Temporary signs may be permitted for the announcement of temporary uses such as grand-opening, special sales or events, fairs, revivals, sporting events and any nonprofit event or function. Temporary signs can contain only the business name or the product of the business. Such temporary signs shall be allowed for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days. A period of thirty (30) days must elapse between the removal of the temporary/portable sign and the installation of another temporary/portable sign on the same site. The applicant obtaining the sign permit shall be responsible for removal of the sign upon expiration date.

1.

Temporary signs can contain only the business name or the product of the business.

2.

Now hiring signs, for sale signs, and for rent signs do not required a permit.

3.

Temporary signs cannot be placed on utility poles or street signs.

4.

Temporary signs cannot be placed in rights-of-way.

5.

An off premises temporary sign must be for a business located in the City of Pickens.

6.

An applicant cannot have more than five (5) temporary signs in the City of Pickens at one (1) time and must be located on the property of the business.

7.

Nonpolitical corrugated plastic signs with the metal wiring are prohibited within the City of Pickens.

8.

The City of Pickens has the right to remove any temporary signs that do not follow the regulations mentioned above.

9.

The intersection of Main Street and Highway 8 will have the following regulations:

a.

There will be a limited number of temporary signs/banners allowed at this intersection, which must have an approved application.

b.

The banner cannot be placed no more than fifteen (15) days prior to the event.

c.

Organizations can only put up banners once every thirty (30) days.

d.

Banners must be taken down within one (1) day of the event.

e.

These areas will only be used for special events.

f.

It will be on a first come first serve basis and the City of Pickens and Pickens County events will have priority.

g.

The City of Pickens has the right to take down any unapproved and/or expired banners.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21; Ord. No. 2023-09, 6-26-23)

The following signs are prohibited in the City of Pickens:

A.

Signs imitating warning signals. No sign shall display intermittent lights resembling the flashing lights customarily used in traffic signals or in police, fire, ambulance, or rescue vehicles, nor shall any sign use the words "stop," "danger," or any other phrase, symbol, or character in a manner that might mislead or confuse the driver of an automobile.

B.

Signs within street or highway rights-of-way. No sign, whether temporary or permanent, except traffic signs and signals and information signs erected by a public agency approved by the zoning administrator, is permitted within any street or highway right-of-way.

C.

Certain attached and painted signs. Signs painted on or attached to trees, fence posts, and telephone or other utility poles or signs painted on or attached to rocks or other natural features or painted on the roofs of buildings are prohibited.

D.

Sandwich boards and fluttering banners. Sandwich boards and fluttering banners shall be allowed subject to the following conditions:

1.

Only one (1) sandwich board or one (1) fluttering banner are allowed along the street frontage of the business; and,

2.

The sandwich board or fluttering banner shall be located within five (5) to ten (10) feet of the main building entrance and the location of the sandwich board or fluttering banner shall not interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic and circulation; and,

3.

The sandwich board or fluttering banner shall be removed at the end of the business day; and,

4.

Any person or business erecting a sandwich board or fluttering banner shall indemnify and hold harmless the city, and its officers, employees, and agents, including any attorney's fees and costs incurred by the city, from any claim arising out of the presence or location of the sign located on or within the city's property or right of way; and,

5.

Fluttering banners are prohibited in the Central Business District;

6.

Sandwich boards shall meet the following criteria to be allowed:

a.

The total area of the sandwich board shall not exceed ten (10) square feet; and,

b.

Any sandwich board shall not exceed two (2) linear feet in width and forty-two (42) inches in height. Within these specified maximum dimensions, creative shapes that reflect the theme of the business are encouraged (e.g., ice cream shops may display a sign in the shape of an ice cream cone); and,

c.

The sign shall be constructed of materials that present a neat and finished appearance. Rough-cut plywood is not allowed. The lettering on the sign shall be professionally painted or applied and the sign may not be more than fifty (50) percent changeable copy where the letters are inserted onto tracks. A "yard sale" or "graffiti" appearance with hand painted or pain stenciled letters are not allowed; provided, however, that chalkboard signs shall be permitted; and,

d.

The written message on the sign should be limited to communicate the name of the business and/or a special message of the business.

E.

Signs placed or painted on a motor vehicle or trailer and parked with the primary purpose of providing a sign are not allowed by this chapter.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

A permit is not required for the following types of signs in any zoning district. However, such signs shall conform to the applicable requirements set forth in this article.

A.

Traffic, directional, warning, or information signs authorized by any public agency approved by the zoning administrator.

B.

Official notices issued by any court, public agency, or public office.

C.

One (1) non-illuminated "for sale," "for rent" or "for lease" sign not exceeding six (6) square feet in area in residential districts and twenty (20) square feet in other than residential districts and located at least ten (10) feet back from the street right-of-way line, unless attached to the front wall of a building.

D.

Signs erected in connection with elections or political campaigns. Such signs shall be erected no more than thirty (30) days prior to the election and shall be removed within seven (7) days following the election or conclusion of the campaign. No such signs shall exceed sixteen (16) square feet in surface area. Signs are not permitted in the public right-of-way. In the event of a runoff election, signs are permitted to remain erected until seven (7) days after the runoff election.

E.

On site directional signs provided such sign bears no commercial message and does not exceed four (4) square feet in area.

F.

Identification sign indicating the name and street number or owner or occupant of a parcel, as long as such sign does not exceed four (4) square feet of copy area.

G.

Bulletin board, which is defined as a permanent sign which primarily displays the name of a noncommercial place of public assembly and announces the upcoming events of that organization. To not require a permit, such a sign shall not exceed thirty-six (36) square feet of copy area or five (5) feet in height. Signs of this type shall be restricted to one (1) per parcel of land.

H.

Sign identifying a project under construction which denotes the name of the project, the architect, engineer, contractor, owner, etc., as long as such sign does not exceed twenty-five (25) square feet in residential districts, or one hundred (100) square feet in nonresidential zones, is not illuminated, and is removed within seven (7) days of completion of the project.

I.

Signs attached or integrated into a gasoline pump, automatic bank teller machine, or drive through component of a fast food restaurant, which give operational instructions to users, the price of the product, the brand name of the product, or descriptive information about the product.

J.

Signs on the interior side of window glass.

K.

Decorative flags and banners which contain no commercial message when displayed on a residence.

(Ord. No. 2014-09, § 4, 8-4-14; Ord. No. 2016-10, § II, 9-12-16; Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

The following regulations apply to the following specified types of signs:

A.

Wall signs. Signs on the wall of a building (including signs attached flat against the wall, painted wall signs and projecting signs) shall meet the following requirements:

1.

Signs on the front surface of a building. The total area of signs on the exterior front surface of a building shall not exceed twenty (20) percent of the front surface of the building.

2.

Signs on the side and rear surface of a building. The total area of signs on a side or rear surface of a building shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the exterior side or rear surface of the building, respectively, as long as this figure does not exceed the total amount of sign area permitted within the zoning district where the sign or signs are to be located.

3.

Projecting signs. Wall signs attached flat against a wall may extend not more than twenty-four (24) inches from the wall. Signs projecting from a wall may extend outward from the wall of a building not more than six and one-half (6½) feet and may be located no closer than eighteen (18) inches to a vertical plane at the street curb line. A projecting sign shall not extend above the top of the structure. In no case shall signs project beyond property lines except that signs may project over public sidewalks in the CBD District provided that the minimum height above grade or sidewalk level of such signs shall be at least ten (10) feet.

a.

Permanent banner for tourism and community events related businesses and purposes.

i.

Permanent banners for tourism and community events related business are only allowed for non-profit 501c3 businesses.

ii.

Wall signs attached flat against an exterior wall may not extend more than twelve (12) inches from the wall and must be permanently affixed to the building with hardware that has been approved by the Board of Architectural Review and must be in line with design standards of the district the tourism entity resides.

iii.

The approved hardware to be installed on the exterior wall of the building would have to meet the Building Code regulations.

iv.

Banners are defined as interchangeable signs which will only be permitted to highlight, advertise and promote tourism and community events related activities within the community.

v.

Banners cannot be used as the main permanent sign for the business.

vi.

The total area of the banner shall not exceed twenty (20) percent of the surface of the wall the banner will be located on.

vii.

Banners should not exceed forty (40) square feet in size and initial design of the banner will be brought to the Board of Architectural Review to ensure the design blends well with the exterior of the building.

viii.

Banner and hardware affixed to the building cannot protrude past the top or sides of the exterior wall of the building.

ix.

Banners hung for these purposes must hang vertically from a preapproved location by a zoning official on an exterior wall of the building.

x.

Banners must be presented to the zoning official with an official proof thirty (30) days prior to tourism related event and will be approved by the zoning official at their discretion.

B.

Signs on work under construction. One non-illuminated sign, not exceeding twenty-five (25) square feet in residential districts, or one hundred (100) square feet in non-residential districts, displaying the name of the building, the contractors, the architects, the engineers, the owners, and the financial, selling, and development agencies, is permitted upon the premises of any work under construction, alteration, or removal. Such sign shall be removed from the site within seven (7) days after the issuance of the final occupancy permit.

C.

Subdivision entrance signs. One (1) or two (2) signs shall be permitted at each entrance of a residential subdivision or mobile home park, provided that such signs do not exceed a total of one hundred (100) square feet at any subdivision or mobile home park entrance. Provided further that such signs shall have a maximum height of six (6) feet. If illuminated, only indirect lighting shall be permitted. If such subdivision entrance sign is built into a decorative wall or fence, the maximum copy area requirements will apply and setback requirements shall comply with regulations for fences contained herein.

D.

Private directional signs. Signs indicating the location and direction of premises available for or in the process of development, but not erected upon such premises, and having inscribed thereon the name of the owner, developer, builder, or agency, may be erected and maintained, provided:

1.

The size of any such sign is not in excess of six (6) square feet, nor in excess of four (4) feet in length;

2.

Not more than one (1) such sign is erected for each five hundred (500) feet of street frontage.

E.

Freestanding sign. Freestanding signs shall meet Building Code structural provisions and UL (Underwriter's Laboratories) electrical requirements.

F.

Temporary and portable (trailer) signs. The proliferation of portable and temporary signs is dangerous. Improperly located signs can obstruct motorist sight causing traffic hazards and other dangers to motorists and pedestrians. The following restrictions are intended to keep the total number of temporary and portable signs at a low level and to allow for effective monitoring of temporary and portable signs.

A temporary sign is a sign designed and constructed not to be permanently affixed to a building and is intended for a short-term basis only. A temporary or portable sign is required to be permitted and is allowed only in accordance with this code section. Temporary signs include but are not limited to the following: flags, pennants, fringes, twirling, balloons, streamers, air or gas filled figures.

A portable or trailer sign is a temporary portable sign, that may be hauled or towed from one location to another, is self-supporting and when placed, is not permanently attached to the ground or a building.

The use of portable and temporary signs as a permanent sign is prohibited. A new business will be given ninety (90) days to use a temporary sign when the business opens. A permanent sign must be approved within the first ninety (90) days of the opening of the business.

Temporary signs may be permitted for the announcement of temporary uses such as grand-openings, special sales or events, fairs, revivals, sporting events and any nonprofit event or function. Temporary signs cannot contain only the business name or the product of the business. Temporary signs are subject to the following conditions:

1.

Temporary signs can contain only the business name or the product of the business.

2.

Temporary signs shall be allowed for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days and shall be removed within five (5) working days after the event. A period of thirty (30) days must elapse between the removal of the temporary/portable sign and the installation of another temporary/portable sign on the same site. The applicant obtaining the sign permit shall be responsible for removal of the sign upon the expiration date.

3.

Temporary signs cannot be placed on utility poles or street signs. Temporary signs cannot be placed in right of ways.

4.

A temporary sign must be for a business located in Pickens County or a municipality of Pickens County.

5.

An applicant cannot have more than five (5) temporary signs at one time.

6.

Nonpolitical corrugated plastic signs with metal wiring are prohibited.

7.

Temporary signs for special events are subject to the following conditions:

a.

The sign, including any sign advertising the time of the event, shall be placed on the organization's property no more than thirty (30) days before the event, and must be removed within five (5) days of the event ending or must be removed immediately if the event is cancelled.

b.

Signs not located on the organization property must abide by the rules stated above for all other temporary signs.

c.

Temporary signs must abide by the rules stated above for all other temporary signs.

d.

If an organization wants to advertise an event that does not own property within the city limits of Pickens, but has an event occurring in the city limits of Pickens, a temporary sign may be placed on the property at which the event is to occur no more than thirty (30) days before the event, and must be removed within five (5) days of the event ending or mut be removed immediately if the event is cancelled.

(Ord. No. 2016-08, § II, 7-18-16; Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

The following types of signs are permitted in all residential districts:

A.

Signs for which permits are not required.

B.

For multiple family dwellings, group dwellings, and for buildings other than dwellings, one (1) non-illuminated business identification sign or bulletin board per entrance, not exceeding sixty (60) square feet in area. Such sign or bulletin board shall be set back at least ten (10) feet from any street right-of-way line.

C.

Subdivision signs and private directional signs, under the provisions of Section 604.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

The following types of signs are permitted in the commercial and industrial districts:

A.

All signs permitted in residential districts are permitted in commercial and industrial districts.

B.

Within the front or side setback area of any parcel in the commercial or industrial districts, a maximum of one (1) permanently mounted detached sign of the type required to secure a permit shall be permitted for each three hundred (300) feet of road frontage for each road fronted, except that only one (1) such sign shall be permitted if total road frontage is less than three hundred (300) feet. The maximum allowable sign copy area for signs permitted under this provision shall be one hundred fifty (150) square feet multiplied by the number of signs permitted. No such sign shall be located closer than ten (10) feet to any street right-of-way. The maximum height of detached signs shall be thirty-five (35) feet, as measured from the base of the sign.

C.

Wall signs, in no case, shall exceed the requirements of Section 604, Regulations Applying to Specified Types of Signs.

D.

On any lot in a GBD or Industrial District on which no business enterprise is located, one off-premise freestanding sign structure having a total sign area not exceeding three hundred sixty (360) square feet is permitted. Additional sign structures, each of which does not exceed three hundred sixty (360) square feet in combined total sign area, are permitted provided they are spaced no closer than one thousand (1,000) linear feet from any other sign structure of greater than one hundred fifty (150) square feet. Any off-premise sign of greater than one hundred fifty (150) square feet shall be required to be spaced a minimum of five hundred (500) feet from any residentially zoned parcel or parcel used for a church or public school.

E.

Signs in any commercial or industrial district may be illuminated.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

The following regulations shall apply to all signs located within the Central Business District, in addition to the regulations listed in Section 412.5:

A.

Signs shall be constructed of such materials which complement and are coordinated with the architectural style of the existing building or land use.

B.

No more than three (3) colors are permitted on any one (1) sign.

C.

One (1) sign color must match the predominant building color.

D.

No more than two (2) lettering styles are permitted.

E.

If signs are to be illuminated, lighting shall be limited to one (1) color.

F.

Copy area for canopy signs shall not exceed thirty (30) square feet.

G.

No more than one (1) freestanding or detached sign per building or site shall be permitted.

H.

Signs shall be permanently mounted.

I.

Signs shall not be placed to obscure building ornamentation or detail.

J.

Canopy sign and awnings shall not extend beyond the curb line of any public street, nor shall they interfere with the growth or maintenance of street trees.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

All signs and/or sign support structures shall be maintained in sound structural condition.

608.1. Sign maintenance. No sign and/or sign support structure shall be allowed to deteriorate to a condition in which it is unsightly in appearance or to a condition in which it required repairs or renovations in an amount that exceeds seventy-five (75) percent of its current replacement costs. The phrase "unsightly in appearance" shall include but not limited to the following conditions:

A.

Sign copy or sign support structures that are cracked, bent, broker, tattered, torn, rotted, peeling, chipping, fading, rusting or otherwise deteriorating, especially such that the sign copy is no longer legible.

B.

Vegetation that is growing upon or clinging to sign copy or sign support structures, except where such vegetation, especially upon sign support structure, is part of planned and maintained landscaping.

C.

Exposed lighting or other electrical systems often associated with internally illuminated signs.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

608.2. Abandoned signs. Any sign which advertises or pertains to a business, product, service, event, activity or purpose which is no longer conducted or publicly available, or which has not been in use or publicly available for three (3) months, or which is no longer imminent within a period of three (3) months, or any sign structure that fails to display any sign copy for three (3) months, or any sign which, for a period of three (3) months, has vegetation growing upon it, clinging to it, touching it or obscuring the sign face or sign parts or structure or any sign, for a period of three (3) months, which has not been maintained to be free of peeling, chipping, rusting, wearing and fading so as to be legible at all times or to be free of rusting, rotting, breaking or other deterioration of the sign parts shall be deemed to be an obsolete or abandoned sign. The passage of time alone under the above-delineated circumstances establishes abandonment or obsolescence. Abandonment does not require any element of personal or business intent to relinquish the rights one might have in sign placement as the term is used or defined in this chapter.

Obsolete or abandoned signs, sign copy or sign structures are prohibited and shall be removed by the owner of the property, his agent, or person having the beneficial use of the building or site upon which sign or sign structure is erected within thirty (30) days after written notification from the zoning administrator. In the event of noncompliance with the aforesaid terms and provisions, the city shall remove such signs at the expense of the property owner.

When any sign is relocated, made inoperative, or removed for any reason, except for maintenance, all structural components, including the sign face and sign structure, shall be removed or relocated with the sign. All structural components of freestanding pole signs shall be removed to ground level. Painted wall signs, and the structural components of all other signs, shall be removed back to the original building configuration and the building restored to its original condition.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)

Applications for sign permits shall include a scaled drawing of the sign which depicts and describes:

A.

Size;

B.

Shape;

C.

Colors;

D.

Materials to be utilized;

E.

Copy/wording and designs;

F.

Illumination type, and electrical detail;

G.

Location on building, if attached.

(Ord. No. 2020-13, 1-4-21)