Irvine Municipal Code Ch. 7-1 Intent

A. Signs and other graphics are an essential element of any community. As such, their location, number, size and design have a significant influence upon a community's visual environment and a resultant effect upon a viewer's perception of that community.

B. With proper regulation signs and other graphics may be designed and displayed to effectively communicate their message and add a sense of vitality and originality to a site while continuing to be appropriate to their surroundings. Signs so designed and displayed can contribute to community identity, promote traffic safety, encourage economic development, and help to create a community which is efficiently organized and visually attractive.

C. In communities where signs have not been properly regulated they have contributed to visual clutter, unpleasant impressions and even confusion. In many instances, signs have failed to achieve their original objective: communication of their intended message.

D. The intent of this ordinance is to promote and protect the public health, safety and welfare by regulating existing and proposed signs of all types within the City in order to assure that:

1. The minimum number and size of signs are displayed to effectively communicate their message;

2. Signs are legible in the circumstances in which they are seen;

3. Signs are compatible with their surroundings;

4. Signs are appropriate to the type of activity to which they pertain;

5. Signs are expressive of the identity of individual properties or of the community as a whole; and

6. Signs are expressive of the uniqueness or vitality of an individual use or project site as a whole.

(Ord. No. 01-17, § 3, 10-19-01)

A. The provisions of this division are not intended to nullify any easements, covenants or other existing agreements which are more restrictive than the provisions of this division.

B. An applicant with a sign program approved prior to the effective date of this ordinance may utilize the regulations of this ordinance in-lieu of the approved sign program with the written approval of the property owner.

C. Whenever the application of this division is uncertain due to ambiguity of its provisions, the question shall be referred to the Director of Community Development for a determination. This decision may be appealed to the Planning Commission. The Director of Community Development shall then authorize signs which best fulfill the intent of this ordinance.

D. Subject to the property owner's consent, a non-commercial message of any type may be substituted in whole or in part for the message displayed on any sign authorized pursuant to this division, without consideration of message content, except if otherwise prohibited pursuant to Section 7-2-3. This paragraph is intended to prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over noncommercial speech, or favoring of any particular noncommercial message over any other noncommercial message. This does not allow for the substitution of an off-premises commercial message in the place of an on-premises commercial message, or the substitution of a commercial message for a noncommercial message.

(Ord. No. 01-17, § 3, 10-19-01; Ord. No. 16-06, § 3(Exh. A), 8-9-16, effective 1-1-17)