604.1

SEC. 604.1. INFORMATION REQUIRED ON ADVERTISING SIGNS. (a) Information Required on General Advertising Signs. Each general advertising sign authorized by this Code shall bear the following information: (1) an imprint identifying the name of the sign company;

(2) the permit number; and (3) the permitted sign dimensions. This information shall be imprinted and maintained on the face or edge of the sign. Electric signs may have an approved metal tag attached to them instead of imprinted characters. See also requirements specified in Section 3102F.2 of the San Francisco Building Code. The required text size shall be: (i) a minimum of 2 inches in height for general advertising signs of 100 square feet or less; (ii) a minimum of 4 inches in height for general advertising signs of 101 square feet to 500 square feet; and (iii) a minimum of 8 inches in height for general advertising signs of over 500 square feet. (b) New Signs; When Required. The information required by Subsection (a) shall be provided on each new general advertising sign or whenever a new permit is required, and must be kept accurate and maintained regardless of change of text or graphics. (c) Existing Signs; When Required. The information required by Subsection (a) shall be included on each existing general advertising sign within twelve months of the effective date of this legislation. If no permit can be located within the 12-month period, the Director of Planning shall grant one six-month extension to allow the owner of the sign to apply for and obtain the in-lieu identifying number referred to below in this Subsection (c). Where no permit can be located for a general advertising sign but the Director of the Planning Department concludes, based on evidence submitted to or possessed by the Planning Department, that the sign likely was legally authorized at the time it was installed at its current location, the Department shall issue an identifying number in lieu of a permit number and the sign shall be considered a lawful nonconforming use under Section 604(h) of this Code. This identifying number shall be imprinted and maintained on the sign in lieu of the permit number required by Subsection 604.1(a) above. The Director's conclusion concerning the legality or illegality of the sign and the rationale supporting that conclusion shall be set forth in writing and mailed to the applicant. (d) Violations; Additional Penalty. Failure to comply with these requirements shall be deemed to be a violation of Article 6 and subject to the penalties for violation set forth in this Article 6 or elsewhere in this Code. If the Director of Planning determines that the information provided on the sign, as required by Subsection (a), is knowingly false, inaccurate or misleading, an additional penalty of $1,000.00 a day may be imposed by the Director on the sign company in addition to the other penalties set forth in this Article 6 or elsewhere in this Code. (Added by Ord. 73-01, File No. 002196, App. 5/18/2001; amended by Ord. 232-02, File No. 021727, App. 12/20/2002) SEC. 604.2. GENERAL ADVERTISING SIGN INVENTORIES. (a) Submission of Initial Sign Inventory. Within 60 days of the effective date of this Section, any general advertising sign company that owns a general advertising sign located in the City shall submit to the Department a current, accurate, and complete inventory of its general advertising signs together with the inventory processing fee required by subsection (f) below. Any general advertising company that commences ownership of one or more general advertising signs located in the City after the effective date of this Section shall submit an inventory together with the inventory processing fee within 60 days after its commences such ownership whether or not the signs on the inventory have previously been reviewed by the Department in its review of the inventory of a previous owner. (b) All Signs to be Included in the Inventory; Inclusion Not Evidence of Legality. The inventory shall identify all general advertising signs located within the City that the general advertising company owns and/or operates under a lease, license or other agreement whether or not those signs can be proved to be lawfully existing. Inclusion of a sign on the inventory shall not be considered evidence that a sign is lawfully existing. For purposes of this Section, a "general advertising sign company" shall mean an entity that owns a general advertising sign structure, as distinguished from the person or entity that owns the property on which the sign is located. (c) The initial sign inventory required by subsection (a) above shall include a site map that shows the location of all signs identified in the inventory, and shall provide the following information for each sign: (1) The location of the sign by street address, by block and lot, and by nearest intersection; (2) A photograph of the sign in its existing location on the lot, specifically identifying the sign; (3) The date of original erection or installation of the sign, if known; (4) The permit number or in-lieu identifying number issued by the Department pursuant to Section 604.1(c) of this Code; (5) The approved and existing area, dimensions, height, and any other special features of the sign such as illumination or movement; (6) The type of sign, as defined in Section 602 of this Code; (7) Evidence that the sign has not been removed and still exists at the authorized location, and that the sign company is the owner of the sign structure; (8) Permit number and, in the case of subsequent modifications of the sign, including, but not limited to, illumination, permit application number or permit number; (9) Evidence that the sign still is in use for general advertising; and (10) Information, if known, whether the sign had a prior use as a non-general advertising sign, including, but not limited to, a business sign or exempt sign, and the duration of such prior use. (d) Affidavit. The general advertising sign company shall submit with the inventory an affidavit signed under penalty of perjury by a duly authorized officer or owner of the sign company stating that: (1) The sign inventory and site map are current, accurate, and complete to the best of his or her knowledge; (2) The officer or owner believes, after the exercise of reasonable and prudent inquiry, that all signs on the inventory have been erected or installed with an appropriate City permit or have an in-lieu identifying number granted by the Director of Planning; (3) The general advertising sign company is the owner of all sign structures listed on the inventory. (e) Inventory Update. Any general advertising sign company that has submitted an initial sign inventory pursuant to subsection (a) above shall be responsible for keeping its inventory updated by reporting in writing to the Department the sale or removal of any general advertising sign identified in the inventory, the purchase of a sign from another sign company or owner, or the relocation of a sign pursuant to a Relocation Agreement and conditional use authorization. Such reporting to the Department shall be made within 30 days of the actual sale, removal, purchase, or relocation of the sign. The fee charged to a sign company for an update to its initial sign inventory shall be the fee per sign structure set forth in Section 358 of this Code. (f) Inventory Processing Fee. With the submission of the initial sign inventory required by subsection (a) above, the general advertising sign company shall pay the inventory processing fee set forth in Section 358 of this Code. After payment of this initial inventory processing fee, the general advertising sign company shall annually pay an inventory maintenance fee as set forth in Section 358. The Department shall use the inventory processing fee solely for the following purposes: (1) To compensate the Department for its costs in verifying that the signs identified in the corresponding inventory are lawfully existing; (2) To obtain removal, through abatement actions or other Code enforcement activities, of any signs included on the inventory that the Department determines to be existing illegally. (g) Departmental Notification of Failure to Submit Complete Inventories. The Department shall notify in writing those sign companies that have not submitted or have submitted incomplete sign inventories, or have not timely submitted an inventory update. (1) Within 30 days of the date of notification provided under Subsection (g), the sign company shall submit a complete inventory with the inventory processing fee and a penalty of $580.00 per sign for those signs that were not identified or those improperly identified.