Contra Costa County Municipal Code § 88-6.608 Land use districts

This article applies to signs placed or displayed on private property in the unincorporated area of the County. This article also applies to signs placed or displayed on land or facilities owned by public entities other than the County if the County exercises land use regulatory power over these lands or facilities. This article does not apply to signs placed or displayed within a public right-of-way, which are regulated by Article 88-6.8.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

No sign may be placed on private property without the consent of the legal owner of the property.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

The following signs, when located on private property, are exempt from the permit requirement of this chapter. This section does not exempt the following signs from any other applicable law or regulation, including, but not limited to, building and zoning code requirements and traffic safety laws and regulations pertaining to sign locations.

(a) One flagpole and three flags per lot. The flagpole may not exceed 25 feet in height or the highest point of the principal building on the lot, whichever is lower. The area of each flag on the flagpole may not exceed 15 square feet.

(b) A sign that cannot be seen from a public street, private road, or adjacent property.

(c) A temporary sign maintained for a period not to exceed 60 consecutive calendar days. The temporary sign may not exceed 12 square feet in area. The temporary sign may not exceed six feet in height.

(d) One or more on-site commercial signs on a lot with a grower stand, farm stand, or farm market, as long as the sign or signs comply with Section 88-20.404.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

(a) General. A sign that complies with the provisions of this chapter may be located in any land use district, except as otherwise specified in subsections (b), (c), or (d) of this section.

(b) Single-family residential districts. No sign may be constructed, placed, displayed, or maintained on any lot in a single-family residential district (R-6, R-7, R-10, R-12, R-15, R-20, R-40, R-65, and R-100) or a water recreational district (F-1), or on a single-family residential lot in a planned unit district (P-1), except for an exempt sign under Section 88-6.418 or Section 88-6.606. This subsection does not apply to a lot where a non-residential use is approved by a land use permit.

(c) Other residential districts. No sign may be constructed, placed, displayed, or maintained on any lot in a two-family residential district (D-1), in a multiple-family residential district (M-6, M-9, M-12, M-17, and M-29), or on a multiple-family residential lot in a planned unit district (P-1), except for the following:

(1) An exempt sign under Section 88-6.418 or Section 88-6.606;

(2) One or more freestanding signs or monument signs per lot that meet the requirements of Section 88-6.610; and

(3) One wall sign per lot that meets the requirements of Section 88-6.612.

This subsection does not apply to a lot where a non-residential use is approved by a land use permit.

(d) No sign may be constructed, placed, displayed, or maintained on any lot in an agricultural district (A-2, A-3, A-4, A-20, A-40, and A-80), except for the following:

(1) An exempt sign under Section 88-6.418 or Section 88-6.606; and

(2) One or more freestanding signs or monument signs per lot that meet the requirements of Section 88-6.610.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

A freestanding sign or a monument sign must meet all of the following requirements.

(a) Area. No freestanding sign or monument sign may have an area that exceeds one square foot for each 1,000 square feet of lot area. The maximum area of a freestanding sign or monument sign is 35 square feet. The maximum aggregate display area of all freestanding signs and monument signs located on a lot is 50 square feet.

(b) Height. No portion of a freestanding sign or monument sign may be higher than the roof line of the principal building on the lot or 12 feet, whichever is lower.

(c) Display Surfaces. No freestanding sign or monument sign may have more than two display surfaces.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

A projecting, shingle, wall, or window sign must meet all of the following requirements.

(a) Area.

(1) No projecting sign may have an area that exceeds five square feet.

(2) No shingle sign may have an area that exceeds five square feet.

(3) No wall sign may have an area that exceeds ten percent of the area of the wall on which it is placed, excluding the area of all other signs on the frontage of the building.

(4) No window sign may have an area that exceeds ten percent of the area of the window on which it is placed.

(b) Projections, heights.

(1) No sign or portion of a sign may be higher than the eaves, facia, or parapet of the building to which it is attached.

(2) No sign may project more than one foot from the wall of a building, except a shingle sign may project a maximum of six feet from the wall of a building.

(3) No projecting sign may have a vertical clearance of less than eight feet between the ground and the bottom of the sign.

(4) No shingle sign may have a vertical clearance of less than eight feet between the ground and the bottom of the sign.

(5) No wall sign may exceed 15 feet in height above grade measured from the base of the wall.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

A sign may be located only on the frontage of a building, or on the frontage of a lot if not attached to a building on the lot. Signs may not be located on more than two frontages of any one building.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

(a) A temporary sign may be located and maintained on a lot for sale for a period not to exceed 18 consecutive months or until the lot is sold once, whichever occurs first. No more than one temporary sign may be located on a lot for sale.

(b) A temporary sign may be located and maintained at an entrance of a development that includes one or more lots for sale for a period not to exceed 18 consecutive months or until 30 days after all lots in the development are transferred once, whichever occurs first. No more than one temporary sign may be located at an entrance of a development that includes one or more lots for sale.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

No sign may be attached to, supported by, or suspended from a vehicle parked on a street or lot, except a sign that is an integral part of the vehicle.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

In the case of any conflict between this chapter and state requirements for signs related to gasoline sales, the state requirements will govern. ;hn0; (Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

A sign permitted by this chapter may not be illuminated by artificial illumination unless expressly authorized by the sign permit. The zoning administrator may include conditions in the sign permit as to the time, intensity, direction, and quality of illumination to mitigate any negative impacts of illumination.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

The aggregate sign display area of all signs located on a lot where no building exists may not exceed one and one-half square feet per 1,000 square feet of lot area. The maximum aggregate sign display area of all signs located on a lot where no building exists is 35 square feet.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

A sign placed or displayed within a highway setback, as described in Article 82-12.4, is subject to the same restrictions and requirements that apply to signs placed or displayed within a public right-of-way pursuant to Article 88-6.8.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)

(a) General. The zoning administrator may approve a comprehensive master sign program as part of a multi-tenant development or a development in a P-1 district. The objectives of a master sign program are to ensure: that the non-communicative aspects of all signs in a multi-tenant development or a P-1 district are compatible; and that adequate signs are provided to all current and prospective tenants within a multi-tenant development or a P-1 district.

(b) Applicability. A master sign program applies to all tenants and buildings within a single development, whether the development is located on a single lot or on multiple lots.

(c) Exceptions. A master sign program may authorize exceptions to the sign regulations specified in this article, including the number of signs, height, location, and sign area.

(d) Prohibited. A master sign program may not be used to display sign types that are prohibited under this article.

(e) Approval. If the zoning administrator approves exceptions to the sign regulations specified in this article, the zoning administrator must find that each exception will accomplish the objectives of this section. The zoning administrator may include conditions in the master sign program permit to mitigate any negative impacts attributed to the exceptions.

(Ord. No. 2022-03, § II, 5-24-22.)