The following signs shall be permitted provided that they meet all other requirements of this ordinance:

601.1

Incidental use signs.

1.

Standard highway signs, street markers, or railroad crossing signs or signals, public use and semi-public use signs, authorized by the Town of Tallulah Falls, and the Georgia Department of Transportation in the case of state routes, subject to all other requirements of this article. No other signs shall be permitted within the right-of-way of any street, road, or railroad.

2.

Directional or information signs of a public or quasi-public nature which by tradition and precedent are identified with promoting the general welfare of the Town of Tallulah Falls and which do not exceed fifteen (15) square feet in area, including, but not limited to, the following: The name and location of a public building, youth organization, church, or meeting place of an official or civic body.

3.

Signs of a temporary nature publicizing special events, festivals, or other community activities. All temporary signs shall be removed within two (2) days following the conclusion of the event or activity for which they were posted.

601.2.

Accessory Use Signs.

1.

A non-illuminated sign, either freestanding or attached, not exceeding four (4) square feet in area and pertaining only to the rent, lease, or sale of the premises upon which it is displayed.

2.

A business identification sign, either free standing or attached, not exceeding eight (8) square feet in area, on which the name and nature of a business operated on the premises as an accessory use are shown.

601.3.

Principal Use Signs.

1.

A business identification sign, either freestanding or attached, not exceeding fifty (50) square feet in area, on which the name and nature of the business operated on the premises as the principal use are shown.

2.

Attached signs within fifty (50) feet of the front lot line of the premises with a total sign area not exceeding five (5) percent of the area of the building wall to which the sign or signs are attached. When a sign is located more than fifty (50) feet from a front lot line of the premises, the percentage of total sign area in relation to the area of the wall to which the sign or signs are attached shall be determined from the following schedule:

3.

Marquee or projecting signs which overhang a sidewalk, driveway, or other passageway used by either pedestrians or automotive vehicles and those which project more than twelve (12) inches over publicly-owned property shall be permitted only upon approval of the planning commission and the town council. Such signs must meet the same sign area-wall ratio of other types of attached signs.

Billboards and principal use signs exceeding the dimensions set out in section 601.3 may be allowed under certain circumstances after review by the planning commission and approval of the town council, as a conditional use.

For reasons of safety, the following restrictions shall be observed in the construction, erection and maintenance of signs:

603.1.

No flashing, intermittent or rotating red, green, or amber illumination shall be used on any sign or structure located in the same line of vision as a traffic control signal. No illumination simulating traffic control devices or emergency vehicles shall be used. No portable illuminated signs shall be permitted except as provided under section 601.1.3.

603.2.

Any illuminated sign or structure shall be placed so that the rays and illumination therefrom shall not be cast upon neighboring dwellings. All advertising signs or structures having flashing or intermittent lights and which face directly toward neighboring dwellings shall be located at least three hundred (300) feet from such dwellings.

603.3.

No sign shall be placed where it will interfere with vision clearance along any highway, street or road or obstruct the vision of either drivers or pedestrians at intersections of roads, streets, highways, alleys, or railroad crossings.

603.4.

No sign shall be erected, constructed or maintained so as to obstruct any fire escape or any window or door or opening used as an entrance or exit of a building or a means of ingress or egress for fire-fighting purposes. No sign shall be attached in any form, shape, or manner to a fire escape or be so placed as to interfere with any opening required for legal ventilation.

603.5.

No sign shall be painted on or affixed to any natural feature such as trees and rocks.

603.6.

No political signs shall be erected or placed on any property except private authorized property.

All signs, together with any supports, guy wires, braces, and anchors shall be kept in good repair, be visually harmonious with the surrounding area from all visible sides, and in a safe state of preservation. Should any sign become insecure or in danger of falling or otherwise unsafe in the opinion of the administrative officer, the owner thereof, or the person or firm maintaining the sign, shall upon written notice from the administrative officer, forthwith in the case of immediate danger and in any case within ten (10) days, secure the sign in a manner to be approved by the administrative officer, in conformity with the provisions of the building code of the Town of Tallulah Falls. If such order is not complied with in ten (10) days, the sign shall be removed under instruction of the appropriate official at the expense of the owner or lessee thereof.

In case any sign shall be installed, erected or constructed in violation of any of the terms of this ordinance or the Town of Tallulah Falls building code, the administrative officer shall notify by certified mail or written notice served personally, the owner or lessee thereof to alter such sign so as to comply with this ordinance and the building code and to secure the necessary permit, make required alterations, or remove the sign. If such order is not complied with in ten (10) days, the sign shall be removed under instruction of the appropriate official at the expense of the owner or lessee thereof.

The following provisions shall apply to all existing signs which are not in conformance with this ordinance:

606.1.

Any existing sign, the maintenance of which is made unlawful by this ordinance, may continue to be maintained exactly as the sign existed at the time when the maintenance thereof became unlawful under the provisions of this ordinance, provided the sign does not constitute a safety hazard.

606.2.

No non-conforming sign shall:

1.

Be changed to another non-conforming sign;

2.

Have any changes made in the words or symbols used or the message displayed on the sign unless the sign is an on-premises advertising sign, bulletin board, or substantially similar type of sign, specifically designed for periodic change of message;

3.

Be re-established after the activity, business, or usage to which it relates has been discontinued for thirty (30) days or longer; or

4.

Be re-established after damage or destruction if the estimated expense of reconstruction exceeds fifty (50%) percent of the reproduction cost.

606.3.

The zoning board of appeals may permit variances from subsection 607.2. or variances permitting the erection or maintenance of a non-conforming sign only upon the grounds established by law for the granting of zoning variances or upon a finding that the grant of a variance will reduce the degree of non-conformance of an existing sign or will result in the removal of one or more lawfully non-conforming signs and replacement by a sign or signs more in keeping with the spirit, purpose, intent, and provisions of this ordinance.

607.1.

No permit shall be required for incidental use signs set out in section 601.1.1 and 601.1.3 or accessory use signs described in section 601.2.1, provided they meet the requirements of this ordinance and provisions of the Town of Tallulah Falls building code. All other signs shall be erected only after a permit has been issued by the administrative officer on forms provided by the office.

607.2.

Inspection of all signs requiring a permit shall be made as follows:

1.

All signs shall be constructed, installed, and maintained in compliance with the provisions of the Town of Tallulah Falls building codes.

2.

All marquee or projecting signs set forth in section 601.3.3 shall be erected under the supervision of the administrative officer.

3.

Other attached signs shall be inspected for safety and compliance with this ordinance at the discretion of the administrative officer.

4.

When a building is constructed, remodeled, or expanded, all signs shall be approved by the appropriate official before an occupancy permit is issued. Drawings containing dimensions of signs and/or descriptions of sign dimensions, construction materials, and methods of erection or design and stress diagrams may be approved by the administrative officer or other appropriate official, when, in his best judgement, erection of the sign will not constitute a safety hazard and upon determination that the sign meets all the requirements of this ordinance and the building code of the Town of Tallulah Falls.

607.3.

A fee as established by the governing body from time to time shall be charged for each sign requiring a separate inspection with the exception of pictorial murals as set out in section 602. for which no fee shall be charged.

608.1.

In R-I, R-II, SL, PUD, FH and A districts, the following signs shall be permitted:

1.

Incidental use signs.

2.

Accessory use signs.

608.2.

In BD and HB districts: all signs set forth in this ordinance shall be permitted.