Santa Barbara County Municipal Code Div. 2 Permits, Overall Sign Plan, Measuring Sign Area, Measuring Street Frontage…

1. Requirement for Certificate of Conformance.

a. Except for the signs set out in (b), below, on any parcel of land within the unincorporated area of the county, no sign shall be erected, applied, installed, affixed, altered, relocated or projected as an image and no copy shall be changed without a certificate of conformance issued by the planning department. No certificate of conformance is required to change copy in previously approved changeable copy signs and off-premise signs; nor to repair, maintain or clean any existing sign.

b. The following signs must conform with the regulations of this article but may be erected, installed, affixed, altered or relocated without a certificate of conformance from the planning department:

1. For sale, lease or rent signs.

2. Farm organization signs.

3. Sale of farm products signs.

4. Combination farm signs.

5. Temporary lot identification signs for subdivisions.

c. No certificate of conformance shall be issued unless the director of planning and development first determines that the property for which the certificate is requested is in compliance with all laws, rules and regulations pertaining to zoning uses, subdivisions, height requirements, setbacks and any other applicable provisions of this chapter, and such zoning violations enforcement fees as established from time to time by the board of supervisors have been paid. This subsection shall not be interpreted to impose new requirements on legal nonconforming uses and structures.

2. Required Information.

a. Name, address and phone number of the applicant.

b. Name and address of the activity for which the sign is intended and parcel number of land on which it is to be placed.

c. Four copies of a dimensioned drawing showing type of sign as designated in this article; if lighted, method of illumination; and height above closest centerline of improved and accessible public right-of-way.

d. Four copies of a dimensioned plot plan, accurate as to scale, showing all structures, the abutting right-of-way line of each street, and location of proposed sign and each existing sign on the property.

e. If the sign is a wall sign, four copies of an elevation of the building facade. This elevation shall be fully dimensioned and accurate as to scale. It shall show the proposed sign and each existing sign.

f. One or more photographs (snapshots are adequate) showing the location of the proposed sign and its relationship to the remainder of the property.

g. A drawing showing the sign in proposed colors.

h. For temporary subdivision signs, written authorization to the county from the owner of the property on which the sign is to be located to enter upon the property and remove the sign after the termination of the permitted one-year period or any extension thereof.

3. Fees and Deposits.

a. A fee, as set by the board of supervisors, shall be paid at the time of application, to cover the cost of processing.

b. For each temporary sign in excess of ten square feet in sign area, a cashier's check made out to the county in the amount of fifty dollars shall be deposited with the clerk of the board of supervisors (in addition to the filing fee) to insure removal at the end of the permitted life of the sign. This deposit will be returned when the sign is removed by the permittee.

(Ord. No. 2077, § 1; Ord. No. 3592, § 1)

1. Who Shall Apply for Approval. The developer, owner or tenants occupying a majority of the floor area within a shopping center jointly or individually shall apply for approval of an overall sign plan for a particular shopping center. Application for such approval shall be made to the planning and development department.

2. Required Information.

a. Two copies of the approved shopping center plan showing general location of all existing and proposed signs.

b. Information sufficient to relate the size, shape and distinctive characteristics of the signs to the buildings depicted on the approved shopping center plan.

c. Information consisting of drawings and written matter concerning such features as letter types, materials, shapes, illumination or colors of proposed signs.

d. Such other information as the architectural board of review finds is necessary to properly evaluate the overall sign plan.

e. If the shopping center is already in operation, the names and addresses of all tenants.

3. Fees. A fee, as set by the board of supervisors, shall be paid at the time of application, to cover the cost of processing.

4. Procedure. After the planning and development department determines that the applicant has submitted all the required information, the application shall be placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the architectural board of review. The board shall consider the effect of the proposed overall sign plan upon (a) the various parts of and enterprises within the shopping center, (b) the streets and properties surrounding the shopping center, and (c) the overall continuity of design of signs within the shopping center. The board shall make its recommendations, such as the number, type, height, location, size, design, color, materials and lighting of signs on the overall sign plan to the zoning administrator. If the size of wall or under canopy signs or the number, size or height of freestanding signs provided for in the overall sign plan is to be in excess of or more restricted than otherwise permitted by this article, the board shall make specific recommendations on any such modifications from the provisions of this article. The secretary of the board shall give a copy of the board's recommendations to the applicant.

Once the recommendation of the board has been received by the zoning administrator, the application shall be placed on the agenda of the zoning administrator for hearing and decision. The zoning administrator shall mail, with postage prepaid, written notice of the time and place of the hearing, including a general explanation of the matter to be considered and a general description of the shopping center affected, at least ten days before the hearing to the applicant; the owner, if he is not the applicant; all property owners owning property within three hundred feet of the shopping center; and if the application affects an operating shopping center, all tenants within the shopping center. Names and addresses of property owners shall be taken from the last equalized assessment roll or from such other records of the assessor as contain more recent addresses. Names and addresses of tenants shall be supplied by the applicant.

At the hearing, the zoning administrator shall consider the effect of the proposed overall sign plan upon (a) the various parts of the enterprises within the shopping center, (b) the streets and properties surrounding the shopping center, and (c) the overall continuity of design of signs within the shopping center. The zoning administrator shall approve, disapprove, or conditionally approve the overall sign plan. If the size of wall or under canopy signs or the number, size or height of freestanding signs provided in the overall sign plan is to be in excess of or more restricted than otherwise permitted by this article, the zoning administrator shall specifically approve or disapprove of such modifications. If a plan is disapproved, a new plan may be submitted at any time.

(Ord. No. 2077, § 1; Ord. No. 3235, §§ 2, 3)

In applying the sign area standards of this article, the periphery of the sign shall be established by drawing not more than eight straight lines encompassing the extremities of the sign within the smallest possible area. In the case of freestanding signs, the entire background area shall be included in the sign area measurements. In the case of a double-faced sign, only one face of the sign shall be included in the sign area measurement. Supporting structures so designed as to perform an advertising function shall be included in the sign area. In the case of wall signs, the background area shall be included in the sign area measurements only if it is of a distinctive color, material, texture or shape, the primary purpose of which is to enhance the advertising value of the sign, as determined by the planning department.

(Ord. No. 2077, § 1)

In computing street frontage for purposes of determining whether the property is entitled to a freestanding sign, if the property abuts two or more such streets, only one such street shall be used in computing the footage. In choosing between two or more such streets, the street carrying the greater traffic shall be used in computing the footage, but if the traffic is equal on two or more streets, the longer street frontage shall be used in computing the footage.

(Ord. No. 2471, § 2)

1. What May Be Appealed. Any decision or determination by the planning and development department, zoning administrator or planning commission may be appealed. Any decision or determination of the zoning administrator or the planning commission may be appealed to the board of supervisors.

2. Who May Appeal. The applicant or any person or entity whose property or enterprise is adversely affected by a decision or determination may appeal the decision or determination.

3. When To Appeal. Any appeal must be filed in writing with the clerk or secretary of the body to which the appeal is addressed within the ten days following the day on which the appealed decision or determination was made.

4. Fee. A fee, as set by the board of supervisors, must be paid at the time of filing of an appeal to the planning commission with the planning and development department and to the board of supervisors with the clerk of the board of supervisors.

5. Report On Appeal. Once an application for an appeal is received, the clerk or secretary of the appellate body shall immediately request that the secretary of the planning commission or the director of the planning and development department prepare and submit to the appellate body a written report of the decision or determination appealed from and the reasons for the decision or determination.

6. Hearing On Appeal. The planning commission shall hear and decide appeals at a regular public hearing, but no notice of such hearing is required.

The board of supervisors shall hear and decide appeals at a noticed public hearing and the clerk of the board shall mail, with postage prepaid, written notice of the time and place of the hearing, including a general explanation of the decision appealed from and a general description of the property affected, at least ten days before the hearing to the applicant and any persons or entities that received notice of the hearing on the matter at the planning commission or zoning administrator or, if the appeal was not noticed at the planning commission, notice shall be given to the applicant, the appellant, and all property owners owning property within three hundred feet of the property affected. Names and addresses of property owners shall be taken from the last equalized assessment roll or from such other records of the assessor as contain more recent names or addresses.

The hearing on an appeal, the evidence presented to the planning or development department, zoning administrator, or the planning commission and any additional evidence not previously presented may be presented to the appellate body. The appellate body may reverse or affirm, wholly or partly, may modify the order, requirement, decision or determination appealed from, and may make such order, requirement, decision or determination as should be made.

(Ord. No. 2077, § 1; Ord. No. 3235, § 4)