§ 21.70.080. Signs in non-residential districts.

A.

General Standards.

1.

An integrated sign program is required for all commercial office complexes, shopping centers, and multi-tenant facilities. Individual signs shall be reviewed for conformity with the integrated sign program whether newly established or existing.

2.

Pole signs may have no more than two faces.

3.

Two-faced signs must be double faced back-to-back.

4.

Signs may not be placed along any side or rear lot line within a required bufferyard.

B.

Permitted Signs.

1.

Sign Table 1 lists the types of signs that are permitted in non-residential zoning districts.

2.

Sign Table 2 sets forth the regulations for permitted signs in non-residential zoning districts.

3.

Signs for residential uses, professional offices or studios, colleges, religious institutions, schools, and similar institutions, where these uses are permitted in non-residential zoning districts, are permitted pursuant to the regulations for these signs in residential districts.

4.

For drive-thru facilities, in addition to other signage allowed for the specific use, a menuboard in the drive-thru lane is allowed as determined appropriate through the site design review process.

Sign Table 1
Types of Signs Permitted in Non-Residential Zoning Districts

District	Permitted Signs
B1	Business community identification sign
	Freestanding
	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk
B2, B3, B3-CD, BCE, I1	Freestanding
	Multi-tenant facility
	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk
BR, PM2	Multi-tenant facility
	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk
C2, C2A, C2P	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk
P, PM	Business community identification sign
	Multi-tenant facility
	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk
MX	Freestanding, ground sign only
	Multi-tenant facility
	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk
WMC, WME, WMI, WMM	Freestanding
	Marine refueling facility signs on piers
	Multi-tenant facility
	Wall-mounted
	Sidewalk

 

Sign Table 2
Regulations for Signs in Non-Residential Zoning Districts

In using the table the following regulations apply:

a.

Lots are permitted both wall-mounted and freestanding signs up to the limits set forth in the table. With the exception of the signage allowed in Table Note 1, signage in multi-tenant facilities is counted as an alternative, not in addition, to permitted wall-mounted and freestanding signs.

b.

For wall-mounted signs the maximum sign area is for the lot, with the exception of the signage allowed in Table Note 1.

c.

For all other signs the maximum sign area is the maximum area per sign face, unless stated otherwise. For example, a two-sided, freestanding, ground sign in the BCE could be thirty square feet per face or sixty square feet total.

d.

The following abbreviations are used in the table: sf = square feet; lf = linear feet; bldg = building; ″ = inches.

e.

Important. The notes at the end of the table are as much a part of the law as the table itself.

Sign Type	Zoning District	Number of Businesses per Lot	Maximum Sign Area	Number of Signs Allowed	Maximum Height (feet)	Illumination Permitted	Projection Permitted	Other
Wall-mounted
	B1, BR, PM, MX		1. 1 sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of 100 sf. 2. No single sign may exceed 30 sf per face.	1. B1, PM: no limit, up to maximum permitted sign area. 2. BR, MX: no more than 3 signs per building.	13. In the MX district, signs may not be located higher on a façade than the second-story windowsills.	Yes, external means only such as spotlight	Yes, up to 1.5 feet from a wall.
	B2 , B3, B3-CD, BCE,		1. 2 sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of 120 sf. 2. No single sign may exceed 75 sf in area	No limit up to permitted sign area	15	Yes	Yes, up to 1.5 feet into a public way	Uses with canopies, such as service stations, may use the lf of canopy frontage in lieu of lf of building frontage to calculate permitted sign area.
	C2, C2A, C2P		1 sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of 30 sf	Up to 3 signs per building	15	Yes, external means only such as spotlight	Yes, up to 1.5 feet from a wall.
	P		9 sf	1 per street frontage	15	No	Yes, but not into a public way.
	PM2		See below under multi-tenant facilities sign types
	I1		2 sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of 120 sf	No limit up to permitted sign area	18	Yes	No
	WMC		1 sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of 100 sf	No limit up to permitted sign area	22	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water
	WME, WMI, WMM		2 sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of 120 sf
Marquee sign
	Any district where the associated use is permitted		120 sf. The area of a marquee sign is permitted instead of, not in addition to, wall-mounted or freestanding signage that would otherwise be permitted.	1 per lot	15	Yes	Yes, up to the projection of the marquee	Theaters, museums, and auditoriums with a marquee sign are permitted wall-mounted frames up to 24 sf per frame advertising movies, plays or other features to be given at the venue.
Freestanding
	B1, WMC		Pole signs: 12 sf, or ground signs: 20 sf.	1 per lot	10	No	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water	1 Freestanding signs are permitted only on lots with a minimum lot width of 100 feet or larger. 2 Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 0 feet B1, I1, WME, WMI, WMM 5 feet Other districts 10 feet
	B2 , B3, B3-CD, BCE, I1, WME, WMI, WMM	Lots with up to 2 businesses	Pole signs: 20 sf, or ground signs: 30 sf	1 per street frontage.	Pole signs: 15 Ground signs: 12	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water	1 Freestanding signs are permitted only on lots with a minimum lot width of 100 feet or larger. 2 Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 0 feet B1, I1, WME, WMI, WMM 5 feet Other districts 10 feet
	B2 , B3, B3-CD, BCE, I1, WME, WMI, WMM	Lots with 3 or more businesses	Pole signs: 24 sf, or ground signs: 30 sf	1 per street frontage.	Pole signs: 15. Ground signs: 12	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water	1 Freestanding signs are permitted only on lots with a minimum lot width of 100 feet or larger. 2 Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 0 feet B1, I1, WME, WM, WMM 5 feet Other districts 10 feet
	MX		30 sf	1 per street frontage.	10	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water	Must be a ground sign, monument style.
Multi-tenant facility signs
Multi-tenant facility identification sign	B2 , B3, B3-CD, BCE, PM2, WMC, WME, WMI, WMM		64 sf	1 per street frontage	15	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water.	1. In the P district and the waterfront districts these signs may be ground signs, monument style, or wall-mounted. 2. All other districts these signs must be ground signs, monument style. 3. Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 5 feet. I1, MX, PM.WME, WMI, WMM, 10 feet. Other districts: 15 feet
Multi-tenant facility identification sign	I1		100 sf	1 per street frontage	15	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water.	1. In the P district and the waterfront districts these signs may be ground signs, monument style, or wall-mounted. 2. All other districts these signs must be ground signs, monument style. 3. Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 5 feet. I1, MX, PM, WME, WMI, WMM, 10 feet. Other districts: 15 feet
Multi-tenant facility identification sign	MX, PM		30 sf	1 per street frontage	10	Yes, external means only such as spotlight	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water.	1. In the P district and the waterfront districts these signs may be ground signs, monument style, or wall-mounted. 2. All other districts these signs must be ground signs, monument style. 3. Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 5 feet. I1, MX, PM, WMEWMI, WMM, 10 feet. Other districts: 15 feet
Multi-tenant facility identification sign	P		15 sf	1 per street frontage	10	Yes, external means only such as spotlight	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water.	1. In the P district and the waterfront districts these signs may be ground signs, monument style, or wall-mounted. 2. All other districts these signs must be ground signs, monument style. 3. Minimum setback from property lines: WMC 5 feet. I1, MX, PM.WME, WMI, WMM, 10 feet. Other districts: 15 feet
Shopping center anchor tenant, wall- mounted	B2 , PM2,		0.5 sf per lf of anchor tenant façade	1 per street frontage	20	Yes	Yes, but not into a public way or over the water.
Tenant sign, wall-mounted	B2 , B3, B3-CD, BCE, PM2, I1, WMC, WME, WMI, WMM		1.5 sf per lf of building frontage per tenant, up to 40 sf per tenant.	1 per tenant, plus 1 additional for a corner tenant with windows in both façades.	15	Yes	No	Maximum sign board height: 36″ for anchors, 18″ for other tenants. Maximum lettering height: 36″ for anchors, 14″ for other tenants.
Tenant sign, wall-mounted	BR, MX, PM, P		Lesser of 1 sf per lf of entrance façade or 20 sf	1 per tenant, plus 1 additional for a corner tenant with windows in both façades.	15	No	No	Maximum sign board height: 36″ for anchors, 18″ for other tenants. Maximum lettering height: 36″ for anchors, 14″ for other tenants.
Tenant sign, projecting	B2 , B3, B3-CD, BCE, PM2, WMC, WME, WMI, WMM		6 sf	1 per tenant		Yes, external means only such as spotlight	Yes	This type of sign is permitted where tenant spaces are recessed under a canopied walkway.
Business community identification sign	B1, P, PM		30 sf	1 at each entry point	6	Yes, external means only such as spotlight	Yes, but not into a public way.	This type of sign is for communities comprising six or more businesses.
Marine refueling facility signs on piers	WMC, WME, WMI, WMM		6 sf per face	1 per facility	10	Yes	No
Sidewalk	All		7 sf per face	1 per tenant	4.5	No	No

 

Table Notes:

1 For sign(s) located within six hundred feet of Solomons Island Road/MD Route 2 and upon property at least five acres in area and zoned within the B2 District, the regulations shall be as follows:

 a. Wall-mounted. Maximum sign area: (i) six sf per lf of building frontage up to a maximum of one thousand six hundred sf, (ii) No single sign may exceed three hundred forty sf in area; Number of signs allowed: No limit up to permitted sign area; Maximum Height (feet): thirty-two; Maximum sign board height: eleven and one-half feet; Maximum lettering height: six feet; Illumination permitted: Yes; Projection permitted: Yes, up to one and one-half feet into a public way.

 b. Freestanding (lots with one or more businesses). Maximum sign area: (i) pole signs: twenty-four sf, (ii) ground signs: thirty sf; Number of signs allowed: one per street frontage; Maximum Height (feet): (i) pole signs: fifteen, ground signs: twelve; Minimum setback from property lines: ten feet; Minimum lot width: one hundred feet; Illumination permitted: Yes; Projection permitted: Yes, but not into a public way.

 c. Multi-tenant facility identification sign. Maximum sign area: three hundred forty sf per side; Number of signs allowed: one per street frontage; Maximum Height (feet): thirty-five; Minimum setback from property lines: fifteen feet; Illumination permitted: Yes; Projection permitted: Yes, but not into a public way.

 d. Anchor tenant, wall-mounted. Allowed in accordance with the regulations for wall-mounted signs in preceding subsection a.

 e. Tenant sign, wall-mounted. Maximum sign area: up to forty-five sf per tenant; Number of signs allowed: one per tenant, plus one additional for a corner tenant with windows in both façades

; Maximum Height (feet): thirty-two; Maximum sign board height: four feet; Maximum lettering height: three and one-half feet; Illumination permitted: Yes; Projection permitted: No.

 f. Tenant sign, projecting. six

(Ord. O-18-08 Revised § 1, 2008; Ord. O-05-08 Amended § 1, 2008: O-10-07 Amended § 1 (part), 2007: Ord. O-1-04 Revised (part), 2005; Ord. No. O-42-18, § I, 5-13-2019)