§ 22.44.015. Definitions.

Definitions as used in this chapter, unless additional meaning clearly appears from the context, shall have the following meanings:

"Advertising vehicle" means any vehicle or trailer placed on a public right-of-way, on public property, or on private property, having attached thereto or located thereon any sign or advertising device which advertises a product, business or service, or directs people to a business or activity located on the same or nearby property or any premises. This provision is not to be construed as prohibiting the identification of a firm or its principal products on a vehicle operated during the normal course of business. Franchised buses or taxis are specifically excluded from this definition.

"Awning" means a rigid shelter that proceeds outward from a building and has a cloth or lightweight cover, through which light cannot pass.

"Awning, illuminated" means a rigid shelter that proceeds outward from a building and has a cloth or light weight cover, which is designed to be illuminated from within.

"Banner" means any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material.

"Building-mounted sign" means any sign attached to or erected against the wall of a building being parallel or approximately parallel to such wall; and exceeds a distance of fifteen inches from such wall.

"Canopy" means a rigid shelter that proceeds outward from a building and has a rigid cover.

"Corporate flag" means a flag that carries a logo, trademark or corporate seal of a company or organization and does not carry another commercial message.

"Exterior wall" means any wall or element of a wall or any member or group of members which defines the exterior boundaries or courts of a building and which has a slope of sixty degrees or greater with the horizontal plane.

"Fascia" means any relatively narrow vertical surface which is projected or cantilevered or supported on columns or on an element other than a wall below.

"Flag" means a piece of cloth, attached to a staff or pole, with distinctive colors, patterns or symbolic devices, used as a symbol for a government, corporation, or other organization.

"Freestanding sign" means any sign which is supported by one or more uprights, poles or braces in or upon the ground.

"Hours-of-operation" means the actual hours when the building is open for business or in preparation of opening or closing.

"Industrial park" means a multiple building complex.

Diagram 22.44.015

Walls and Roofs

"Inflatable signs" means balloons or other gas-filled figures. For purposes of this section, inflatable signs shall be treated as temporary signs.

"Mansard roof" means a roof or roof-like facade with a slope of sixty degrees or more from the horizontal and architecturally able to be treated as a building wall.

"Monument sign" means a freestanding sign not more than six feet in height, which is attached to the ground by means of a wide base of solid appearance.

"Multiple building complex" means a group of two or more commercial or industrial structures sharing a common development plan.

"Multiple tenant building" means a single structure housing two or more commercial or industrial businesses which share the same lot, access and/or parking facilities.

"Off-premises sign" means any sign used for the purpose of identifying or directing attention to a business, product or service not located on the lot where such sign is displayed.

"Parapet wall" means that part of any wall entirely above the roofline.

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

"Point-of-purchase sign" means any exterior sign that suggests a specific product or service being available for purchase.

"Public facade" means any side of a commercial building having a doorway open for regular ingress and egress by customers. For purposes of determining sign size allowances on multiple tenant facilities having individual entrances for businesses, the "public facade" of a particular business means that portion of the total public facade upon which the business has frontage.

"Ribbons" has the same meaning as pennants.

"Roofline" means where a wall meets the roof.

"Shopping center" means multiple building complex.

"Sign" means any visual communication device, structure or fixture that is intended to aid an establishment in identification and to advertise and/or promote a business, service, activity or interest. A sign shall not be considered to be a building or structural design, but shall be restricted solely to graphics, symbols or written copy that is meant to be used in the aforementioned way set forth in this section.

"Sign structure" means any structure which supports or is capable of supporting any sign defined in this code.

"Streamers" has the same meaning as pennants.

"Temporary sign" means any sign, banner, pennant, valance, or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas, light fabric, cardboard, wall board or other light materials, with or without frames, intended to be displayed for a limited period of time only.

"Valance" means the leading edge or vertical surface of an awning or canopy.

"Wall sign" means any sign attached to or painted directly on a wall, or erected against a wall of a building being parallel or approximately parallel to such wall; and does not exceed a distance of fifteen inches from such wall.

(Ord. 11500 § 24, 1997: Ord. 11274 § 2 (part), 1996)