§ 17-416. Wall signs.
(a) Where allowed.
Wall signs are allowed:
(1) in a residential use category, only on multi-family dwellings with 15 or more units, dormitories with 20 or more rooms, and residential-care facilities with 17 or more residents;
(2) in the C-1 and C-1-E zoning districts, wall signs above the ground floor are only allowed on buildings with a building frontage of 30 feet or wider;
(3) in all other use categories, on all uses for which the sign is otherwise allowed under this title; and
(4) in the zoning districts specified in this title or in Table 17-201: Sign Regulations.
(b) R-1A through R-10 and OR Districts.
(1) This subsection applies to the R-1A through R-10 Zoning Districts and the OR Zoning District.
(2) 1 non-illuminated or indirectly illuminated wall sign is allowed for each street frontage.
(c) Additional requirements.
(1) This subsection applies to all zoning districts, unless otherwise specified by this subtitle or by Title 17-201: Sign Regulations.
(2) The maximum size of a wall sign is determined by:
(i) measuring the building frontage along the lot line of the elevation on which the wall sign will be placed; and
(ii) applying to that measurement the area factor specified in Table 17-201: Sign Regulations.
(3) The size of a wall sign on each side of the building is limited to the square footage calculated on that side only and must be placed on that side of the building unless otherwise provided in this title.
(4) In no case may the square footage allowed by the building frontage located along any lot line be combined with the square footage allowed by the building frontage located along any other lot line to create a larger sign on a wall or split into multiple wall signs other than that allowed on each individual wall unless otherwise provided in this title.
(d) Illumination of signs.
Wall signs may be internally illuminated, unless otherwise specified in this title.
(e) Mounting, etc.
(1) Wall signs must be safely and securely attached to the building wall.
(2) Wall signs must be affixed flat against the wall and may not project more than 12 inches from the building wall.
(f) Placement.
In the C-1 and C-1-VC Zoning Districts, wall signs must be located on the sign frieze – that is, on the portion of the building immediately above the ground-floor window and, in the case of a 2- or 3-story building, below the second-floor window sill.
(g) Architecture.
(1) No wall sign affixed to a building, including sign support structure, may project beyond the ends or top of the wall or higher than the roofline of the wall to which it is attached.
(2) Architectural features that are part of the original building design, such as chimneys, may have a sign affixed to them.
(3) On existing buildings, a parapet wall may not be constructed for the sole purpose of increasing the allowable height of a wall sign. For new buildings, when a sign is to be mounted on a parapet wall, that parapet wall must be consistent with the architectural design of the building, including building materials.
(4) Wall signs may not be attached to un-reinforced masonry parapets.
(5) Wall signs may not be constructed of cloth or other flexible material.
(6) Wall signs may not extend above the parapet.