This article is intended to address the placement of signs within the city's corporate limits for the following purposes: to promote traffic safety; to prevent business and advertising signs from conflicting with public safety signs; to ensure that permitted signs do not become a hazard or nuisance; to prevent the overcrowding of land; to facilitate fire and police protection; to protect and enhance the value of properties; to provide a pleasing overall environmental setting and good community appearance which is deemed vital to the continued economic attractiveness of the city; and to promote the public safety and welfare of the city.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

No sign shall be constructed, erected, modified, placed, maintained, or moved, except as authorized by this zoning ordinance. Unless otherwise exempted, a building permit must be obtained before a sign is erected, modified, or moved on lot or parcel. No sign shall be placed within a public right-of-way or within the sight triangle of a roadway intersection as would be determined by the Alabama Department of Transportation. Any sign authorized in this article is allowed to contain non-commercial copy in lieu of any other copy.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

The following signs shall be exempt from regulations under this article, regardless of whether they may be considered "signs":

a.

Commemorative tablets or signs, historical or memorial markers or monuments, erected by or with the permission of the Union Springs City Council or the Alabama Department of Transportation.

b.

Any official traffic control or other public sign;

c.

Lights and decorations with no commercial message temporarily displayed on traditionally adopted civic, patriotic or religious holidays.

d.

Signs carried by people.

e.

Signs located on the interior of buildings, courts, lobbies, stadiums or other structures which are not intended to be seen from the exterior of such structures.

f.

Signs not visible from a public or private street.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

The following temporary signs do not require a building permit; however, these signs shall conform to the standards and provisions of this section and other applicable parts of this zoning ordinance. Unless otherwise stated herein, temporary signs shall not exceed 40 square feet in area per sign face, or have more than one sign face per direction of travel or exceed 6 feet in height.

a.

Real estate signs;

b.

Construction site identification signs;

c.

Seasonal Agricultural Signs which may be erected for the purpose of advertising and directing potential patrons to the seasonal sale of agricultural products produced and offered for sale at bonfire farming operations. Seasonal agricultural signs may be erected not sooner than 30 days before the normal sales or harvest season and must be removed within 30 days after the normal sales or harvest season.

d.

Signs erected in connection with elections or political campaigns. Political signs shall not be erected before the established filing date for an election nor allowed to remain longer 30 days after the election.

e.

Signs indicating that a special event such as a grand opening, fair, carnival, circus, festival, air show, fund raiser, or similar event is to take place. Such signs may be erected not sooner than 30 days before the event and must be removed not later than 30 days after the event.

f.

Yard sale sign which shall not exceed 6 square feet may be erected not sooner than two weeks before the event and must be removed not later than three days after the event.

g.

Signs affixed to windows of vehicles displaying information on the terms of sale for said vehicles.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

An on-premise sign shall be an accessory use incidental to the principal land use; an on premise sign shall specifically comply with the following:

a.

Area. The maximum area of all free standing on premises signs shall be 300 square feet. The area shall mean the surface area of a sign as computed in accordance with Section 11.12 herein.

b.

Height. The maximum height of a free standing on-premise sign shall be 30 feet. The height shall mean the height of a sign as determined in accordance with Section 11.12 herein.

c.

Setback. Setback. An on-premises sign shall meet the minimum setback requirement of 15 feet.

d.

Number Permitted. One free standing on-premises sign shall be permitted per street frontage of a lot.

e.

For permitted commercial/industrial uses, total sign area for building mounted signs on building housing only one tenant shall not exceed in the aggregate 2 square feet of sign area for each lineal foot of building frontage. No such sign shall be required to be less than 40 square feet, nor shall it exceed 200 square feet. Where frontage is on more than one street, each frontage shall be considered a separate frontage for the purpose of this section.

f.

On lots containing buildings housing more than one tenant, sign are for building mounted signs for each tenant shall not exceed 2 square feet for each lineal foot of building frontage occupied by the tenant, with a maximum sign area for that respective tenant of 200 square feet.

g.

For Planned Building Groups, building mounted signs are allowed for each tenant and shall not exceed 2 square feet for each lineal foot of building. Signage to be approved in the Conditional Use Permit process.

h.

Awning signs are permitted provided that such sign shall be limited to the drop leaf portion and the maximum sign is 40 square feet per sign. The area of all permitted awning signs shall be included in the area allowed for building mounted signage.

i.

Marquee signs are permitted and may extend the full length of the marquee on theaters, auditoriums and assembly halls. Height of the message area may not exceed 8 feet and sign area may not exceed 200 square feet. Only one marquee sign per each establishment.

j.

Fuel canopy signage is permitted provided the signage is limited to logo signs and shall not exceed 12 square feet per canopy side. Signage is not allowed to exceed beyond the vertical edge of the canopy.

k.

This section shall be deemed complied with if such on-premise signs are specifically included as part of sign plan approved as condition of, or pursuant to a special use permit.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

A home occupation shall be permitted one professional or announcement sign per dwelling unit not exceeding 6 square feet in area and shall not be lighted in any manner.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

At any entrance to a residential subdivision or multi-family development, there may be not more than two ground signs to identify or identifying such subdivision or development. A single face of any such sign shall be at least 24 square feet, nor may the total surface area of all such signs located at a single entrance exceed 100 square feet, inclusive of all poles or other support structures.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

At any entrance to an industrial park, there may not be more than two ground signs identifying the park. A single face of any such sign may not exceed 100 square feet, nor may the total surface area of all such signs located at a single entrance exceed 150 square feet.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

Off-premise advertising signs are permitted in accordance with the following provisions:

11.9.1 Area. The maximum area of an off-premise advertising sign shall 378 square feet per sign face, one sign face per directional flow of traffic. Signs may be back to back or "V- type" construction. The area of the sign shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof which will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem, or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing, ornamental base or trim.

11.9.2 Height. The maximum height of an off-premise advertising sign shall be 30 feet. Said 30 feet shall be measured from: (i) the higher of the unaltered grade of the terrain of the sign location or (ii) the elevation of the grade of the road shoulder perpendicular to the sign, which ever is higher, to the uppermost part of the sign or sign structure, whichever is higher.

11.9.3 Setback. An off-premise advertising sign shall comply with the following minimum setbacks requirements:

a.

In Industry (M-1), Highway Business (B-2), and Local Business (B-1) zoning districts, an off-premise advertising sign shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet from the road right-of-way and 15 feet from the side property lines;

b.

In Agricultural - Open (A-O) zoning districts, an off-premise advertising sign shall be set back a minimum of 15 feet from the road right-of-way, and 50 feet from the side property lines.

11.9.4 Spacing from Other Off-Premise Advertising Signs

No off-premise advertising sign shall be located closer than 1,400 feet from any other off-premise advertising. A sign on the opposite side of the road or highway shall not be located closer than 400 feet to an off-premise sign already erected. These distances are to be measured along the edge of the pavement between the closest points of the sign from a line drawn perpendicular to the edge of the pavement to the edge of the sign.

11.9.5 Spacing from Other Structures or Land Uses

No off-premise advertising sign shall be placed within 300 feet of any lot or parcel used for a school or public park.

11.9.6 Allowed Use

Not withstanding other provisions of this zoning ordinance, off-premise advertising signs shall be allowed as a principal or accessory use incidental to the principal land use when erected in a Industry (M-1), Highway Business (B-2), Local Business (B-1), Agricultural - Open (A-O) zoning district.

11.9.7 Most Restrictive Provisions apply

When or if any portion of this zoning ordinance is in conflict with any applicable state or federal regulations or statutes, the more restrictive provisions shall apply.

11.9.8 Building Permit Required

A building permit shall be obtained from the Union Springs zoning administrator prior to the placement of an off-premises advertising sign. Each request for a building permit shall be accompanied by the following:

a.

Recorded survey plat or a survey prepared by a registered land surveyor, if available, showing accurate dimensions of the lot to be built upon and the proposed sign location. In the absence of the aforementioned, the proposed sign location may be hand drawn on the applicable lot depicted on a copy of an official Bullock County tax map.

b.

Tax map reference number and parcel number of the lot to be built upon.

c.

Scale drawing of the proposed sign and sign structure. More detailed structural information may be required when applying for other applicable permits, such as electrical.

d.

Building permit fee.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

Off-premise directional signs do not require a building permit; however, these signs shall conform to the standards of this article and other applicable parts of this zoning ordinance. An off-premise directional sign which does not meet such provisions of this article shall be considered in violation of the zoning ordinance.

An off-premise directional sign shall not exceed 32 square feet in area per sign face, or have more than one sign face per directional flow of traffic, or no more than two sign faces per sign structure, or exceed 6 feet in height. Not more than three off-premise directional signs shall contain directions to the same business or activity.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

Signs must be effectively shielded to prevent beams or rays of light from being directed toward any portion of a traveled road, and must not be of such intensity or brilliance or glare or impair the vision of the driver of any motor vehicle or otherwise interferes with any driver's operation of a motor vehicle. No sign shall be so illuminated that it interferes with the effectiveness of or obscures an official traffic sign, device or signal. All illuminated signs or structures shall be placed so as to prevent the light rays or illumination from being cast directly on any residence.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

The area and height of a sign shall be computed as follows:

11.12.1 Area of Individual Signs

The area of a sign shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof which will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem, or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing, ornamental base or trim.

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.

11.12.2 Area of Multi-Faced Signs

For multi-faced signs, the sign area shall include all sign faces visible from any one point. When two identical sign faces are placed back to back so that both faces cannot be viewed from any point at the same time, and when the backs for such sign faces are part of the same sign structure and are not more than 42 inches apart, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the larger faces.

11.12.3. Height

Height shall be measured from: (i) the higher of the unaltered grade of the terrain of the sign location or (ii) the elevation of the grade of the road shoulder perpendicular to the sign, which ever is higher, to the uppermost part of the sign or sign structure, which ever is higher.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

The following signs are prohibited:

a.

Any non-governmental sign which resembles a public safety warning or traffic sign;

b.

Signs with animated, blinking, chasing, flashing or moving effects except as used to display time, temperature and messages on an electronic message board. No signs shall contain flashing lights.

c.

Animated, rotating, or other moving or apparently moving signs.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

All signs supports, braces, poles, wires and other appurtenances of the sign or sign structure shall be kept in good repair, maintained in a safe condition, and shall conform to the standards in this section and to local and state building codes.

Maintenance of sign supports, braces, poles, wires and other appurtenances of the sign or sign structure and not the result of damage or destruction shall not require a building permit, provided that the sign is not enlarged, moved, or altered in any manner which would create or increase a nonconforming condition.

A sign face shall be in a state of disrepair when more than 20 percent of its total surface is disfigured, cracked, ripped or peeling paint or poster paper, or any combination of these conditions.

No sign shall be allowed to stand with bent or broken sign facing, broken supports, loose appendages or struts.

No sign or sign structure shall be allowed to have weeds, vines or other vegetation growing on it and obscuring it from the road or highway from which it is intended to be viewed.

No illuminated sign shall be allowed to operate with partial illumination.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)

All signs made nonconforming by this article, but which were lawfully established may continue provided that no such sign shall be:

a.

Changed or replaced with another nonconforming sign except that copy may be changed on an existing sign;

b.

Expanded;

c.

Relocated except in conformance with the requirements of this zoning ordinance;

d.

Reestablished after damage or destruction in excess of 60 percent of the fair market value immediately prior to the time of the damage or destruction;

e.

Modified in any way which increases the sign's degree of nonconformity; or

f.

Reestablished after the sign structure has been removed.

(Res. No. 2013-14, 12-2-2013)