BILLBOARDS AND OTHER OFF-PREMISES SIGNS

Columbus City Codes tit. 33, ch. 3378

in effect

Columbus City Codes § 3378.01 General provisions.

3378.01 - General provisions. The purpose of this chapter is to regulate the installation and use of billboards and other off-premises signs. These regulations have been designed to provide protection for certain sensitive uses, including but not limited to, residential and institutional uses, by limiting the frequency, intensity and proximity of billboard and other off-premises sign locations. A. Each billboard shall be considered a permanent sign subject to all the provisions of this chapter, to this Graphics Code and to all other applicable codes. Where a conflict exists, the most restrictive provision shall apply. B. No person shall utilize any billboard as an on-premises sign. C. No person shall utilize any trash can, telephone booth, seat bench, bus shelter, vending machine, recycling container or trailer graphic for or in support of a billboard, or any off-premises sign. D. A special permit shall be required to allow installation of any permanent or temporary off-premises sign not specifically provided for in this Graphics Code. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part); Ord. No. 1200-2017, § 39, 6-12-2017)

Columbus City Codes § 3378.02 Size and intensity standards.

3378.02 - Size and intensity standards. This chapter establishes generally more restrictive standards for any billboard larger than 400 square feet in area than those that apply to any billboard which is 400 square feet or less. The following standards, pertaining to size and intensity shall apply: A. A billboard structure shall be of the ground sign or wall sign type only. Projecting and roof-mounted billboards shall be prohibited. B. The maximum size for each allowable facing of a billboard shall be 672 square feet or the size allowed by this Graphics Code for the specific billboard location, whichever is less. C. Each billboard shall be comprised of a maximum of two facings which shall be installed back-to-back, parallel to each other and no more than ten degrees from perpendicular to the street to which the billboard is directed. Where the street design, natural topography, buildings or other permanent objects will screen or obscure one of the facings, that facing may be omitted. D. A maximum of two sign faces facing in the same direction shall be permitted on the same billboard, provided that they are equal in size and separated by one and one-half feet. Their total combined area shall not exceed 600 square feet or the graphic area allowed at that location, whichever is less. E. A billboard display may utilize embellishments, subject to the following limitations: 1. For a billboard larger than 400 square feet, the total area of all embellishments on each facing shall not exceed 25 percent of the approved graphic area and shall not extend beyond the top of the approved sign face by more than six feet, nor extend beyond the sides and bottom of the approved sign face by more than two feet. 2. For a billboard 400 square feet or less, the total area of all embellishments on each facing shall not exceed 15 percent of the approved graphic area and shall not extend beyond the top of the approved sign face by more than four feet, nor beyond the sides and bottom of the approved sign face by more than one and one-half feet. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part).)

Columbus City Codes § 3378.03 Location requirements.

3378.03 - Location requirements. This section establishes that billboards may be located on property zoned for more intense commercial and manufacturing uses, and establishes setback and separation standards to limit billboard locations relative to streets and to certain sensitive uses. A. A billboard shall be permitted only in the following four zoning districts: C-3, C-4, C-5 and M. A billboard shall be permitted in a CPD district only where specified in the development plan adopted as part of the underlying zoning. B. A billboard shall not be located inside of or within 500 feet of any historic site, historic district or public park. A billboard shall not be located inside of or within 120 feet of any greenway. C. The required sign setback for a billboard shall be the greater of the following: 25 feet from the right-of-way line of each abutting street or 50 percent of the designated right-of-way width of each abutting street, as designated in the Columbus thoroughfare plan. The required sign setback for a billboard directed to a freeway shall be 50 feet from the limited-access right-of-way line, except where the provisions of Chapter 3379, C.C., The Interstate System are applicable. D. Each billboard, or any portion thereof, shall be located a minimum of 200 feet from a property zoned for institutional or residential uses located along either side of any street adjacent to the billboard location, measured along the centerline of said street; and shall be located a minimum of 60 feet from a property zoned for residential or institutional uses and which fronts on a street other than the one to which the billboard is directed. E. A billboard larger than 400 square feet in area shall not be allowed along that portion of any street which has a right-of-way width of less than 80 feet, regardless of the number of through traffic lanes. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part).)

Columbus City Codes § 3378.04 Spacing requirements.

3378.04 - Spacing requirements. This section regulates the minimum separation between billboards to control the frequency which they appear in the urban landscape, as well as to optimize the effectiveness of each individual billboard. The spacing requirements contained herein are divided into two levels: A radial spacing between all billboards, regardless of size, and a lineal spacing between billboards larger than 400 square feet in area. These spacing requirements shall be measured from all existing, approved billboard locations, whether built or unbuilt, or from the proposed location, whichever is most restrictive and regardless of the political jurisdiction within which any other billboard may be located. The street to which a billboard is directed shall be that street which is most nearly perpendicular to the sign faces. A. Each billboard shall be separated from every other billboard by no less than 500 feet, measured along the radius beginning at the center of the proposed billboard and extending to a point nearest to center of every other approved billboard. B. Each billboard designed and constructed with a graphic area greater than 400 square feet shall be separated from every other billboard along the street to which the display is directed by no less than 1,320 feet. This spacing requirement shall be measured linearly along the center line of the street to which the billboard is directed and the measurement shall apply to both sides of the street. C. In addition, there shall be no more than three billboards larger than 400 square feet in graphic area situated in any one measured mile along the street to which the billboards are directed. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part).)

Columbus City Codes § 3378.05 Height requirements.

3378.05 - Height requirements. The height limitations for billboards contained in this section are designed to be consistent with the height limitations of the Zoning Code, and to limit the overall height of a billboard in proportion to the graphic area. Overall height of any billboard, excluding embellishments where allowed, shall be subject to the following limitations: A. A billboard up to 100 square feet in area shall not exceed 20 feet in height. B. A billboard greater than 100 square feet in area shall not exceed 35 feet in height, except where said billboard is directed to an elevated street. Where a billboard is directed to an elevated street the top of the sign faces shall be 20 feet above the centerline of the street pavement, measured along the shortest horizontal line drawn between the centerline and the leading edge of the sign faces of said billboard, provided that the overall height of said billboard shall not exceed 50 feet. C. A billboard more than 100 square feet in area, but not more than 400 square feet in area shall not exceed 35 feet in height unless blockage is determined to exist. The director shall determine that blockage exists when the line-of-sight visibility of the billboard display is blocked by an existing building or structure from a vantage point, on the street to which the billboard is directed, from the billboard location to a point not to exceed 300 feet preceding the billboard location. Where blockage has been determined to exist, a height not to exceed 50 feet may be approved. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part).)

Columbus City Codes § 3378.06 Illumination and special effects of billboards.

3378.06 - Illumination and special effects of billboards. A. For billboards located no more than 500 feet from a residential use or institutional district, the following limitations shall apply: 1. Illumination of a billboard shall be limited to the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. 2. No part of a billboard display shall project perpendicularly more than 12 inches from the plane of the sign face. B. Where a billboard is located more than 500 feet from a residential use or institutional district, illumination and special effects in compliance with the provisions of this section may be utilized with no time restriction. C. The following regulations apply to all billboards with special effects: 1. Allowed billboard special effects shall be limited to the following visual effects: bare bulb illumination, a time and temperature device and/or message center, and a three-dimensional display. 2. All parts of a billboard special effect display shall be contained within the boundaries of the sign faces, including any allowed embellishment. 3. A billboard utilizing a copy change procedure shall display each individual message a minimum of eight seconds. 4. The images and messages displayed must be static, and the transition from one static display to another must be instantaneous without any transition effects. Transition effects include wipes, fades, or other special effects. 5. Each automatic changeable copy billboard shall be equipped with a light sensing device that automatically adjusts the brightness of the billboard as ambient light conditions change. 6. Each automatic changeable copy billboard shall be operated with monitoring and methods in place that shall either turn off the display, or show a full black image on the display, in the event of a malfunction that affects more than 50 percent of the billboard face. 7. No automatic changeable copy billboard shall exceed a brightness level of 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light as measured using a foot-candle (Lux) meter at a pre-set distance in accordance with the following procedure: a. At least 30 minutes past sunset, record the ambient light while the sign is off or displaying all black copy, or with the sign's illumination blocked. b. The light meter shall be held five feet above the finished grade in front of the billboard. c. The meter shall be aimed toward the center of the automatic changeable copy billboard face. d. From the same location, a second reading shall be recorded while the billboard display is on and not blocked. 8. The measurement distance shall be determined as shown in Table 2, which is derived and generalized from the formula; (the square root of) (the automatic changeable copy area times 100). Table 2. Distances from which to measure the brightness of automatic changeable copy billboards. Area of automatic changeable copy in square feet. | Measurement distance in linear feet Up to 100 square feet | 100 feet 101 to 300 | 150 feet 301 to 500 | 200 feet 501 to 680 | 250 feet 9. If the difference between the measurements is 0.3 foot candles or less, the brightness is properly adjusted; otherwise, the billboard must be adjusted to comply with the brightness adjustment standard set forth above. 10. Existing automatic changeable copy billboards. All automatic changeable copy billboards lawfully in existence prior to the effective date of Ordinance No. 0170-2014 shall conform to the requirements in 3378.06(C)(4) through (9) of this subsection within one year of the effective date of the ordinance from which this section is derived. 11. No part of a three-dimensional billboard display shall project perpendicularly more than 36 inches from the plane of the sign face. 12. A revolving or rotating billboard shall not be permitted, except that elements forming a sign face may rotate as part of a copy change procedure. 13. Auditory effects, including music, shall not be permitted as part of any billboard display. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part); Ord. No. 0170-2014, § 10, 7-28-2014)

Columbus City Codes § 3378.07 Inventory and permit requirements.

3378.07 - Inventory and permit requirements. In order to facilitate consistency and timeliness in the processing of installation permits and the establishment of accurate records, every billboard shall be subject to the following inventory and permit requirements: A. Each billboard shall be identified with the owner's or the erector's name. B. Within 120 days of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, every owner of a billboard shall provide to the director an inventory, in the format to be determined by the director, disclosing the location and size of every approved billboard, built or unbuilt, within the city belonging to said owner. C. The department shall assign an identifying number to each built or unbuilt billboard, which number shall be part of the permanent inventory information. D. Each application for a billboard installation permit shall be accompanied by an affidavit, signed by the property owner, which shall specify that the applicant has exclusive permission to erect and maintain the billboard for which the installation permit is requested. E. An installation permit shall expire one year after the date of issuance. Each permit application shall be reviewed using the regulations in effect at the time of such application. F. Prior to removing any existing billboard, the owner or the general or limited sign erector employed to remove same shall submit a written notification to the director. (Ord. 2837-96 § 6 (part).)

Source: City of Columbus, City Codes and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/oh/columbus/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT33ZOCO_CH3378BIOTOEMSIFetched: 10/27/2026