Culpeper County Unincorporated

Signs for single tenant buildings as indicated in Table 11-4. (b) Building mounted signs: The area of building mounted signs including wall, fascia, mansard, parapet, awning, roof, service island canopy signs, and suspended signs, is derived from the length of each building/structure frontage along the street where such building/structure has frontage: (i) For businesses on sites fronting on one (1) street, the sign area for each business shall not exceed one (1) square foot for each linear foot of the building frontage along the street where such building/structure has frontage. (ii) For businesses on sites fronting on two (2) or more streets, only the primary entrance frontage is measured as described in 'a' above. Auxiliary building elevations of such businesses are permitted sign area not to exceed one-half (½) square foot for each linear foot of building/structure frontage where such building has street frontage, up to a maximum of fifty (50) square feet. However, the aggregate sign area permitted for all building elevations for businesses on multiple frontages is one hundred fifty (150) square feet maximum.

Secondary entrance sign. A permanent on-premise sign that is normally located adjacent to a public right-of-way, or near various points of passage on or within private property. (a) The sign shall not exceed three (3) square feet in area per face and may be double sided. (b) Building mounted accessory signs are permitted at a height no greater than ten (10) feet flat against a wall of the building. Freestanding accessory signs are permitted provided they are no greater than three (3) feet above grade. (c) A limit of one (1) accessory sign is permitted at each individual location or accessway. (d) Such signs may only be internally illuminated or non-illuminated.

Suspended sign. A sign attached to the underside of a lintel, arch or other overhead spanning member of a porch or walkway, and which is hung either perpendicular or parallel to a vertical wall surface. (c) A minimum clearance between the bottom of a suspended sign and nearest grade or sidewalk of eight (8) feet is required. (d) No part of a suspended sign is permitted to extend beyond the edge of the building facade or overhang on which it is placed.

Awning/canopy sign. A sign that is printed, painted, or affixed to an awning or canopy. (a) Awning/canopy signs are permitted in non-residential zoning districts only. (b) Sign copy, including logo, shall not exceed one (1) square foot of sign area per lineal foot of awning or canopy width and will count against the maximum allowable sign area for the building/tenant space. (c) On a multi-story building, such signs shall only be displayed on the ground floor awning/canopy. Signs on awnings or canopies of single-story buildings shall not exceed a height of twenty-five (25) feet. (d) No awning sign may project above, below, or beyond the edges of the face of the building wall or architectural element on which it is located. (e) Awning/canopy signs shall not extend horizontally a distance greater than sixty percent (60%) of the horizontal length of the awning/canopy face or valance on which it is displayed.

Building mounted wall sign. A sign attached to, painted on, or erected against the wall, parapet, fascia or mansard roof of a building or structure with the exposed face of the sign in a plane parallel to the vertical face of the building or structure. (b) No part of such sign shall project from the building wall on which it is mounted a distance greater than twenty-four (24) inches. (d) Building mounted wall signs shall not extend horizontally a distance greater than sixty percent (60%) of the width of the building wall on which it is displayed. (e) No building mounted wall sign shall extend above or below the wall, parapet, or fascia upon which it is placed, nor shall such signs be installed within twelve (12) inches of the top of such building or parapet wall.

Changeable copy sign. A sign that is designed so that characters, letters, numbers, or illustrations can be manually or mechanically/electronically/digitally changed or rearranged without altering the face or surface of the sign. (a) A changeable copy sign is permitted provided: (i) For such signs visible from a street, the sign area for a changeable copy sign is limited to not more than forty percent (40%) of the permitted face area of any sign. (iii) The rate of refresh is no more than twice per twenty-four (24) hour cycle. (iv) The copy advertises products and/or services provided at the sign location only. (v) The sign can only display one color at a time.

Directory sign. A single sign, or a set of similarly designed individual signs placed or displayed in sequence and which may provide information in a list, roster, or directory format. (c) The sign area of any directory sign shall not exceed sixteen (16) square feet and, if freestanding, shall not exceed six (6) feet in height.

Freestanding sign. A sign that is erected or mounted on its own self-supporting permanent structure or base detached from any supporting elements of a building. (d) Where more than one (1) freestanding sign is proposed for installation on a development site with multiple frontages, a minimum of sixty (60) linear feet shall separate each freestanding sign. (e) The permanent sign base of a freestanding sign shall have an aggregate width of at least forty percent (40%) of the width of the sign cabinet or face. (f) A landscaped area located around the base of the sign equal to three (3) square feet for each square foot of sign area, is required for all freestanding signs. (h) The leading edge of any freestanding sign is required to be set back a minimum of five (5) feet from the street side property line, and the sign structure a minimum of fifteen (15) feet from any interior side lot line. Freestanding signs shall not be installed within thirty (30) feet of any residential district.

Landscape wall sign. A sign consisting of individual letters mounted on a screen or perimeter wall which may be attached or detached from a building, but which is architecturally integrated with the overall development. (a) The maximum permitted area of an individual sign is twenty-four (24) square feet. (b) The maximum permitted height of landscape walls where such signs are mounted is four (4) feet and the sign copy, to ensure visibility, must be a minimum of six (6) inches from the top, and twelve (12) inches above ground level.

Projecting sign. A sign attached to a building or other structure and extending, in whole or in part, more than fourteen (14) inches beyond the building. Projection of less than fourteen (14) inches shall be treated as a wall sign. (a) Such signs are counted in the total aggregate building mounted sign area for each use or occupancy, however, no individual projecting sign shall exceed twelve (12) square feet in area. (b) Projecting signs shall maintain a minimum clearance between the bottom of the sign and nearest grade or sidewalk of eight (8) feet.

Roof mounted sign. A building mounted sign extending above the plate line of a building or structure. (a) Roof mounted signs are permitted on the slope of peaked or sloped roof buildings only, where no walls exist to accommodate a building mounted wall sign. Roof signs are permitted only on the lowest one-third (⅓) of the slope of the peaked roof, such that the sign does not project above the roof peak, break the silhouette of the building, or exceed twenty-five (25) feet in height.

A nonconforming building, or structure may be maintained, repaired, altered, remodeled or enlarged only as provided in this Article.

A building or structure which does not comply with height or setback regulations shall not be added to or enlarged in any manner unless such addition or enlargement conforms to all the regulations of the district in which it is located, provided that the total aggregate floor area included in all such additions and enlargements does not exceed seventy-five percent (75%) of the pre-existing floor area contained in said building or structure.

The nonconforming use of a building or structure lawfully existing at the time this Ordinance (or part thereof causing the nonconformity) became effective, may be continued;

The lawful nonconforming use of land, existing at the effective date of this ordinance (or part thereof causing the nonconformity) may be continued, provided:

As in Article 14 of the Zoning Ordinance, uses not listed shall be reviewed by the Zoning Administrator to determine whether the use(s) in question would be allowed as a permitted or conditional use, or if would be considered prohibited.

Where district boundaries are indicated as approximately following or being at right angles to the center lines of streets, highways, alleys, railroad main tracks, such center line, or lines at right angles to such center lines, shall be construed to be such boundaries as the case may be.

Where a district boundary is indicated to follow a river, creek, or branch or other body of water, said boundary shall be construed to follow the center line at low water or at the limit of the jurisdiction, and in the event of change in the shoreline, such boundary shall be construed as moving with the actual shoreline.

If no distance, angle, curvature description of other means is given to determine a boundary line accurately and the foregoing provisions do not apply, the same shall be determined by the zoning administrator by using the scale shown on said zoning map. In case of subsequent disputes, the matter shall be referred to the Board of Zoning Appeals which shall determine the boundary.

Other uses of the same general character as those cited in a particular classification may be permitted in the mapped districts of that classification by the zoning administrator. Any use so determined shall be regarded as a listed use and a log of all said determinations shall be maintained as a part of the public records of the zoning administrator. In no instance, however, shall a use be permitted in a district when said use is first permitted in less restrictive classifications.