§ 28-52 — Sign specifications and maintenance

Sec. 28-52. - Sign specifications and maintenance.

Authorized off-premises signs shall comply with the following specifications: (1) Height. All off-premises signs erected after July 3, 2017 shall not exceed forty-two and one-half (42½) feet in height above the adjacent street grade, measured from the grade level of the centerline of the main-traveled way, not including a frontage road or controlled access highway, closest to the sign at a point perpendicular to the sign location; not to exceed a maximum of sixty (60) feet above ground level. (2) Spacing. Any sign relocation must meet the following spacing requirements: a. On interstates, freeways or expressway systems, off-premises signs up to six hundred seventy-two (672) square feet shall not be closer than one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet along one (1) side of the roadway. b. On primary and secondary arterial streets, off-premises signs up to three hundred ninety-nine (399) square feet shall not be closer to any other off-premises sign than seven hundred fifty (750) feet along one (1) side of the roadway; on secondary arterial streets, off-premises signs ninety-nine (99) square feet and less shall not be erected closer than five hundred (500) feet along one (1) side of the roadway. c. On collector and local access streets, off-premises signs ninety-nine (99) square feet and less shall not be erected closer than five hundred (500) feet along one side of the roadway. (3) Setback. a. Generally. An off-premises sign may be installed on a side or rear property line provided the lot is zoned to permit zero (0) setbacks, and the adjoining zoning classifications are not residential. No part of the sign, its support structure, light fixtures, or catwalks may overhang the property line. An off-premises sign erected adjacent to residentially zoned property shall observe the side and rear yard setbacks required by the zoning ordinance. In such instances light fixtures and catwalks may overhang the setback lines no more than six (6) feet. However, no part of the sign face or its support structure shall overhang the setback lines. b. Large off-premises signs. Off-premises signs greater than seventy-five (75) square feet must comply with all property setback lines established in chapter 35 for the applicable zoning category and set back a minimum of thirty (30) feet from adjacent residential zones. All off-premises signs greater than seventy-five (75) square feet must be setback from the following facilities, districts, and parks as specified below: 1. Large urban parks. A 1,000-foot radius from the park boundaries. 2. Publicly owned and operated sports complexes. A 500-foot radius from the complex boundaries. 3. Community parks. A 300-foot radius from the park boundaries. 4. Neighborhood parks. A 200-foot radius from the park boundaries. 5. Cultural facilities. A 500-foot radius from the facility boundary. 6. Historic buildings and structures. A 200-foot radius from the building or structure. 7. Historic districts. A 500-foot radius from the district boundary. 8. Universities and colleges. Off-premises signs in excess of seventy-five (75) square feet shall not be permitted on the opposite side of a public street bordering a university or college. c. Small off-premises signs. Off-premises signs which measure seventy-five (75) square feet or less of sign face shall adhere to property lines, but are not required to conform to the other setback limits established in this chapter. d. Distance from overpass, etc., railings. All off-premises signs shall be set back a distance of at least fifteen (15) feet from the railing of an overpass or bridge on any road, street, highway, or expressway. e. Commentary. All park definitions are taken from the San Antonio Parks Plan, 1981 edition. A publicly owned sports complex is meant to be a facility such as the Alvo Jo Fischer or Kennedy Softball Complexes. The radius setback requirements do not apply to private parks, country clubs, etc., which are not open to the general public. Any legally erected off-premises sign which no longer conforms to the provisions of this chapter due to the creation of a new park, historic district, etc., shall be officially recognized as nonconforming by the director according to the requirements established in section 28-55. Off-premises signs are no longer permitted within historic districts. Existing off-premises signs in historic districts are awarded nonconforming status in accordance with the provisions of section 28-55. (4) Area. a. The maximum size of the sign face, as viewed from one (1) direction, for any off-premises sign is: 1. Six hundred seventy-two (672) square feet along freeways, expressways and interstate highways. 2. Three hundred ninety-nine (399) square feet along arterials. 3. Ninety-nine (99) square feet along collectors and local access streets. b. The square footage requirements specified in paragraphs (1)a. through c. pertain to the sign face per se. Embellishments and cutouts, may be utilized on off-premises signs as long as these extensions do not measure more than twenty (20) percent of the allowable square footage for the sign face. (5) Inspection. All legally erected and registered off-premises signs, including relocations, must be inspected upon construction and thereafter annually. This inspection includes maintenance and structural deficiency evaluation and may require, if necessary, further inspection by a licensed engineer and remediation. The operator or owner must pay an annual inspection fee as provided in the fee schedule for each registered sign. The annual inspection fee is payable within thirty (30) days after the beginning of each fiscal year. Failure to pay the annual inspection fee or within this time period is a violation of this chapter and punishable as prescribed. (6) Construction requirements. a. The following are considered to be routine maintenance activities that do not require an amended permit: 1. The replacement of nuts and bolts; 2. Nailing, riveting, or welding; 3. Cleaning and painting; 4. Manipulation of the sign structure to level or plumb it; 5. Changing of the advertising message; 6. The replacement of minor parts if the materials of the minor parts are the same type as those being replaced and the basic design or structure of the sign is not altered; 7. Changing all or part of the sign structure but only if materials similar to those of the sign structure being replaced are used; and 8. Upgrading existing lighting for an energy efficient lighting system. b. The following are considered to be customary maintenance activities that may be made but require an amended permit before the initiation of such an activity: 1. Replacement of poles, but only if not more than one-half of the total number of poles of the sign structure are replaced in any 12-month period and the same material is used for the replacement poles; and 2. Adding a catwalk to the sign structure. c. The following are examples of substantial changes that may be made but require an amended permit before the initiation of such an activity: 1. Adding lights to an un-illuminated sign 2. Changing the number of poles in the sign structure; 3. Adding permanent bracing wires, guy wires, or other reinforcing devices; 4. Changing the material used in the construction of the sign structure, such as replacing wooden material with metal material; 5. Adding faces to a sign or changing the sign configuration; 6. Increasing the height of the sign; 7. Changing the configuration of the sign structure, such as changing a "V" sign to a stacked or back to back sign, or a single face sign to a back-to back sign; and 8. Moving the sign structure or sign face. d. To add a catwalk to a sign structure the catwalk must meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines.

(Ord. No. 2017-05-04-0297, § 1(Att. 1), 5-4-17; Ord. No. 2023-6-01-0369, § 1(Att. I), 6-1-23)