On Premises Wall Signs
On premises wall signs, by law, can only advertise products or services that are sold in a business in the building. Although this sign on First Avenue South in SoDo advertises Starbucks coffee, no business in the building sells Starbucks coffee beans or cups of Starbucks coffee. To get around the law, a third-floor office sells Starbucks coffee cards.The sign itself is among the largest in Seattle and is a potential distraction for drivers. It’s also a form of blight because it covers a mural.
I will be sponsoring legislation next year that proposes new standards for on-premises wall signs. On-premises signs are used to identify goods, services or products that may be obtained on the site where the sign is located. The City currently allows on-premises signs in certain zones, but prohibits new off-premises signs. Off-premises signs, also known as advertising signs or billboards, feature goods, services or products that cannot be obtained on the site where the sign is located.
Over the last few years, the City has seen an increase in the number of very large on-premises wall signs attached to buildings in high-trafficked areas. Such signs can cause driver distraction and create visual blight. As no size limit currently applies to on-premises wall signs located in commercial, downtown or industrial zones, signs in excess of 1,500 and even 3,000 square feet (more than four times the size of a large billboard) have started appearing in these areas. Additionally, due to current definitions in the City’s Land Use Code, some of the large wall signs installed in recent years, though they technically meet the letter of the law, function more like off-premises advertising signs or billboards than on-premises signage.
Implementing the proposed standards for on-premises wall signs will require several amendments to the City’s Land Use Code (Title 23) and the Building Code (Title 22):
- Establish a 100 square foot size limit for on-premises wall signs;
- Require the name and location of the business establishment sponsoring each commercial on-premises wall sign to comprise at least half of the area of the sign;
- Clarify the definitions of various signs, including wall signs, on-premises signs, roof signs and combination signs;
- Increase penalties for violations of certain sign provisions to $1,000 per day; and
- Allow a one-year amortization period before all non-conforming on-premises walls signs must come into compliance with the new standards.
The proposal would also require DPD to provide a report to the Council on the outcomes of the legislation after one year.
Questions?
For more information about the new proposed standards for on-premises wall signs, a draft ordinance and Director’s Report from the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) may be downloaded via the following links:
A sign on the door of a vacant shop in Belltown stating that Widmer Beer is "for sale by appointment," is the justification for hanging an on-premises wall sign on the side of this building. The sign also covers up an historic "ghost-sign."
An Alaska Airlines ticket kiosk in a Chinatown souvenir shop is used to justify this Alaska Airlines wall sign. This billboard also faces I-5, which is against federal law designed to reduce distractions to drivers and keep highways safe.
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