Article I — Purpose And Applicability

The city recognizes and strongly subscribes to the right of business people to identify their businesses with commercial signs. The city also recognizes that the location, number, size and design of signs significantly influence public safety, the city's visual environment and the perception of the city's economic condition. It is the intent of these regulations to restore, maintain, protect and enhance public safety, the quality of the city's visual appearance, and the city's economic condition while continuing to recognize the need of businesses to advertise goods and services. The city intends to regulate the time, place and manner in which signs, both commercial and noncommercial, display their messages. (1976 Code § 10-2.101; Ord. 626 § 2)

A commercial or noncommercial sign may be erected, displayed, enlarged, modified, relocated, changed or maintained within the city only in conformance with the standards, procedures, exemptions and other requirements of this chapter. No sign shall be permitted within the city except as provided in this chapter. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Millbrae Sign Regulations."

(1976 Code § 10-2.102; Ord. 626 § 2)

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City of Millbrae, CA

PLANNING AND ZONING

§ 10.10.030

§ 10.10.030

Article II Definitions

Definitions of certain words and terms used in this chapter are set forth hereinafter:

"Abandoned sign" means any sign, abandoned for ninety days or more, which no longer identifies or advertises a bona fide business, lessee, service, owner or product and temporary signs advertising an activity which ended ten or more days previously.

"Advertising structure" means a structure erected exclusively for advertising purposes upon which any poster, bill, printing, painting, device or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever may be placed, posted, painted or fastened.

"Animated sign" means any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.

"Awning" means any flexible fabric or similar material covering a metal frame attached to a building.

"Awning sign" means any sign that is part of or attached to an awning.

"Banner or pennant sign" means any sign or decoration of lightweight material, such as fabric or plastic, which may or may not contain any copy, that is displayed on an advertising structure, a pole, span of cable, or building. National, state or municipal flags shall not be considered banners.

"Building face," also referred to as "face of building," means the exposed side of any exterior wall of a building, including doors and windows but excluding structural projections.

"Canopy" means any structure other than an awning made of flexible fabric or other more permanent materials covering a frame supported by posts to the ground or sidewalk.

"Canopy sign" means any sign that is a part of or attached to a canopy.

"Clearance" means the smallest vertical distance between the lowest point of any sign or structure, including framework and embellishments, and the nearest existing curb grade.

"Copy" means the graphic content of a sign surface in either permanent or removable letters, pictographic, symbolic or alphabetic form.

"Directional sign, off-premises" means any permanent noncommercial sign, other than a highway marker, erected and maintained by public authority, which is designed, erected and maintained for the purpose of directing persons to a place, structure or activity not located on the same premises as the sign.

"Election sign" is a noncommercial sign of a political nature which directly relates to a candidate or to a ballot issue in an election conducted by a governmental entity and which is erected on property within the jurisdictional boundaries of such election.

"Erect" means to affix, apply, attach, build, construct, display, hang, paint, place or suspend.

"Exempt sign" means any sign that meets the criteria of one of the types of exempt signs described in MMC § 10.10.350 and otherwise satisfies any applicable requirements and conditions of this chapter.

"Face" means the surface of the sign upon, against, or through which the copy is displayed or

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City of Millbrae, CA

PLANNING AND ZONING

§ 10.10.030

§ 10.10.030

illustrated.

"Freestanding sign" means any sign which is self-supporting in a fixed location and not attached to any building.

"Illegal sign" means any sign which does not meet the requirements of this chapter.

"Illuminated sign" means any sign illuminated by electric lights or luminous tubes on, within, or attached to the sign, or by a light source removed therefrom.

"Informational sign, on-premises" means any noncommercial sign giving directions, instructions or facility information for a purpose secondary to the primary use of the property on which it is located, such as "no parking," "entrance," "loading" and other similar directives.

"Maintenance" means the cleaning, painting, repair or replacement of defective parts of a sign in a manner that does not alter the basic size, copy, color, design or structure of the sign.

"Marquee" means any permanent roof-like structure attached to and supported by the face of a building.

"Marquee sign" means any sign attached to or supported by a marquee.

"Nameplate sign" means any nonilluminated on-premises identification sign giving the name and address of the occupant or group of occupants.

"Noncommercial sign" means any sign which imparts only a political or ideological message or noncommercial information.

"Nonconforming sign" means any sign lawfully constructed which does not conform to the current requirements of this chapter. For legal nonconforming signs see MMC § 10.10.370.

"Outdoor advertising sign" means any sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, product, service or activity, sold, offered or made available elsewhere than upon the premises whereon the sign is located. An outdoor advertising sign does not include directional signs or temporary off-premises real estate signs which comply with MMC § 10.10.300.

Pennant sign. (See "Banner sign.")

"Person" means any individual, association, company, corporation, firm, organization or partnership, singular or plural, of any kind.

"Portable sign" means any sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to, signs on wheels; signs on A- Or T-frames; sandwich board signs; balloons or inflatable objects used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless said vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operation of the business.

"Principal building" means the building, buildings, or portion of building in which is conducted the principal business. Storage buildings, garages, and other clearly accessory uses shall not be considered principal buildings.

"Principal building frontage (primary and secondary)" means the linear distance the outside principal building wall(s) abut(s) a dedicated street, a dedicated alley, an on-site parking or vehicular passage area, or an adjacent public parking lot. The primary frontage is the longest linear distance which meets the above criteria. All other frontages which also meet the above requirements are considered secondary frontage(s).

"Projecting sign" means any sign attached to the face of a building or other advertising structure in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than eighteen inches from the face.

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City of Millbrae, CA

MILLBRAE CODE

§ 10.10.030

§ 10.10.030

"Real estate and/or tract sign" means any sign designed and used specifically and exclusively for advertising a property for sale, lease or rent.

"Roof sign" means any sign located on a roof of a building or having its major structural supports attached to a roof and projecting above the level of that building's parapet wall or lowest level of the roof adjacent to the sign.

"Sign" means any commercial display used for visual communication or attraction which advertises goods and services by means of announcement, declaration, demonstration, illustration, banner, symbol, device, insignia or mechanism. For the purposes of this chapter, the term "sign" alone excludes all noncommercial signs.

"Sign structure" means the structure supporting a sign, including uprights, braces and framework, but excluding any portion of the structure which meets the definition of a "sign."

"Snipe sign" means any sign erected on a building, structure or other surface without the consent of the owner or other person exercising control of the premises, excluding any posting by an authorized public officer or employee, or the giving of a notice required or authorized by law.

"Suspended sign" means any sign that is suspended from the underside of a surface, such as an awning, canopy or marquee, and is supported by such surface.

"Temporary sign" means any sign that is not permanently displayed and is permitted for a limited period of time.

"Wall sign" means any sign on a wall or building located approximately parallel with the wall or building face, including a V-type sign which does not extend more than eighteen inches from the wall or building face.

"Window sign" means any sign in, on or within two feet of any glazed window or door area intended to be viewed from outside the building.

"Work of art" means any artistic image, photograph, painting, mural, sculpture or carving, either freestanding or attached to an exterior surface of a building solely for the purpose of decorating the site. A "work of art" contains no commercial text.

(1976 Code § 10-2.201; Ord. 626 § 2; Ord. 753 § 2)

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City of Millbrae, CA

PLANNING AND ZONING

§ 10.10.040

§ 10.10.090