Sec. 11-1.67.03

Signage

• English language requirement

  Any business establishment located in an area zoned to permit an on-premises sign, including but not limited to, an office-professional zone, commercial zone, industrial or manufacturing zone, and any place of public assembly, including but not limited to, a meeting hall, auditorium, club house, assembly hall, shall maintain one or more on-premises signs that shall comply with the provisions of this section.

• Lighting prohibition

  No person shall place or maintain or display upon, or in view of, any highway, street or alley, any light of any color of such brilliance as to blind or dazzle the vision of drivers upon said highway, street or alley, nor shall any light be placed in such position as to prevent the driver of a vehicle from readily recognizing any official traffic sign or signal.

• Maintenance requirement

  Signs and awnings, including all supporting hardware, shall be structurally safe, clean, free of visible defects, and functioning properly at all times. Awnings shall be maintained in a clean condition and faded or torn fabric shall be replaced. Repairs shall be equal to or better in quality of materials and design than the original sign or awning.

• Minimum sign requirement

  Any business or place of public assembly mentioned in subsection (1) of this section shall have, at a minimum, at least one (1) conspicuous sign setting forth the trade name of the business or the name of the place of public assembly and the street address number in English letters and Arabic numerals, respectively. The letters and numerals on any such sign shall be large enough to be readable from a distance of one hundred (100) feet.

• Permit required

  No person shall have, place or erect a sign as defined in this chapter in a commercial zone or M-C Zone of the City of Lomita without first obtaining a permit from the city clerk.

• Review requirement

  Unless otherwise specified, all signs shall be reviewed by the planning director before they are installed or placed on any property.

• Sign copy restriction

  Sign copy shall be limited to the name of the business, the name of the products or services sold or offered, and the business address. This requirement does not apply to temporary signs or directional signs.

• Substitution clause

  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, any noncommercial copy may be substituted for any commercial copy on any sign permitted by this Code. If noncommercial copy is substituted, the resulting sign will continue to be treated as the original commercial sign under this Code and will not be deemed or treated as an off-premises sign. The content of any noncommercial copy on any sign otherwise permitted by this Code may be changed without complying with any provisions of this Code normally required for sign copy or design approval.

• Traffic control sign prohibition

  No person shall place, maintain or display upon, or in view of, any highway, street or alley, any unofficial sign, signal or device, or any sign, signal or device which purports to be, or is an imitation of, or resembles, an official traffic sign or signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic, or which conceals from view any official traffic sign or signal.

• Vehicle sign restriction

  No person shall erect or maintain a sign which is attached to, suspended from, or supported in whole or in part by any vehicle, whether self-propelled or towed. A sign will be allowed if painted directly upon, or permanently affixed to, the body or integral part of the vehicle or permanent decoration, identification or display, if such vehicle is used regularly in the business to which the sign pertains, for purposes other than as an advertising device, and such sign shall conform to the limitations set forth in the California Vehicle Code, excluding only public carrier buses and trains.