The reasonable and adequate display of signs is allowed under this title. There is a substantial need to regulate the display of signs through the adoption of this title to address the following concerns:the number, size, design characteristics, and locations of signs in the City directly affect the public health, safety, and welfare; and many signs are distracting and dangerous to motorists and pedestrians, are confusing to the public, are poorly located, and substantially detract from the beauty and appearance of the City. The purposes and intent for the enactment of this title are:to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the people in Baltimore City and to implement the policies and objectives of the City of Baltimore through the enactment of a comprehensive set of regulations governing signs in the City of Baltimore; to regulate the erection and placement of signs within the City of Baltimore in order to provide safe operating conditions for pedestrian and vehicular traffic without unnecessary and unsafe distractions to drivers or pedestrians; to maintain an aesthetically attractive city in which specific types of signs are allowed in zoning districts consistent with the uses, intent, and aesthetic characteristics of those districts; to establish comprehensive sign regulations that balance legitimate business and development needs with a safe and aesthetically attractive environment for residents, workers, and visitors to the City of Baltimore; to provide fair and reasonable opportunities for the identification of businesses located within the City of Baltimore; to provide for the identification of the availability of products, goods or services of businesses located within the City of Baltimore and to promote the economic vitality of these businesses; to ensure the protection of free speech rights under the State and United States Constitutions within the City of Baltimore and in no event place restrictions that apply to any given sign dependent entirely on the communicative content of the sign; to allow signs that are, safe, unobtrusive, and incidental to the principal use of the respective lots on which they are located, subject to the substantive requirements of this title; and to prohibit all signs not expressly authorized by this title, to provide for the maintenance of signs, and to provide for the enforcement of the provisions of this title. Ord.18-216

In this title, the following terms have the meanings indicated. “A-frame sign” means a sign, ordinarily in the shape of the letter “A”, or some variation of it, that is displayed on the ground, not permanently attached, and usually 2-sided. Above ground floor.“Above ground floor” means the occupiable space in a building that is above the ground floor. “Above ground floor” does not include:anything determined to be the ground floor as defined in this section; any exterior or interior spaces created from or defined by the structural or architectural items described in <cite data-path="|32|§15-301|(b)">§ 15-301(b) of this article</cite>; interior loft space or mezzanine space within the volume of the ground floor; or anything otherwise described in <cite data-path="|32">this article</cite> as not above ground floor. “Attention-getting device” means any pennant, flag, feather flag, festoon, spinner, streamer, searchlight, balloon, inflatable sign, strobe light, or similar device or ornamentation designed for the purpose of attracting attention. “Awning or canopy sign” means a sign that is printed on, or is attached above, on, or under the outer edge of, an awning, canopy or other fabric, plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or outdoor service area. “Banner Sign” means a sign that:is printed or displayed on cloth or other flexible material; is attached to a frame, a pole or other structure on a lot; is mounted flat against the wall of a structure or projects from a structure; and is mounted and attached to a structure that is meant to be durable and permanent. A banner sign may be either a freestanding banner sign, a projecting banner sign, or a wall mounted banner sign. For purposes of this definition:“freestanding banner sign” means any banner sign, including a flag, that is attached by only one side to a pole, frame, or any structure and hanging freely so that it can flutter or move in the wind; “projecting banner sign” means any banner sign that is mounted non-parallel to a building wall or any other surface of a structure and is attached on multiple sides to a rigid frame that is attached to a structure; and “wall mounted banner sign” means a banner sign that is attached to a building wall and projects no more than 8 inches from the wall, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane parallel to the face of the wall. “Banner sign” does not include any provisional fence sign or attention-getting device. See “Awning or canopy sign”. “Changeable copy sign” means a permanent sign that contains a part that allows copy to be changed manually “Electronic sign” means a sign or portion of a sign that uses changing light to form a message or messages in text, digital graphics, or digital animation, where the sequence of messages and the rate of change is electronically programmed and can be modified by electronic processes. “Electronic sign” includes an electronic display screen. For purposes of this definition, “electronic display screen”:means the portion of an electronic sign that displays digital art or an electronic graphic, image, or video, which may or may not include text; and includes any television screen, plasma screen, digital screen, flat screen, LED screen, video boards holographic display, projected video sign, and exterior wall integrated technology. See “Banner sign”. “Freestanding sign” means a sign that:is made of durable material that is not cloth or other flexible material; and is placed on or supported by the ground, independent of the principal structure on the lot. “Freestanding sign” does not include a banner sign. A freestanding sign may be either a freestanding monument sign, a freestanding pole sign, or a freestanding pylon sign. For purposes of this definition:“Freestanding monument sign” means any freestanding sign that is placed directly on the ground or supported by a decorative base, including a post, pole, or other structure, that is an integral part of the sign design. “Freestanding pole sign” means any freestanding sign that is erected and maintained on 1 or more freestanding poles, uprights, or braces directly inserted into the ground and is not attached to any other structure. “Freestanding pylon sign” means any freestanding sign that is supported by a support structure that is a solid-appearing base constructed of a permanent material, such as concrete block, brick, or metal. The ground support does not include any post, pole, or other structure. “Ground floor” means the first level of occupiable space of a building. Exclusions. “Ground floor” does not include:anything determined to be above ground floor, as defined in this section; basement or sub-basement spaces; or anything otherwise described in <cite data-path="|32">this article</cite> as not ground floor. See “Freestanding sign”. “Moving sign” means a sign that, in whole or in part, rotates, elevates, or in any way alters position or geometry. “Moving sign” does not include an analog clock. “Nonconforming sign” means a sign that was lawfully erected and maintained under a previous version of this Code but does not now conform to the requirements of this Code. “Open-structural framework sign” means a sign that is attached to an expressed or projecting structural member of a building below the roofline of any roof surface of any section of the building. The sign:may be attached above, on, or under the structural member; but may not be located on a roof or above the roofline of any roof surface of any section of the building. “Painted/mural sign” means a sign applied directly to the wall of a building or other permanent structure element on a lot through paint, glue, or other medium application without the use of fasteners, frames, or other support structures. For the purposes of this definition:a painted/mural sign lies on the same plane of the structure to which it is applied, unless otherwise specified in this title; and a structure shall include building walls, roofs, architectural elements, fences, driveways, parking lots, or other paved areas, and structural or architectural items described in <cite data-path="|32|§15-301|(b)">§ 15-301(b) of this article</cite>. A “painted/mural sign” does not include:wall signs; awning or canopy signs; projecting signs; window signs; or roof signs. See “Freestanding sign”. See “Banner sign”. “Portable sign” means a sign whose principal supporting structure is intended, by design and construction, to rest on the ground for support and may be easily moved or relocated. “Portable sign” includes a sign mounted on a trailer, wheeled carrier, or other non-motorized mobile structure, with wheels or with wheels removed. “Portable sign” does not include an A-frame sign, even if the A-frame sign is designed to be easily moved. See “Banner sign”. “Projecting sign” means a sign that:is made of a durable material that is not cloth or other flexible material; is attached to a building or other structure; and extends beyond the surface of the building or structure to which it is attached. “Projecting sign” includes:any sign that is non-parallel to the face of the wall of a structure; and any sign that:is in a plane parallel to the face of the wall of a structure; and projects more than 12 inches from that wall. “Projecting sign” does not include any:banner sign; or roof sign. “Provisional fence sign” means a sign placed on any fence that is constructed or installed primarily for the purposes of making a safety perimeter around a construction site. “Roof sign” means a sign that:is erected, constructed, or maintained on any roof surface, on any permitted projection on a roof, or has 30% or more of the sign face above any parapet of a building; and has its principal support attached to the roof structure or behind the parapet of a building. “Wall sign” means a sign:that is made of a durable material that is not cloth or other flexible material; that is mounted flat against or painted on the wall of a structure; that projects no more than 12 inches from the wall, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane parallel to the face of the wall; and whose sign face extends less than 30% beyond the roof line or parapet of a building. “Wall sign” does not include any:banner sign; painted/mural sign; roof sign; or window sign. See “Banner sign”. “Window sign” means a sign that:is intended for viewing from the exterior of a building; and is:attached to, placed on, or printed on the interior or exterior of a window of the building; attached to, placed on, or printed on a door of the building; or displayed within 12 inches of a window of the building. “Window sign” does not include a painted/mural sign, as defined in this section. Ord.18-216 Ord. 20-350 Ord. 22-181