Temporary Signs

Temporary signs are permitted in very limited situations:

City of Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance Section 14-704, 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.

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.

All illegal signs located in the right-of-way are removed and immediately destroyed, and the sign owner is issued a notice of violation.

If an illegal sign is located on private property, the property owner and/or sign owner is issued a notice of violation.

The above consists of portions of the Chesapeake Sign Ordinance which have been found to frequently affect an individual business location. There are other provisions that could impact a business location; therefore, any further questions regarding temporary signs and permitting requirements shall be directed to the Customer Contact Center at 382-CITY (2489).