Hello bob76, as you might expect there are many statutes and
codes/ordinances that address billboards and off-premise advertising
signs in North Carolina. You can search state statutes here:
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Statutes/Statutes.asp
I did a few searches and found the following:
Your search for billboard produced 11 matches.
Sections Description File Formats
1. G.S. 136-102 § 136-102. Billboard obstructing view at entra... [
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2. G.S. 90-113.24 § 90-113.24. Advertisement of drug paraphernalia. [
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3. G.S. 18B-105 § 18B-105. Advertising. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
4. G.S. 163-278.38Z § 163-278.38Z. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
5. G.S. 136-12.1 § 136-12.1. Biennial report on off-premise sig... [
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6. G.S. 136-128 § 136-128. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
7. G.S. 136-131.1 § 136-131.1. (See editor's note for expiration... [
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8. G.S. 121-35 § 121-35. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
9. G.S. 113A-167 § 113A-167. Existing billboards. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
10. G.S. 163-278.42 § 163-278.42. Distribution of campaign funds; ...
[ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
11. G.S. 163-278.6 § 163-278.6. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
Your search for "outdoor signs" produced 1 matches.
Sections Description File Formats
1. G.S. 18B-105 § 18B-105. Advertising. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
Your search for "outdoor advertising" produced 27 matches.
Sections Description File Formats
1. G.S. 160A-199 § 160A-199. Regulation of outdoor advertising. [ HTML
| PDF | RTF ]
2. G.S. 153A-143 § 153A-143. Regulation of outdoor advertising. [ HTML
| PDF | RTF ]
3. G.S. 136-129 § 136-129. Limitations of outdoor advertising ... [
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4. G.S. 136-130 § 136-130. Regulation of advertising. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
5. G.S. 136-131 § 136-131. Removal of existing nonconforming a... [
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6. G.S. 136-133 § 136-133. Permits required. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
7. G.S. 136-134 § 136-134. Illegal advertising. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
8. G.S. 113A-167 § 113A-167. Existing billboards. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
9. G.S. 113A-168 § 113A-168. Removal, etc., of unlawful adverti... [
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10. G.S. 136-129.1 § 136-129.1. Limitations of outdoor advertisin... [
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11. G.S. 136-135 § 136-135. Enforcement provisions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
12. G.S. 113A-170 § 113A-170. Violation a misdemeanor; injunctiv... [
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13. G.S. 160A-400.9 § 160A-400.9. Certificate of appropriateness r...
[ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
14. G.S. 136-127 § 136-127. Declaration of policy. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
15. G.S. 136-129.2 § 136-129.2. Limitation of outdoor advertising... [
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16. G.S. 136-126 § 136-126. Title of Article. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
17. G.S. 136-134.2 § 136-134.2. Notification requirements. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
18. G.S. 163-278.38Z § 163-278.38Z. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
19. G.S. 160A-211 § 160A-211. Privilege license taxes. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
20. G.S. 136-128 § 136-128. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
21. G.S. 136-131.1 § 136-131.1. (See editor's note for expiration... [
HTML | PDF | RTF ]
22. G.S. 136-138 § 136-138. Agreements with United States autho... [
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23. G.S. 136-139 § 136-139. Alternate control. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
24. G.S. 136-140 § 136-140. Availability of federal aid funds. [ HTML
| PDF | RTF ]
25. G.S. 133-7 § 133-7. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
26. G.S. 113A-165 § 113A-165. Advertisements prohibited within 1... [
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27. G.S. 163-278.6 § 163-278.6. Definitions. [ HTML | PDF | RTF ]
I don't mean to bore you with this. I only wanted to show that there
are indeed many state statutes dealing with advertising. I looked at a
few of these and found some of particular interest.
§ 153A?143. Regulation of outdoor advertising.
(a) As used in this section, the term "off?premises outdoor
advertising" includes off?premises outdoor advertising visible from
the main?traveled way of any road.
(b) A county may require the removal of an off?premises outdoor
advertising sign that is nonconforming under a local ordinance and may
regulate the use of off?premises outdoor advertising within the
jurisdiction of the county in accordance with the applicable
provisions of this Chapter.
(c) A county shall give written notice of its intent to require
removal of off?premises outdoor advertising by sending a letter by
certified mail to the last known address of the owner of the outdoor
advertising and the owner of the property on which the outdoor
advertising is located.
(d) No county may enact or amend an ordinance of general
applicability to require the removal of any nonconforming, lawfully
erected off?premises outdoor advertising sign without the payment of
monetary compensation to the owners of the off?premises outdoor
advertising, except as provided below. The payment of monetary
compensation is not required if:
§ 160A?199. Regulation of outdoor advertising.
(a) As used in this section, the term "off?premises outdoor
advertising" includes off?premises outdoor advertising visible from
the main?traveled way of any road.
(b) A city may require the removal of an off?premises outdoor
advertising sign that is nonconforming under a local ordinance and may
regulate the use of off?premises outdoor advertising within the
jurisdiction of the city in accordance with the applicable provisions
of this Chapter.
(c) A city shall give written notice of its intent to require
removal of off?premises outdoor advertising by sending a letter by
certified mail to the last known address of the owner of the outdoor
advertising and the owner of the property on which the outdoor
advertising is located.
(d) No city may enact or amend an ordinance of general
applicability to require the removal of any nonconforming, lawfully
erected off?premises outdoor advertising sign without the payment of
monetary compensation to the owners of the off?premises outdoor
advertising, except as provided below. The payment of monetary
compensation is not required if:
Obviously these statutes give powers to the county and city to
regulate outdoor advertising.
You can research North Carolina county statutes here:
http://www.municode.com/resources/code_list.asp?stateID=33
I looked at Buncombe county and found this:
http://library8.municode.com/gateway.dll/nc/north%20carolina/7616/7714/7719?f=templates$fn=document-frameset.htm$q=[field%20folio-destination-name:'ch078.x1-78-533']$x=Advanced#0-0-0-52971
Sec. 78-532. Signs prohibited.
The following off-premise signs and/or features shall not be erected
or maintained.
(1) Any nongovernmental sign which resembles a public traffic sign
or a safety warning sign.
(2) Signs, whether temporary or permanent, within any street or
highway right-of-way, with the exception of those signs approved by
the government with road maintenance responsibility.
(3) Any sign which obstructs ingress or egress, creates an unsafe
distraction for motorists, or obstructs the view of motorists entering
a public road or highway.
(4) Animated and flashing signs.
(5) Abandoned signs.
(6) Signs on roadside appurtenances. Off-premise signs on roadside
appurtenances including, but not limited to, roadside benches, bus
stop shelters, planters, utility poles, trees, parking meter poles and
refuse containers, with the exception of commemorative signs or
governmental signs.
(7) Portable and moveable signs.
(8) Off-premise billboard signs.
(Ord. No. 20408, art. VI, § 103.00, 3-29-94; Ord. No. 01-04-11, § 1, 4-3-01)
Sec. 78-533. Regulation of off-premise advertising signs.
The following regulations shall be applicable to off-premise
advertising signs as defined in section 78-498. Any sign not
specifically allowed is prohibited.
(1) Size.
a. No off-premise advertising sign shall exceed 32 square feet in area.
b. A maximum of two faces per sign structure is allowed,
positioned either back to back or v-shaped, such that only one face is
allowed per side. Both sides of a double-faced or v-shaped sign shall
be of equal size. In no case shall there be more than one face per
directional flow of traffic.
(2) Height. No off-premise advertising sign shall exceed 12 feet
in height as defined in section 78-498. feet. The 12 feet height shall
be measured from the elevation at the nearest roadway. Measurements
shall be taken from the edge of the roadway on a sight line
perpendicular to the roadway from the sign location. If the sign site
is at an intersection of roadways, the roadway with the highest
traffic density shall be the site of the measuring point.
(3) Spacing.
a. The minimum distance between any two off-premise advertising
sign structures shall be 1,000 linear feet on either side of the same
street, road or highway.
b. No off-premise advertising sign shall be located within a
100-foot radius of a school or residential structure.
c. No off-premise advertising sign shall be located within 75 feet
of any intersection of two or more streets, roads or highways.
(4) Setback from right-of-way. Minimum setback distances shall be as follows:
a. For sign area of zero to 150 square feet per face--Ten feet.
b. For sign area of greater than 150 square feet per face--20 feet.
(5) Extensions. No sign shall have any extension or combination of
extensions which exceeds 15 percent of the square footage of the sign.
(Ord. No. 20408, art. VII, § 104.00, 3-29-94; Ord. No. 01-04-11, § 1, 4-3-01)
I found a very good city website concerning signs here:
http://www.ci.washington.nc.us/client_resources/codes/signord/code_signord177.htm
Code of the City of Washington, North Carolina
Chapter 27 - Zoning
Article XVI. Signs
Illustrated Sign Ordinance
Section 177: Miscellaneous restrictions and prohibitions
(a) No temporary nor permanent sign shall be attached to a tree or to
a City utility pole, except that political signs may be posted in
accordance with Section 16-10 of the Washington City Code. No
temporary nor permanent sign shall be placed on any public street
right-of-way, except that political signs may be posted in the
right-of-way in accordance with Section 16-10 of the Washington City
Code and signs attached to a structural element of a building may be
erected in the right-of-way in accordance with Section 27-174(d)
above.
(b) No sign may be located so that it substantially interferes with
the view necessary for motorists to proceed safely through
intersections or to enter onto or exit from public streets or private
roads.
(c) Signs that revolve or are animated or that utilize movement or
apparent movement to attract the attention of the public are
prohibited. Without limiting the preceding, banners, streamers,
animated display boards, pennants, and propellers are prohibited, but
signs that move only occasionally because of wind are allowed if their
movement is not a primary design feature of the sign and is not
intended to attract attention to the sign. The restrictions of this
subsection shall not apply to signs specified in Section 27-166(d) or
to signs indicating the time, date, and weather conditions.
(d) No sign may be erected so that by its location, color, size,
shape, nature, or message it would tend to obstruct the view of or be
confused with official traffic signs or other signs erected by units
of government.
(e) Freestanding signs shall be securely fastened to the ground or to
some other substantial supportive structure so that there is virtually
no danger that either the sign or the supportive structure may be
moved by the wind or other forces of nature and cause injuries to
persons or property, in conformity with the North Carolina State
Building Code.
(f) Canopy signs are permitted when suspended or attached to the
underside of a canopy provided such signs do not exceed six (6) square
feet in area and are located at least eight (8) feet above the
sidewalk.
(g) The sign area of a sign permanently painted, affixed, or placed
in a building window which is visible from a street right-of way shall
be restricted to no more than forty (40) percent of the total window
area.
In the B1H and RHD districts, signs painted on storefront windows
shall take up no more than ten (10) percent of the window,
and signs placed in windows, from the interior, shall occupy no more
than twenty (20) percent of the area of the displaying window. The
sign area of such signs shall not be included in the total sign
surface area established in accordance with the provisions of Section
27-170.
(h) Off premises signs are not permitted except for those signs
specifically exempt from regulation in accordance with Section 27-166.
(i) All temporary or portable signs, as defined in Section 27-164,
except for those specifically exempted in Section 27-166 and Section
27-167, are not permitted.
(j) Any sign made up of or containing strobe lights, ziplights,
flashing lights or rotating beacons, flags, streamers, banners,
pennants, or strings of lights, or permanently installed or situated
merchandise, except for those specifically exempted in Section 27-166
and Section 27-167, are not permitted.
(k) Off premises, outdoor advertising signs, commonly known as
billboards, are not permitted.
(l) No sign shall contain statements, words or pictures which describe
or display "Specified Anatomical Areas" or "Specified Sexual
Activities," or which contain words which are classified as "vulgar"
or "vulgar slang" in The New College Edition of the American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, 1981 Edition; the phrase "god
damn" is also specifically prohibited for use in signs.
I suppose that most citys have similar regulations. I know that this
is quite a bit of material, but there are quite a few regulations. If
you have a specific question and will give a particular county or
city, perhaps we can narrow things down some. If so, please ask for a
clarification and I will do my best to help.
Redhoss |
