1058 LDRs SignsORDINANCE NO. 1058
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR
AMENDMENT TO THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS, ORDINANCE
NO. 716, DIVISION 5 THEREOF, INCLUDING SECTIONS 90 -567 THROUGH 90-
570, SECTIONS 90 -572, 90 -573, 90 -580, 90 -583, 90 -588 AND 90 -589
PERTAINING TO EXEMPT AND PROHIBITED SIGNS; SIGN AREA
COMPUTATION; LIMITATIONS ON THE LOCATION, TYPE, NUMBER, AREA,
AND HEIGHT OF SIGNS; THE REGULATION OF TEMPORARY SIGNS
INCLUDING BANNERS, PORTABLE SIGNS, WIND SIGNS, SEARCH LIGHTS
AND SPOT LIGHTS; PLACEMENT STANDARDS FOR SIGNS;
NONCONFORMING SIGNS; AND SIGNS AND ARTWORK NOT QUALIFYING AS
MURALS; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS AND SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING
FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Okeechobee, Florida has a legitimate public interest in the
regulation of signs within the City, to provide to the public a uniform sign regulation
that preserves the aesthetics within the City and protects the health, welfare and
safety of its citizens; and adequately displays a commercial message; and
WHEREAS, the existing sign regulations lack clarity with regard to the total area of signage
allowed for an enterprise and other limitations on ground signs; and
WHEREAS, the existing sign regulations lack clarity with regard to the permissibility of
temporary signs and limitations as to the number, location, frequency and duration
of display allowable for certain temporary signs;
NOW, THEREFORE, be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Okeechobee, Florida;
presented at a duly advertised public meeting; and passed by majority vote of the
City Council; and properly executed by the Mayor or designee, as Chief Presiding
Officer for the City:
Section 1.
That the City Council for the City of Okeechobee, Florida amends herein Article IV,
Supplementary District Regulations, Division 5, as follows:
DIVISION 5. SIGNS.
Section. 90 -567. Exempt signs (no permit required).
(a) Signs in Non residential Zoning Districts (no permit required).
(10) Signs in Commercial and Industrial Zoning Districts (no permit required).
Language to be added is underlined
Language to be deleted is struck through
eF O ne ground sign no closer than 25 feet to a flesidential Zoning
District.
e d. Window signs affixed to the interior of windows which are visible
from the exterior. The area of such window signs shall not be
counted as part of the allowable area for building signs.
f
e. "Sticky- back" window coatings or thin coverings affixed to the
outside of windows by an adhesive shall not be counted as part
of the allowable area for building signs.
Section. 90 568. Prohibited signs.
(15) Search or spot lights used to advertise or promote a business or event or to
attract customers to the location, except where
permitted as temporary signs.
Section. 90 569. Sign area computation.
(b) For building signs, except murals and noncommercial artwork, the sign area
shall be the area within the smallest geometric shape that touches the outer
point of raised portions of the sign, or all of the borders or trims, or in the
absence of such border or trim, the outer points of the letters or pictures.
Section. 90 570. Permitted Allowable temporary signs (no permit required).
(b) The following temporary signs are permitted without a sign permit, provided
that the sign conforms to the requirements associated therewith. Further,
these signs shall not be counted as part of the allowable number or area of
freestanding or building signs.
Construction site identification signs provided that the sign:
a. Does not exceed 32 square feet in sign area.
b. Is not displayed more than 60 days prior to the beginning of
actual construction of the project.
c. Is removed within 15 days after the issuance of the final
certificate of occupancy.
d. Is removed if construction is not initiated within 60 days after the
message is displayed, or if construction is discontinued for a
period of more than 60 days, pending initiation or continuation of
construction activities.
e. Is not located on a public right -of -way.
(4 3) Signs, including portable signs, to announce or advertise such
temporary uses as fairs, carnivals, circuses, revivals, sporting events,
festivals or any public, charitable educational or religious event or
function, provided that the sign:
a. Is located on the lot same property where the event will occur or,
if located elsewhere, the written consent of the property owner on
which the sign(s) will be located has been obtained,
b. Is not displayed more than 14 days prior to the event, and
c. Is removed within three days after the event.
Language to be added is underlined
Language to be deleted is struck-through Ordinance No. 1058 Page 2 of 6
(5 4) Within the CBD District only, temporary portable signs placed on the
City owned sidewalk in front of the business provided they do not
interfere or endanger pedestrian traffic and are not displayed any time
other than during the normal operating hours of the business.
Section. 90 -572. Building Signs.
(a) Building signs for buildings with a single business or occupant;
(1) One square foot of sign face area for each linear foot of the building
width that faces the front of the lot,
fate -area (for example, if the width of the building facing the front of
the lot is 50 feet wide, the maximum total sign face area for all
building signs is 50 square feet.
kal No single building sign on any one side of a building shall exceed 60
square feet of sign face area, except that such size limit shall not
apply to a building sign facing parallel to US 441 or SR 70 when the
sign is located on a single -use building located on property fronting on
US 441 or SR 70.
(2 3) Where building signs are placed upon more than one side of the
building, the combined sign face area, shall not exceed the amount
permitted by Section (a) above.
(c) Bracket signs or marquee signs. In lieu of the above described fascia signs,
a business may install a single bracket sign or a single marquee sign in
accordance with the following:
Section. 90 -573. Limitations on the number and type of signs.
The following limitations shall apply to the number and type of all signs except
temporary signs, and building signs covered under Sections 90 -570 and 90 -572,
respectively.
Total number of all signs. Only the following number and types of signs and
advertising devices shall be located on any lot or parcel at any one time,
subject to the following conditions:
al Ground signs and pole signs (permit required). One ground sign or
pole sign is allowed in the front yard, and such sign shall not exceed
50 square feet in sign area and 20 feet in height, and shall not be
closer than 25 feet to a residential district.
D ection 90 Inflatable wind signs, search lights, and spot lights
(permit required). Not more than one inflatable wind sign or search
light or spot light shall be permitted on a single lot or parcel. Inflatable
wind signs, search lights, and spot lights shall be permitted only within
the Commercial and Industrial Zoning Districts and only under the
following conditions:
a. Issuance of a sign permit shall be required;
b. No such inflatable wind sign, search light, or spot light shall be
displayed on the same property more than two times per year
and no period of display shall exceed 14 total days; and,
Language to be added is underlined
Language to be deleted is trough Ordinance No. 1058 Page 3 of 6
c. No such inflatable wind sign, search light, or spot light shall be
placed on the public right -of -way.
(3) Other signs such as portable signs, banners, and non inflatable wind
signs (no permit required).
a. On lots with one single- occupancy building, not more than a total
of three such signs shall be allowed on a single lot or parcel and
only under the following conditions:
b. On lots with multiple buildings or a multiple occupancy building,
one portable sign, banner, or non inflatable wind sign is allowed
for each unit within the building(s) and such sign, banner, or
non inflatable wind sign shall not exceed sixteen square feet in
area or eight feet in height.
Total area of all signs.
1. The total area of such signs shall not exceed 48 square
feet.
2. The maximum size of any banner shall be sixteen square
feet in area and eight feet in height.
The combined sign area of building signs, ground signs and pole signs is
limited to one square foot for each linear foot of property on a frontage street,
plus one square foot for each two linear feet of property on side streets. In
addition the total area of other signs identified in subsection (1) (c), above,
shall not exceed 48 square feet.
Section. 90 -580. Placement standards.
(be) No sign or sign structure shall be erected that impedes the use of any fire
escape, emergency exit or standpipe.
�0 feet of any church, school, public park,
Bede
fcl All signs on private property shall be located in conformance with the
minimum yard regulations of the district in which the sign is located, except
that signs in street yards shall comply with the following requirements and
limitations:
No part of any sign shall be located closer than one foot to the
property line: and,
al For signs on corner lots and located within the visibility triangle, the
bottom of the sign shall be at least ten feet above the crown of the
adjacent road, or the top of the sign shall be less than two feet, six
inches above the crown of the adjacent road.
Language to be added is underlined
Language to be deleted is struck through
Ordinance No. 1058 Page 4 of 6
Section. 90 -583. Nonconforming signs.
Ill Freestanding signs made nonconforming at the initial date of these
amended regulations which are not in compliance only with respect
to the minimum required distance of-five-feet from any property line
shall be allowed to remain in the existing location provided that no
portion of the sign is located within any publicly owned right -of -way,
or utility easement and that no interference with clear clearance
distance exists, and further provided that such signs are otherwise in
compliance with the terms of this Code.
Section. 90 -588. Signs and artwork not qualifying as murals.
Art forms on walls or other external building areas which are not considered
murals due to their commercial content are permitted in the City of
Okeechobee, but shall be considered signs, and the total area of such signs
shall not exceed one hundred square feet of sign face. Such signs shall be
subject to all applicable Sections in this division and the provisions of
Appendix F shall not apply.
Artwork on walls or other external building areas, which contains no
commercial messages, and which is not considered a mural due to the fact
that it is not a painted art form (e.g., wall paper or another material other than
paint) are not considered signs and shall not be counted as part of the
allowable area for building signs. Such artwork, however, shall not exceed
100 square feet in area.
Section. 90 -589. Unsafe locations and offensive signs prohibited.
(a) As determined by the City Council, no sign, mural or artwork subject to this
Section may contain any picture, representation, graphic or display, that the
average citizen, applying contemporary community standards, would find that
the sign, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; that the sign
depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct as defined
in this code, and the sign lacks any serious commercial, literary, artistic,
political or scientific value; and
(b) No sign, mural or artwork may be in such proximity to the road or right -of -way
of the City, or displayed in such a manner, that it would unreasonably distract
the operators of motor vehicles, or raise public safety concerns.
Section 2. Conflict.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
Section 3. Severability.
If any provision or portion of this ordinance is declared by any court of competent
jurisdiction to be void, unconstitutional, or unenforceable, then all remaining
provisions and portions of this ordinance shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 4. Effective Date.
This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its passage.
Language to be added is underlined
Language to be deleted is struck -through Ordinance No. 1058 Page 5 of 6
INTRODUCED for first reading and set for final public hearing on this 16 day of March,
2010..
Lane Gamiotea,
ATTEST:
sd
PASSED AND ADOPTED after Second and Final Public Hearing this 6 day of April, 2010
(21 I
Lane Gariiote
J1a,LP7'
CMC, City Clerk
REVIEWED FOR LEGAL SUFFICIENCY:
James E. Kirk, Mayor
James E. Kirk, Mayor
Language to be added is underlined
Language to be deleted is struck-through Ordinance No. 1058 Page 6 of 6