Martinez Municipal Code Ch. 16.08 Signs Adjacent to Landscaped Areas

As used in this chapter, certain terms are defined as follows:

A.

"Advertising display"

refers to advertising structures and to signs;

B.

"Advertising structure"

refers to a structure of any kind or character erected or maintained for outdoor advertising purposes on which any poster, bill, printing, painting or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever may be placed, including statuary;

C.

"Freeway"

means a highway in respect to which the owners of abutting lands have no right or easement of access to or from their abutting lands or in respect to which such owners have only limited or restricted right or easement of access, and which is declared to be such in compliance with the Streets and Highways Code of the State;

D.

"Landscaped freeway"

means a section or sections of a freeway which is now, or hereafter may be, improved by the planting, at least to one side of the freeway right-of-way, of lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or other ornamental vegetation which shall require reasonable maintenance. Planting for the purpose of soil erosion control, traffic safety requirements, reduction of fire hazards or traffic noise abatement, shall not change the character of a freeway to landscaped freeway;

E.

"Signs"

refers to any card, cloth, metal, painted or wooden sign of any character, placed for outdoor advertising purposes, on or to the ground, or any tree, wall, bush, rock, fence, building, structure or thing, either publicly or privately owned, other than an advertising structure;

F. Neither "advertising structure" nor "sign" as used in this chapter includes:

1. Official notices issued by a court or public body or officer;

2. Notices posted by any public officer in performance of a public duty, or by any person in giving legal notice;

3. Directional, warning or information signs or structures required or authorized by law or by Federal, State or Municipal Authority.

G. The verb "to place" and any of its variants, as applied to advertising displays, includes the maintaining and the erecting, constructing, posting, painting, printing, tacking, nailing, gluing, stitching, carving, or otherwise fastening, affixing, or making visible, any advertising display on or to the ground, or any tree, bush, rock, fence, post, wall building, structure or thing.

(Prior code § 9700)

No advertising displays shall be placed or maintained on property adjacent to a section of freeway which has been, or hereafter may be, landscaped as defined herein, if the advertising display is designed to be viewed primarily by persons traveling on such landscaped section of a freeway.

(Prior code § 9701)

The provision of Section 16.08.020 of this chapter shall not apply to any of the following listed advertising structures or signs used exclusively to:

A. Advertise the sale or lease of the property on which the advertising display is placed;

B. Designate the name of the owner or occupant of the premises upon which the advertising display is placed or to identify such premises;

C. Advertise the business conducted or goods manufactured or produced, or services rendered upon the property upon which the advertising display is placed.

(Prior code § 9702)

Any advertising structure or sign which is now, or hereafter nay be, in violation of the provisions of Sections 16.08.020 shall be removed within three years from the effective date of this chapter or within three years from the date when the project for the landscaping of a section or sections of a freeway has been completed or accepted, and the character of the section or sections has been changed from a freeway to a landscaped freeway, whichever is later.

(Prior code § 9703)