Sec. 19.2-43
Dimensional standards
Height & bulk
- Minimum landscaping
- 1.5%
Uses
Prohibited12
- changeable copy signs
- sound or smoke-producing signs
- moving signs
- commercial signs held or carried
- persons dressed in costumes
- attention-getting devices such as rope lights, search lights, pennants, streamers, balloons, or inflatable devices
- signs with moving or flashing lights
- signs falsely implying traffic control
- internally lighted canopies or awnings of translucent material
- commercial signs on parked vehicles
- outdoor advertising signs (except in SMAs)
- signs posted on trees, utility poles, or traffic control devices
Extracted standards
31 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.
Signage
- Max building-mounted sign length as % of face70 pct
Under no circumstances shall the collective length of building-mounted signs on a building or tenant face exceed 70% of the length of the building or tenant face
- Max building-mounted sign area as % of wall10 pct
Allowed signage shall not exceed 10% of the tenant's leasable building wall square footage, or 450 square feet, whichever is less.
- Max building-mounted sign area450 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Allowed signage shall not exceed 10% of the tenant's leasable building wall square footage, or 450 square feet, whichever is less.
- Max door/window sign area as % of door/window25 pct
Signs mounted on, or externally visible through, a door or window, not to exceed 25% of the total window or door area
- Freestanding sign landscaping ratio1.5 sqft_per_sqft
Landscaping shall be equal to a minimum of 1.5 square feet for each square foot of sign
- Max freestanding signs per project1 count
Except where specifically stated, a project shall be limited to one freestanding sign.
- Building-mounted sign area for multi-familyMultifamily dwellingA building of four or more dwelling units. Where zoning is most restrictive.300 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Multi-family projects shall be allowed 300 square feet of building-mounted signage per building.
- Max noncommercial flag area24 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Up to two noncommercial flags each not to exceed 24 square feet may be allowed on poles above the roofline.
- Max outdoor advertising sign brightness0.3 foot-candles
Brightness does not exceed 0.3 foot candles above ambient light
- Max outdoor advertising sign heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. on interstates40 ft
Sign structures along Interstates 95 and 295 shall not exceed 40 feet in height.
- Max outdoor advertising sign heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first. on other roads25 ft
Sign structures along any other public road shall not exceed 25 feet in height.
- Max outdoor advertising sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from pavement100 ft
a maximum of 100 feet from the edge of pavement it faces
- Max outdoor advertising sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from pavement on interstates150 ft
For interstates 95 and 295 the maximum setback is 150 feet.
- Max outdoor advertising sign area on other roads300 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
300 square feet along other roads.
- Max outdoor advertising sign area on Route 150/Interstates672 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
672 square feet along Route 150 and Interstates 95 and 295
- Max outdoor advertising sign area on Routes 60, 288, 360400 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
400 square feet along Route 60, 288 and 360
- Outdoor advertising sign separation1,000 ft
1,000 feet from any other outdoor advertising sign along the same side
- Outdoor advertising sign separation on Route 150/Interstates500 ft
except that along Route 150 and Interstates 95 and 295 the minimum separation is 500 feet
- Outdoor advertising sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from ramps100 ft
100 feet from the exit or entrance ramp of a limited access road or interstate
- Outdoor advertising sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from residential300 ft
300 feet from property zoned for single-family or townhouse use along the same side of the road
- Outdoor advertising sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from VO/UCO500 ft
500 feet from VO or UCO boundaries, County-owned or operated parks or schools, and any entrances to Residential Districts
- Building-mounted sign area per residential unit1 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Single-family dwelling units and townhouse units shall be allowed one square foot of signage for each unit.
- Sign lighting hours in residential districts
nonresidential use signs shall not be lighted between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Sign permit required for signs over8 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
A sign permit is required for any sign originally built or enlarged in excess of eight square feet...
- Sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. in other areas20 ft
In other areas, 20 feet from the edge of the pavement or face of curb as applicable, but in no case less than one foot from the right-of-way.
- Sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. from other property lines15 ft
Signs shall be set back 15 feet from all other property lines.
- Sign setbackSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line. in VO/UCO districts5 ft
In the VO or UCO Districts, five feet from the right-of-way
- Max temporary sign display days per year120 days
Temporary signs shall not be displayed for more than 120 days in one calendar year
- Max temporary sign heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.7 ft
Temporary signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in area and seven feet in height
- Max temporary sign area32 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
Temporary signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in area and seven feet in height
- Max under-canopy sign area8 sqftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000.
One under-canopy sign not to exceed eight square feet shall be allowed in front of each tenant's main entrance.
From the ordinance
This Section applies to any sign located exterior to a building or structure and visible from the public right-of-way or adjacent property...