20.04.020 Findings and purpose.
A. The City Council finds, determines and declares that the uncontrolled and unregulated construction, erection, or maintenance of signs in the City will adversely affect the public health, safety and general welfare and will adversely affect the aesthetics and character of residential, commercial and industrial areas of the City. Unregulated and poorly maintained signage will also degrade the quality of the visual environment and detract from the aesthetic character of the community that residents and visitors enjoy, thereby affecting economic values. It is therefore necessary, in order to protect life and property, to promote and protect the public health, safety, and general welfare, and to protect and promote the character and development of residential, commercial and industrial areas of the City, to regulate and control the design, construction, location and maintenance of all signs in the City as provided for in this title.
B. This title establishes sign regulations that are intended to balance the needs of the City’s residents, businesses, visitors, and institutions for adequate identification, communication, and advertising with the objectives of protecting public safety and welfare and promoting a well-maintained and attractive community. More specifically, these regulations for signs and awnings are intended:
1. To ensure that signs and awnings are designed, constructed, installed and maintained in compliance with minimum standards to safeguard life, safety, property and public welfare by minimizing diversion of vehicle operators’ attention;
2. To allow and promote positive conditions for sign communication while at the same time avoiding nuisances that degrade the value of surrounding properties;
3. To reflect and support the desired character and development patterns of the various zones, overlay zones, and plan districts and promote an attractive environment;
4. To allow for adequate and effective signage in commercial and industrial zones while preventing a proliferation of signage from dominating the appearance of the area and creating visual clutter;
5. To allow signs to have adequate visibility from streets and rights-of-way that abut a site, but not necessarily to streets and rights-of-way farther away; and
6. To ensure that the constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech is protected. (Ord. 7120-NS § 1, 2009: Ord. 6474-NS § 2, 1999: Ord. 6424-NS § 1 (part), 1998)