Signs

DEFINITION

The City of Chesapeake recognizes the business community’s need to promote their individual products and services. In order to promote safe, attractive and functional highway vistas, the City adopted a uniform set of regulations related to signs. Signs are considered accessory structures/uses which are regulated in Section 14-700 through 14-710 of the Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance (CZO). The regulations are referred to as the Sign Ordinance. As a business in Chesapeake, you are permitted certain specific types of sign displays while others are prohibited. Sign displays can be broken down into three basic types:

Permanent signs.
Temporary signs.
Prohibited signs.

SIGNS

Signs are defined, per the Zoning Ordinance, as any object, device, display, or structure, or part thereof, visible from a public place, a public right-of-way, any parking area or right-of-way open to use by the general public, any navigable body of water, or any adjoining property, which is designed and used to announce, direct attention to, identify, advertise or otherwise make anything know in relation to an institution, organization, business, product, message, service, event or location by any means involving any letter, word, numeral, figure, device, emblem, logo, pictorial presentation, illustration or decoration, symbol or trademark, flag, festoon or banner or any combination thereof. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the term "sign" as used in this Ordinance shall be deemed to include the components of such sign, including: the sign graphics; the sign area; the sign face; the placard, device, structure or fixture on which the display appears; and any support structure constructed for the purpose of supporting the display, regardless of whether any display is on the structure.

The term “sign” is not intended to include independent works of art, such as sculpture, statuary, or paintings, unless such works contain words, symbols or images associated with a service or product being offered, produced or conducted at the site or on another site. (Reference – Section 14-703, Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance)

Permanent signs

Permanent signs are the freestanding, ground and wall-mounted signs that are customary to all business locations. A one-time permit is required for this type sign to be erected and usually remains in place for the life of the business. Permanent signs must meet certain size (sign area), height and setback requirements before they can be installed. For the most part, these types of signs are fabricated and installed by professional sign companies that are familiar with Sign Ordinance requirements.

The Sign Ordinance allows permanent signs as follows:

TABLE A – Permanent Signage

Land Use	Freestanding Signs	Wall Signs	Ground Signs	Permit Required and/or other Limitations
Signs Permitted in Residential Districts
Single-family and Two-family	Number of signs: 1 per dwelling unit Maximum cumulative sign area: 2 square feet Maximum height: 4 feet Setback: 6 feet from property line	Number of signs: 1 per dwelling unit Maximum cumulative sign area: 2 square feet	Not permitted	Yes
Multi-family; uses not otherwise noted	Number of signs: <100 ft. lot frontage: 0 >=100 ft lot frontage: 1 Maximum cumulative sign area: 32 square feet Setback: 5 feet from right-of-way	Number of signs: 1 per 50 feet of building frontage Maximum cumulative sign area: 32 square feet Maximum area per sign face: 8 square feet	Number of signs: Located at a vehicular entrance to the site: 1 per entrance All other locations: no maximum Maximum sign area per face: 9 square feet Maximum height: 2.5 feet	Yes

Signs Permitted in Agricultural and Conservation Districts
Residential use	Number of signs: 1 per dwelling unit Maximum cumulative sign area: 2 square feet Maximum height: 4 feet Setback: 6 feet from property line	Not permitted	Not permitted	Yes
Non-residential use	Number of signs: 1 sign at each principal entrance or frontage of any use Maximum sign area: 16 square feet	Not permitted	Number of signs: 1 per principal entrance or frontage of any use Maximum cumulative sign area: 9 square feet Maximum height: 2.5 feet	Yes
Signs Permitted in Business, Assembly Center, Office & Institutional and Industrial Districts
Any use	Number of signs: 1 per frontage If property is 2 acres or less then: Setback: 15 feet from the street right-of way Maximum cumulative sign area: 64 square feet Maximum height: 12 feet If property is more than 2 acres up to but less than 5 acres: Setback: 35 feet from the street right-of-way Maximum cumulative sign area: 96 square feet Maximum height: 12 feet If property is 5 acres or more: Setback: 50 feet from the right-of-way Maximum cumulative sign area: 125 square feet Maximum height: 16 feet	Maximum cumulative sign area: 1 square foot per 1 foot linear building frontage	Number of signs: Located at the vehicular entrances to the site: 2 Maximum cumulative sign area: 4 square feet Maximum height: 4 feet Setback: 5 feet from the right-of-way	Yes

Signs Permitted in Planned Unit Development Districts
Any use				As set out in the Development Criteria

Note: Unless otherwise stated in the text of this Ordinance, the table above provides standards for permanent signs. The table above does not provide an exhaustive list of the standards required for signs under this Ordinance. Consult the text of the Ordinance for all applicable standards.

Temporary signs

Temporary signs are, as the name implies, displays of a temporary nature which are usually intended to promote a business, announce an event or placed to gain interest. Temporary signs can be both freestanding and building mounted. Temporary signs are divided into two groups:

Signs that do not require a permit.
Signs that require a permit.

The Sign Ordinance defines a temporary sign as:

A sign not permanently mounted to a building or into the ground... Signs attached by rope, string, chain, tape, paste and similar mechanisms, signs not rigidly attached to a supporting structure, signs made of paper, cloth and similar materials, and signs that are pushed, hammered or similarly put in the ground are presumed to be temporary signs. Furthermore, these types of signs are not permitted in any public right-of-way.

The Sign Ordinance allows temporary signs as follows:

City of Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance Section 14-703. TABLE B - Temporary Signage

Land Use	Yard Signs, Banners, or Festoons	Signs located on property for sale or for rent	Permit Required and/or other Limitations
Signs Permitted in Residential Districts
Single-family and Two-family	Number of signs: 1 sign per each 25 feet of lot line adjoining a public street. Maximum height: 4 feet Maximum area per sign: 4 feet	Number of signs: 1 sign per each 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street, up to a total of 4 signs. Any property having less than 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street may have 1 sign. Maximum cumulative sign area: 16 square feet	No permit required. Maximum total duration: up to 90 calendar days a year
Multi-family; uses not otherwise noted	Number of signs: 1 sign per each 25 feet of lot line adjoining a public street. Maximum area per sign: 8 square feet Maximum height: 6 feet	Number of signs: 1 sign per each 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street up, to a total of 4 signs. Any property having less than 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street may have 1 sign. Maximum cumulative sign area: 32 square feet	No permit required. Maximum total duration: up to 90 calendar days a year
Signs Permitted in Agricultural and Conservation Districts
Residential Use	Number of signs: 1 sign per each 25 feet of lot line adjoining a public street. Maximum height: 4 feet Maximum area per sign: 4 feet	Number of signs: 1 sign may be erected per each 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street, up to a total of 2 signs. Maximum cumulative sign area: 8 square feet	No permit required. Maximum total duration: up to 90 calendar days a year
Non-residential Use	Number of signs: no more than 1 sign for each 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street Maximum cumulative sign area: 32 square feet Note: yard signs are not permitted.	Number of signs: 1 sign may be erected per each 100 feet of lot line adjoining a public street, up to a total of 4 signs. Maximum cumulative sign area: 16 square feet	Yes, with the exception of signs located on property for sale or for rent and signs located on property zoned or used for agricultural purposes only at test plot locations under cultivation. Maximum total duration: up to 90 calendar days a year
Signs Permitted in Business, Assembly Center, Office & Institutional and Industrial Districts
Any use	Maximum cumulative sign area: Double the permitted sign area of wall and freestanding signs Maximum height: 8 feet Note: yard signs are not permitted.	Sign abuts road with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less: no more than 1 sign with a cumulative total area of up to eight (8) square feet and a maximum height of four (4) feet Sign abuts a road with a speed limit greater than 25 miles per hour: not more than one (1) sign with a cumulative total area of up to thirty two (32) square feet and a maximum height of eight (8) feet	Yes, with the exception of signs located on property for sale or for rent. Maximum total duration: up to 90 calendar days a year
Signs Permitted in Planned Unit Development Districts
Any use			As required in the Development Criteria

Note: Unless otherwise stated in the text of this Ordinance, the table above provides standard for temporary signs. The table above does not provide an exhaustive list of the standards required for signs under this Ordinance. Consult the text of the Ordinance for all applicable standards.

Find out more about Temporary Signs.

Prohibited Signs

Prohibited signs are those signs for which a permit has not been issued or cannot be issued.
Prohibited signs fall into several different types:

Snipe Sign. A sign of any material whatsoever that is attached in any way to a communication tower, utility pole, fence post, tree or a similar object located or situated on public or private property.
Signs that display flashing or intermittent lights or lights of changing degrees of intensity, except a sign indicating time or temperature with alternating changes of not less than a five second cycle.
Signs that are displayed on a public right-of-way.
Signs that are located off-site on another property, which is not connected to or a part of the business enterprise.