Redwood City Municipal Code § 3.102 Abandoned Signs and/or Display

Any illegal, abandoned or nonconforming sign shall be removed or modified to comply with the requirements of this Article as set forth in this Division.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)

Illegal signs shall be abated by the property owner or person responsible for installing or maintaining the sign. The duty to abate arises upon notice by the Director. Such notice shall give such parties a thirty (30) day opportunity to cure by conformance to current law and/or current permit, to abate by removal or other remedial action. Such notices may be appealed in the same manner as any other sign-related decision. However, when a sign poses a serious and immediate threat to public health or safety by virtue of its physical condition, without consideration of the message thereon, then the threat may be summarily abated by the City, with the reasonable cost of abatement chargeable to the sign owner and/or property owner.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)

Abandoned signs shall be promptly removed by the property owner or person responsible for its installation and/or maintenance. The City may declare such signs to be a public nuisance and abate it pursuant to Business and Professions Code sections 5499.2 et seq., or City law on abatement of nuisances.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)

In connection with the adoption of a prior version of this Article, in 1999 the City conducted an inventory of nonconforming signs and held a public hearing to confirm the 1999 version of the sign ordinance. Because this version of the sign ordinance does not impose new restrictions on onsite commercial signage, it is not necessary to conduct a new inventory or hold a new confirmation hearing. This Section does not apply to signs and structures which are subject to Business and Professions Code section 5412.

The City of Redwood City validates and reconfirms the inventory of nonconforming signs which was conducted in 1999, except that for amortization purposes under this Article, nonconformance under the 1999 inventory shall be limited to noncommunicative aspects of the subject signs, and not upon message content; however, the on-site/off-site distinction is considered to be based on location, not content.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)

Any sign which becomes nonconforming as a result of the provisions of this Article, or provisions of a prior version of the sign ordinance which operated to the same effect, shall be considered to be an illegal sign after the amortization period provided in the amortization chart of this Section has expired and conformance has not been accomplished. The City shall order the sign to be abated by the property owner and/or person responsible for its installation and/or maintenance. The use, routine maintenance and repair of any sign that was legally installed but does not conform to the requirements of this Article may be continued during the amortization period subject to the following conditions:

A. Relocation and Alteration: No nonconforming sign shall be moved, enlarged in size or raised in height unless such relocation, alteration or enlargement is required by law or brings the sign into conformance with the provisions of this Article. Modification of a nonconforming sign may be permitted through the sign permit application process so long as it is determined that there is an increase in the level of conformity of the subject nonconforming sign. Modifying a nonconforming sign will not change its status in the amortization schedule below.

B. Restoration of Damaged Signs: As determined by the Director, whenever fifty percent (50%) or less of a nonconforming sign is destroyed by fire or other calamity (not including intentional acts), the sign may be restored to its nonconforming condition and the use modified as necessary to comply with current safety code requirements, routine maintenance and repair of the sign may be continued for the remainder of the amortization period provided in the amortization chart of this Section. Any nonconforming sign that is destroyed by more than fifty percent (50%) shall not be restored unless it is brought into compliance with the provisions of this Article. The extent of damage to any sign shall be based upon the ratio of the estimated cost of restoring the sign to its pre-damaged condition to the estimated cost of replacing the entire sign with an identical sign, or its nearest current equivalent. Adequate cost estimates for this purpose shall be submitted by the owner of the sign for review by the City prior to commencement of any work to restore a nonconforming sign that has been damaged.

C. Building Facade Modifications: If a building permit is issued for major modifications to the exterior of a building facade, as determined by the City, any nonconforming building signs on the facade undergoing modification shall be brought into full conformance with the provisions of this Article prior to the issuance of a final building permit.

D. Amortization Chart: Pursuant to the applicable State law, nonconforming signs shall be removed, modified, replaced or otherwise made to comply with the provisions of this Article within the following time periods, which shall commence to run on the effective date hereof:

(1) A building facade where the combined area of signs exceeds the limitation set forth in Section 3.123A of this Article.

(2) The sign area in excess of the limitation set forth in Section 3.123A of this Article shall be reduced by twenty-five percent (25%).

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)

Unless otherwise approved by the City in writing, and subject to the requirements of State law, the abatement of any sign shall be accomplished in the following manner:

A. Painted Signs: Signs painted on building walls, fences and other improvements shall be abated by removal of the paint constituting the sign or by permanently painting over the sign in the same color as the adjacent surface in a manner whereby no portion of the sign is thereafter visible. A sign permit shall not be required from the City for the work that is performed in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

B. Other Signs: Any sign, other than a painted sign, shall be abated by removal of the sign or by its modification, alteration or replacement. A sign permit shall be obtained from the City prior to the modification, alteration or replacement of any nonconforming sign.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)

Any historical sign that complies with the provisions of this Section shall be exempt from the requirement that the sign be removed or altered to conform to this Article upon approval of a historical sign permit pursuant to Chapter 40 of this Code. A request for approval of a historical sign permit shall be made by filing a sign permit application as set forth in Division 3 of this Article. The Director may seek a recommendation from the City's Historical Resources Advisory Committee related to the consideration of a historical sign permit. The Director shall approve a historical sign permit upon making the following findings:

A. Age and Significance: The sign was installed at least fifty (50) years prior to the effective date hereof and/or reflects the unique historical characteristics of the development and heritage of Redwood City:

1. The sign is annotated with historic figures, events or places;

2. The sign is significant as reflecting the history of the building or the development of a historic district (a sign may be the only indicator of a buildings historic use);

3. The sign is characteristic of a specific historic period;

4. The sign is an important element that helps define the character of a district;

5. The sign is recognized as a popular local point in the communities.

B. Exemplar: The sign reflects exemplary technology, craftsmanship or design that is indicative of the time period in which the sign was constructed. The sign is recognized by the community as an outstanding example of the signmaker's art and provides significant evidence of the history of the product, business, or service advertised.

C. Architectural Harmony: The sign is in architectural harmony with building(s) on the property and/or the sign is integral to the building's design or physical fabric and removal of the subject sign could harm the historic integrity of the subject property.

D. Safety: The sign is structurally sound and complies with the requirements of this Article or will be brought into conformance with such requirements within a reasonable and specified time.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 2, 5-7-07)