17.60.020 Permits.
A. Permit Required. No sign shall be painted, placed, pasted, posted, printed, tacked, fastened, constructed, erected, re-erected, installed, altered or otherwise permitted or maintained without first obtaining a permit from the building director in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and Chapter 15.36 of this code.
B. Permit Not Required. Regardless of subsection A of this section, permits from the building director are not required for the following signs:
1. Real estate sales, rent, lease or open house; construction/home improvement, future facility use or tenant signs, and agricultural signs not exceeding sixteen square feet in area and six feet in height, placed on the property subject to such sign;
2. Changing of the advertising copy or message on a theater marquee, readerboard, menuboard, or similar such sign;
3. Repainting or cleaning of an outdoor advertising structure or changing the advertising copy or message thereon shall not be considered an erection or alteration which requires a sign permit unless a structural change is made;
4. Nonilluminated promotional window sign as regulated by the zone district in which it is located;
5. Garage/yard sale and estate sale signs, pursuant to the requirements of Section 17.60.060(B);
6. Noncommercial signs, pursuant to the requirements of Section 17.60.070(C);
7. Flags for model homes as regulated in the residential districts;
8. Nameplate, as regulated;
10. Nonprofit special event signs subject to the provisions of Section 17.60.070(B);
11. Pole banners, pennants/streamers in compliance with the provisions of Sections 17.60.060(B)(4) and (5) .
C. Other Actions. Uses permitted under conditional use permits, wall and landscape plans, zone changes, specific plans, and other such projects may include signage as part of and in accordance with the permit or project. The planning commission or city council may approve, deny, limit or grant modifications to such signage consistent with the provisions of this chapter. If a comprehensive sign plan is required as a condition of approval for such project, a separate application for said plan shall be required pursuant to Section 17.60.030.
D. Exceptions. The building director may, in writing, grant exceptions to the following sign regulations provided it has been determined that strict application of the provisions of this chapter places an unnecessary hardship in satisfying the purposes of this chapter:
1. Reduction of the minimum sign setbacks or minimum distance between signs of not more than ten feet;
2. Signage on properties having no street frontage; provided, that any such sign permitted shall not exceed the regulations as delineated by the zone district in which they are located;
3. Additional on-site residential project identification signs, not to exceed two additional per project, or an increase in sign area of one residential identification project sign to sixty-four square feet;
4. An increase of a monument sign located within a commercial or industrial zone district to sixty square feet in area and twelve feet in height, provided the total number of monument signs per street frontage shall not exceed two signs and no pylon sign exists along that street frontage or will be permitted.
E. Modification of Regulations Not Permitted. Signs shall only be permitted provided they meet the regulations of the zone district in which they are located for that type of sign. With the exception of subsection D of this section or Section 17.60.030 regarding comprehensive sign plans, no waivers of, exceptions to, or modification of any regulation of this chapter shall be permitted.
F. Fees. The city may impose fees to offset the costs associated with permit administration and monitoring pursuant to Chapter 3.70 of this code. (Ord. 5020 § 22, 2020; Ord. 4953 § 2, 2018; Ord. 4712 § 1, 2012; Ord. 3870 §§ 1, 2, 1998; Ord. 3755 § 4, 1997; Ord. 3586 § 2, 1994)