§ 31.5-68. Pole signs.

(a)

Pole signs may be permitted in any zoning district, except (subject to section 31.5-74 and section 31.5-141) residential districts. However, pole signs which are rotating signs may be permitted in any zoning district except agricultural, professional-office and (subject to section 31.5-74 and section 31.5-141) residential districts.

(b)

The maximum height of any pole sign in a commercial, industrial or agricultural district shall be thirty (30) feet. The maximum height of any pole sign in a professional-office district shall be twenty (20) feet. The height of any pole sign shall be measured from the finished grade level to the top of the sign face. Within one hundred (100) feet of a residential district, where no public right-of-way exists between the site of the proposed pole sign and the residential district, pole signs shall be prohibited.

(c)

The minimum clearance of the bottom of the sign face of any pole sign shall be nine (9) feet from the finished grade level, except that if the sign face extends over a vehicular travel way on the parcel, the minimum clearance shall be thirteen and one-half (13½) feet.

(d)

A maximum number of one (1) pole sign may be permitted per parcel, provided that any pole signs and ground signs on the parcel shall be separated by a distance of not less than one hundred (100) feet.

(e)

Notwithstanding subsection (d), a maximum number of two (2) pole signs may be permitted on a parcel with a right-of-way frontage in excess of four hundred (400) feet, provided that any pole signs and ground signs on the parcel shall be separated from each other by a distance of not less than one hundred (100) feet, and that any pole sign shall be separated from any other pole sign on the parcel by a distance of not less than one hundred (100) feet.

(f)

The minimum setbacks for any pole sign shall be ten (10) feet from any right-of-way line, ten (10) feet from any side property line, ten (10) feet from the rear property line, and greater than one hundred (100) feet from any residential district where no right-of-way exists between such sign and the residential district.

(g)

Subject to subsection (h), the maximum allowable copy area of any pole sign on a parcel in a commercial or industrial district shall be three hundred (300) square feet per sign face, the maximum allowable copy area of any pole sign on a parcel in an agricultural district shall be one hundred twenty-eight (128) square feet per sign face, and the maximum allowable copy area of any pole sign on a parcel in a professional-office district shall be one hundred twenty-eight (128) square feet per sign face.

(h)

The minimum allowable copy area for each individual tenant on a multitenant pole sign shall be twelve (12) square feet per sign face.

(i)

The maximum speed of any rotating sign shall be six (6) revolutions or cycles per minute.

(j)

A pole sign shall not be erected on unimproved property.

(k)

Pole signs shall be prohibited in big box developments (defined in section 38-1, Orange County Code).

(l)

An EMC shall be permitted pursuant to Section 31.5-16, provided it does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of allowable copy area.

(Ord. No. 90-10, § 4(a)(2), 5-21-90; Ord. No. 94-14, § 13, 7-26-94; Ord. No. 2007-01 , § 11, 3-20-07; Ord. No. 2015-17 , § 8, 9-22-15)