—1. Scope of Provisions. This section and the following sections contain the regulations governing the size, number, location, height and width of signs permitted in the various zoning districts. These regulations are supplemented and qualified by the regulations of the particular zoning district in which a sign may be located and by additional general regulations appearing elsewhere in this chapter which are incorporated as part of this section by reference. This section contains regulations applicable to all signs in all zoning districts. The following sections relate to particular zoning districts or particular kinds of signs.

2.

General regulations. (These apply to signs in all zoning districts.)

(1)

All freestanding signs are considered structures.

(2)

No sign over three (3) feet in height may be located in the sight distance triangle.

(3)

All signs over six (6) feet in height shall be subject to the minimum yard requirements in each particular zoning district.

(4)

No freestanding information, directional, or identification sign may exceed eight (8) feet in height.

(5)

Signs may either be freestanding or be an attached sign permanently affixed to a structure.

(6)

No signs shall be located on or over a public right-of-way without approval of the Department of Highways and Traffic.

(7)

All business, identification, and advertising signs shall be located as not to impair the visibility of any official highway sign or marker or any other sign.

(8)

Freestanding signs shall not exceed the maximum allowed height above ground elevation. The ground elevation of freestanding signs shall be measured at the elevation of the adjacent street or elevation of the average finished ground elevation along the side of the building facing the street, whichever is higher.

(9)

Attached signs may be affixed to a boundary wall or fence and not project more than four (4) inches beyond the surface of the boundary wall or fence.

(10)

Sign illumination levels shall comply with the provisions of Section 1003.167 "Miscellaneous Regulations of the Zoning Ordinance."

(11)

No sign, except a sign presently so lighted, shall be illuminated by intermittent light sources. This prohibition shall not apply to signs displaying time and temperature or an electronic message center.

(12)

Political campaign and ballot issue signs announcing candidates seeking political office and other pertinent data shall be removed within seven (7) days after the election for which they were made.

3.

Information and directional signs.

(1)

Information signs shall not exceed sixteen (16) square feet in outline area per facing. Freestanding information signs shall not extend more than eight (8) feet above the elevation of the adjacent street or elevation of the average finished ground elevation along the side of the building facing the street, whichever is higher.

(2)

Directional signs shall not exceed ten (10) square feet in outline area per facing. Freestanding directional signs shall not extend more than eight (8) feet above the elevation of the adjacent street or elevation of the average finished ground elevation along the side of the building facing the street, whichever is higher.

(3)

The height of all directional signs shall not exceed three (3) feet when located within the minimum front yard setback of each particular zoning district.

4.

Signs for which no permits are required. No permits are required for the following structures. However, setback and height requirements for all structures, shall be in accord with the regulations of the particular zoning district in which the structure is located.

(1)

Barber poles that are not more than six (6) inches in diameter and not more than two (2) feet in overall height.

(2)

Corporate sponsorship signs, permitted only in PS Park and Scenic District.

(3)

Flags of any nation, government, or non-commercial organization.

(4)

Gravestones.

(5)

Official traffic or government signs, including memorial plaques and signs of historical interest.

(6)

Political campaign and ballot issue signs announcing candidates seeking political office and other pertinent data erected on private property. The maximum area for any one sign shall be eight (8) square feet, with a total area of sixteen (16) square feet permitted for each lot or unit.

(7)

Public notices and legal notices required by law.

(8)

Real estate signs that are not greater in outline area than sixteen (16) square feet in the "NU" Non-Urban District and any "R" Residential District and twenty-five (25) square feet in any "C" Commercial or "M" Industrial District.

(9)

Scoreboards on athletic fields.

(10)

Signs of less than ten (10) square feet in outline area indicating the name of building, date of erection, monumental citation, commemorative tablet, and the like, when carved into stone, concrete, or similar material or made of bronze, aluminum, or other permanent type construction and made an integral part of the structure.

(11)

Signs attached to a wall or building, not exceeding two (2) square feet in outline area, stationary and not illuminated, announcing only the name, occupation, and/or address of building occupant.

(12)

Temporary signs for special events where no permit is required. Signs are limited to one per event per street frontage, maximum size of sixteen (16) square feet in area, and may not be erected more than seven (7) days prior to the event.

(13)

Temporary signs indicating danger.

(14)

Signs not attached to the window in a window display of merchandise when incorporated and related in content to such display.

(15)

Window signs located inside the window not greater than ten (10) square feet in outline area and less than fifty (50) percent of the window area.

5.

Application for sign permits.

(1)

Unless excepted by these regulations or the St. Louis County Building code, no sign shall be erected, constructed, posted, painted, altered, maintained, or relocated, until a permit has been issued by the Department of Public Works. Before any permit is issued, an application, provided by the Department of Public Works, shall be filed, together with drawings and specifications as may be necessary to fully advise and acquaint the Department of Public Works with the location, construction, materials, manner of illuminating, and securing or fastening, and the wording or delineation to be carried on the sign. All signs that are to be illuminated by one or more sources of artificial light shall require a separate electrical permit and inspection.

(2)

Structural and safety features and electrical systems shall be in accordance with the requirements of the St. Louis County building code. No sign shall be approved for use unless it has been inspected by the department issuing the permit and is found to be in compliance with all the requirements of this chapter and applicable technical codes. Signs found to be in violation of the requirements of this chapter and/or applicable technical codes and which are determined to be a danger to public health and safety may, after notification to the property owner, be dismantled and removed by St. Louis County. The expense for such action shall be charged to the owner of the property on which the sign is erected.

6.

Determination of sign area. The following regulations shall govern the determination of sign area:

(1)

Outline area of sign.

(a)

Freestanding signs. The outline area of a freestanding sign shall include the area within a continuous perimeter of a plane enclosing the limits of writing, representation, logo, or any figure or similar character together with the outer extremities of any frame, or other material or color forming an integral part of the display which is used as a background for the sign. The area of a freestanding sign of individually cut out writing, representation, logo, or any figure or similar character, including the space between individual letters comprising a word, but not including the space between individual letters comprising a word, but not including the space between individual words.

The outline area of a freestanding sign shall not include the necessary supports for the sign when such supports are not a part of the overall design of a sign. The outline area of a freestanding sign shall also not include the area between separate cabinets or modules of such sign or any pole covers, lighting fixtures, or landscaping provided they contain no writing, representation, logo, or any figure or similar character.

(b)

Attached signs. The outline area of an attached sign shall include the area within a continuous perimeter of a plane enclosing the limits of writing, representation, logo, or any figure or similar character together with the outer extremities of any frame, or other material or color forming an integral part of the display which is used as a background for the sign. The area of an attached sign of individually cut out writing, representation, logo or any figure or similar character which is not enclosed by framing, and which projects from a sign support or main body of a sign, is the sum of the areas of all of the triangles or parallelograms necessary to enclose each writing, representation, logo, or any figure or similar character, including the space between individual letters comprising a word, but not including the space between individual words if the words are part of a single message. However, any painted area that is part of the common background area of such attached sign shall be included in the outline area of the sign.

The outline area of an attached sign shall not include the necessary supports for a rooftop sign when such supports do not extend above the sign and are not a part of the overall design of a sign. The outline area of an attached sign shall also not include any building, boundary wall, or fence to which a sign is attached, the area between separate cabinets or modules of such sign, when such cabinets or modules contain parts of the same sign message, or any lighting fixtures of landscaping provided they contain no writing, representation, logo, or any figure or similar character.

(c)

Sign area on walls of circular buildings and other buildings with curved wall surfaces. The area constituting a single wall of a circular building shall be designated by the owner on a portion of the wall but shall be limited to an area determined by multiplying three-fourths (¾) of the diameter of the building by the average height of the exterior walls of the building at the finished ground elevation of the building.

The area contained on a single wall of a non-circular building with continuous curved wall surfaces shall designated by the owner on a portion of the wall but shall be limited to an area determined by multiplying three-fourths (0.75) of the average diameter of the building by the average height of the exterior walls of the building at the finished ground elevation of the building.

The area contained on any single curved wall of a building that is not totally circular or is not composed of a continuous curved wall surface shall be determined all surface at the finished ground elevation of that surface.

The horizontal length of any single wall of a building that is characterized by multiple curved wall surfaces or other irregular wall surfaces shall be measured as a straight line extending between both edges of the wall.

(2)

Double-faced signs. Only one (1) side of a double-faced sign shall be included in the sign area. Double-faced signs shall include those signs where the sign face is parallel or where the interior angle formed by the faces of a V-shaped sign is sixty (60) degrees of less. If the two (2) faces of a double-faced sign are of unequal area, the area of the sign shall be the area of the larger face.

7.

Location of Signs—"Roadway." For the purpose of the regulations of this section and the following sections relating to sign location and number in respect to "roadway" or "roadway frontage," "roadway" includes not only public or private rights-of-way providing access to abutting properties from the front, but also limited and restricted access highways.

(O. No. 29234, 1-21-25)