4.10.15. STANDARDS, DESIGN QUALITY, AND MEASUREMENT.
A. Generally. Signs may be erected, altered, and maintained only for those uses permitted in the zone district where the signs are located, and shall be located on the same lot as the permitted use unless otherwise permitted by this UDO.
B. Repairing. Painting, repainting, replacing damaged or broken parts, or cleaning of an advertising structure is permitted unless it is located within the MU-OA district, a structural change is made, or unless the sign is a nonconforming sign.
C. Message Substitution.
1. A noncommercial message may be substituted for a commercial message on any sign permitted by this Section 146-4.10.
2. Changing of the message content of a sign shall not require a sign permit.
D. Standards.
1. Setback. All signs on private property must be set back four feet from back of sidewalk and may not be placed in street medians, corner sight triangles (as required by the Aurora Roadway Design and Construction Specifications Manual) or within a parking space. In the absence of a sidewalk, such sign shall be located a minimum of 21 feet from the flowline of the street.
2. Revocable License. Signs shall not be located in the public right-of-way unless authorized by this UDO, or in the case of rights-of-way under the jurisdiction of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), then unless authorized by CDOT. Signs requiring permits to be installed in the public right-of-way or easement shall only be allowed upon execution of a revocable permit with the City.
3. Landscaping. Signs shall not be attached to or disturb landscape materials.
4. Building Permit. Permanent signs higher than seven feet in height shall require a building permit.
5. Sight Triangle. Private signs shall not be located within any sight triangle defined in the Aurora Roadway Design and Construction Specifications Manual.
6. Interior Signs. Signs located inside a building at least four feet away from any window through which the sign could be viewed from outside the building shall not be regulated by this Section 146-4.10.
7. Wall Signs. Wall signs are permitted to the maximum height of the wall structure. Signs on buildings with a flat roof are permitted to the top of the parapet wall. On structures with peaked roofs, wall signs shall not be installed above the height of the lowest point of the roof structure. Permitted wall signs may project into the public right-of-way to a maximum depth of 18 inches.
8. Animation. No sign shall flash, blink, rotate, or fluctuate.
E. Design Quality.
1. Architectural and Visual Compatibility. Sign type, scheme, size, and illumination within a development shall be coordinated and compatible with the site's architectural character.
2. Sign Shape. The silhouette of signs shall be simple and compatible with the building or façade they relate to.
3. Illumination. Illumination shall be shielded so there is no glare in the public right-of-way and adjacent properties, and directed so light does not stray above the light source horizontally. All lighting elements shall be kept in working condition.
4. Materials. Materials and textures of signs shall be consistent with the architectural character of the site and building. Supporting sign structures of monument signs shall match the primary finish and colors of the associated building(s). Sign materials not permitted include plywood, fabric/paper (except for temporary signs), wall siding, fencing, or roofing material, and plain concrete masonry units.
5. Placement. Signs attached to buildings shall not overlap or cover features of the building such as cornices, eaves, window and doorframes, columns and other decorative elements.
6. Views. Ground or freestanding signs shall not be placed where they obscure important architectural features such as entrances, display windows, or decorative elements when viewed from the public right-of-way.
F. Measurement.
1. Area to Be Measured.
a. The structure or bracing of a sign shall be omitted from measurement unless such structure or bracing is made part of the message or face of the sign.
b. Where a sign has two or more display faces, the area of all faces shall be included in determining the area of the sign.
2. Wall Signs.
a. In the MU-OA-MS and MU-OA-G subdistricts, channel letter signs shall be measured as shown in Figure 4.10-2.
Figure 4.10-2: Channel Letters or Message Content Sign – MU-OA-MS and G Subdistricts
b. All other districts:
i. For channel letters or message content the area of any sign displaying individual letters on a background (façade, wall, divisional wall, awning or canopy) shall be measured by encompassing all the letters and content in a geometric form consisting of no more than eight rectilinear lines at right angles to each other.
Figure 4.10-3: Channel Letters or Message Content Sign
ii. Two capital and two lower case extensions, or similar extensions to message content, may be exempted from being included in the area of measurement. Capital letters, lower case extensions, and other content extensions may not exceed twice the height of lower case letters. See Figures 4-10-3 and 4.10-4.
3. Monument Signs. The area calculation for monument signs shall include both the front and back sign faces. See Figure 4.10-4.
Figure 4.10-4: Monument Sign
(Ord. No. 2020-37 § 25, 10-05-2020; Ord. No. 2019-49 § 1, 08-19-2019)