30.27.010 Signs: general requirements.
The following regulations shall pertain to signs in all zones where signs are allowed unless modified by more specific regulations within this chapter:
(1) Signs not exceeding 15 square feet in area for each building site may be displayed for the purpose of advertising the sale or lease of the real property upon which displayed.
(2) No sign may be constructed, installed, structurally modified, converted from static to digital display, expanded or displayed without first obtaining a sign permit:
(a) Application materials shall be submitted as required by the department pursuant to SCC 30.70.030.
(b) Along with all other application materials, the director or hearing examiner, as applicable, when making a decision, shall consider any comments received.
(3) No sign or advertising display is permitted that will:
(a) Obstruct in any way the vision of motorists entering or leaving public or private rights-of-way;
(b) Cause hazards for vehicular or pedestrian traffic by reason of location; or
(c) Appear in the background of a traffic signal as viewed by the driver of a motor vehicle approaching the signal.
(4) At street intersections, signs or advertising displays shall be so located that they permit an unobstructed sight distance of at least 300 feet along the intersecting rights-of-way. Supports for signs or advertising displays do not constitute an obstruction.
(5) Signs shall comply with the height regulations of the zone in which they are located.
(6) Artificial lighting, excluding digital signs, shall be hooded or shaded so that direct light of lamps will not result in glare when viewed from the surrounding property or rights-of-way.
(7) All signs must be a distance of 100 feet or more from all road crossings of railroad rights-of-way. They must be placed in a manner that they do not block the view of the crossing by operating personnel aboard the trains or by motorists approaching the crossing from either direction.
(8) Where required by chapter 30.53A SCC, those areas of drive aisles where parking is prohibited shall be designated as "no parking" areas on the approved administrative site plan for a single family detached unit development. Designation of "no parking" areas shall be with either striping, signage, or a combination thereof. Signs, when used, shall not be required to be spaced closer than every 100 feet; provided, however, signs may be required closer than 100 feet apart if necessitated by site topography. The approved striping, signage, or combination thereof shall be installed before the first certificate of occupancy is issued for that phase of the single family detached unit development. Provisions for enforcement of "no parking" areas shall be included in the covenants, conditions and restrictions for single family detached unit developments required pursuant to SCC 30.41F.030(3).
(9) No sign or advertising display is permitted in a critical area or required buffers designated pursuant to chapter 30.62A SCC except as provided in SCC 30.62A.160(5).
(10) Signs shall be stationary and have no moving or revolving parts except for tri-vision billboards.
(11) All signs shall comply with chapter 47.42 RCW, Highway Advertising Control Act - Scenic Vistas Act, and chapter 468-66 WAC, Highway Advertising Control Act.
(12) All signs shall comply with the Snohomish County Shoreline Management Program.
(13) The following are prohibited on all signs:
(a) Animation or the display in any form of special visual effects of any kind;
(b) Blinking, flashing or display lights that go on and off sequentially;
(c) Variable intensity lighting;
(d) Audio;
(e) Video;
(f) 3-D;
(g) Movies; and
(h) The scrolling of messages or the continuation of a message from one visual image to another. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit consecutive, non-related messages by the same advertiser or consecutive messages for the same product so long as the second message is not a continuation of the first message. (Added by Amended Ord. 02-064, Dec. 9, 2002, Eff date Feb. 1, 2003; Amended by Amended Ord. 07-022, Apr. 23, 2007, Eff date June 4, 2007; Amended by Amended Ord. 06-061, Aug. 1, 2007, Eff date Oct. 1, 2007; Amended by Ord. 13-073, Dec. 11, 2013, Eff date Dec. 26, 2013; Amended by Ord. 13-074, Dec. 11, 2013, Eff date Dec. 26, 2013).