The sign regulations of this article seek to balance the public interest in promoting a safe, well-maintained, and attractive City with the interests of businesses, organizations, and individuals who rely on signs as a means to identify and advertise products, services, and ideas. The regulations have the following specific objectives:

1. 8.101.A
   To encourage the effective use of signs as a means of identification and communication for businesses, organizations and individuals in the City;
2. 8.101.B
   To provide a means of way-finding in the community, thus reducing traffic confusion and congestion;
3. 8.101.C
   To ensure maintenance of signs;
4. 8.101.D
   To prohibit signs of such excessive size and number that they obscure one another to the detriment of the economic and social well-being of the City;
5. 8.101.E
   To protect the safety and welfare of the public by minimizing sign-related hazards to pedestrian and vehicular traffic;
6. 8.101.F
   To promote the reasonable, orderly and effective display of signs by minimizing visual clutter; and
7. 8.101.G
   To minimize the possible adverse effects of signs on nearby public and private property, in particular on residential uses and districts.

All signs are subject to the regulations of this article and all other provisions of this Development Code unless otherwise expressly stated. It is unlawful for any person to construct, maintain, display or alter or cause to be constructed, maintained, displayed or altered, any sign within the City, except in conformance with this Development Code.

The sign regulations of this article are not intended to favor commercial speech over constitutionally protected political or noncommercial speech. Any sign allowed under this article may contain, in lieu of any other message or copy, any lawful noncommercial message as long as the sign complies with all regulations governing sign size, height and location and with all other applicable requirements of this Development Code.

In addition to the sign regulations of this article, all signs must comply with the building code and all other applicable regulations.

With the exception of signs lawfully permitted or erected before June 16, 1981 or as otherwise expressly stated in this article, signs are prohibited on a public street, public sidewalk, public right-of-way, public curb or other public property without the express consent of the City Council.

The City Planner is authorized to allow nonprofits to places temporary signs in public rights-of-way when all of the conditions of this subsection are met.

1. 8.402.A
   Permit Required

   Any person or entity desiring to place a temporary sign in the public right-of-way must obtain a permit to do so from the City Planner.

2. 8.402.B
   Size, Type and Number

   1. 1.
      A temporary sign placed in the public right-of-way must be freestanding and may not exceed 6 square feet in area.
   2. 2.
      No more than 2 signs may be permitted per intersection, and no more than one sign is allowed per block.
   3. 3.
      A maximum of 50 signs may be located within the right-of-way within the City limits at any one time.
3. 8.402.C
   Duration and Location

   1. 1.
      A temporary sign may be placed in the right-of-way for a period of up to 21 days with a limit of 4 permits per year (per individual or organization) with a minimum of 30 days between permit periods. Removal of the temporary signs must be accomplished by the responsible person, as noted on the permit, before the 22nd day from the date the permit was issued.
   2. 2.
      Temporary signs are not allowed on IH-45 or State Highway 19 rights of way.

The City Council authorizes the seizure and removal of any unlawful sign found within a public right-of-way. The Building Official, street department employees, and police department employees are authorized to impound any unlawful signs found on a public right-of-way and to store them for up to 30 days, except that any developer, political, real estate, garage sale or other similar stake-type signs constructed of cloth, wood, paper or similar lightweight materials may be disposed of immediately.

The regulations of this section govern non-exempt on-premise signs directing attention to a business, commodity service, or entertainment conducted, sold, or offered upon the premises where such sign is located or to which it is affixed.

1. 8.502.A
   Applicability

   The regulations of this subsection apply to on-premise signs accessory to residential uses in all zoning districts and to all nonresidential uses in residential districts. These are in addition to any exempt signs allowed pursuant to Sec. 8.300.

2. 8.502.B
   Development, Neighborhood and Subdivision Identification Signs

   1. 1.
      Residential developments, neighborhoods and subdivisions, including manufactured housing parks, are allowed a single freestanding sign at each street entrance to the development, neighborhood or subdivision.
   2. 2.
      Residential development, neighborhood and subdivision identification signs must be monument signs. They may not exceed 32 square feet in area or 0.20 square feet of sign area per linear foot of street frontage, whichever is greater, but in no case may the sign exceed 150 square feet in area. The maximum sign area calculation must be based on the street frontage to which the sign is oriented.
3. 8.502.C
   Nonresidential Uses

   The following regulations apply to all principal nonresidential uses in residential districts.

   1. 1.
      Wall Signs

      Nonresidential uses in residential districts are allowed a maximum of one wall sign per public building entrance. Such signs may not exceed 32 square feet in area.

   2. 2.
      Freestanding Signs

      Nonresidential uses in residential districts are allowed a maximum of one freestanding sign per street frontage. Allowed freestanding signs are subject to a maximum height limit of 20 feet and may not exceed 32 square feet in area or 0.20 square feet of sign area per linear foot of street frontage, whichever is greater, but in no case may the sign exceed 150 square feet in area. The maximum sign area calculation must be based on the street frontage to which the sign is oriented.

1. 8.503.A
   Applicability

   The regulations of this subsection apply to on-premise signs accessory to nonresidential uses in all nonresidential and mixed use districts. These are in addition to any exempt signs allowed pursuant to Sec. 8.300.

2. 8.503.B
   Historic Preservation Compatibility Review in Downtown District

   All signs constructed in the Downtown (D) district shall be administratively reviewed for compatibility with the goals of the Historic Preservation Commission, namely to protect and enhance Huntsville's attractiveness to visitors and the support and stimulus to the economy thereby provided.

3. 8.503.C
   Signs Allowed

   1. 1.
      Wall Signs

      Wall signs are allowed in all D, nonresidential, mixed use, and PD districts. Wall signs may not exceed an aggregate area of more than 3 square feet per linear foot of building wall to which they are attached. Wall signs are not counted against a lot’s allowed sign budget, pursuant to §8.503.D.

   2. 2.
      Projecting Signs

      1. a.
         Projecting signs are allowed in all D, nonresidential, mixed use, and PD districts. Projecting signs are counted against a lot’s allowed sign budget, pursuant to §8.503.D.
      2. b.
         Projecting signs may not exceed 20 feet in height or the height of the principal building on the lot, whichever is less.
   3. 3.
      Freestanding Signs

      1. a.
         Freestanding signs are allowed in all D, nonresidential, mixed use, and PD districts. Freestanding signs are counted against a lot’s allowed sign budget, pursuant to §8.503.D.
      2. b.
         Freestanding signs may not exceed 20 feet in height and the maximum height of a freestanding sign within 100 feet of Highway 19 is 30 feet.
      3. c.
         Freestanding signs on lots with frontage on Veterans Memorial Parkway must be monument-style signs that have their sign base directly on the ground or no more than 12 inches above the ground directly beneath the sign.

         1. (1)
            Required monument signs must be constructed of brick, wood, stone, or metal and have a base that is at least 80% of the width of the top of the sign structure.
         2. (2)
            In the Veterans Memorial Parkway Overlay​​​​​​​, required monument signs may not exceed 6 feet in overall height above grade, as measured from the base of the sign.
         3. (3)
            In the I-45 Overlay, required monument signs may not exceed 35 feet in overall height above grade, as measured from the base of the sign. 
         4. (4)
            The ground area surrounding the base of all required monument signs must be landscaped. The landscape area must be at least as large as the sign area and include shrubs, perennial and/or annual flowers, ornamental grasses, and/or vegetative ground cover.
4. 8.503.D
   Sign Budget

   1. 1.
      Applicability

      The sign budget provisions of this subsection govern the maximum aggregate number and combined area of all projecting and freestanding signs allowed on a lot in D, the nonresidential, and PD districts, expect as otherwise expressly stated.

   2. 2.
      Maximum Number

      The maximum aggregate number of all projecting and freestanding signs on a lot may not exceed 1 per 100 feet of street frontage or fraction thereof.

   3. 3.
      Maximum Area

      1. a.
         The maximum aggregate sign area of all projecting and freestanding signs allowed on a lot may not exceed 2 square feet per linear feet of street frontage. A freestanding sign on a lot occupied by a shopping center or office building with 3 or more tenants is allowed a maximum sign area of 3 square feet per linear feet of street frontage if there is only one freestanding sign on the subject lot.
      2. b.
         In addition to the maximum aggregate sign area limits, no individual projecting or freestanding sign may exceed 300 square feet in area outside of the I-45 Overlay and 200 square feet in the I-45 Overlay.
      3. c.
         In the Medium Density Residential District, wall signs are prohibited.

1. 8.801.A
   All freestanding signs and illuminated signs require review, approval and issuance of a sign permit, unless otherwise expressly stated.
2. 8.801.B
   Any person proposing to erect any sign requiring a sign permit must submit a sign permit application to the City Planner. Application for such permit must be accompanied by detailed plans, including scaled drawings of the proposed sign, a site plan and other information deemed necessary by the City Planner to determine compliance with applicable regulations.
3. 8.801.C
   Sign permit fees must be paid prior to the issuance of a sign permit.
4. 8.801.D
   If the work associated with a sign permit has not been completed within one year of the date of the issuance of the permit, such permit will lapse and become null and void.

The enforcement provisions of Article 14 apply to signs.

All signs (including nonconforming signs) must be maintained in safe, presentable, and good structural material condition at all times, including the replacement of defective parts, painting, repainting, cleaning, and other acts required for sound maintenance and appearance of the sign. Any sign that is deemed by the City to be in violation of these maintenance provisions or other applicable regulations of this ordinance may be ordered to be removed by the property/sign owner after notice has been given.

In conformance with Section 216.003(e) of the Texas Local Government Code, signs and sign structures must be removed within one year of the date the business, person, or activity that the sign or sign structure identifies or advertises ceases to operate on the premises on which the sign or sign structure is located. If the premises containing the sign or sign structure is leased, removal is required within 2 years of the date the most recent tenant ceases to operate on the premises.

When removal of a sign is required, both the owner of the property on which the sign is located and the owner of the sign, if different, are jointly and severally responsible for removal.

1. 8.1101.A
   Signs Enclosed in Frames or Cabinets

   The area of a sign enclosed in a frame or cabinet is determined based on the outer dimensions of the frame or cabinet surrounding the sign face (see Figure 8-1).