SIGN HEIGHT MEASUREMENT
Tucson Unified Development Code § 7A.6.5
in effect7A.6.5. SIGN HEIGHT MEASUREMENT
A. The sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
height is measured as the vertical distance from the average finished grade
Average Finished Grade
The mean average elevation of ground after site preparation, measured five feet from a building at five-foot intervals. If the property line is closer than five feet from the building, then the measurement is taken from the property line.
beneath the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
to the topmost sign copy
Sign Copy (7A)
Any words, letters, numbers, figures, designs, or other symbolic representations incorporated onto the face of a sign.
of the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
; except that if the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
location has an average finished grade
Average Finished Grade
The mean average elevation of ground after site preparation, measured five feet from a building at five-foot intervals. If the property line is closer than five feet from the building, then the measurement is taken from the property line.
lower than or equal to the adjoining
Adjoining
Same as abutting.
Abutting
Having a common boundary. Parcels or lots having only a common corner are not considered abutting.
grade of the road, the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
height is measured from the top of the curb (or highest point of the road nearest the property if no curb exists) to the highest point of the topmost sign copy
Sign Copy (7A)
Any words, letters, numbers, figures, designs, or other symbolic representations incorporated onto the face of a sign.
on the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
. Average finished grade
Average Finished Grade
The mean average elevation of ground after site preparation, measured five feet from a building at five-foot intervals. If the property line is closer than five feet from the building, then the measurement is taken from the property line.
refers to the mean average elevation of ground after site
Site
The land area consisting of a portion of a lot, an entire lot, or contiguous lots, not including dedicated public property, designated for development as a single entity.
preparation at the bottom of a sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
structure
Structure
A physical element constructed or erected with a fixed location on the ground or attached to another physical element having a fixed location at, below, or above grade. Structures include such elements as, but are not limited to, buildings, paved areas, walls, fences, posts, and patios.
, measured five feet from the bottom of the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
structure
Structure
A physical element constructed or erected with a fixed location on the ground or attached to another physical element having a fixed location at, below, or above grade. Structures include such elements as, but are not limited to, buildings, paved areas, walls, fences, posts, and patios.
at its four cardinal points.
[image omitted; see the official code]
B. Freeway
Freeway (7A)
A roadway designated as a freeway in the Major Streets and Routes Plan.
Grade
For freeway signs
Freeway Sign (7A)
A detached on-site sign directing attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold or offered upon the same premises as those upon which the sign is located as provided in Section 7A.10.4 Permanent Signs - Additional Sign Type Standards- Freeway Sign Standards.
and billboards
Billboard (7A)
An off-site sign relating to a business, activity, use or service conducted off the site or to a product not sold on the site.
, the freeway
Freeway (7A)
A roadway designated as a freeway in the Major Streets and Routes Plan.
grade is the elevation of the outside edge of the freeway
Freeway (7A)
A roadway designated as a freeway in the Major Streets and Routes Plan.
travel lane
Travel Lane
The area within a paved roadway reserved for moving vehicular traffic.
nearest to the freeway sign
Freeway Sign (7A)
A detached on-site sign directing attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold or offered upon the same premises as those upon which the sign is located as provided in Section 7A.10.4 Permanent Signs - Additional Sign Type Standards- Freeway Sign Standards.
or billboard
Billboard (7A)
An off-site sign relating to a business, activity, use or service conducted off the site or to a product not sold on the site.
.
(Am. Ord. 11803, 12/8/2020)
Source: City of Tucson, Tucson Code (Charter and General Ordinances) and Unified Development Code (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tucson/latest/tucson_az_udc/0-0-0-26141Fetched: 10/28/2026