Mountain View Municipal Code Div. 1 Purpose, Applicability and Requirements

The City of Mountain View finds that signs have a strong visual impact on the character and quality of the community. As a prominent part of the visual environment, they attract or repel the viewing public, announce or obscure the location of businesses and other uses, affect the safety of vehicular traffic, and their suitability or appropriateness helps to set the tone of the neighborhood in which they are located. Most signs in the City of Mountain View are displayed to both the vehicular and pedestrian public and in various historic, residential, commercial and industrial districts. It is the intent of the City of Mountain View, through this comprehensive sign approach, to protect and enhance the city's historic and residential character and its economic base through provision of appropriate and aesthetic signing. In addition, it is the intent of the city to regulate the size, type and location of signs in order to provide utility to the user while minimizing their negative affects on the aesthetic values of the community and on safety issues relative to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. In view of these facts, the City of Mountain View adopts the policy that the signs should serve primarily to identify an establishment, organization or enterprise. As identification devices, signs must not subject the people of the city to excessive competition for their visual attention. As appropriate identification devices, signs must harmonize with the visual characteristics of the building, the neighborhood and other signs in the area.

(Ord. No. 18.13, § 1, 12/10/13.)

Signs shall only be erected or maintained as established by this article. The number of permitted signs and the size of sign(s) permitted by this article are maximum standards which do not necessarily ensure architectural compatibility. Therefore, in addition to the enumerated standards of this article, consideration shall be given to the relationship of the sign to the overall appearance of the subject property as well as to the surrounding community and may result in an approved sign that is less than the maximum sign area permitted to ensure aesthetic compatibility with the building or site as determined by the zoning administrator. This article shall not apply to public or civil event signs installed in the public rights-of-way.

(Ord. No. 18.13, § 1, 12/10/13.)

a. It shall be unlawful for any person or agent to construct, maintain, display or alter or cause to be constructed, maintained, displayed or altered, a sign within the City of Mountain View, except in conformance with this chapter.

b. Signs shall only be constructed, displayed or altered with sign permits approved through development review in accordance with Section 36.44.45 (Development Review), exempt are specific signs listed in Section 36.36.15 (Exempt signs).

c. A sign program that consists of a visual or written system of signage for a multiple-building or multiple-occupant site which defines a visual design common theme for signage that is compatible with the applicable structures and uses, may be required as part of a development review application for multi-tenant structure(s), or as deemed necessary by the zoning administrator, to ensure compliance with the provisions of this article, consistent with Section 36.56 (Applications, Hearings and Appeals).

(Ord. No. 18.13, § 1, 12/10/13.)