, window, canopy, awning, arcade or marquee, which enclosed or covers usable space. No FASCIA SIGN shall be allowed to project further than 12 inches from the face of the building to which it is attached.

SIGN, ILLEGAL. A sign which was not in compliance with this, or the applicable ordinance, when it was erected, installed, altered or displayed.

SIGN, ILLUMINATED. Any sign, which is directly lighted by any electrical light source, internal or external. This definition does not include signs, which are illuminated by street lights, or other light sources owned by any public agency or light sources, which are specifically operated for the purpose of lighting the area in which the sign is, located rather than the sign itself.

SIGN, INCIDENTAL. A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as “No Parking”, “Entrance”, “Loading Only”, “Telephone” and other similar directives. No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the lot on which the sign is located shall be considered incidental. The total area of any single INCIDENTAL SIGN shall not exceed one square feet.

SIGN, NON-CONFORMING. A sign that was erected, installed or displayed in compliance with previous sign regulations, but which is not in compliance with this subchapter, and which has not been reconstructed, altered or otherwise modified since the adoption of this subchapter, except to bring the sign into compliance with the provisions of this subchapter.

SIGN, OFF-PREMISES. A sign, which directs attention to a business not located on the same lot where the sign is displayed.

SIGN, ON-PREMISES. A sign, which directs attention to a business, or product or service, offered on the same lot where the sign is displayed.

SIGN, POLE. A sign that is set firmly in or upon the ground surface and is not attached to any building, canopy or other structure. See also GROUND-MOUNTED SIGN or POLE-MOUNTED SIGN.

SIGN, PORTABLE. A sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported including, but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels, signs converted to “A” or “T” frames; menu and sandwich board signs; balloons used as signs; table umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way.

SIGN, PROJECTING. Any sign, which is erected on a building wall or structure and extends beyond the building wall more than 12 inches.

SIGN, ROOF. A sign erected and constructed either wholly, or in part, upon, against, or above the roof of a building. For purposes of this subchapter, any portion of a building above or behind the fascia or parapet of a building shall be considered part of the roof.

SIGN, SPECIAL PURPOSE. A sign temporarily supplementing the permanent signs on a premise. Included in this classification are banners, streamers, flags, pennants and the like. The total square footage of these signs shall be counted in the maximum square footage allowed in Table 1.

SIGN, TEMPORARY. A sign, including paper, cardboard and fabric signs, which is used for a limited period of time and is not permanently mounted.

SIGN, TIME OR TEMPERATURE. A sign or portion thereof on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature.

SIGN, WINDOW. A sign that is placed inside a window, or applied or attached to window panes or glass, and which is visible from the exterior of the window and is not permanently painted or otherwise permanently affixed to the window. Signs that are permanently painted or otherwise permanently affixed to the window shall be considered wall-mounted signs.

SIGN PACKAGE PLAN. A coordinated plan for developing signs for an individual building or a group of buildings.

SIGN SUPPORT. Any pole, post, strut, cable or other structural fixture or framework necessary to hold and secure a sign, providing that such fixture or framework is not imprinted with any picture, symbol or work using characters in excess of one inch in height, now is internally or decoratively illuminated.

STREET FRONTAGE. The distance along which a lot line adjoins a public street right-of-way from one lot line intersecting the street to the furthest distant lot line intersecting the same street. For purposes of this subchapter, a development project containing more than one lot along a street shall be considered to have only one STREET FRONTAGE on that street. Corner lots have at least two STREET FRONTS.

STRUCTURE. See BUILDING.

(B) For the purpose of this chapter, one word shall be deemed to be any of the following:

(1) Any word in any language found in any standard unabridged dictionary or dictionary of slang;

(2) Any proper noun or any initial;

(3) Any separate symbol or abbreviation, such as “%” and “Inc.”;

(4) Any telephone number, street number of commonly used combination of numerals and/or symbols such as “$5.00” or “50%”;

(5) Any symbol or logo that is a trademark, but which, in and of itself, contains no word or character; and

(6) Otherwise, each separate character is considered to be a word.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.04)

§ 155.354 GENERAL APPLICATION.

The provisions of §§ 155.351 through 155.357 of this chapter shall apply to all signs in the county, without regard to zoning.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.05)

§ 155.355 IMITATION OF TRAFFIC AND EMERGENCY SIGNS PROHIBITED.

No person shall cause to be erected or maintained any sign using any combination of forms, words, colors or lights, which imitates standard public traffic regulatory, emergency signs or signals.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.06) Penalty, see § 155.999

§ 155.356 SIGN SUPPORTS WITHIN RIGHT-OF-WAY PROHIBITED; SIGNS FORFEITED.

(A) No sign support shall be located within the public right-of-way and no sign shall project over any public right-of-way or across the public right-of-way line.

(B) Any sign installed or placed on or over public property or right-of-way after the adoption of this subchapter, except in conformance with these requirements, shall be forfeited to the public and subject to confiscation. In addition to other remedies hereunder, the county shall have the right to recover from the owner or person placing such a sign the full cost of removal and disposal of the sign.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.07) Penalty, see § 155.999

§ 155.357 SIGN MAINTENANCE.

All signs and all sign supports shall be maintained in good repair and in proper operating condition. No sign face shall remain cracked or broken, and no illuminating device shall be maintained in any way other than the method for which such device was designed and approved by the County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building Code Enforcement.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.08) Penalty, see § 155.999

§ 155.358 OTHER CODES NOT IN CONFLICT APPLICABLE.

All signs erected or maintained pursuant to the provisions of this subchapter shall do so in compliance with all applicable state laws, with the commonwealth’s Building Code and the National Electric Code, and other applicable county codes not in conflict with the provisions of this subchapter.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.09) Penalty, see § 155.999

§ 155.359 SPECIAL PURPOSE AND ELECTION SIGNS.

(A) Special purpose signs, as defined in this subchapter, are prohibited from being erected or maintained in the county, except as provided for in § 155.369 of this chapter.

(B) Any occupancy or any premises that may erect permanent signs may erect election signs for period not to exceed 60 days prior to any primary or general election. Election signs shall be removed within ten days after the election or after the termination of a candidacy, whichever occurs first.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.10) Penalty, see § 155.999

§ 155.360 GOVERNMENT SIGNS.

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to prevent the display of a national or state flag or to limit government flags, government insignia, legal notices or informational, directional or traffic signs which are legally required or necessary to the essential functions of government agencies.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.11)

§ 155.361 PERMITS; APPLICATIONS.

(A) (1) A permit, issued by the County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building Code Enforcement, is required to erect all signs not explicitly exempted by the provisions of this subchapter.

(2) The Department of Planning, Zoning and Building Code Enforcement shall inspect any sign, for which a permit is issued, after its erection for conformity to the provisions of this subchapter.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.12)

(B) All applications for permits shall include a drawing, indicating dimensions of the sign, and all existing signs maintained on the premises, a drawing of the lot or building facade indicating the proposed location of the sign, and specifications for its construction, lighting, motion and wiring, if any.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.13)

§ 155.362 NON-CONFORMING SIGNS.

Non-conforming signs shall be allowed to continue; except that, no non-conforming sign shall be enlarged or relocated to another portion of the lot, without bringing the sign into compliance with these regulations. In cases where non-conforming sign(s) have been damaged due to fire, acts of God or other catastrophic events, these signs shall be permitted to be replaced in their original non-conforming state.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.14)

§ 155.363 COMPUTATIONS.

The following principles shall control the computations of sign area and sign height.

(A) Computation of area of individual signs.

(1) The area of a sign face, which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face, shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall is clearly incidental to the display itself.

(2) Signs, which are comprised of individual letters, shall have the total area of the sign calculated by adding the computed area of all individual letters together, and shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof, that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall is clearly incidental to the display itself.

(B) Computation of area of multi-faced sign. The sign area for a sign with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point.

(1) The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of:

(a) Existing grade prior to construction; or

(b) The newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.

(2) In cases in which the normal grade cannot reasonably be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the lot, whichever is lower. When a sign is within the building setback, the calculation for the sign may use either the base elevation or the elevation of the roadway.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.15)

§ 155.364 VARIANCE PROCEDURE.

The Board of Zoning Adjustments shall have the power to grant variances from the height or setback provisions of this subchapter, in accordance with the variance provisions outlined in KRS 100.243, Findings Necessary for Granting a Variance. Requests for deviations from the maximum permitted sign area shall be considered as a waiver request to be heard by the Planning Commission, in accordance with § 155.008 of this chapter.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.16)

§ 155.365 SIGNS IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES.

The following signs shall be permitted in all residential zones (RR, RA, RB, RC, RS, RD, RL, RH and RM), subject to any specific conditions listed below.

(A) Signs identifying a residential subdivision, limited to two signs at the main entrance(s) with the total square footage of each sign not exceeding 32 square feet.

(B) “For Sale” and “For Auction” signs, not exceeding 32 square feet and located on the residential premises being offered for sale or auction. Such signs will not require a permit.

(C) “For Rent” signs not exceeding six square feet and located on the premises being offered for lease. Such signs will not require a permit.

(D) Signs identifying apartment or multi-family complexes, consisting of eight dwelling units or more on a single lot, shall be permitted to display up to two signs at the entrance to such complexes, with the total square footage of such signs not exceeding 32 square feet.

(E) Signs identifying a major home occupation, which has been approved by the Board of Zoning Adjustments. Such sign shall be limited to two square feet and shall be required to be attached flush to the front facade of the residence.

(F) Signs identifying business offices, as permitted in the RH Zone, shall follow the PO guidelines contained in Table 1.

(G) (1) Signs identifying churches or schools or other type of institution, which may be permitted in any residential (R) zone may be permitted, not to exceed 32 square feet in area.

(2) In addition, one bulletin board or announcement board may be permitted not exceeding 20 square feet in area is allowed for any church, school, community center or other public or semi-public institution.

(H) Election signs shall be permitted to be placed on private property, subject to the conditions indicated below. Election signs shall not require a permit.

(1) Where signs are otherwise permitted, an election sign may be erected no sooner than 60 days before the election and the sign shall be removed within ten days following the election to which it applies, the owner of the property on which the sign is placed shall be responsible for its removal.

(2) Election signs may be placed on private fences with the owner’s permission no sooner than 60 days before the election and the signs shall be removed within ten days following the election to which it applies.

(3) Election signs may not be erected or placed on public property, including rocks, trees, public fences, sign posts, light poles or utility poles on public property.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.17)

§ 155.366 SIGNS IN PO, CL, CG AND CH ZONES; PERMITTED SIGNS.

(A) (1) It is not the intent or purpose of these regulations to presuppose what advertising needs each individual business may have. To this end, the following types of signs shall be permitted in the PO, CL, CG and CH Zone Districts. Table 1 indicates the maximum total sign area permitted per parcel of property. Within the limits or conditions established by the section and Table 1, each individual property owner shall determine the types of signs to be placed on the property and/or building. The total area of all signs shall be determined by the Planning and Building Codes Department and the total area of all such signs shall not exceed the limits set forth in Table 1.

(2) In no case, though, shall any one sign exceed 30% of the allowable sign area and, no free-standing signs may exceed 100 square feet, with the following exceptions:

(a) Multiple businesses on a single parcel of property may increase the area permitted to 150 square feet; however, no one business shall have a sign on that pole sign which exceeds 75 square feet if multiple businesses are utilizing it for advertising purposes.

(b) Building-mounted (attached) and pole- or ground-mounted signs for properties located the following distances from the road right-of-way may be increased by the following percentages:

Distance from Right-of-Way	Percentage of Increase
0 ft. - 30 ft.	No increase
31 ft. - 50 ft.	20%
51 ft. - 75 ft.	30%
Over 76 ft.	50%

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.19)

(B) (1) Building-mounted (attached) sign(s) shall be permitted per building face, except that no fascia sign shall be permitted on any face of the building, which adjoins residentially-used or zoned land;

(2) One pole or one ground-mounted sign. Both types of signs shall not be permitted per parcel or property;

(3) Changeable copy/reader boards (if attached to and made a part of the fascia, pole-mounted or ground-mounted signs);

(4) Entrance/exit signs (not to exceed three feet in height);

(5) Drive-thru service identification;

(6) Pricing signs (used in conjunction with full-service and self-service gasoline stations);

(7) Canopy signs;

(8) Awning signs, used as fascia signs;

(9) Menu boards at drive through service businesses/restaurants; and

(10) Roof signs on mansard-style roofs.

Table 1: Maximum Total Sign Area per Parcel of Property, By Zone District
Note: the maximum total area of all signs in a CL, CG or CH and PO zoned parcel shall not exceed the lesser of the following:
Zone District	PO	CL	CG	CH
Maximum total square feet	100	200	800	1,000
% of ground floor area of principal building	4%	4%	8%	10%
Square feet of signage per linear foot of street frontage	2	2	6	8

Table 2: Height and Setback Requirements for Pole or Ground-mounted Signs in CL, CG, PO or CH Zoned Property
Zone District	PO		CL		CG		CH
Sign Type	Monument	Pole	Monument	Pole	Monument	Pole	Monument	Pole
Maximum height (from ground to top of sign)	6 ft.	25 ft.	6 ft.	25 ft.	6 ft.	50 ft.	6 ft.	50 ft.
Minimum height (from ground to bottom of sign)	0 ft.	9 ft.	0 ft.	9 ft.	0 ft.	9 ft.	0 ft.	9 ft.
NOTES TO TABLE: Front yard, side yard and rear yard setbacks: 1/2 distance required in basic zone district. This distance is measured from the property line.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.20)

§ 155.367 SIGNS IN IC AND IG ZONES.

The following signs shall be permitted in the IC and IG Zone Districts. All other signs shall be prohibited:

(A) Ground-mounted sign, limited to 1% of total ground floor area of building, or 100 square feet, whichever is less; or pole-mounted sign, limited to 1% of total ground floor area of the building, or 150 square feet, whichever is less. Only one ground or pole-mounted sign shall be permitted per street frontage. Maximum height shall be ten feet for monument signs and 25 feet for pole signs;

(B) Fascia sign per street facade limited to 5% of the total facade area to which it is attached;

(D) Shipping/receiving signs limited to a total of 32 square feet and having a height of no greater than three feet.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.21)

§ 155.368 SIGN PACKAGE PLAN REQUIRED IN PR, PM AND PC DISTRICTS.

(A) In any newly proposed or existing Planned Unit Development Zone District, a sign package plan shall be prepared by the developer and approved by the Planning Commission at the same time the final development plan is approved.

(B) The sign package plan shall establish the maximum size, the prototypical design and the number of signs that will be allowed within the subject planned development. After the sign package plan has been approved by the Planning Commission, the County Department of Planning, Zoning and Building Code Enforcement shall be authorized to issue sign permits for businesses when the requested sign is in compliance with the approved sign package plan. No permit for any sign shall be issued unless it is in compliance with the approved sign package plan.

(1) Front building elevation(s), indicating lengths of individual storefronts, location(s) of signs and the maximum sign area for each individual business sign;

(2) Location of development identification sign, if any, indicating the setbacks and maximum sign area for this sign;

(3) Drawings, to scale, of all signs proposed for the planned unit development, including dimensions (height and width);

(4) Color schemes for all signs and the design of all signs, including how they will need to be erected, and the types of structures which, will be used to support each sign;

(5) The types of structures that will be used to support each sign; and

(6) The elevation of the centerline of the nearest adjacent improved public right-of-way, for purposes of determining the maximum height permitted.

(D) The sign package plan, once approved, shall become a part of the final development plan. Any change to this portion of the plan shall require that an amended final development plan be submitted by the developer/owner of the planned unit development for approval by the Planning Commission, as a whole. The Chairperson shall not approve any amended sign package plan administratively, as provided for in §§ 155.195 and 155.278 of this chapter.

(E) The following is a list of maximum sign areas permitted per type of sign and applicable zone district.

(1) Development identification. Development identification signs shall identify the name of the development, only and shall not exceed 150 square feet per street frontage. One development identification sign per street frontage shall be permitted. Individual tenants shall not be permitted to display a sign on the development identification sign.

(2) Fascia signs identifying tenants.

(a) Each tenant shall be permitted to display one fascia sign identifying his or her business. Each tenant sign shall be limited to one square foot of sign area for each one linear foot of building frontage. In no case shall a tenant be limited to less than 25 square feet of fascia sign, or allowed a maximum of over 250 square feet.

(b) Businesses located on the interior of a single building, and having customer/client access from the interior of the building shall be permitted to have one fascia sign on the exterior of the building. The maximum area of this sign shall be no greater than one square foot of sign area for each one linear foot of interior storefront area. No minimum or maximum sign areas shall apply to this requirement.

(3) Monument signs. On individual lots within a planned unit development, businesses shall be permitted one monument sign. The maximum permitted sign area for a monument sign shall not exceed 40 square feet. The maximum height of the monument sign shall not exceed six feet. The location of any approved monument sign shall be one-half the distance of the building setback.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.22)

§ 155.369 TEMPORARY SPECIAL PURPOSE SIGNS.

Special purpose signs shall be permitted on a temporary basis only, for no more than ten days at any one time and for no more than six times in any one calendar year (January 1 to December 31). The square footage of these signs shall be included in the calculations determining the maximum limits allowable under Table 1.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.23)

§ 155.370 SETBACKS.

Except as otherwise noted herein, the setback for all ground-mounted and pole-mounted signs shall be one-half the distance required in the Basic Zone District’s Bulk, Density and Height Table. Entrance/exit signs may be located at the right-of-way, but in no instance shall they project into the right-of-way and shall not be greater than three feet in height.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.24)

§ 155.371 SIGHT DISTANCE TRIANGLE.

(A) No ground-mounted business identification sign shall be placed within the sight distance of a street intersection or the intersection of the entrance/exit to a business and the public street. If a pole sign is proposed within this sight triangle, the minimum distance from the ground to the bottom of the sign shall be 15 feet.

(B) For purposes of this section, the following sight distance triangle measurements shall be used: where a county street, driveway or other entrance intersects with a state highway or other county street, the sight triangle shall consist of the area between a point ten feet along the street or driveway edge of pavement and a point located along the edge of the state highway pavement, the distance an automobile traveling the speed limit can go in six seconds, as indicated in the table below.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.25)

§ 155.372 PROJECTION.

No sign determined to be a fascia sign shall be allowed to project further than 18 inches from the face of the building.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.26)

§ 155.373 NON-PREMISES ADVERTISING SIGNS.

(A) General. Non-premises or advertising signs, including billboards and poster boards are permitted only in the CH, IC and IG Zone Districts. Non-premises signs shall not be permitted on any residential used property, regardless of zoning. Non-premises signs shall be permitted only when facing streets designated as an arterial street in the functional highway classification system contained within the Comprehensive Plan.

(B) Size height and location.

(1) No sign shall exceed 240 square feet in area.

(2) Not more than one sign face is permitted on the same side of any sign structure. This does not prohibit double-faced structures; provided that, both faces are 90 degrees to an arterial highway and are mounted on the same frame.

(3) No non-premises sign is permitted within 2,500 feet of any other such sign.

(4) The maximum height shall be 50 feet.

(5) No non-premises sign shall be permitted within 1,000 feet of the right-of-way of an interstate, or a highway classified, by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, as a federal-aid highway.

(1) Any illumination shall be external and shall be directed toward the sign.

(2) Deflectors shall be attached to the lights, so that the light is directed toward the sign.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.27)

§ 155.374 NON-PROFIT, CHURCH AND ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNS.

Non-profit enterprise, charitable organizations or church directional signs are permitted; provided, they meet the following criteria.

(A) No sign may be greater than six square feet.

(B) Such signs shall only:

(1) Identify the church, non-profit enterprise or charitable organization;

(2) Direct the traffic pattern in the direction of its location;

(3) Indicate the distance necessary to be traveled to reach the location; and

(4) Have a minimum spacing of 100 feet from any other non-profit, charitable organization or church designated directional sign.

(C) No such sign shall be located closer than 20 feet from the roadway and shall have a distance of five feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign.

(D) Written consent of the owner must be submitted to the County Planning, Zoning and Building Codes office when the proposed sign is to be located on private property. Such sign shall not count in the total sign allocation for that business or property.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.28)

§ 155.375 INTERSTATE BUSINESS SIGNS.

(A) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to allow for business establishments offering goods and services in the interest of the traveling public to inform the motorist of the travel related goods and services available along the interstate. The interstate business sign regulations shall apply only for on-premises pole signs. Regulations for fascia signs shall conform to other sections within this chapter.

(B) Definition. For the purpose of this section, INTERSTATE shall be defined as a fully controlled access highway, which gives preference to through traffic and has access only at selected public roads and that has no at-highway grade crossings or intersections.

(C) Sites affected. Interstate business signs may be located within a 3,500-foot radius of the center point of the intersection of U.S. Highway 127 and Interstate 64, the center point of the intersection of U.S. Highway 60, Versailles Road and Interstate 64, and the center point of the intersection of U.S. Highway 151 and Interstate 64. Maps (Map 11-1, 11-2 and 11-3) are attached to the ordinance codified in this section to serve as a general reference in determining eligible properties.

(D) Permit procedures. A business, which meets the criteria established in divisions (A), (B) and (C) above, may apply for a building permit to erect an interstate sign. This sign shall meet the height, size and location requirements, which are contained elsewhere in this section. No sign shall be erected without first applying for and receiving a permit for the erection of this sign.

(E) Maximum height. No interstate business sign shall exceed 100 feet in height.

(F) Maximum size. The maximum size of an interstate business sign can be no greater than 350 square feet, per sign face, with a maximum size of 700 square feet for all sign faces.

(G) Location.

(1) The interstate business sign must be located on the same site as the business. These signs must meet the following setbacks, as measured from the property lines:

(a) Front setback: 15 feet;

(b) Side setback: five feet; and

(2) For purposes of this measurement, a property with multiple street frontages shall be required to meet the front setback along any one of the street frontages.

(Ord. 8, passed 10-23-1987, § 11.29)