§ 14-110. Definitions.

Agricultural districts: Refers to current zoning agricultural districts "A".

Animated sign: Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene, except LED displays on restaurant menu boards.

Area of sign: The area within a continuous perimeter enclosing the limits of writing, representation, emblem or any figure or similar character, together with any frame or other material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background against which it is placed, excluding the necessary supports or uprights on which the sign is placed; provided, however, that any open space contained within the outer limits of the display face shall be included in the computation of the area of the sign whether this open space is enclosed or not by a frame or border. For projecting or double-faced signs, only one display face shall be measured in computing sign area when the sign faces are parallel, or where the interior angle formed by the faces is 60 degrees or less, provided that it is a common attached structure. If the two faces of a double-faced sign are of unequal area, the area of the sign shall be taken as the area of the larger face.

Attention-attracting device: Any device or object visible from any public right-of-way which is primarily designed to attract the attention of the public to a business, institution, sign or activity through such means, including but not limited to illumination, color, size or location. Attention-attracting devices or objects oftentimes incorporate illumination, which may be stationary, moving, turning, blinking (including animation) or flashing. Attention-attracting devices may or may not convey a message and can include, but are not limited to, search lights, beacons, strobe lights, strings of lights, barber poles, internally illuminated translucent canopies or panels, electronically controlled message boards (time/temperature signs, gas price signs, public service announcements, etc.), banners, streamers, pennants, propellers and inflatable objects (including strings of balloons) or other device designed to attract attention. Approved traffic-control devices are not considered to be attention-attracting devices.

Awning: Any nonrigid material, such as fabric or flexible plastic, that extends from the exterior wall of a building and is supported by or attached to a frame.

Awning sign: A sign located on an awning.

Banner: A sign other than an official flag, made of paper, cloth, thin plastic or similar lightweight material and usually containing a message or logo.

Beacon: Any light with one or more beams directed into the atmosphere or directed at one or more points not on the same site as the light source; also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or move.

Building permit: A permit issued by the department.

Building, principal: A building in which is conducted the principal use of the lot on which it is situated. A multi-occupant property may have more than one principal building, but only structures regularly used for human occupancy may be considered principal buildings. Not an accessory building.

Building sign. Any sign attached to any part of a building, except the roof, as contrasted to a "ground sign."

Building wall: An exterior load-bearing or non-load-bearing vertical structure, that encompasses the area between the final grade elevation and eaves of the building, and used to enclose the space within the building. A porch, balcony or stoop is part of the building structure and may be considered as a building wall.

Canopy: A roof structure constructed of rigid materials, including but not limited to, metal, wood, concrete, plastic, or glass, which is attached to and supported by a building, or which is free-standing and supported by columns, poles or braces extended to the ground. Unlike a marquee, a canopy generally has very limited vertical surface area; and unlike an awning, a canopy is generally supported by vertical elements rising from the ground at two or more corners.

Canopy sign: Any sign that is a part of or attached to a structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy sign.

Canopy suspended sign: A sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal plane surface and supported by such surface.

Commercial districts: Refers to current zoning districts "B-1", "B-2" and "B-3".

Construction sign: Any sign that is placed at a construction site that has received development plan approval.

County-owned kiosk sign: A double-faced ground sign owned by the county and located in public rights-of-way that displays directional information.

Department: The planning and development department or such other department as is charged with the enforcement of this ordinance.

Director: The planning and development director or his/her designee.

Directory sign: A ground or building sign that is placed at the entrance of a multitenant property.

Electronic sign: A sign whose message may be changed at intervals by electronic process or by remote control, including the device known as a commercial electronic variable message sign.

Flashing sign: A sign, the illumination of which is not constant in intensity when in use, and which exhibits sudden or marked changes in lighting effects. LED displays on restaurant menu boards are not considered flashing signs.

Ground sign: Any sign attached to the ground or to a substantial support structure, which is attached to the ground, as contrasted to a "building" sign.

Illuminated sign: A sign that is illuminated by electrical or other artificial devices designed to give forth artificial light directly or through transparent or translucent material from a source of light within the sign, including, but not limited to neon and exposed lamp signs, or a sign illuminated by an external light directed primarily toward the sign and so shielded that no direct rays from the light are visible elsewhere than on the lot where the illumination occurs.

Instructional sign: A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the site on which it is located, such as "no parking," "entrance," "loading only," "telephone," and similar information and directives.

Industrial districts: Refers to current zoning nonresidential districts "M-1" and "M-2".

Information, piece of: A word, whole number, telephone number, price, logo, picture, exclamation point or similar separately identifiable unit on a sign.

Institutional use: For the purpose of determining allowable signage, a school, religious institution, or other use operated by a public agency or nonprofit organization and permitted as a use in one or more residential zoning districts in the county. A day-care facility shall be considered an institution regardless of ownership or operation.

Landscaped area: A portion of the site or property containing vegetation to exist after construction is completed. Landscaped areas include, but are not limited to, natural areas, buffers, streetscapes, lawns and plantings.

Lot: A parcel of land whose boundaries have been established by some legal instrument, such as a recorded deed or plat, and which is recognized as a separate legal entity for purposes of transferring title or otherwise permitted by law to be separately owned, used, developed, or built upon. This term shall include any number of contiguous lots, or portions thereof, upon which a single principal building and its accessory buildings are located or intended to be located.

Lot of record: A lot that is a part of a subdivision approved and recorded in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance.

Marquee: A roof-like structure that cantilevers from the wall of a building over its principal entrance, that has no vertical supports other than the wall from which it cantilevers, and that provides a wall surface at least four feet high.

Marquee sign: A sign attached to the wall of a marquee.

Menu board: An accessory sign providing items and prices associated with a drive-thru window.

Mobile sign: A sign which is attached to, mounted on, pasted on, painted or drawn on any vehicle, whether motorized or drawn, or any movable sign structure designed for transport, which is placed, parked or maintained at one particular location for the express purpose and intent of promotion or conveying an advertising message.

Nonconforming sign: Any legally placed sign that met the requirements of the county codes at the time it was erected, but does not conform to the requirements of this ordinance.

Office/institutional district: Refers to current nonresidential zoning district "O-I".

Pennant: Any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, which is suspended from a rope, wire, string or pole, usually in series, and which is designed to move in the wind.

Person: Any association, company, corporation, firm, organization or partnership, singular or plural, of any kind.

Portable sign: Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure or a sign designed to be transported, including, but not limited to, signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs made as A-frames or T-frames; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for commercial messages; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles or trailers parked and visible from the public right-of-way.

Portico: A porch or walkway, open to the outside air, that is covered by a roof supported by columns or pillars, typically leading to the entrance of a building. A portico is considered a "canopy" for purposes of determining signage.

Poster box: A box installed on a wall for the purpose of displaying posters of shows at a theater.

Projecting sign: Any sign attached to a building wall and extending laterally more than 18 inches from the face of such wall.

Public service sign: Any sign erected and maintained by public officials, or public agencies, or approved and authorized for use by state or local governmental authorities.

Real estate sign: A temporary sign placed on real property that is for sale, lease or rent.

Residential districts: Refers to current residential zoning districts "A-1" and "A-2", "R-1", "R-2", "R-3" and "MHP".

Roof sign: A sign or graphic that is placed on a roof, or at a height above the roof, or that is supported on the top of a building or structure placed upon the roof. A sign placed on the side elevation of a mansard roof shall be considered a wall sign.

Shopping center: A building or group of buildings, either connected or free-standing, under unified or multiple ownership of land parcels, that is designed and has been approved by the county commission or director as a shopping center with common parking, pedestrian movement, ingress, and egress, and used or intended to be used primarily for the retail sale of goods and services to the public.

Sight triangle (or horizontal sight distance ): The horizontal and vertical areas at the intersections of streets and/or driveways which must remain unobstructed in order to ensure that drivers can see traffic and pedestrians around the comer of the intersection, entrance or driveway.

Sign: Any device, fixture, placard or structure that uses any color, form, graphic, illumination, symbol or writing to advertise, announce the purpose of, or identify the purpose of a person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to the public.

Sign face: The part of a sign that is or can be used for advertising or informational purposes.

Sign structure area: All elements of a freestanding sign, including the sign face, background or decorative elements related to the presentation of the sign's message, and the structural supports.

Site: A lot, tract or parcel of land considered as one land-unit for purposes of this ordinance. For a single-family residence, the site shall be the subdivided lot on which it is located. For multifamily projects, the site shall be all land occupied by the buildings in the project and adjoining such property and under common ownership with it. For vacant land, the site shall be all of the adjoining vacant land under the same ownership. For single-occupancy, nonresidential properties, the site shall be the subdivided lot that is occupied. For multiple occupancy properties, the site shall be all land included under the original "site plan" or "subdivision plan" approval under the UDO.

Site plan: A plan depicting the proposed development of a property, in terms of the location, scale and configuration of buildings and other features.

Special event sign: A temporary sign place on a property that is holding a special event or use.

Street frontage: The distance for which a lot line adjoins a public or private street from one lot line intersecting said street to the furthest lot line intersecting the same street.

Temporary sign: Any sign that is used only temporarily and is not permanently mounted, and that can be used only for a designated period of time.

Theater: An establishment offering to the public movies or live performances.

Traffic sign: A sign indicating federal, state, or municipal regulations for automobile, truck, bicycle or pedestrian movement.

Wall, exterior: A vertical, structural component of a building which encloses habitable or usable space; a parapet extending not more than 12 inches above a flat roof shall be considered part of the exterior wall for purposes of determining signage.

Wall sign: Any sign painted on or attached to and extending not more than six inches from an exterior wall in a parallel manner.

Windblown device: Any banner, pennant, spinner, streamer, propeller, disc, moored blimp, gas balloon or flag (which is not of local, state, federal, corporate, nonprofit or religious origin) that is designed to inform or attract attention, whether or not such device carries a message, all or part of which is set in motion by wind, mechanical, electrical or any other means.

Window sign: Any sign that is applied to the inside of glassed areas of a building.

Zoning district: The classification of parcels of land as defined by the Walton County Comprehensive Land Development Ordinance.

(Ord. of 8-6-2002, § 30; Amend. of 7-5-2005)