14.38.170 Off-Premises Electronic Display Signs (Billboards).
(1) As provided in Section 14.38.115(1), Provo City Code, no new permits for off-premises signs will be issued.
(2) Conversion of an existing off-premises sign to an off-premises electronic display sign is eligible for permit, provided the area of the converted off-premises electronic display sign does not exceed that of the original off-premises sign.
(3) The off-premises electronic display sign overlay zone (sign overlay zone) is established to provide areas of the City in which an off-premises sign may be converted into an off-premises electronic display sign. Off-premises signs shall not be converted into electronic display signs in any location except those within the sign overlay zone. The purpose of the sign overlay zone is to encourage and promote economic development and ensure an attractive business climate for areas of the City; to highlight and cross-promote the uses, goods and services available in the City’s retail commercial core; to promote appropriate and economically viable signage which uses clear, attractive graphics; to protect street views and vistas of pedestrians and drivers; to protect pedestrians and motorists from traffic safety hazards; to protect residents from glare and excessive illumination; to provide clear development standards under which signs enabled by this sign overlay zone can be designed and installed; and to promote and protect the public health, safety, welfare and convenience by regulating signs enabled by this sign overlay zone.
(4) The Sign Overlay Zone shall apply to those properties that are not zoned residential and that front the following roads:
(a) That portion of I-15 that lies within the boundaries of the City of Provo,
(b) University Avenue, between 680 South and the I-15 interchange generally located at 1860 South,
(c) State Street, between Bulldog Blvd. on the south and the boundary line of the City of Provo on the north, and
(d) Center Street, between I-15 and 900 West.
(5) Off-premises electronic display signs must meet the following standards:
(a) At no time shall off-premises electronic display signs cast a light level greater than three-tenths (3/10) foot candle more than the ambient light level at the location. Light cutoff devices should minimize light above the billboard. Foot candle readings shall be measured at ground level and at the distances shown in the table below:
|
Size (square feet) |
Distance from source |
|---|---|
|
0 to 100 |
100 feet |
|
101 to 350 |
150 feet |
|
351 to 650 |
200 feet |
|
Over 650 |
250 feet |
(b) Off-premises electronic display signs must be equipped with both a dimmer control and a photocell that automatically adjusts the display’s intensity according to ambient light levels. In addition, off-premises electronic display signs must have a default mechanism to turn off the sign within twenty-four (24) hours of a reported malfunction.
(c) Messages displayed on off-premises electronic display signs shall have a minimum display duration of eight (8) seconds and must be static during each individual message. No portion of the message may flash, scroll, twirl, change color, fade in or fade out, or imitate movement. The transition from one static display to another must be instantaneous.
(d) The images and messages displayed must be complete in themselves, without continuation in content to the next image or message or to any other sign.
(e) Off-premises electronic display signs must be located at least three hundred (300) linear feet from any off-premises sign that is not an electronic display sign, at least one thousand two hundred (1,200) linear feet from any other off-premises electronic display sign located on the same side of the street, and at least five hundred (500) linear feet from an interstate exchange, as measured from any part of the off-premises electronic display sign to the nearest portion of any other off-premises sign or off-premises electronic display sign or to the nearest right-of-way line of the interchange.
(f) No off-premises electronic display sign shall be located closer than one thousand six hundred (1,600) linear feet from any other off-premises electronic display sign located on the opposite side of the street, as measured from any part of one off-premises electronic display sign to the nearest portion of any other off-premises electronic display sign.
(g) Off-premises electronic display signs must be located at least three hundred (300) feet from any residence as measured from any part of the off-premises electronic display sign to the nearest property line of the residence. This distance may be reduced to one hundred fifty (150) feet if no portion of the off-premises electronic display sign face or viewing surface is visible from the residence.
(Enacted 2013-17)