Kenansville City Zoning Code

SIGN REGULATIONS

§ 152.330 PURPOSE AND INTENT.

(A) The purpose and intent of this subchapter is to support and complement the various land uses allowed in the town and its extraterritorial jurisdiction through the regulation of various signs.

(B) More specifically, the purpose of this chapter is to:

(1) Encourage effective use. Encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication in the town;

(2) Maintain and enhance character. To maintain and enhance the beauty and unique character and enhance the aesthetic environment of the town by eliminating visual blight;

(3) Enhance economic growth. To enhance the town’s ability to attract sources of economic growth and development;

(4) Maintain safe conditions. To protect pedestrians and motorists of the town from damage or injury caused or partially attributed to the distractions and obstructions caused by improper size and location of signs;

(5) Minimize adverse effects. To minimize the possible adverse effect of signs on nearby public and private property; and

(6) Promote public safety, health and welfare. To promote public safety, health, welfare, convenience and enjoyment of travel and the free flow of travel within the town.

(Ord. passed 3-5-2018)

§ 152.331 APPLICABILITY.

Unless exempted in accordance with § 152.332 of this chapter, no sign allowed by this subchapter shall be constructed, erected, moved, enlarged, illuminated, altered, maintained or displayed without first being issued a zoning permit.

(Ord. passed 3-5-2018)

§ 152.332 EXEMPT SIGNS.

The following types of signs shall be exempt from the requirement to obtain a zoning permit and may be located on a lot within any base zoning district; provided, the sign is located outside the right-of-way and complies with all applicable requirements in this subchapter.

(A) Commercial signs. Internally directed device signs which are not intended to be read from a public right-of-way and do not exceed 32 square feet in area are exempt.

(B) Incidental signs.

(1) Public interest and incidental signs less than two square feet in size; and

(2) Flags and pennants; provided:

(a) No display pole exceeds 35 feet in height;

(b) Flags do not exceed 60 square feet in size; and

(D) Sandwich board signs. Sandwich board signs on lots within the General Commercial (GC) and Central Business (CB) Base Zoning Districts; provided, the sign:

(1) Is limited to a maximum area of 12 square feet or less (for both sides);

(2) Does not exceed four feet in height;

(3) Is located so as to maintain at least five linear feet of clearance for pedestrian travel;

(4) Is limited to a maximum of one per establishment; and

(5) Is removed each evening following the close of the business it serves.

(E) Temporary signs.

(1) One temporary yard signs is allowed per lot at any time; provided:

(a) The sign face is no larger than two square feet;

(b) Signs are placed at least five feet behind the right-of-way and out of any sight triangles; and

(2) In addition to the base number of yard signs allowable, additional temporary yard signs are permissible.

(a) An additional temporary yard sign is permitted when a property is for sale, lease, rent or during construction; provided:

1. There is no more than one sign per street frontage;

2. Signs do not exceed a maximum of ten square feet in area per sign on a lot in a residential base zoning district and 32 square feet per sign on a lot in any other base zoning district;

3. Signs on corner lots are located at least 100 linear feet apart as measured by the shortest straight line between them;

4. Signs are removed within seven days after the property is sold, rented, leased or construction has been completed; and

5. No sign is illuminated.

(b) Two additional temporary yard signs are permitted 60 days before and seven days after an election; provided that, no sign exceeds 12 square feet in area.

(3) On-premises pennants, flags and streamers may be permitted for one consecutive 30- day period per establishment per calendar year.

(4) Temporary banners may be permitted; provided, they are:

(a) Limited to a maximum of 75 square feet in area;

(b) Attached to primary facade of a principal structure or set back 50 feet from a street right-of-way;

(d) Not located above the second floor level; and

(e) Limited to a maximum of two per establishment per calendar year, for periods not to exceed 15 consecutive days.

(F) Signs where agriculture is the primary use.

(1) Signs are limited to a maximum of one per lot.

(2) The sign is located outside the street right-of-way and at least ten feet from any side lot line.

(3) The sign has a maximum area of nine square feet.

(4) The sign is not illuminated.

(G) Window signs. Window signs on the ground floor of a commercial use provided the window sign(s) occupies less than 50% of the total window area on the building side where it is located.

(Ord. passed 3-5-2018)

§ 152.333 PROHIBITED SIGNS.

The following signs shall be prohibited, except as otherwise allowed in this chapter:

(A) Signs interfering with traffic safety. Any sign that obstructs the view of bicyclists or motorists using any street, approach to any street intersection or which interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures any traffic sign, device or signal as determined by the Ordinance Administrator;

(B) Signs misconstrued as regulatory. Signs which contain lights, rotating disks, words and other devices not erected by a public authority which may be erroneously construed as regulatory signs or emergency warning signs. An example of this is a sign which contains a picture of a traffic sign, plus the word “Stop” or “Yield”;

(C) Signs within the right-of-way. Any sign (other than a regulatory sign), banner or display placed on any curb, sidewalk, post, pole, hydrant, bridge, tree or other surface located on, over or across any street or right-of-way, or any banner, placed on stakes on a property, unless otherwise permitted;

(D) Signs blocking existing signs. Any sign located in such a way as to intentionally deny visual access to another existing sign;

(E) Flashing signs. Signs with flashing or reflective disks, signs with flashing lights or lights of changing degree of intensity or color (except regulatory signs);

(F) Signs on stakes. On- or off-premise pole signs or signs on metal or wood stakes not affixed to a permanent foundation (excluding regulatory signs and temporary signs);

(G) Portable signs. Portable signs, including marquee signs with the wheels and axles that have been removed and placed on permanent foundations;

(H) Vehicular signs. Vehicular signs placed or parked in such a manner to advertise from any street right-of-way. This also includes billboards or outdoor advertising signs mounted to the bed of a truck;

(I) Moving or rotating signs. Signs which rotate or have any mechanical or wind driven components that cause the sign to move or transform;

(J) Roof signs. Roof signs that extend above the soffit of a pitched roof, or above the highest point of a mansard roof or parapet wall;

(K) Billboards. Off-premises commercial advertising signs (e.g., billboards) of any size and in any area, except those signs part of the Federal Aid Primary System (FAP) and subject to the requirements of the Highway Beautification Act, being 23 U.S.C. § 131; and

(L) Inflatable signs. Inflatable signs (including inflated balloons with a diameter of greater than two feet), except as allowed as part of a temporary display as part of a holiday or civic event.

(Ord. passed 3-5-2018)

§ 152.334 GENERAL SIGN PROVISIONS.

(A) General standards. All permitted signs shall comply with the following general standards.

(1) Signs shall be integrated with the design of the building and shall not obscure architectural features.

(2) Any structurally-unsafe sign that endangers the public safety shall be immediately removed or repaired and made otherwise compliant with the requirements of this chapter.

(3) No sign shall be located so as to impair traffic visibility.

(4) Each principal structure shall include street address numbers a minimum of three inches in height that are visible from the street the structure faces.

(B) Computation of sign area.

(1) General.

(a) 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 rectangle that will encompass the limits of the writing, 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, base, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets the regulations of this chapter and is clearly incidental to the display itself.

(b) For a single wall, all pieces of information or other graphic representations within a grouping on that wall shall be measured as though part of one sign, encompassed within one rectangle, which may not exceed the permitted total wall area to which the sign is affixed. For a single wall on a multi- occupant building, the area of signs shall be computed using these principles and the aggregate copy of each

(2) Authority to remove signs in the right-of-way. Except where authorized, signs within a public right-of-way shall be prohibited. The town may remove and dispose of any sign located in the public right-of-way without providing prior notice to the sign’s owner.

(Ord. passed 3-5-2018) Penalty, see § 152.999

§ 152.335 SIGNS PERMITTED WITH A ZONING PERMIT.

This subchapter includes the standards on the types of signs required to obtain a zoning permit prior to construction, erection, enlargement, display, alteration or illumination.

(A) Permitted signs by base zoning district. The following table prescribes the allowable types, numbers, dimensions, locations and configurations of permitted signs within the base zoning districts.

Permitted Signs by Base Zoning District
Sign Type	Use Type	Maximum Area (Sq. Ft. per Side)	Maximum Height (Ft.)	Maximum Number	Location	Illumination1
AG District
Awning sign	Commercial	50% of awning area	Limited to awnings associated with the 1st floor	N/A	N/A	N
Directory sign	Civic and institutional	6	4	2	5 feet behind curb or 10 feet from edge of pavement	E
Freestanding sign	Commercial	100	20	1 per street frontage (max. 2)	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 10 feet from any property line	I
Monument sign	Non-residential	60	6*	1 per street frontage with minimum 200 feet of separation between signs	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 10 feet from any property line	E
Wall sign	Non-residential	5% of wall area	1-story building: below roof 2-+ story building: below sill of 2nd floor windows	1 per I	N/A	I
Window sign	Non-residential	50% of total window area on first floor facade			First floor primary facade	N
GC District
Awning sign	All uses	50% of awning area	Limited to awnings associated with the 1st floor	N/A	N/A	N
Canopy sign	Commercial use with fuel sales	10% of canopy area	N/A	1 per street frontage	N/A	N
Directory sign	Civic and institutional	6	4	2	5 feet behind curb or 10 feet from edge of pavement	E
Directory sign	Commercial	10 per tenant up to 50 sq. ft.	6	1 per street entrance	Not visible from outside of the development	E
Freestanding sign	Single use on an individual lot	75	15	1 per street frontage (max. 2)	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 5 feet from any property line	I
Freestanding sign	Shopping center	100	20	1 per street frontage (max. 2)		I
Monument sign	All uses	60	8*	1 per street frontage with minimum 200 feet of separation between signs	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 10 feet from any property line	E
Projecting sign	All uses	15	8	1 per establishment	Sign shall maintain a minimum 8-foot clearance when above a sidewalk	I
Wall sign (front)	All uses	1.5 per linear foot of building facing a street	1-story building: below roof 2-+ story building: below sill of 2nd floor windows	4	N/A	I
Wall sign (side)	All uses	5% of wall area		2 per facade
Window sign	All uses	50% of total window area on first floor facade			First floor primary facade	N
I District
Awning sign	All uses	50% of awning area	Limited to awnings associated with the 1st floor	N/A	N/A	N
Canopy sign	Commercial use with fuel sales	10% of canopy area	N/A	1 per street frontage	N/A	N
Freestanding sign	All uses	150	25	1 per street frontage (max. 2)	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 5 feet from any property line	I
Monument sign	All uses	80	8*	1 per street frontage with minimum 200 feet of separation between signs	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 10 feet from any property line	E
Wall sign (front)	All uses	2 per linear foot of building facing the street	Below the roof	4	N/A	I
Wall sign (side)	All uses	10% of wall area	Below the roof	2 per facade	N/A	I
Window sign	All uses	50% of total window area on first floor facade			First floor primary facade	N
OI and CB Districts
Awning sign	Non-residential	50% of awning area	Limited to awnings associated with the 1st floor.	N/A	N/A	N
Canopy sign	Commercial use with fuel sales	10% of canopy area	N/A	1 per street frontage	N/A	N
Directory sign	Civic and institutional	6	4	2	5 feet behind curb or 10 feet from edge of pavement	E
Directory sign	Commercial	10 per tenant up to 50 sq. ft.	6	1 per street entrance	Not visible from outside of the development
Hanging sign	All uses	16 inches by 36 inches	7 feet above sidewalk (minimum)	1 per establishment	2-foot clearance under awning	N
Monument sign	All uses (except multi-tenant buildings)	36	6*	1 per street frontage with minimum 200 feet of separation between signs	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 10 feet from any property line	E
Monument sign	Multi-tenant Buildings	48	6*			E
Projecting sign	All uses	15	8	1 per establishment	Sign shall maintain a minimum 8-foot clearance when above a sidewalk	I
Wall sign (front)	All uses	1 per linear foot of building facing the street	1-story building: below roof 2-+ story building: below sill of 2nd floor windows	2	N/A	I
Wall sign (side)	All uses	5% of wall area		1 per facade
Window sign	All uses	50% of total window area on first floor facade			First floor primary facade	N
R-3, R-10 and R-15 Districts
Directory sign	Civic and institutional	6	4	2	5 feet behind curb or 10 feet from edge of pavement	E
Monument sign	SF detached residential subdivision	36	6*	1 per street entrance	At least 5 feet behind ROW and at least 10 feet from any property line	E
	Attached residential (min. 10 units)	36		1 per street entrance
	Civic and institutional	48		1 per establishment
Wall sign	Civic and Institutional	5% of wall area	1-story building: below roof 2-+ story building: below sill of 2nd floor windows	1 per facade	N/A	I
NOTES TO TABLE: 1. Key To Illumination notes: E = External illumination I = Internal illumination N= No illumination allowed * The Zoning Administrator may permit monument sign heights up to 15 feet when the lot on which the sign is located fronts a highway and the additional height will not create a safety hazard.

(B) Additional sign standards. The following standards shall apply in addition to the standards in the table above.

(1) Wall signs.

(a) The maximum permitted aggregate area of wall signs includes the area of any windows or doorways.

(b) The preferred location for wall signs is between the first floor window and window sill of second floor, or on the sign frieze area of building (if original to building). Building identification signs that are an integral part of the building’s design and architectural character shall not be considered a sign for the purposes of this standard.

(d) No wall sign shall project more than 18 inches from the building wall.

(e) No wall sign or its supporting structure shall cover any window or part of a window.

(2) Monument signs. Only buildings set back 20 feet or more from the right-of-way may use a monument sign.

(3) Free standing signs.

(a) Only buildings set back 35 feet or more from the right-of-way may use a freestanding sign.

(b) The maximum height shall be as measured from street grade or the sidewalk (where one exists), whichever is less.

(4) Projecting signs.

(a) A projecting sign may project horizontally a maximum of six feet, but shall be set back at least two feet from the back face of the curb or outer edge of the pavement where there is no curb. Setback distances for projecting signs that front on state roads must be approved by the state’s Department of Transportation.

(b) A projecting sign shall be erected at a height of not less than eight feet above the pedestrian walkway.

(d) A projecting sign shall not exceed 15 square feet in area.