Mission Viejo Municipal Code Div. 3 Noncommercial Signs

A sign permit shall be required prior to the placement, movement, erection, reconstruction, alteration, or new display of any noncommercial sign unless expressly exempt by this division. All signs, except where expressly exempt shall conform to the current Uniform Building and Electrical Codes as adopted by the City of Mission Viejo.

(Ord. No. 98-193, §§ 1—4, 10-19-98)

Permanent signs may be permitted pursuant to the permit procedures set forth in division 2 of this chapter and shall be governed by the standards enumerated for each category of sign. In addition to such standards, consideration shall be given to building setbacks, landscaping, visibility of the sign on the site, and the proposed sign's relationship to the overall appearance of the property and to the surrounding neighborhood. Compatible design, simplicity and sign effectiveness shall also be used as guidelines for sign approval.

(a) The owner or occupant of any commercial establishment may use the signage permitted pursuant to division 2 of this chapter for the display of noncommercial messages. However in no event shall the height, length, character, or total square footage of signage existing at any commercial establishment exceed that permitted by division 2 hereof. In calculating the total number and square footage of signs permitted, both commercial and noncommercial signs shall be counted.

(b) The owner or occupant of any site dedicated to noncommercial purposes, other than residential, may erect the following permanent noncommercial signs:

(1) Civic activity sign. One freestanding monument sign shall be permitted for each building site used for or incidental to places of worship, nonprofit service clubs, libraries, museums, social clubs, sponsor organizations, societies, or other such uses. Such signs shall not exceed six feet in height, eight feet in horizontal length, or a total of 24 square feet.

(2) Community service club sign. Signs depicting community nonprofit service organizations shall be permitted, subject to the following:

a. That such signs shall be placed in areas authorized by the city.

b. That such signs shall be nonilluminated.

c. That such signs shall not exceed a vertical height of six feet, a horizontal length of eight feet, or a total of 24 square feet unless approved otherwise by the city.

d. That individual sign panels shall be uniform in size and materials, and compatible in color.

(3) Government official sign. Signs displaying information pertaining to services offered by city, county, state, or other official governmental shall be permitted, subject to the following:

a. That the text, design, and location of such signs shall be subject to the approval of the director.

b. That such signs shall be placed in areas authorized by the city.

c. That such signs shall not exceed a total of 24 square feet unless approved otherwise by the city.

(c) No person shall erect or cause to be erected any noncommercial sign upon the property of another without the express written approval of the property owner. A copy of said written consent shall be filed with the director within seven days of the erection of the sign. All such signs shall comply with the size and square footage limitations contained within this chapter, and shall be removed promptly upon the request of the property owner or occupant.

(d) Community identification sign: Community identification signs may be permitted in residential land use categories except where expressly prohibited. Such signs shall be subject to the following:

(1) Identification signs shall not exceed a vertical height of six feet or a total area of 100 square feet.

(2) Such signs shall not be permitted at major arterial intersections nor be placed so as to obscure fire hydrants, traffic signs or traffic signals, block motorists' line of sight, or otherwise inhibit or interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

(Ord. No. 98-193, §§ 1—4, 10-19-98)

Temporary noncommercial signs shall be permitted subject to the following:

(a) Temporary signs shall be permitted only to advertise an upcoming civic, patriotic, nonprofit, charitable, or special event of general public interest taking place within the boundaries of the city, when it is determined that the same will not be detrimental to the public welfare, interest or safety, or injurious to adjacent property or improvements. The text, design, and location shall be approved by the director.

(b) Temporary signs shall not be posted more than 30 days before the event to which they relate, except for political signs expressing a message relating to an election, and shall be removed within three days after said event or election.

(c) Temporary signs shall not exceed a total area of 15 square feet unless otherwise approved for the event by the director.

(d) Temporary signs shall be unlighted and nonilluminated.

(e) No temporary signs shall be placed upon the property of another without the express written approval of the owner or occupant of said property and the director. A copy of said written consent shall be filed with the director within seven days of the placement of the sign. All such signs shall be removed promptly upon the request of the property owner or occupant.

(f) All temporary signs shall display the name, address, and telephone number of the person or organization responsible for the sign on the rear lower right hand corner of the sign. Said individual or organization shall remove all signs posted within the time limits prescribed by this section.

(g) Should any person or organization fail to remove any sign for which said person or organization is responsible, the city may remove and dispose of such sign and assess the entire cost of said removal and disposal against the responsible person or organization.

(h) No temporary sign shall be placed so as to obstruct any fire hydrant, traffic sign or traffic signal, or interfere with any motorists' line of sight, or otherwise impede or interfere with vehicular or pedestrian traffic.

(i) No temporary sign shall be posted or otherwise affixed in any public right-of-way, or upon any public property, including, but not limited to any building, wall, bridge, railroad trestle, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake or guard, street sign, or traffic sign, or upon any utility pole, wire, box, or appurtenance thereof.

(j) Reserved.

(Ord. No. 98-193, §§ 1—4, 10-19-98; Ord. No. 07-248, § 29, 4-2-07)

The following signs are exempt from the sign permit requirements set forth in this division:

(a) Directional safety sign.

(b) Trespassing or no solicitation signs less than two square feet in area.

(c) Neighborhood watch signs placed at the entrance to a residential neighborhood with the approval of the public works director and the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

(d) The owner or occupant of any site dedicated to residential purposes may erect noncommercial signage on property under his or her ownership or control provided that no sign shall exceed a maximum width of four feet, a maximum height of four feet, or a total of four square feet, including the post or other stand, if any.

(e) City-owned signs indicating the boundaries or otherwise identifying the City of Mission Viejo.

(f) National and state flags may be flown and displayed such that they are not construed as an attraction device for the advertisement of a product or use or in a manner to otherwise draw attention of the traveling public to an establishment or sales office. Such displays shall be limited to one national and state flag per parcel. The flagpole structure shall not exceed 20 feet in height from finished grade unless a greater height is approved by the director of community development. In addition, such displays shall not be located within the required setback area for the specific zoning district in which it is located.

(Ord. No. 98-193, §§ 1—4, 10-19-98; Ord. No. 07-248, § 31, 4-2-07)

(a) Unless expressly permitted elsewhere in this chapter, the following signs are prohibited:

(1) No noncommercial sign shall be erected within or encroach upon any public property or within any public right-of-way.

(2) Flashing, moving, pulsating, or intermittently lighted signs.

(3) Signs which conflict with or imitate any traffic control device due to color, wording, design, location or illumination, or which interfere with the safe and efficient flow of vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic.

(4) Loudspeakers, or signs which emit sound, odor, or visible matter.

(5) Roof signs.

(6) Signs with mechanical movement.

(7) Banners, flags, kites, pennants, balloons, or other such items or displays.

(8) Animals, or human beings, live or simulated, designed or used so as to attract attention to the premises.

(9) Signs which constitute a nuisance or hazard due to their intensity of light.

(10) Multitenant directory sign unless approved by the city in a planned sign program.

(11) Any other sign not expressly permitted by this division.

(12) Temporary street banners: Privately-owned temporary street banners may not be erected in the public right-of-way for any purpose.

(b) Any person who erects or causes to be erect any prohibited sign without express approval by the city is subject to penalties as set forth in section 9.29.130.

(Ord. No. 98-193, §§ 1—4, 10-19-98; Ord. No. 07-248, § 30, 4-2-07)

EXHIBIT A