The purpose of this chapter is to maintain or improve the aesthetic quality of the City’s residential and business environment; to prevent the proliferation of signs and sign clutter; to minimize adverse visual safety factors to travelers on public roadways and private areas open to public vehicular travel; to provide for safe construction, location, erection and maintenance of signs; and to improve the effectiveness of signs in identifying and advertising businesses, all by classifying and regulating signs. (Ord. 1276, 1990)

Repealed by Ord. 1604. (Ord. 1248, 1989; Ord. 1276, 1990; Ord. 1377, 1995; Ord. 1378, 1995; Ord. 1385, 1996; Ord. 1514, 2005; Ord. 1539, 2006; Ord. 1599 § 2, 2011)

A.    A sign exempt from City approval does not require application with the City but shall conform to all other applicable provisions of this chapter.

B.    A sign subject to City approval is a sign for which approval will be granted by the Planning Director provided all conditions are satisfied; and

1.    The Planning Director shall make the decision in the manner provided by CDC 99.060.

2.    The decision may be appealed to the City Council as prescribed by CDC 99.240(A).

C.    The following code provisions may be applicable in certain situations:

1.    Chapter 42 CDC, Clear Vision Area.

2.    Chapter 75 CDC, Variance. (Ord. 1474, 2001)

A.    Approval of a sign by the Planning Director shall be void after 90 days if:

1.    The sign has not been installed within that 90-day period; or

2.    The sign is a departure from the approval plan.

B.    The Planning Director shall, upon written request by the applicant, grant an extension of the approval period not to exceed 30 days; provided, that:

1.    No changes are made on the original sign as approved by the Director.

2.    The applicant can show intent of initiating placement of the sign on the site within the 30-day extension period.

3.    There have been no changes in the applicable policies and ordinance provisions on which the approval was based.

A.    No sign shall be erected, structurally altered, relocated, or replaced, except for maintenance of signs that conform with this chapter, without first obtaining a permit from the Community Development Department, paying the requisite fee, and otherwise complying with all applicable provisions of this chapter, unless a provision of this chapter specifically exempts a sign from the permit requirement.

B.    A copy of each sign permit, including the permit number, shall be kept by the Planning Director, business owner, person contracting for the erection of the sign, and by the sign company. (Ord. 1621 § 25, 2014)

A.    Permanent sign permits.

1.    An application for a permanent sign permit shall be initiated by the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent.

2.    An application for a sign permit shall be made on a form prescribed by the Planning Director and shall be filed with the Community Development Department. The application shall include one copy of a sketch drawn to scale indicating the following:

a.    Name, address, and telephone number of the applicant.

b.    Location by street number and legal description of the building, structure or lot to which or upon which the sign is to be installed or affixed.

c.    A drawing approximately to scale showing design of the sign including dimensions, height, sign area, materials, method of attachment, source of illumination, and showing the relationship to any building or structure to which it is or is proposed to be installed or affixed or to which it relates. For purposes of this section, “design” does not include text or copy, but an applicant may provide information concerning color, size and style of lettering.

d.    A site plan drawn to scale indicating the location of the sign relative to property lines, structures, other signs on premises, streets and sidewalks; and the location of any structures and freestanding signs on abutting properties.

3.    The applicant shall pay the required fee. When a sign is erected or placed prior to approval of a required sign permit, the sign permit application fee shall be doubled. Payment of the double fee shall not relieve an applicant from fully complying with the requirements of this chapter or from any penalties prescribed herein.

4.    After the applicant has installed their sign, they shall inform the Community Development Department of the sign’s completed installation.

B.    Temporary sign permits. An application for a temporary sign shall include the appropriate fee, as set by City Council resolution. The fee is nonrefundable. (Ord. 1276, 1990; Ord. 1378, 1995; Ord. 1539, 2006; Ord. 1547, 2007; Ord. 1590 § 1, 2009; Ord. 1621 § 25, 2014; Ord. 1622 § 13, 2014)

Any person or firm in the business of hanging, rehanging, placing, constructing, installing, structurally altering, relocating, or painting any on premises signs, except those signs which do not require permits, shall have obtained a City of West Linn business license.

Each electrical sign shall have affixed to the sign the name of the sign fabricator or installer and the electrical power consumption stated in volts and amperes. Such information shall be in sufficient size and contrast to be readable upon close inspection.

Upon final approval of any temporary sign permit application, the City will issue an approval decal to be affixed to the sign. This decal shall be affixed in any corner of the approved sign and shall not be transferable to unapproved signs. (Ord. 1378, 1995)

A.    Each electrical sign shall be constructed to meet the requirements of the State Electrical Code.

B.    All signs, together with all of the supports, braces, guys, and anchors, shall be kept in good repair and be maintained in a safe, neat, clean, and attractive condition, free from rust, corrosion, peeling paint, or other surface deterioration.

C.    No sign shall be erected or maintained in such a manner that any portion of its surface or its supports will interfere in any way with the free use or access to any fire escape, exit, or standpipe. No sign shall be erected or maintained so as to obstruct any window so that light or ventilation is reduced below minimum standards required by any applicable law or building code.

D.    The Building Official may order the removal of any sign erected or maintained in violation of this chapter. The Building Official shall give written notice, sent by certified mail, to the owner of the sign, or if the sign owner cannot be located, to the property owner. If the sign has not been removed or corrected within a 30-day period, the Building Official may requisition the removal of the sign and the charge for removal shall become a lien on the property. If the Building Official finds that any sign is in violation of this section to the extent that they deem it an immediate and serious danger to the public, they may order its immediate removal.

A.    An existing sign shall be brought into conformance with this chapter if a change is made in design of the sign frame or supporting structure. A change in plastic face plate of a non-conforming sign will not require replacement of the total sign, but the new sign face shall conform as fully as possible to the standards of this chapter.

B.    Any sign which is structurally altered, relocated, or replaced shall immediately be brought into compliance with all the provisions of this chapter, except the signs that are temporarily removed to allow remodeling of the premises and shall be allowed to be relocated upon the completion of remodeling.

A.    Signs placed inside windows are exempt from the provisions of this chapter.

B.    Parking lot signs up to three square feet in area with a maximum height no greater than five feet above grade and directed to the interior of a parking lot and not to a right-of-way shall not require a sign permit.

C.    City signs are exempt from the provisions of this chapter.

D.    Sunday signs are allowed within City right-of-way in any residential district on Sundays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., subject to the following standards:

1.     Sunday signs shall conform to the following design standards:

a.    Each sign face shall be no larger than five square feet in area;

b.     The sign, including the support structure, shall be no taller than 30 inches;

c.    The sign owner’s name, address and telephone number shall be placed on the sign; and

d.     The sign shall not be attached or anchored in any way to trees, other objects or public property, including, but not limited to, utility or light poles or parking meters, with the exception of stake signs which can be placed in the ground.

2.    Sunday signs shall conform to the following locational standards:

a.    The sign shall be located entirely outside the paved roadway and any shoulder, median or traffic island;

b.     The sign shall be located entirely outside the area of a right-of-way that is between the lines created by extending the edges of any curb ramp to the property line. Where no curb exists, the sign shall be placed outside the roadway at least five feet from the edge of the roadway;

c.    The sign shall maintain a continuous pedestrian passageway of at least four feet in width;

d.     The sign shall not obstruct pedestrian and wheelchair access from the sidewalk to transit stops, designated disabled parking spaces, or building exits, including fire escapes;

e.     The sign shall not be placed in parking spaces or bicycle paths;

f.     The sign shall not be placed on any driveway; and

g.    The sign shall not be placed in any portion of the right-of-way abutting real property owned or controlled by the City or another public agency.

E.    Signs that are oriented toward spectators at athletic fields or the interior of community recreation facilities are exempt; provided, that signs that are incidentally visible from the public right-of-way shall be no larger than 32 square feet in size. The signs shall be the same height, and the top of the signs shall be aligned horizontally to form a banner like appearance; the back side of such signs visible from the right-of-way shall be a uniform white, black, or earth tone color.

F.    A-Frame Signs.

1.    Signs in the Willamette Falls Drive Commercial Design District shall comply with standards in CDC 52.210(K).

2.    All other A-frame signs for businesses are subject to the following standards:

a.    The business is located in the General Commercial (GC) zoning district;

b.    The sign is professionally manufactured, maintained and in good repair. No attachments to the sign are permitted;

c.    No part of the sign may exceed 32 inches in width and 36 inches in height;

d.    The sign shall only be displayed during times that the business is open to the public;

e.    The location of the sign must maintain four feet of unobstructed sidewalk width per CDC 53.030(A);

f.    One A-frame sign is permitted per business; and

g.    The sign must be located within 25 feet of an entrance to business being advertised. (Ord. 1276, 1990; Ord. 1378, 1995; Ord. 1514, 2005; Ord. 1539, 2006; Ord. 1599 § 3, 2011; Ord. 1613 § 7, 2013; Ord. 1622 § 22, 2014; Ord. 1638 § 3, 2015)

A.    Sign height and sign area variances shall be a Class II variance, and shall be reviewed pursuant to the provisions of subsection C of this section and Chapter 75 CDC.

B.    All other sign variances shall be treated as Class I variance, and shall be reviewed pursuant to the provisions of subsection C of this section and CDC 75.050.

C.    The granting authority may grant a variance from the requirements of this chapter if it is established that:

1.    The architectural design of a building, the location of a building site or location of building thereon, or some other circumstance relating to the sign proposal, is unusual or unique and that, because of this, a hardship will be created in that the applicant will be denied an opportunity to identify their business or location relatively equal to the opportunity accorded other members of the community not burdened with such unusual or unique architectural design, building site, or other circumstance;

2.    The design is consistent with the request and will not be injurious to the neighborhood in which the property is located or to property established to be affected by the request; and

3.    The request is the minimum variance necessary to provide reasonable signage for the property affected. (Ord. 1276, 1990)

The following signs are prohibited:

A.    Signs in right-of-way. Signs shall not be located in or extended onto public rights-of-way. Traffic control signs and devices installed by the governmental entity responsible for the right-of-way and City signs are exempt from this prohibition.

B.    Mobile or portable signs. Mobile or portable signs are prohibited, except as specifically authorized by this chapter.

C.    Signs on roofs or above eaves. Signs mounted on roofs or that project above eaves or parapet walls of a building are prohibited.

D.    Traffic safety risks. Signs that imitate an official traffic sign or signal are prohibited in locations where they create a risk that they may be perceived as actual traffic signs or signals.

E.    Signs that obstruct passage. Signs may not be placed in locations where they may obstruct or substantially limit emergency egress from a building or may obstruct or substantially limit passage to or through any exit, door or window that may be used in case of fire or emergency.

F.    Noise-emitting signs. Signs that emit sounds audible from within a vehicle are prohibited as traffic safety risks.

G.    Moving devices. Signs that contain or consist of banners, posters, pennants, ribbons, streamers, balloons, strings of light bulbs, or spinners or other similar moving devices are prohibited, except as specifically permitted on temporary signs.

H.    Signs with movement. Signs that have blinking, flashing, or fluttering lights, reflectors, or other illuminating devices that have a changing light intensity, brightness, or color, other than permitted electronic changeable copy signs, are prohibited.

I.    Beacon lights. Beacon lights are prohibited. (Ord. 1539, 2006)

All signs shall meet the following standards:

A.    The scale of the sign and its components shall be appropriate for its location and consistent with the applicable design standards.

B.    The size, location, or manner of illumination shall not create a traffic hazard and shall not hide from view any traffic or street sign or signal.

C.    The sign shall be located in compliance with Chapter 42 CDC, Clear Vision Area.

D.    Signs and sign structures located over vehicular driveways and pedestrian walkways shall allow at least 15 feet of clearance over driveways and eight feet of clearance over walkways.

E.    The light from any illuminated sign shall be shaded, fully shielded such that no light is emitted above the horizontal plane, and directed or reduced so that glare is minimized.

F.    Signs shall be located to preserve existing trees, topography and natural drainage, to the extent possible consistent with the installation of the sign.

G.    All permanent signs shall be located within a landscaped area or installed on a wood, stone, or other base structure that meets the following standards:

1.    Signs shall be installed on a base with a maximum height of two feet, a minimum width at least one-half as wide as the sign face, and a depth equal to or greater than the depth of the sign. The sign height includes any portion of the base located above street grade (also refer to Sign Definitions – Grade).

2.    In the event a sign is erected on a multiple-pole or piling structure, the base required by subsection (G)(1) of this section shall be apportioned among each of the upright members.

3.    Any wood used in a base shall be treated against water damage and insect assault.

H.    Manual changeable copy signs shall be designed to minimize the opportunity for unauthorized personnel to change the sign copy.

I.    Electronic changeable copy signs are permitted in business centers only, either as separate signs or as part of a larger sign. The approval authority may impose conditions of approval regarding the frequency of copy change, the hours of operation, and the methods by which the message is changed in order to assure compliance with the standards of this section and this chapter. Electronic changeable copy signs are subject to the following requirements:

1.    The sign face for the electronic changeable copy sign or portion of a sign may not exceed 24 square feet; provided, however, that electronic changeable copy signs with greater than 24 square feet may be approved through the conditional use process.

2.    The design and placement of the sign shall not adversely affect vehicular and pedestrian safety.

3.    The sign shall comply with all other requirements of this chapter.

J.    Where both sides of a sign may be viewed from a right-of-way, the signs shall be double-faced.

K.    Signs in the Willamette Falls Drive Commercial Design District.

1.     Signs shall not exceed 10 percent of the square footage of the front elevation. The calculation of allowable signage is explained in CDC 52.300. The sign(s) shall be proportionate to buildings and signs on adjacent buildings. The “10 percent” shall be broken up into multiple signs. The sign(s) shall be mounted or painted on the second floor, on the valance of the awning, on the windows at pedestrian level, or on four-by-four awning posts. Signs shall not be of the internally lit can type or channel light type. No backlit awnings are allowed. Illumination by spotlight is permitted. Neon signs are permitted only inside the windows. No flashing signs are allowed. By temporary sign permit only, neon colored lettering or designs painted on windows or on paper or banners in the windows are allowed, but discouraged. Small signs or plaques which describe the building in a historical sense are exempt from the allowable square footage restrictions.

2.    Sign type face. Antique lettering as shown in the illustration is required. Variations are permitted where the lettering would not clash with the predominant font or style. “Gay Nineties” or “P.T. Barnum” type styles and other exaggerated styles are discouraged. Lettering may be horizontal, vertical, or slanting up from lower left to upper right. Semi-circle designs on windows are permitted. Window lettering should be white, black, or gold with black shading.

3.    Temporary signs. Temporary A-frame signs are allowed without a permit; however, they shall be designed to be consistent with the sign and type face provisions. (Ord. 1539, 2006; Ord. 1604 § 48, 2011; Ord. 1613 § 8, 2013; Ord. 1622 § 22, 2014; Ord. 1638 § 3, 2015; Ord. 1675 § 41, 2018)

Notes for Permanent Sign Design Standards

* To calculate maximum area, numbers followed with the word “total” are the maximum total area of all signs combined. Standards expressed as a percentage represent the allowed percentage of area on a single building face that may be used as a wall sign. For example, a wall 10 feet tall by 30 feet wide has 300 square feet. If the standard is 10 percent, signs totaling 30 square feet are permitted. The maximum percentage is for the building – a building with multiple occupants is restricted to the stated percentage per building, not per occupant.

^ For number of signs allowed, “or 1” and “or 2” designate that the total number of freestanding and wall signs cannot exceed the number stated. If the standard is “or 1,” the applicant may have one freestanding sign or one wall sign, but not both.

1Gas stations may have two freestanding signs.

2Restaurants with drive-through or take-out windows may have an additional 32 square feet.

3Up to 35 percent of the total sign area may be used as a changeable copy sign. Where business centers are located within 200 feet of I-205 right-of-way, the freestanding sign may be freeway-oriented. Freeway-oriented signs shall have a maximum total sign area of 210 square feet and a maximum height of 20 feet above the grade of the nearest lane or I-205 or 60 feet, whichever is less. Freeway-oriented signs shall be oriented to view from I-205. Freeway-oriented signs shall not be smaller than 80 square feet. The approval authority may allow a 10 percent increase in the total square footage in order to accommodate unique design problems.

4Projecting signs shall not extend above the roofline at the wall or the top of a parapet wall, whichever is higher. They shall not be located within 20 feet of another projecting sign in the same horizontal plane or project within two feet of the curb or, if there is no curb, the edge of the pavement. All projecting signs shall have clearance above the sidewalk consistent with CDC 52.210(D). Any illumination shall be external.

5Parks may have two signs per frontage. Signs in parks directed at pedestrians or cyclists within the parks are not limited in number or size. Schools may have two signs.

N/a means not applicable. (Ord. 1539, 2006; Ord. 1565, 2008; Ord. 1604 § 49, 2011; Ord. 1613 § 9, 2013)

Notes for Temporary Sign Dimensional Standards

*Total square footage of all signs on site.

1Temporary signs are limited to 60 days per calendar year. The 60-day period for temporary signs means that a business, for example, only has 60 days in total, during the calendar year, for any and all temporary signs. You may not have one sign for 60 days and then a different temporary sign for yet another 60 days. Also, the 60 days may be broken into shorter periods of time (e.g., 30 days at Christmas and 30 days in mid-summer). The specific dates must be on the application.

Freestanding temporary signs shall be located within 10 feet of the business structure. For business centers, a maximum of two temporary signs may be located outside of the 10-foot limit, but must be located on the same tax lot as the business. Freestanding temporary signs may remain in place until the close of the event (e.g., sale or lease of the building, an open house, or an election, etc.).

2Temporary signs (including signs that are typically allowed in commercial, public and residential areas) may be located, with the permission of the property owner of the property fronting upon the street where the sign is to be placed, two feet from the adjacent sidewalk where one exists, or three feet from the edge of pavement where no sidewalk exists for an adjacent public right-of-way. This distance shall be measured perpendicularly from the appropriate right-of-way feature (e.g., sidewalk or the edge of pavement). Temporary signs shall also not be located within 10 feet of the intersection of two public rights-of-way, measured from either the edge of pavement or, if a sidewalk exists, the edge of sidewalk. The entire sign must meet these setback standards. No signs are allowed in the public right-of-way.

3“N/A” means that this standard is not applicable for this type of sign or that no sign is allowed.

4All temporary signage must conform with the clear vision requirements of Chapter 42 CDC.

5Temporary Sunday signs are permitted subject to the requirements of CDC 52.109(E).

FIGURE 52-8: ILLUSTRATION OF PROPER TEMPORARY SIGN PLACEMENT

Temporary Sign = •

(Ord. 1506, 2004; Ord. 1539, 2006; Ord. 1590 § 1, 2009; Ord. 1599 § 4, 2011)

All signs on land annexed to the City of West Linn shall comply with the relevant provisions of the sign ordinance within 30 days of the completion of the annexation. (Ord. 1180, 1986)