§ 20-25. Freestanding signs.

All signs under this section require a permit.

(1)

Location. If a lot has more than one (1) street frontage and a freestanding sign is proposed on each street, then the freestanding sign allowed on each frontage can be no closer to the intersection of said streets than half the distance of the frontage on each street.

(2)

Electronic freestanding signs.

a.

Electronic freestanding signs which are directly illuminated; exhibit animation; blink; change copy; display moving pictures or images; flash; contain light emitting diode (LED); and/or contain liquid crystal display (LCD) shall be prohibited for residential use properties and the downtown business district (DBD).

b.

Electronic freestanding signs on nonresidential use properties shall be prohibited except when located adjacent to one (1) of the following roads:

1.

Burnt Hickory Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with West Ave. and running north).

2.

Cassville Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with North Erwin St. and running northwest).

3.

Church St. (beginning at, and including the intersection with North Tennessee St. and running east).

4.

Collins Dr.

5.

Douthit Ferry Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with West Ave. and running south until, and including, intersection with Indian Mounds Rd.).

6.

E. Main Street, stationary electronic sign only (beginning at US 41 and running east to the east side of the I-75 interchange).

7.

Felton Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with Tennessee St. and running east until, and including, the intersection with US 41).

8.

Gentilly Blvd.

9.

Grassdale Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with US 41 and running north).

10.

Henderson Dr.

11.

Old Mill Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with Henderson Dr. and running west).

12.

State Route 20.

13.

Tennessee St.

14.

US 41 and corresponding frontage roads.

15.

US 411 and corresponding frontage roads.

16.

West Ave. (beginning five hundred (500) feet northeast of the intersection with Henderson Dr. as measured from the centerline of Henderson Dr. at West Ave., and running southwest).

c.

Electronic freestanding signs, including animated illumination or effects; electronic sign; electronic sign, stationary; and/or flashing as defined herein, shall in no case exceed fifty (50) percent of total sign face.

d.

No more than one (1) electronic freestanding sign may exist on a single lot.

e.

No electronic freestanding sign may be located within one hundred (100) feet of a single-family residential dwelling.

f.

Any permit for an electronic freestanding sign shall include a maximum number of displays per cycle for the structure. No more than six (6) displays per minute shall be allowed, and each display shall not change more frequently than once every ten (10) seconds.

g.

Such displays shall contain static messages only, changed instantaneously, through dissolve or fade transitions, or other subtle transitions that do not have the appearance of moving text or images. In any event, such signs may not have movement, or the appearance of or illusion of movement, of any part of the sign structure, design or pictorial segment of the sign, including the movement of any illumination or the flashing, scintillating, or varying of light intensity.

h.

All such signs shall be programmed to automatically freeze in a single display in the event of a malfunction or computer/system error.

i.

The planning and development department shall be provided with an on-call contact person and phone number for each permitted electronic freestanding sign. The contact person must have the ability and authority to make immediate modifications to the displays and lighting levels should the need arise. In the event the contact person is unobtainable or unresponsive, the permit holder grants to the planning and development department the authority to access and disable the sign in cases of emergency or when the sign poses a threat to public safety.

j.

All new electronic freestanding sign installations are required to submit to the city a report certifying that the daytime and nighttime light levels are compliant with the brightness level requirements stated in item (k) below.

k.

Each sign must have a light sensing device that will adjust the brightness of the display as the natural ambient light conditions change to ensure the brightness is decreased in low light situations. Brightness levels may not exceed more than two-tenths (0.20) foot candles above ambient light levels (at measurement conditions) as measured at a distance of one hundred twenty-five (125) feet.

l.

If the sign is located in the line of sight of a residential dwelling, such sign shall not operate at brightness levels of more than one-tenth (0.1) foot candles above ambient light levels (at measurement conditions) as measured to the nearest property line of the residential dwelling from the electronic sign.

m.

In the course of investigating a brightness complaint, the planning and development department may request a certification of the brightness (under measurement conditions) by an independent contractor, if the sign has not been certified within the preceding twelve (12) months. If the investigation and certification indicate that the sign exceeds the brightness levels specified in this chapter, the owner of the sign shall turn off the sign until the brightness of the sign is brought into compliance with this chapter within twenty-four (24) hours of a request. Compliance with these requirements will be at the owner's expense.

(3)

Nonresidential use properties. Freestanding signs in all nonresidential use properties except DBD shall comply with the following table of regulations:

FREESTANDING SIGN REGULATIONS FOR NONRESIDENTIAL USE PROPERTIES

Location of Property Frontage	Maximum Number and Size of Sign	Maximum Height of Sign
- East Main St./State Route 113 (beginning at, and including, U.S. 41 and running east) - State Route 20 - U.S. 41 and corresponding frontage roads - U.S. 411 and corresponding frontage roads - West Ave. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with Henderson Dr. and running southwest)	One (1) sign on each property frontage with maximum 120 square feet sign area. Freestanding signs on all outparcel lots shall be a maximum of fifty (50) square feet in area and a maximum fifteen (15) feet in height.	20 feet
- Burnt Hickory Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with West Ave. and running north) - Cassville Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with North Erwin St. and running northwest) - Church St. (beginning at, and including the intersection with North Tennessee St. and running east) - Collins Dr. - Douthit Ferry Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with West Ave. and running south until, and including, the intersection with Pine Grove Rd.) - East Main St. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with Tennessee St. and running east to the intersection with U.S. 41) - Felton Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with Tennessee St. and running east until, and including, the intersection with Roving Rd.) - Gentilly Blvd. - Grassdale Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with U.S. 41 and running north) - Henderson Dr. - Old Mill Rd. (beginning at, and including, the intersection with Henderson Dr. and running west) - Tennessee St.	One (1) sign on each property frontage with maximum fifty (50) square feet sign area.   Freestanding signs on all outparcel lots shall be a maximum of fifty (50) square feet in area and a maximum ten (10) feet in height.	15 feet
All other streets not listed above	One (1) freestanding sign shall be allowed on each property frontage and shall have a maximum sign area of thirty-two (32) square feet.	10 feet

 

(4)

Residential use properties. Freestanding signs for all residential use properties shall not be directly illuminated, and shall comply with the following tables of regulations:

FREESTANDING SIGN REGULATIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL USE PROPERTIES

Property Frontage Location and Development Type	Maximum Number and Size of Sign	Maximum Height of Sign
Individual lots on all streets	One (1) freestanding sign shall be allowed on each property frontage and shall have a maximum sign area of six (6) square feet	4 feet
Residential subdivisions and/or developments on all streets	Two (2) subdivision or entrance signs per entrance shall be allowed into any subdivision or development and shall have a maximum sign area of thirty-two (32) square feet	6 feet

 

(Ord. No. 26-12, 5-3-12; Ord. No. 01-15, § 6, 3-5-15; Ord. No. 10-18, §§ 1, 2, 4-19-18; Ord. No. 12-18, § 1, 6-7-18)