Business (retail and office) signs may be of the freestanding, wall, sloping roof, or canopy type. Freestanding business signs may increase their height by one (1) additional foot (above the thirty (30) feet maximum allowed height) for each five (5) feet of setback from property line. Highway oriented signs, section 14-10-1(5), may increase their height by one (1) additional foot (above the fifty (50) feet maximum allowed height) up to a maximum height of seventy (70) feet. Freestanding business signs shall be limited to a maximum of fifty-five (55) percent of the total sign area specified in subsections (A)–(D) below, with the only exception stated in section 14-10-1(1)(E) above.

One (1) freestanding business/shopping center (office, retail) sign shall be allowed per street frontage, except for lots that have a linear street frontage of one hundred fifty (150) feet or more, shall be allowed two (2) freestanding business signs per street frontage, with a minimum separation of seventy-five (75) feet. On a corner lot, the longest linear street frontage shall be used in calculating the area of signs allowed on the lot. A minimum of seventy-five (75) square feet of signage shall be allowed for business (retail/office) signs, regardless of the linear street frontage of the lot where the business is located.

No freestanding business (commercial) sign shall be constructed to exceed the maximum height permitted of thirty (30) feet above grade level, except for the following highway oriented uses:

Apartment or housing project identification signs may be of the wall or freestanding type. Wall signs shall not project more than fifteen (15) inches from the face of the wall and freestanding type signs shall not be located nearer than twenty (20) feet to any property line except informational signs not exceeding two (2) square feet in area may be located within two (2) feet of the property line.

Institutional identification signs may be of the wall or freestanding type, however no freestanding sign on the premises of any institution in a residential district shall be located nearer than ten (10) feet to any property line.

Directional signs are allowed in addition to the total allowable signage which is derived by the lot and/or building frontage. The maximum area allowed for each directional sign shall be six (6) square feet. The maximum height allowed shall be forty-two (42) inches above adjacent grade. One sign per street access shall be allowed.

In residential districts, only institutional identification and information sign for government facilities, schools, churches, and community centers, may be illuminated. Illuminated shall mean lit by direct, indirect, digital, electronic or internal lighting by any source or means. Illumination of institutional identification and information signs legally permitted within a residential district will be allowed only between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

No sign shall be located or constructed so as to interfere with or confuse the control of traffic on the public streets and no sign shall use a rotating beacon, beam or flashing illumination resembling an emergency signal.

Freestanding/ground signs on individual lots shall not be placed closer to a side lot line than a distance of five (5) feet. The freestanding sign separation shall not apply to the side lot line abutting the street or alley and for lots that have fifty (50) feet or less in street frontage.

No sign shall be erected so as to project into the public right-of-way of any street or alley, except in the CB-1, central business district-1. In the CB-1, central business district-1, any projecting sign shall not extend outward from any building face to the public right-of-way for a distance of more than ten (10) feet or to within twenty-four (24) inches of the street curb, whichever is more restrictive. Minimum clearance of nine (9) feet is required (see figure 4)

No provision of this ordinance shall supersede or replace any other ordinance of the City of Odessa, having to do with sign standards, materials or construction except the provisions of this ordinance pertaining to the use of the various types of signs in the various districts and the size, height and location of such signs shall take precedence over all other ordinances, regulations and standards.

In a PD, planned development district, the sign standards shall be specified in the amending ordinance.

To qualify for a master sign plan, an area must:

A master sign plan shall not become effective until all owners of the property within the master sign plan area have signed an agreement which indicates the property owners’ agreement that:

Time and temperature signs without advertising matter.

Freestanding ground menu boards for drive-through restaurants, provided that all setbacks are met and that the sign does not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in size and six (6) feet in height.

Official flags of government jurisdictions, including flags indicating weather conditions, religious, charitable, public and nonprofit organizations.

The following general regulations shall apply to this section:

The following construction requirements shall be applicable to all noncommercial signs:

Nonconforming signs are those which do not conform to the zoning regulations but which were lawfully in existence prior to the adoption of the applicable zoning regulation or were subsequently annexed into the city. Whenever a nonconforming sign is abandoned, all nonconforming rights shall cease. Abandonment shall involve the intent of the user or owner to discontinue the use of the sign and the actual act of discontinuance. Any nonconforming sign which serves a business location and/or building that has been discontinued for a period of six (6) consecutive months shall be presumed to have been abandoned. A nonconforming sign may remain in place and continue to be used unless the nonconforming status is lost by reason of one or more of the following conditions:

Any sign which constitutes a hazard to persons or property shall be removed within ten (10) days after written notice from the director of the department of planning or his/her appointed representative. The city council shall have the authority to grant a time extension not exceeding an additional thirty (30) days for removal. Should the responsible party or parties, after due notice (if such responsible party can be located after diligent search), fail to remove a dangerous or defective sign, or any sign that endangers the public safety, the city council shall cause such signs and their supports to be demolished and removed. The city shall recover the costs of all such work from the property owner or owner of the sign. Any sign so removed shall be stored or impounded and shall not be returned to the owner until all applicable charges are paid. If any sign remains unclaimed for a period of thirty (30) days after its removal, the city may destroy, sell or otherwise dispose of the sign.

If a sign presents an eminent danger to persons or property, the city can take such action as necessary to eliminate such danger without regard to period listed herein.

Premise advertisements, displays or other promotional materials for a sexually oriented business, which are distinguished or characterized by an emphasis on matter depicting, describing, or relating to “specified sexual activities” or “specified anatomical areas,” shall not be shown or exhibited so as to be visible to the public from public spaces located outside the business premises.

Notwithstanding the city zoning ordinance, building code or any other city ordinance, code, ore regulation to the contrary, it shall be unlawful for the owner or operator of any sexually oriented business to maintain or have maintained by another person, more than one freestanding sign and more than one wall sign which must be located on the premises of a sexually oriented business.

The freestanding sign shall not exceed one structure or device. Such freestanding sign shall:

Wall signs shall have only one (1) display surface. The surface display shall:

Freestanding and wall signs may contain only:

The sign of any sexually oriented business lawfully operating on the effective date of this ordinance, that is registered with the director of planning as a nonconforming use, by filing an application with the chief of police for a license prior to November 1, 1996, and that is in violation of the sign regulations in this section, shall be deemed a nonconforming use and it shall not be an offense under this section while such nonconforming status for such sign is in effect. The nonconforming use will be permitted to continue unless terminated or abandoned for any reason or voluntarily discontinued for a period of six (6) months or more. Any nonconforming use which is discontinued or which remains vacant for a period of six (6) months shall be considered to have been abandoned. Such nonconforming use shall not be increased, enlarged, extended or altered except that the use may be changed to a conforming use.

It shall be unlawful for an owner, licensee, or operator of a sexually oriented business to allow the merchandise or activities of the establishment to be visible from a point outside the establishment.