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MapLink™ Signs

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SIGN
Any device designed to inform or attract the attention of persons not on the premises on which the device is located that includes the name, identification, description, display, or illustration, and which is affixed to, painted or represented directly or indirectly upon a building, or other outdoor surface which directs attention to or is designed or intended to direct attention to the sign face or to an object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization, or business, excluding integral architectural features other than letters, trademarks, or moving parts. Signs located completely within an enclosed building, and not exposed to view from a street, shall not be considered a sign. Each display surface of a sign or sign face shall be considered to be a sign.
SIGN, ACCESSORY
A sign whose subject matter relates exclusively to the premises on which it is located, or to products, accommodations, services, or activities on premises.
SIGN, AREA
The entire area within a regular geometric form or combinations of regular geometric forms comprising all of the display area of the sign and including all of the elements of the matter displayed. One side only of signs with faces at 180° to each other shall be counted. Frames and structural members not bearing advertising matter shall not be included in computation of sign area unless those elements are internally or decoratively lit.
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SIGN, AWNING (OR CANOPY)
A sign painted on or attached to the cloth, canvas or metal cover of a fixed, hinged, rolled or folding type of awning or canopy.
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SIGN, BUILDING DIRECTORY
A sign composed of such directory signs as may be permitted for the tenants or occupants of a building or group of buildings.
SIGN, BUSINESS
A sign located on property where a business is allowed under these Regulations.
SIGN, COMMERCIAL
Any sign fabricated, constructed, attached, erected, fastened, painted, or manufactured in any manner and displayed outdoors for the purpose of inducing the sale of any merchandise or service or promoting the business, opinion or policy of any person, party, firm, association, group or corporation other than that offered or conducted on the premises on which it stands. Commercial signs shall also include billboards.
SIGN, COMMUNITY OR BANNERS
A sign or banner, erected by the Town of Stratford, primarily identifying the Town of Stratford, individual Town-owned properties, or special public events. These signs may include municipal wayfinding signage/programs.
SIGN, CONSTRUCTION
A sign which identifies the owner, contractor, designer and/or engineer associated with a project under construction.
SIGN, DIRECTORY
A sign which identifies the name of one of the tenants or occupants of a building. More than one of these signs may be combined to form a building directory.
SIGN, ELECTRONIC
A sign that changes its message or copy at intervals by digital, electronic, or mechanical processes, by remote control or other programming device. Any illuminated sign on which the artificial light is not stationary or constant in intensity and color at all times when the sign is in use. Any moving illuminated sign shall be considered a flashing sign.
SIGN, FACE
The entire display surface area of a sign upon, against or through which copy is placed.
SIGN, FEATHER
A sign of flexible, lightweight fabric or similar material that is supported along one edge and is mounted to a ground base or staked into the ground and intended to blow in the wind to attract attention. Also called a wind flag.
SIGN, FLASHING
Any illumined sign on which the artificial light is not maintained stationary or constant in intensity and color at all times when such sign is in use.
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SIGN, FREESTANDING/MONUMENT
A sign erected and maintained on a freestanding frame, mast, pole, or other means of support in or upon the ground and not attached to any building.
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SIGN, GOVERNMENT
A government sign is a sign that is constructed, placed, or maintained by the federal, state or local government or a sign that is required to be constructed, placed or maintained by the federal, state or local government either directly or to enforce a property owner's rights.
SIGN, GRAFFITI
Any unauthorized inscription, word, figure, painting or other defacement that is written, marked, etched, scratched, sprayed, drawn, painted, or engraved on or otherwise affixed to any surface of public or private property by any graffiti implement, to the extent that the graffiti was not authorized in advance by the owner or occupant of the property, or, despite advance authorization, is otherwise deemed a public nuisance by the Town of Stratford.
SIGN, HANGING
A sign which is attached perpendicular to the wall or a building or structure above or adjacent to the main entrance to the activity being identified, and which does not project more than five feet from said wall.
SIGN, HEIGHT OF
The distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign or sign structure. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of:
1) Existing grade prior to construction; or

2) The newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.

3) In cases in which the normal grade cannot be reasonably determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the normal grade is the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of the public street along which the lot has frontage or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the lot, whichever is lower.
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SIGN, HIGHWAY
A freestanding sign, integral sign, or wall sign that is erected and maintained within the view of motorists who are driving on a highway.
SIGN, ICONOGRAPHIC
A three-dimensional sign such as a clock, barber pole, or similar attached or not attached to a building or structure.
SIGN, IDENTIFICATION
Any sign that with respect to the premises on which it is erected, advertises, or indicates one or more of the following: the person or activity occupying the premises, or the type of business transacted on the premises, or the sale or letting of the premises or any part thereof, and which contains no other advertising matter.
SIGN, INTEGRAL
A sign that is embedded, extruded, or carved into the material of a building facade. A sign made of bronze, brushed stainless steel or aluminum, or similar material attached to the building facade.
SIGN, MARQUEE
A canopy or covering structure bearing a signboard or copy projecting from and attached to a building.
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SIGN, ORIGINAL ART DISPLAY
A hand-painted work of visual art that is either affixed to or painted directly on the exterior wall of the structure with the permission of the property owner. An original art display does not include mechanically produced or computer-generated prints or images, including but not limited to, digitally printed vinyl, electrical or mechanical components, or changing image art display.
SIGN, OUTDOOR ADVERTISING
A sign that advertises goods, products or services which are not sold, manufactured, or distributed on or from the premises or facilities on which the sign is located.
SIGN, PERMANENT
Any sign, excluding billboards, which does not fall into the categories for temporary signs.
SIGN, PORTABLE
Any structure without a permanent foundation or otherwise permanently attached to a fixed location, which can be carried, towed, hauled, or driven and is primarily designed to be moved rather than be limited to a fixed location regardless of modifications that limit its movability, including that of an A-frame or sandwich board.
SIGN, PROJECTING
A sign, other than a wall sign, which is supported by a wall of a building and that is fixed perpendicular to the wall on which it is mounted.
SIGN, ROOF
A sign located on or above the roof of any building, not including a false mansard roof, canopy, or other fascia.
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SIGN, TEMPORARY
A banner, pennant, poster, or advertising display constructed of paper, cloth, canvas, plastic sheet, cardboard, wallboard, plywood or other like materials and that appears to be intended or is determined by the Building Inspector to be displayed for a limited period of time (rather than permanently attached to the ground or a structure) and which identifies an activity of a temporary nature and temporarily identifies an activity of a permanent nature.
SIGN, WALL
A sign affixed directly to or painted on or otherwise inscribed on an exterior wall and confined within the limits thereof of any building and which projects from that surface less than 12 inches at all points. Such signs also include those that are facade mounted.
SIGN, WINDOW
Any sign affixed to a window or displayed within three feet of the interior of the window.
General requirements for all signs.
 
1) Signs shall be a subordinate part of the streetscape rather than the dominant features. Properly designed signs can communicate names and addresses of occupants clearly and add interest in building facades without overpowering them.

2) No legally existing sign shall be altered, rebuilt, enlarged, extended or relocated except in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations.

3) If any nonconforming wall sign or freestanding sign is discontinued or requires replacement or alteration due to a change in use of the premises, such replacement sign must conform to these Regulations if more than 25% of the freestanding signage or 25% of the total front wall signage is replaced or altered. The repainting or repair of existing nonconforming signs is permitted only for the same use and only by the same tenant on the premises.

4) When a business or service using an identification sign is discontinued the sign shall be removed within 10 working days.

5) The area of a sign shall be considered the entire area within a regular geometric form which encompasses all elements of the matter displayed (including lettering, wording design, or symbols, etc.) together with any background which is designed as an integral part of and obviously related to the sign. Frames and structural elements of the sign, not bearing any advertising matter, are not considered as part of the sign area.

6) Any sign may be double-faced but only one face shall be counted in determining conformity with these Regulations. All faces of a multifaced sign, however, will be counted in determining conformity with these Regulations.

7) The height of a sign shall be considered the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest component of the sign including the pole.

8) Signs shall be illuminated only by internal illumination or shielded light directed at the sign, without causing glare for motorists, pedestrians, or neighboring premises. Properties in LB, LBB, CNC, CF and WF Zones are exempt from the internal illumination requirement.

9) All signs, together with their supports, braces, guys and anchors, shall be kept in good repair and in a safe condition to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector. The owner of a sign, and the owner of the premises on which it stands, shall be responsible for keeping such sign and ground around it in a safe, sanitary, neat and clean condition. Failure to comply with the conditions of this section shall be a violation of these Regulations, subject to penalties prescribed in Section 7.4 (Enforcement).
 

Signs permitted in the Resource Conservation District.

Since the Resource Conservation District was designed to protect environmentally sensitive areas, all signs are subject to the administrative approval of the Zoning Commission. All signs shall be made of wood only, shall not be illuminated and shall be finished with nontoxic materials.
Procedures.
 
1) No outdoor advertising or commercial sign shall be displayed in the Town of Stratford except in accordance with these Regulations and until a permit for the same has been issued by the Building Inspector following receipt of a zoning compliance report from the Office of Planning and Zoning, except as hereinafter provided. Window signs are exempt from the permit requirements.

2) An application, accompanied by a scale drawing, shall be made in writing for each separate permit to the Building Inspector upon a form approved by him. Such application shall set forth the name and address of the applicant, the location by street and number where such sign is to be erected or located, the name and address of the owner of the property, the size, type and general description of such proposed sign, including the materials of which it is constructed, the zone in which it is located and such other pertinent information required or deemed necessary to determine the sign's safety and conformity to these Regulations.

3) In reviewing applications for special permits pursuant to this section, the following standards shall apply:
 
a) The sign(s) will not cause visual confusion, glare, or offensive lighting in the neighborhood.

b) The sign(s) will not be a detriment to the surrounding area.

c) The sign(s) will not significantly alter the appearance of the zoning district.

d) The sign(s) will not interfere with traffic safety in the area.

e) Each sign shall be considered on its own merits and shall not be considered a precedent.

f) All zoning nonconformities and violations must be removed or corrected.

4) The fee for such permit shall be payable in full at the time of application for such permit and shall be in accordance with the permit fee schedule as determined by the Building Inspection Department and the Zoning Commission.
The following signs are prohibited:
 
1) Signs erected in such a manner that it obstructs clear vision for a distance of 20 feet from any street intersection. Signs erected in such a location that any traffic control device shall be in a direct line between the sign and oncoming traffic.

2) Signs affixed to any building wall, roof or structure extending beyond the corner of the building or building roof lines, or covering any window, doorway, or other existing architectural feature. Wall signs projecting more than 12 inches from their mounting wall.

3) Electronic message signs excluding theater marquee signs and gasoline dealer price signs. Flashing, revolving or animated signs of intermittent or varying light intensity including such signs located inside a building but visible outside the building.

4) Signs causing radio or television interference.

5) Signs obstructing any fire escape, window, door or opening used as a means of egress or ingress or for firefighting purposes or placed so as to interfere with any opening required for legal ventilation.

6) Signs that project over any sidewalk, with the exception of canopy signs.

7) Signs that contain or consist of banners, posters, pennants, ribbons, streamers, strings of light bulbs, strings of flags, spinners, or other similarly moving devices or signs that may move or swing because of wind pressure, which tend to unduly divert the attention of motorists shall not be permitted in any district. These devices when not part of any sign are similarly prohibited.

8) Portable signs, except as provided for in Section 6.11.4 (Temporary Signs)

9) Commercial signs in which such sign faces or is primarily intended to be visible from the Merritt Parkway, except where another public right of way separates the premises from the Merritt Parkway.

10) Commercial signs in which the sign is greater than three feet in height placed at street intersections within the area formed by a line joining points on each front lot line 20 feet from the intersection of the street lines.

11) Commercial signs are prohibited in residential zones or on property used for non-transient residential uses, except for those properties on which a home occupation or a transient residential use has been approved.

12) Signs of a size, location, movement, coloring, or manner of illumination that may be confused with or construed as a traffic control device, or that hides from view any traffic or street sign or signal.

Enforcement.
Any person, firm, association or corporation who, having been notified in writing to discontinue any violation of these Regulations shall be subject to penalties prescribed in Section 7.4 (Enforcement) if such violations are not corrected within 10 days.
Electronic message signs are allowed under the following conditions:
 
a) The following illumination and performance standards shall apply to all electronic signs:
 
i) There shall be no safety hazards created by the sign's illumination effects on traffic patterns, traffic lights, or public safety.

ii) No sign shall exceed 7,500 nits (nit is the industry standard of luminosity measurement candela per square meter) and the sign shall be accompanied by a manufacturer's certificate to that effect.

iii) Each sign shall have a photocell sensor that automatically adjusts brightness according to ambient light conditions and include settings to reduce the brightness to 10% or less of the maximum setting at night, and the sign shall be accompanied by a manufacturer certificate to the effect.

iv) Each sign shall include a factory override to adjust the nighttime brightness to less than 10% if necessary.
 

v) Each sign shall be equipped to display a default design or message that will be displayed in the event a malfunction occurs.

b) The message shall be displayed for a period of at least 10 seconds.

c) The message displayed shall be static and the transition from one static display to another static display shall be instantaneous to the human eye without any transitional effects.

d) There shall be no off-premise advertising.
Purpose.
The purpose of this section is to regulate the size, color, illumination, movement, materials, location, height, and condition of all signs displayed on private property to be viewed from off-site, thus ensuring the protection of property values; the character of the various neighborhoods; the creation of a convenient, attractive, and harmonious community; protection against adverse impacts on historic resources; and promotion of economic development.

This section must be interpreted in a manner consistent with the First Amendment of the United States Constitutional guarantee of free speech and the free speech protections of the Connecticut Constitution, Article 1, § 5 and 6. If any provision of this section is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such a finding must not affect the validity of other provisions of this section which can be given effect without the invalid provision.
These sign regulations are intended to promote signs that are:
 
1) Compatible with the use of the property to which they are appurtenant and the landscape and architecture of surrounding buildings.

2) Legible and appropriate to the activity to which they pertain.

3) Not distracting to motorists or which decrease the probability of accidents by distracting attention or obstructing vision.

4) Constructed and maintained in a structurally sound and attractive condition.

These Regulations are not intended to and do not apply to signs erected, maintained, or otherwise posted, owned, or leased by the United States Government, the State of Connecticut, or the Town of Stratford. The inclusion of "government" in describing some signs does not intend to subject the government to regulation, but instead help to illuminate the type of sign that falls within the immunities of the government from regulation.