Spotsylvania County Unincorporated

A home occupation shall be conducted within the dwelling which is the bona fide residence of the principal practitioner or in an accessory building thereto ... No stock in trade shall be displayed or sold on the premises. There shall be no exterior evidence that the property is used in any way other than for a dwelling. No mechanical or electrical equipment shall be employed other than machinery or equipment customarily found in the home ... No employees ... No sign or other form of exterior indication of advertisement ... No customers or clients accessing the location. No more than two (2) service vehicles shall be parked on the property at any one (1) time.

If in a residential structure, no more than forty (40) percent of the gross floor area of the residential structure may be used for in the conduct of the home enterprise. Any accessory buildings associated with a home enterprise shall not be larger, in the aggregate, than fifty (50) percent of the gross floor area of the principle residential structure. Accessory buildings shall not be more than twenty (20) feet in height. The total square feet of floor area in the principle residential structure and the accessory building used for the home enterprise shall not exceed seventy-five (75) percent of the gross floor area of the principle residential structure. ... There shall be no signage associated with a home enterprise other than a single, non-illuminated sign, which shall not exceed three (3) square feet in area. The parking requirements shall be one (1) for each outside employee other than family members or the applicant and one (1) per two hundred (200) gross square feet of floor area dedicated to the operation of the home enterprise. ... No more than two (2) service vehicles shall be parked on the property at any one (1) time. ... The total number of client appointments per day upon the premises shall not exceed two (2) clients at any time or ten (10) customers per day ...

If in a residential structure, no more than forty (40) percent of the gross floor area of the residential structure may be used for in the conduct of the home enterprise. Any accessory buildings associated with a home enterprise shall not be larger, in the aggregate, than fifty (50) percent of the gross floor area of the principle residential structure. Accessory buildings shall not be more than twenty (20) feet in height. The total square feet of floor area in the principle residential structure and the accessory building used for the home enterprise shall not exceed seventy-five (75) percent of the gross floor area of the principle residential structure.

There shall be no signage associated with a home enterprise other than a single, non-illuminated sign, which shall not exceed three (3) square feet in area.

The parking requirements shall be one (1) for each outside employee other than family members or the applicant and one (1) per two hundred (200) gross square feet of floor area dedicated to the operation of the home enterprise.

Home enterprises within Residential 1-3 and Resort zoning districts shall be limited to parcels fronting and/or whose chief point of ingress/egress is upon state maintained roads limited to State Route number 1 through State Route number 712, subject to VDOT approval.

A landscaping plan shall be submitted as part of every generalized development plan and site plan. Such landscaping plans shall be drawn to scale, including dimensions and distances, and clearly delineate all existing and proposed parking spaces or other vehicle areas, access aisles, driveways, and the location, size and description of all landscaping materials and tree cover in accordance with the requirements of this Division and the requirements of Article 6 of the Design Standards Manual. The landscaping measures and tree cover required by this division shall be shown on such plan, and shall be completed according to specifications prior to approval of any occupancy permit.

One temporary sign no larger than thirty-six (36) square feet shall be allowed by permit on any lot or premises.

One temporary sign no larger than thirty-six (36) square feet shall be allowed by permit on any lot or premises.

Permanent freestanding signs on parcels shall have a maximum height-to-setback ratio of one-to-one from the right-of-way. ... The maximum height of freestanding signs shall be as follows: (1) Twenty-five (25) feet in height when located more than twenty-six hundred (2,600) feet from an Interstate 95 interchange; (2) Thirty-five (35) feet in height when located twenty-six hundred (2,600) feet or less from an Interstate 95 interchange; or (3) Five (5) feet in height with a height-to-setback ratio of greater than one-to-one and set back less than twenty-five (25) feet. Signs higher than thirty-five (35) feet above grade shall require an engineer to certify on the drawings that such signs are safe and will withstand winds to ninety (90) miles per hour.

The maximum height of freestanding signs shall be as follows except as provided for in section 23-5.8.7 of this chapter: (1) Twenty-five (25) feet in height when located more than twenty-six hundred (2,600) feet from an Interstate 95 interchange; (2) Thirty-five (35) feet in height when located twenty-six hundred (2,600) feet or less from an Interstate 95 interchange; or (3) Five (5) feet in height with a height-to-setback ratio of greater than one-to-one and set back less than twenty-five (25) feet.

The following signs are exempt from the provisions of these regulations and may be erected or constructed without a permit but in accordance with the structural and safety requirements of the county's building code: (a) Nameplate, which does not exceed two (2) square feet in area ... (b) Security and warning signs ... (c) Auction signs ... (d) Real estate signs ... (e) One (1) on-site contractor sign not exceeding thirty-two (32) square feet ... (f) Official traffic signs ... (g) Directional signs not exceeding six (6) square feet ... (h) A maximum of two (2) banner signs ... not exceed sixty (60) square feet ... (i) Temporary signs ... not exceed thirty-six (36) square feet ... (j) Changing the face or copy ... (k) Window signs.

Nameplate, which does not exceed two (2) square feet in area to identify the owner or occupant of a dwelling or building. The nameplate shall be non-illuminated and attached to the building.

In any agriculture or residential district, the following signs only shall be permitted, when the principal use itself is permitted: (1) Church bulletin boards: One (1) church bulletin board, not exceeding forty (40) square feet in area... (2) Identification signs: One (1) sign, not exceeding thirty-two (32) square feet in area... (3) Subdivision signs: Signs, not exceeding thirty-two (32) square feet in area... (4) In districts allowing multifamily dwellings, one (1) sign site sign for identifying multifamily dwellings, provided that such sign shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in area...

Church bulletin boards: One (1) church bulletin board, not exceeding forty (40) square feet in area, when displayed on the property of the church, provided that when a church faces more than one (1) street, one (1) such church bulletin board may be erected or displayed on each street frontage. Church bulletin boards shall be set back at least ten (10) feet from the front lot line.

Signs permitted in agriculture or residential districts shall be permitted in any office, commercial or industrial district. (b) In any office, commercial and industrial district signs advertising only the general business conducted within the premises upon which signs are displayed shall be permitted. (c) Signs permitted within office, commercial and industrial districts shall be displayed on walls of a building or as roof signs or freestanding signs upon the lot, subject to the following provisions as to size and location: (1) Sign, building-mounted is permitted... (2) A building-mounted sign may extend beyond the wall of a building when such sign is erected at a right angle to the wall, does not extend into the minimum required yard and is not located closer than two (2) feet to any street line. (3) Signs may be located on the vertical face of a marquee... (4) a. One-story building. Sign, building-mounted shall not exceed one and one-half (1½) square feet of sign area per horizontal linear foot of each exterior wall... No one sign, however, shall have a sign area in excess of two-hundred fifty (250) square feet per exterior wall. b. Multi-story building. Sign, building-mounted for ground floor tenants with outside entrance shall not exceed one and one-half (1½) square feet of sign area per horizontal linear foot of each exterior wall... No one sign, however, shall have a sign area in excess of two hundred fifty (250) square feet per exterior wall. All such signs with the exception of allowed sign, pinnacle shall not exceed a height of twenty (20) feet above the sidewalk or ground level. Sign, pinnacle shall be permitted on exterior walls. Sign, pinnacle shall not exceed one and one-half (1½) square feet per horizontal linear foot of each exterior wall... However, in all cases no sign, pinnacle shall exceed one hundred eighty (180) square feet. (5) No transfer of allowable sign area shall be made from one exterior wall to another exterior wall. (6) A shopping center shall be permitted one (1) freestanding sign; provided, however, any sign exceeding a height of twenty-five (25) feet or an area of one hundred and fifty (150) square feet per face shall be permitted only as a special use... (7) One (1) freestanding sign may be erected for each building with frontage on a secondary or primary highway; provided, however, any sign exceeding a height of twenty-five (25) feet or an area of one hundred (100) square feet per face shall be permitted only as a special use... (8) Service stations or similar uses may be allowed one (1) additional square foot of sign area on each gasoline pump... (9) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, motor vehicle fuel price signs required by law shall be permitted... (10) Historical signs: historical signs for historical attractions are to be included in all districts as a special use. (11) Signs advertising only the name of the occupant of a store, office or building... may be placed on show windows, provided that not more than twenty (20) percent of the area of such windows shall be covered. (12) Roof signs, not exceeding a total area of one hundred (100) square feet may be displayed in the C-2 and C-3 commercial districts only... No roof sign shall project more than four (4) feet beyond the property line nor extend more than fifteen (15) above the roof level at the point where it is erected.

Roof signs, not exceeding a total area of one hundred (100) square feet may be displayed in the C-2 and C-3 commercial districts only, provided that the area of any roof sign shall be included in the total area of signs permitted by this section. No roof sign shall project more than four (4) feet beyond the property line nor extend more than fifteen (15) above the roof level at the point where it is erected.

Sign, building-mounted shall not exceed one and one-half (1½) square feet of sign area per horizontal linear foot of each exterior wall or portion of an exterior wall specifically occupied by each business or tenant for each of the first one hundred (100) linear feet of each exterior wall plus one (1) square foot of sign area for each horizontal linear foot over one hundred (100) linear feet of exterior wall. No one sign, however, shall have a sign area in excess of two-hundred fifty (250) square feet per exterior wall.

A shopping center shall be permitted one (1) freestanding sign; provided, however, any sign exceeding a height of twenty-five (25) feet or an area of one hundred and fifty (150) square feet per face shall be permitted only as a special use as specified in article 4, division 5 of this chapter

One (1) freestanding sign may be erected for each building with frontage on a secondary or primary highway; provided, however, any sign exceeding a height of twenty-five (25) feet or an area of one hundred (100) square feet per face shall be permitted only as a special use as specified in article 4, division 5 of this chapter.