County drafting new sign code

The Larimer County Planning Department will present a draft of revisions to the county sign code at an open house on Oct. 11.

This is the first comprehensive revision of the sign code since it was adopted in 1963, according to senior planner Jill Bennett. Compared with sign codes of adjacent cities and counties, the current Larimer County code is restrictive, inflexible and fails to address many current issues and questions, she said. Each lot in the county is allowed one sign, with size of the sign determined by the zoning district. For example: There is no provision for signs of legal businesses in rural areas; they are limited to the same 15 square feet that a residence is allowed.

The planning staff is seeking comments on a range of subjects covered by the sign code. The open house will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Boyd Lake Conference Room on the first floor of the Courthouse Offices Building at 200 W. Oak St. in Fort Collins. Beginning Oct. 1, the proposed code amendment will be available to review online at www.larimer.org/ under Hot Topics.

Bennett said the county's goal is to avoid a recent occurrence: One new service station/convenience store requested 26 sign variances from the county to achieve an amount of signage that staff supported as being consistent with what would be allowed in the adjacent city.

"In every case that we have examined, the proposed rewrite allows more square feet of signage for commercial uses, as compared to the current code," Bennett said. "In one aspect however, the proposed rewritten code may be considered more restrictive than the existing code. Currently, signs for all uses in all areas of the county have the same maximum height of 40 feet. The proposed rewrite uses a table for sign height based on setbacks, with a maximum height of 18 feet for freestanding signs."

Maximum sign height in adjacent cities and towns varies from 10 feet to 30 feet, depending on setback and location. When properties are annexed, county-approved signs must be brought into conformity with the standards of the municipality, which can be quite expensive for the business, Bennett said, and the county's proposed revisions would help businesses avoid this issue. Perhaps more importantly, the proposed county height standard would be similar to what is allowed for adjacent businesses inside city limits, she said.

The revised sign code also addresses noncommercial and temporary signs such as real estate and election signs. These signs, along with 12 other sign types, are allowed without a permit. Larger signs are allowed on commercial properties and large lots than are permitted under the current sign code.

Those wanting more information about the revisions may contact Bennett at 498-7689 or jbennett@larimer.org.