Article V — Computation Of Sign Area

Maximum permitted sign area for commercial or industrial businesses is calculated as noted below. Exceptions and variances may be considered by the planning commission pursuant to MMC § 10.10.160.

• A. Businesses Conducted Primarily Within a Building. Principal building frontage shall be used to calculate the maximum permitted sign area for businesses conducted primarily within a building, except as noted in subsections (B), (C) and (D) of this section. The maximum permitted sign area for any building site shall be equal to one and one-half square feet per linear foot of primary building frontage and, when applicable, three-quarter square foot per linear foot of secondary frontage. Any ground floor business with a principal building frontage of less than twenty feet shall be permitted thirty square feet of signage. The principal building frontage is the linear distance the outside principal building wall(s) abuts a dedicated street, a dedicated alley, an on-site parking or vehicular passage area, or an adjacent public parking lot. Primary frontage is the longest linear distance which meets the above criteria. All other frontages which also meet the above requirements are considered secondary frontages. A maximum of four frontages may be calculated per site.

• B. Businesses Conducted Primarily Outdoors. The maximum permitted sign area for businesses conducted primarily outdoors shall not exceed one square foot per linear foot of street frontage of the site, or portion thereof, whereon the use referred to is conducted. In the case of sites having frontage and access by customers and/or customers' vehicles on more than one street, the total accessible street frontage may be used in calculating the maximum permitted sign area. Vacant sites shall not be permitted sign area for outdoor advertising signs.

• C. Businesses Conducted Both Within and Outside of Principal Buildings. Automobile sales lots, gasoline service stations, and other like businesses which operate both within and outside of principal buildings shall be permitted the larger sign area of either subsection (A) or (B) of this section.

• D. Gasoline Service Stations. In addition to the sign area otherwise permitted by this chapter, gasoline service stations shall be permitted the minimum area required for state-mandated signs.

(1976 Code § 10-2.501; Ord. 626 § 2)

• A. The gross surface area of a sign shall be determined by the sum of the smallest combination of rectangles that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, emblem and other display, together with any structure, material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display.

• B. Except for exempt signs, any permanent sign on an internally illuminated canopy, awning or fascia panel shall be subject to planning commission design review. The entire area of illumination and the area of the individual sign(s) shall be calculated, as noted in this section.

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/MI4538 on 2026-05-11

City of Millbrae, CA

PLANNING AND ZONING

§ 10.10.220

§ 10.10.230

(1976 Code § 10-2.502; Ord. 626 § 2)

The area for a sign or sign structure with more than one face shall be computed by adding together the maximum area of all signs visible from any one point. For the purpose of this section, awnings, canopies and marquees are not sign structures. (1976 Code § 10-2.503; Ord. 626 § 2)

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/MI4538 on 2026-05-11

City of Millbrae, CA

PLANNING AND ZONING

§ 10.10.240

§ 10.10.260