For the purpose of this subchapter, unless otherwise specifically provided, or unless otherwise clearly required by the context, the words and phrases defined in this subchapter shall have the meaning herein set forth when used in this subchapter. If a word or phrase used in this subchapter is not defined by G.S. Ch. 160D or elsewhere in this chapter, to the extent such word or phrase is defined in G.S. Ch. 160D, that definition shall control.

      (1)   Only elsewhere than upon the premises where the sign is displayed; or

      (2)   Is as a minor and incidental activity upon the premises where the sign is displayed.

      (1)   Is permanent; and

      (2)   Is attached to, erected on or supported by some structure such as a pole, mast or frame that is not itself an integral part of a building or other structure having a principal function other than the support of a sign.

      (1)   A sign that:

         (a)   Is used in connection with a circumstance, situation or event that is designed, intended or expected to take place or to be completed within a reasonably short or definite period after the erection of such sign;

         (b)   Is intended to remain on the location where it is erected or placed for a period of generally not more than 15 days; or

         (c)   Is displayed on a premises only during normal operating hours and then removed from that location.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)   Except as otherwise provided in §§ 153.182 and 153.183, no sign may be erected, moved, enlarged or substantially altered, except in accordance with the provisions of this section.

   (B)   Signs not exempted under the provisions referenced in division (A) above may be erected, moved, enlarged or substantially altered only in accordance with a sign permit issued by the Zoning Administrator or his or her designee and a building permit issued by the chief Building Inspector or his or her designee.

      (1)   Sign permit applications and sign permits shall be governed by the same provisions of this chapter applicable to zoning permits.

      (2)   In the case of a lot occupied or intended to be occupied by multiple business enterprises (e.g., a shopping center):

         (a)   Sign permits shall be issued in the name of the property owner rather than in the name of the individual business, and it shall be the responsibility of such owner to allocate among the tenants the permissible maximum sign surface area that has been approved by the Zoning Administrator; and

         (b)   Upon application by such owner, the Zoning Administrator must approve a master sign plan that allocates permissible sign surface area to the various buildings or businesses within the development according to an agreed-upon formula, and thereafter sign permits may be issued to individual tenants by the Zoning Administrator or his or her designee only in accordance with the allocation contained in the master sign plan. In the event an owner is unwilling or unable to devise a master sign plan, such plan shall be developed by the Zoning Administrator using building frontage as a calculation for total sign surface area.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   The following signs are exempt from regulation under this subchapter, except for the regulations embodied in § 153.192(B) through (E):

   (A)   Signs not exceeding two square feet in area that are customarily associated with residential use and that are not of a commercial nature, such as signs giving property identification names or numbers or names of occupants, signs on mailboxes or paper tubes, and signs posted on private property relating to private parking or warning the public against trespassing or danger from animals;

   (B)   Signs erected by or on behalf of or pursuant to the authorization of a governmental body, including legal notices, identification and informational signs, and traffic, directional or regulatory signs;

   (C)   Official signs of an informational nature erected by public utilities;

   (D)   Flags, pennants or insignia of any governmental or non-profit organization when not displayed in connection with a commercial promotion or as an advertising device;

   (E)   Signs directing and guiding traffic on private property that do not exceed two square feet each and that bear no advertising information;

   (F)   Signs painted on or otherwise permanently attached to currently licensed motor vehicles that are not primarily used as signs; and

   (G)   Temporary help wanted signs, not to exceed six square feet in area, that do not contain the company's name or logo, unless located in a multi-tenant property, in which case no more than 30% of the sign area may be occupied by the company name or logo.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)   The following temporary signs are permitted without a zoning, special use or sign permit. However, such signs shall conform to the requirements set forth below as well as all other applicable requirements of this chapter, except those contained in §§ 153.186 and 153.188.

      (1)   Signs containing the message that the real estate on which the sign is located (including buildings) is for sale, lease or rent, together with information identifying the owner or agent. Real estate signs advertising residential properties shall not exceed four square feet in area. Real estate signs advertising commercial or industrial property shall not exceed 32 square feet in area. All real estate signs shall be removed within ten days of sale, lease or rental. For lots of five acres or more in area and abutting more than one public street, a single sign on each street frontage may be erected. Each sign shall not exceed the above-mentioned sign area.

      (2)   Construction site identification signs. Such signs may identify the project, the owner or developer, architect, engineer, contractor and subcontractors, and funding sources, and may contain related information. Not more than one such sign shall be erected per site, and it may not exceed 32 square feet in area. Such signs may be erected no more than 30 days prior to the issuance of a building permit and shall be removed within ten days after the issuance of the final occupancy permit.

      (3)   Signs proclaiming religious or other non-commercial messages that do not exceed 16 square feet in area and that are not internally illuminated. Such signs shall be limited to one per abutting street.

      (4)   Displays of a non-commercial nature, including lighting, erected in connection with the observance of holidays. Such signs shall be removed within ten days following the holiday or established holiday season.

      (5)   Signs erected in connection with elections or political campaigns. Such signs may only be posted on private property only after the official campaign period has begun and shall be removed within three days following the election or conclusion of the campaign. No such sign may exceed 12 square feet in area.

      (6)   Signs indicating that a special event such as a fair, carnival, circus, festival or similar happening is to take place on the lot where the sign is located. Such signs may be erected no sooner than two weeks before the event and must be removed no later than three days after the event.

   (B)   Temporary signs cannot be located within street rights-of-way or public property unless approved by the Board of Aldermen or its designee. Such signs include, but are not limited to, the following:

      (1)   All signs listed in division (A) above;

      (2)   Signs made of paper, cloth, polyethylene film or other similar material, whether or not they include wood as a part of the structure;

      (3)   Signs that are not permanently affixed to the ground or a building surface in a manner approved by the Building Inspector;

      (4)   Trailer signs (includes such signs without trailer); and

      (5)   Portable signs.

   (C)   Although temporary signs generally do not require a zoning permit, the following exceptions do apply.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)    For the purposes of determining the number of signs, a sign shall be considered to be any surface, fabric or device bearing lettered, pictorial or sculptured matter designed to convey information visually and exposed to public view; or any structure (including billboard or poster panel) designed to carry the above visual information. A sign contains an organized relationship of elements designed to convey information.

   (B)   Without limiting the generality of division (A) above, a multi-sided sign shall be regarded as one sign as long as:

      (1)   With respect to V-type signs, the two sides are at no point separated by a distance that exceeds five feet; and

      (2)   With respect to double-faced (back-to-back) signs, the distance between the backs of each face does not exceed two feet.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)    The surface area of a sign shall be computed by including the entire area that forms the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, forming a square, rectangle, triangle or circle as appropriate, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed. This does not include any supporting framework or bracing that is clearly incidental to the display itself.

   (B)   If the sign consists of more than one section or module, all of the area, including that between sections or modules, shall be included in the computation of the sign area.

   (C)   Unless otherwise provided for in § 153.184(B), the surface area of two-sided, multi-sided or three-dimensional signs shall be computed by including the total of all sides designed either to attract attention or communicate information that can be seen at one time by a person from any vantage point. For example, with respect to a typical two-sided sign where a message is printed on both sides of a flat surface, the sign surface area of only one side (rather than the sum total of both sides) shall be regarded as the total sign surface area of that sign, since one can see only one side of the sign from any vantage point.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)   Unless otherwise provided in this subchapter, the total surface area devoted to all signs on any lot shall not exceed the limitations set forth in this section. Temporary signs shall not be included in this calculation. Freestanding signs, while included in this calculation, are subject to maximum sizes as contained in § 153.187.

   (B)   Unless otherwise provided in this subchapter or in §§ 153.105 through 153.121, the maximum sign surface area permitted on any lot in a residential zoning district is two square feet.

   (C)   Subject to the other provisions of this section, the maximum sign surface area permitted on any lot in an agricultural, residential, commercial, office and institutional, or industrial district as set forth in §§ 153.050 through 153.053 shall be determined as follows:

      (1)   There may not be more than one square foot of sign surface area per linear foot of street frontage up to 200 feet of frontage.

      (2)   There may be up to 0.25 square foot of additional sign surface area per linear foot of lot frontage in excess of 200 feet.

   (D)   If a lot has frontage on more than one street, then the owner shall designate which street frontage constitutes the primary street frontage of the property and shall receive 100% of the allowable sign surface area for that street. For that street frontage that is deemed to be secondary, the owner shall receive up to 50% of the total sign surface area for that street frontage.

   (E)   Whenever a lot is situated such that it has indirect street frontage by means of a private driveway providing public access to said lot from a public street, then the owner/developer of the lot shall be entitled to signage on said street frontage as if the lot directly abutted that public street. Frontage for such lots shall be determined by using the lot boundary line where the private driveway providing principal access is located, as well as any additional direct lot frontage that may exist. Indirect street frontage shall not be included as part of the total sign surface area calculation for lots that have direct frontage on the public street where the private driveway intersects.

   (F)   The sign surface area of any sign located on a wall of a structure shall not exceed 25% of the total surface area of the wall of a building from end to end.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021; Am. Ord. 2024-01, passed 2-20-2024)

   (A)   For purposes of this section, a side of a freestanding sign is any plane or flat surface included in the calculation of the total sign surface area as provided in § 153.185. For example, wall signs typically have one side. Freestanding signs typically have two sides (back-to-back), although four-sided and other multi-sided signs are also common.

   (B)   A single side of a freestanding sign may not exceed 0.75 square foot in surface area for every linear foot of street frontage along the street toward which such sign is primarily oriented. However, in no case may a single side of a freestanding sign exceed 70 square feet in surface area if the lot on which the sign is located has less than 200 feet of frontage on the street toward which that sign is primarily oriented, 75 square feet on lots with 200 or more, but less than 400 feet of frontage, and 100 square feet on lots with 400 or more feet of frontage.

   (C)   With respect to freestanding signs that have no discernible "sides", such as spheres or other shapes not composed of flat planes, no such freestanding sign may exceed 0.5 square foot in total surface area for every linear foot of street frontage along the street toward which such sign is primarily oriented. However, in no case may such sign exceed 100 square feet in surface area.

   (D)   Notwithstanding § 153.192, the owner/developer of a non-residential development located on a lot that has indirect street frontage by means of a private driveway providing public access to such lot from a public street shall be entitled to a freestanding sign bearing the name of the development and/or its tenants on said street frontage. Said sign shall be located either in the driveway access area or in a designated sign easement area immediately adjacent to the driveway. The freestanding sign shall not exceed a sign surface area of 50 square feet and shall be counted as part of the overall signage allotment for the development. (A sign easement area shall not be included as part of the lot frontage calculation, but shall remain a part of the lot frontage of the parcel out of which the sign easement area was created.) In no case shall the freestanding sign size exceed the total sign surface area permitted for that lot based on the calculations prescribed in § 153.186.

   (E)   A ground sign is a freestanding sign attached to a permanently affixed, solid structural base or planter box designed consistent with the architectural features of the primary business, which base or box shall be no more narrow than the message portion of the sign. Ground signs do not include freestanding signs supported by poles. Total sign surface area (perimeter of message portion of sign) shall not exceed the limitations set forth in § 153.186; provided, however, that in no case may the total sign surface area of a ground sign and its structural base exceed 65 square feet, or six feet in height if the lot on which the sign is located has less than 200 feet of frontage on the street toward which the sign is primarily oriented, 100 square feet or eight feet in height on lots with at least 200 feet but less than 400 feet of frontage, and 125 square feet, or ten feet in height on lots of 400 feet or more of frontage. In no event shall the height of a ground sign exceed ten feet.

   (F)   In a commercial shopping center consisting of three or more units that share common party walls, the developer or owner of the said shopping center or building may determine the sign surface area requirements by following the provisions outlined above in divisions (C) and (E) above concerning lot frontage or by using a building frontage calculation in which one square foot of signage is allowed for each square foot of tenant space or retail frontage.

   (G)   The sign surface area of any sign located on a wall of a structure shall not exceed 25% of the total surface area of the wall of a building from end to end.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)    Except as authorized by this section, no development may have more than one freestanding sign.

   (B)   If a development is located on a corner lot that has at least 200 feet of frontage on each of the two intersecting public streets, then the development may have not more than one freestanding sign on each side of the development bordered by such streets.

   (C)   If a development is located on a lot that is bordered by two public streets that do not intersect at the lot's boundaries (double front lot), then the development may not have more than one freestanding sign on each side of the development bordered by such streets.

   (D)   If a development has more than 300 linear feet of frontage along a single right-of-way boundary, a second freestanding sign may be permitted. Multiple freestanding signs established in the same development must be separated by a minimum of 100 linear feet.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)    At any primary entrance to a subdivision or multi-family development that is approved for less than 400 dwelling units and/or home sites, there may be installed no more than one sign, not to exceed 50 square feet, identifying such subdivision or development. Secondary entrances to said subdivisions or multi-family developments may each have an identifying sign not to exceed 25 square feet.

   (B)   (1)   Within any master planned development or multi-family development that is approved for between 400 and 749 dwelling units and/or home sites, there may be installed within the development two types of identification signs:

         (a)   Development identification signs; and

         (b)   Neighborhood identification signs.

      (2)   The development identification signs may identify the entire development by name and/or symbol, and are limited to one at the primary entrance, not to exceed 75 square feet, and one at each secondary entrance, not to exceed 32 square feet each. Neighborhood identification signs, not to exceed ten square feet each, may identify a named neighborhood within the development, and are limited in total number to the number of intersections between streets within the named neighborhood and streets not within the named neighborhood.

   (C)   (1)   Within any master planned development or multi-family development that is approved for more than 750 dwelling units and/or home sites, there may be installed within the development two types of identification signs:

         (a)   Development identification signs; and

         (b)   Neighborhood identification signs.

      (2)   The development identification signs may identify the entire development by name and/or symbol, and are limited to one at the primary entrance, not to exceed 100 square feet, and one at each secondary entrance not to exceed 32 square feet each. Neighborhood identification signs, not to exceed ten square feet each, may identify a named neighborhood within the development, and are limited in total number to the number of intersections between streets within the named neighborhood and streets not within the named neighborhood.

   (D)   All signs regulated by this section shall be installed in a professionally designed and maintained planting bed. A proposed planting plan shall be submitted for approval as part of the required sign permit application documents.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)    No sign may extend above any parapet or be placed upon any roof surface; except that, for purposes of this section, roof surfaces constructed at an angle of 75 degrees or more from horizontal shall be regarded as wall space. This division (A) shall not apply to displays, including lighting, erected in connection with the observance of holidays on the roofs of residential structures.

   (B)   No sign or supporting structure may be located in the traveled portion of any public right-of-way unless the sign is attached to a structural element of a building and an encroachment permit has been obtained from the town (and from the state, if necessary).

   (C)   No part of a freestanding sign may exceed a height of 30 feet, measured from the grade of the street from which access to the property is provided.

   (D)   Unless otherwise permitted by this chapter, all freestanding signs must be placed at least five feet from any public right-of-way.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)    Unless otherwise prohibited by this chapter, signs may be illuminated if such illumination is in accordance with this section.

   (B)   Lighting directed toward a sign shall be shielded so that it illuminates only the face of the sign and does not shine directly into a public right-of-way or residential premises. The reflection from such signs shall not exceed 25% of the lumens directed toward the sign measured from the property line of the lot upon which the sign is located.

   (C)   Internally illuminated freestanding signs may not be illuminated in excess of one hour prior to or following the normal operating hours of the business or enterprise.

   (D)   Subject to division (F) below, festoons of lights that outline property lines, sales areas, rooflines, doors, windows or similar areas are prohibited.

   (E)   Subject to division (F) below, no sign may contain, or be illuminated by flashing lights or lights of changing degrees of intensity, except:

      (1)   Signs indicating the time, date and weather conditions; and

      (2)   Electronically illuminated signs that contain a fixed message or screen that changes no more than once every 15 seconds. In addition, no more than 50% of the maximum allowable sign area of any free-standing or wall sign may be designated as an electronic illuminated sign, up to a maximum sign area of 50 square feet. All such signs shall be reviewed and approved by the Zoning Administrator prior to installation consistent with the requirements of this subchapter.

   (F)   Divisions (D) and (E) above do not apply to temporary signs erected in connection with the observance of holidays.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2018-01, passed 1-9-2018; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)

   (A)   No off-premise sign may be located within 1,000 feet of any other off-premise sign. No off-premises signs may be located within 1,000 feet of any residential district unless all the following requirements are met:

      (1)   Said off-premise sign is to be located no less than 600 feet from a residential district;

      (2)   Said off-premise sign is advertising a non-residential development that has street frontage on a local street and desires off-premises signage on an arterial street that is within 400 feet of the development;

      (3)   Said non-residential development may erect one off-premise sign advertising said non-residential development;

      (4)   Said off-premise sign shall be calculated as part of the overall sign surface area for the development as enumerated in § 153.186;

      (5)   Said off-premise sign must be located on property owned by the requesting nonresidential development and/or community property owned by a Property Owners Association (POA) that the non-residential development is a member of such as a stormwater facility lot. Said off-premise sign may not be located more than 400 feet from the nonresidential development;

      (6)   Said off-premise sign shall not exceed the size restrictions as enumerated in § 153.187.

   (B)   No sign may be located so that it substantially interferes with the view necessary for motorists to proceed safely through intersections or to enter onto or exit from public streets or private roads.

   (C)   All signs must be constructed and erected in accordance with the Southern Building Code and its related State Building Code amendments.

   (D)   No sign may be erected on town-maintained or private rights-of-way so that by its location, color, size, shape, nature or message it would tend to obstruct the view of or be confused with official traffic signs or other signs erected by governmental agencies.

   (E)   Freestanding signs shall be securely fastened to the ground or to some other substantial supportive structure so that there is virtually no danger that either the sign or the supportive structure may be moved by the wind or other forces of nature and cause injury to persons or property.

   (F)   Outdoor advertising signs shall be located in such a way that they maintain horizontal and vertical clearance of all overhead electrical conductors in accordance with the National Electrical Code; provided that, in no case shall an outdoor advertising sign be erected closer than ten feet horizontally or vertically from any conductor or public utility guy wire.

   (G)   Whenever an outdoor advertising sign or structure becomes structurally unsafe, the Building Inspector shall give written notice to the owner of the sign, or the owner of the premises on which the sign is located, that such sign shall be made safe or removed within ten days of said notification. Further, whenever an outdoor advertising structure has outlived any useful purpose for which it was intended, it shall be removed forthwith.

(Ord. passed 4-9-2013; Ord. 2021-01, passed 5-11-2021; Ord. 2021-03, passed 6-8-2021)