Poway Municipal Code Art. II Definitions

As used in this chapter:

“Advertising structure”

means an on-site or off-site structure of any kind or character other than the main business identification sign, erected or maintained for outdoor advertising purposes, upon which any poster, bill, printing, painting, or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever may be placed, including statuary for advertising purposes.

“Animated sign”

means any sign that uses movement or change of lighting, either natural or artificial, to depict action or create a special effect or scene.

“Area identification sign”

means a sign to identify an area of the City such as a residential neighborhood or a business park, located at the entrance or entrances to the area, and consisting of a fence or wall with letters or symbols affixed thereto.

“Area of the sign”

means the net geometric area enclosed by an imaginary rectangle drawn around the display surface of the sign, including the outer extremities of all letters, characters and delineations. In cases where a sign is on a background, which is not illuminated and is integral to the building design and/or building color scheme, the background is not included in the “area of the sign.” In cases where multiple wall signs are located on a single building face and/or frontage and separated by a distance of three feet or greater, the “area of the sign” shall be the sum total of each sign calculated individually by the foregoing method. In cases where multiple signs are located on a single building face and/or frontage and less than three feet to another sign, the “area of the sign” shall be the area enclosed by an imaginary rectangle around the signs together. In the case of a two-sided freestanding sign, the “area of the sign” shall be the area of one side.

“Banner”

means any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material intended to advertise goods, services and/or a business, whether it contains copy or does not contain copy. National flags, State or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners.

“Billboard”

means an off-site sign of any kind erected or maintained for outdoor advertising purposes, upon which any poster, bill, printing, or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever is placed.

“Building face and/or frontage”

means the portion of the building elevation which faces a street or parking lot, excluding driveways and aisles.

“Building wall area”

means the geometric area of a building wall, along each building face/frontage as defined in this chapter, which is used to determine maximum allowable sign area. The area is the height of the wall multiplied by the length of the wall on which the sign will be displayed. In determining the maximum allowable sign area for a tenant within a multitenant building and in cases where a tenant is displaying their sign on a wall that is contiguous to their tenant space, the building wall area is the height of the wall multiplied by the length of the wall for that tenant space. In cases where a tenant is displaying their sign on a wall that is not contiguous to their tenant space, the building wall area where the sign is to be displayed shall be used in determining maximum sign area. In this case, if the wall displays other tenant signs, the sum of all signs shall not exceed the maximum allowable sign area for the building wall.

“Business directory sign”

means a sign located in a multitenant complex which lists each business and addresses and/or suite numbers, which may also have a site map for orientation.

“Canopy sign”

means any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy or other fabric, plastic or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy. Canopy signs shall be regulated as wall signs.

“Change of sign face”

is when an existing sign is altered by a change of message or design on the sign face, without any change to the size or shape of the sign framework or structure of a manufactured sign or without any change to the size of a sign painted on a wall.

“Changeable copy/electronic reader board”

means a sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the surface of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter. A sign on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall be considered a “time and temperature” portion of a sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter.

“Commercial message”

means any sign wording, logo or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises or calls attention to a business, product, service, sale or sales event, or other commercial activity.

“Community special event”

means an event with broad community interest and/or an event sponsored by a government agency, school, or nonprofit organization, as determined the Director of Development Services.

“Comprehensive sign program”

means a set of specific design standards for signs in a shopping or office center intended to integrate signs with each other, the architectural design of the building (or buildings) on the site, and landscaping to achieve an overall high quality and attractive appearance.

“Convenience sign”

means any on-site sign intended to provide information of a noncommercial nature to users of the site where the sign is located. Such signs shall be designed to be viewed from on site, and necessary for public convenience or safety. Such signs shall not include commercial messages.

“Copy”

means any words, letters, numbers, figures, designs or other symbolic representations incorporated into a sign.

“Curbline”

means the line at the face of the curb nearest to the street or roadway. In the absence of a curb, the curbline shall be established by the City Engineer.

“Directional sign”

means an on-site sign intended to provide directions with words, symbols or characters to users of the site where the sign is located. Such signs shall not include commercial messages, except that a drive-through business may display their business name and/or logo as provided for in this chapter.

“Election sign”

means a sign erected prior to an election to advertise or identify a candidate, campaign issue, election proposition, or other related ballot matters.

“Erect”

means to build, construct, attach, hang, place, suspend or affix, and shall also include the painting of wall signs.

“Flag”

means any fabric, banner or bunting containing distinctive colors, patterns or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision or other entity.

“Flag banner”

means a tall, narrow, vertically oriented banner mounted on poles, with or without copy, used to advertise goods, services, and/or a business.

“Flashing sign”

means an illuminated sign on which artificial or reflected light is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color at all times when in use.

“Freestanding sign”

means a sign which is attached to or a part of a completely self-supporting structure. The supporting structure shall be set firmly in or below the ground surface and shall not be attached to any building or other structure whether portable or stationary.

“Grand opening”

means the first time opening of a new business or the reopening after a major remodel which required closing the business for at least 30 days.

“Height of a sign”

means the greatest vertical distance measured from the grade at which the sign supports intersect the ground, including any accompanying architectural features of the sign. In cases where the location of the sign support intersection with the ground is lower than the elevation of an adjacent street and sidewalk from which the sign is primarily viewed, the height of the sign shall be measured from the elevation of the adjacent sidewalk.

“Logo”

means a trademark or symbol used to identify a business.

“Mansard roof”

means any roof that has an angle greater than 45 degrees and which derives part of its support from the building wall and is attached to (but not necessarily a part of) a low-slope roof, and which extends along the full length of the front building wall or three-quarters of the length of a side building wall. For purposes of this chapter, a low-slope roof shall mean any roof with a pitch less than three inches rise per 12 inches horizontal.

“Menu board”

means an outdoor sign, associated with restaurants with drive-through windows, which gives a detailed list of foods served that are available at a restaurant.

“Noncommercial message”

means a message pertaining to a topic of public concern, controversy, or interest, including, but not limited to, politics, religion, philosophy, science, art or social commentary.

“Off-site sign”

means a sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service, entertainment or attraction sold, offered or existing elsewhere than upon the same lot where such sign is displayed. The term “off-site sign” shall include an outdoor advertising sign (billboard) on which space is leased or rented by the owner thereof to others for the purposes of conveying a commercial or noncommercial message.

“On-site sign”

means a sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service, entertainment or attraction sold, offered or existing on the same lot where such sign is displayed; provided, an on-site sign may also display a noncommercial message.

“Pennant”

means any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.

“Portable sign”

means any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; “sandwich board” signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles.

“Promotional sales”

shall mean a temporary sales event to promote products, merchandise, or services available on the same premises, including parking lot sales, sidewalk sales, and leasing events, as determined by the Director of Development Services.

“Real estate sign”

means a temporary sign placed upon property for the purpose of advertising to the public the sale or lease of said property.

“Roof sign”

means any sign erected upon, against or directly above a roof or roof eave, or on top or above the parapet, or on a functional architectural appendage above the roof or roof eave.

“Shopping or office center”

means two or more retail stores, offices and/or service establishments, or combination thereof which results in more than two such establishments sharing customer parking areas, regardless of whether said stores, offices and/or service establishments occupy separate structures or are under separate ownerships.

“Sign”

means and includes every device, frame, letter, figure, character, mark, plane, point, design, picture, logo, stroke, stripe, trademark or reading matter, which is used or intended to be used to attract attention or convey information when the same is placed out of doors in view of the general public, or, the above, when displayed near the inside surface of a window in such a way as to be in view of the general public and used or intended to be used to attract attention or convey information to motorists.

“Temporary sign”

means a sign erected for a temporary purpose attracting attention to an activity as provided for within this chapter.

“Wall sign”

means any sign that shall be affixed parallel to the wall or printed on the wall of any building in such a manner as to read parallel to the wall on which it is mounted; provided, however, said wall sign shall not project above the top of the wall or beyond the end of the building. For the purpose of this chapter, any sign display surface that is affixed parallel to a wall but in or against the sloping surface of a mansard roof shall be considered a wall sign. Any sign that is affixed to a building awning or a building canopy shall be considered a wall sign.

“Window sign”

means any sign, picture, symbol or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale or service, that is placed inside a window or upon a window.

(Ord. 427 (Exh. A), 1993; Ord. 443, 1995; Ord. 739 § 2, 2012)