Edmonton Zoning Bylaw 12800

59.       Sign Regulations

59.1       Applicability

Any person applying to erect any Sign, or to change or relocate any existing Sign shall comply with the provisions of this Section and the applicable Sign Schedule, unless exemption from the regulations of this Section has been granted elsewhere in this Bylaw.

59.2        General Provisions

Bylaw 15892

October 11, 2011

  1. No Sign shall be erected, operated, used or maintained that:

  1. due to its position, shape, colour, format or illumination obstructs the view of, or shall be confused with, an official traffic Sign, signal or device, as determined by the Development Officer in consultation with the Transportation Services;

  2. displays lights resembling the flashing lights usually associated with danger or those used by police, fire, ambulance and other emergency vehicles; and

  3. uses spot or reflector lights directed at on-coming traffic or displays travelling or flashing messages that create a hazard to traffic on a public roadway from which the Sign is visible.

  1. Major Digital Signs, Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs shall be located such that the Sign does not obscure a driver decision point.  The Development Officer and Transportation Services shall be satisfied that each Copy Area:

  1. does not physically obstruct the sightlines or view of a traffic control device or traffic control signal for oncoming vehicle traffic;

  2. is not located in the field of view near or past the traffic control device or traffic control signal in the sightlines of oncoming vehicle traffic;

  3. is not located in the field of view near or past other traffic conflict points such as intersections, merge points, exit ramps, or curved roadways; and

  4. illumination does not compete with or dull the contrast of the traffic control device or traffic control signal for oncoming vehicle traffic.

  1. Major Digital Signs, Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs shall be located or constructed such that Sign illumination shall not project onto any surrounding residential premises, shall not face an Abutting or adjacent Residential Use, shall not face an Abutting or adjacent Residential-Related Use, and shall not face the Extended Medical Treatment Services Use to the satisfaction of the Development Officer.

  2. The intensity of exposed bulbs on a Sign, excluding Digital Signs, shall not exceed 1100 lumens.

  3. Major Digital Signs, Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs shall use automatic light level controls to adjust light levels at night, under cloudy and other darkened conditions to reduce light pollution, in accordance with the following:

  1. ambient light monitors shall automatically adjust the brightness level of the Copy Area based on ambient light conditions.  Brightness levels shall not exceed 0.3 footcandles above ambient light conditions when measured from the Sign face at its maximum brightness, between sunset and sunrise, at those times determined by the Sunrise / Sunset calculator from the National Research Council of Canada;

  2. Brightness level of the Sign shall not exceed 400 nits when measured from the sign face at its maximum brightness, between  sunset and sunrise, at those times determined by the Sunrise/Sunset calculator from the national research Council of Canada; and

  3. Signs Abutting or adjacent to Natural Areas or Public Parks shall be de-energized daily between 12:00 AM - 5:00 AM.

  1. For all Sign Applications, the Development Officer shall have regard for the scale and architectural character of the building and the land use characteristics of surrounding development. The Development Officer shall refuse any Sign Application that may adversely impact the amenities or character of the Zone.

  2. For all Sign Applications for Major Digital Sign, Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs,  the Development Officer shall review the application in context with the surrounding development, such as (but not limited to): the architectural theme of the area; any historic designations; the requirements of any Statutory Plan; any streetscape improvements; proximity to residential development; driver decision points; and traffic conflict points.  The Development Officer may require application revisions to mitigate the impact of a proposed Sign, and may refuse a permit that adversely impacts the built environment.

Bylaw 16313

January 21, 2013

  1. All Temporary Signs shall have a Development Permit approval tag issued by the City of Edmonton.

  2. The Development Officer shall not approve an application for an On-premises Sign for a business that does not have a valid development approval to operate from the Site.

  3. An approved Sign is not an approval for development on the Site.

  4. The Development Officer may attach conditions to any Sign permit to ensure compliance to the regulations and to mitigate any effect that a Sign may have on surrounding properties. Conditions may include the duration that a permit is valid, the landscaping associated with a Sign, the maximum size of a Sign, the appearance of a Sign, the lighting of a Sign, and require applicants to at any time mitigate safety concerns identified by Transportation Services near traffic conflict points in accordance with 59.2(2).

Bylaw 16313

January 21, 2013

  1. All Freestanding Signs, Temporary Signs, Major Digital Signs, Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs shall be located so that all portions of the Sign and its support structure are completely located within the property and no part of the Sign may project beyond the property lines unless otherwise specified in a Sign Schedule.

  2. Unless otherwise stated on an application, all Signs are permanent.

Bylaw 17934

April 10, 2017

Charter Bylaw 18381

May 7, 2018

  1. Photovoltaic cells, Solar Collectors and Accessory equipment may be part of the Sign Structure in order to provide electrical power solely to the Copy Area.  Photovoltaic cells, solar panels, or solar collectors and Accessory equipment may extend above the maximum Sign Height to the satisfaction of the Development Officer.  It must be demonstrated that the additional Height is required to achieve sufficient solar exposure to provide electrical power to the Sign.

Bylaw 16032

March 14, 2012

  1. Major Digital Signs, Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs shall not be Roof Signs, Projecting Signs or Temporary Signs.

Bylaw 16313

January 21, 2013

  1. The maximum duration of display for each Temporary On-premises Sign shall be 365 days, unless otherwise specified in the Sign Schedule.  Temporary On-premises Signs shall be removed on or before the date that the Development Permit expires.

  2. The maximum duration of display for each Temporary Off-premises Sign shall be 30 days, unless otherwise specified in the Sign Schedule.  Temporary Off-premises Signs shall be removed on or before the date that the Development Permit expires.

Charter Bylaw 18534

September 5, 2018

  1. Minor Digital On-premises Signs, Minor Digital Off-premises Signs, and Minor Digital On-premises Off-premises Signs shall have a Message Duration of no less than 6 seconds.

Charter Bylaw 18534

September 5, 2018

  1. Fascia On-premises Signs and Fascia Off-premises Signs shall not project more than 30 cm above the roof or parapet.

Charter Bylaw 18534

September 5, 2018

  1. Fascia On-premises Signs and Fascia Off-premises Signs shall not extend beyond the horizontal limits of the wall.

Charter Bylaw 18534

September 5, 2018

  1.  
  1. Any Sign Use that is a Freestanding Sign shall have a minimum 45.0 m radial separation distance from any other Sign Use that is a Freestanding Sign on the same Site. This separation distance does not apply to different Sign Uses that are co-located on the same Freestanding Sign structure.

59.3        Comprehensive Sign Design Plan

  1. An applicant may submit a Comprehensive Sign Design Plan for Sign development that shall comply with the regulations of the applicable Sign Schedule. A Comprehensive Sign Design Plan is subject to the provisions of this subsection and subsection 13.4. A Comprehensive Sign Design Plan may be applied for in any Zone.

  2. Comprehensive Sign Design Plans shall be consistent with the overall intent of this Bylaw and the provisions of the applicable Sign Schedule with respect to the type of allowable Signs listed in the land use Zones and the maximum Sign Area regulations.

  3. The Development Officer shall assess the merits of the Comprehensive Sign Design Plan and may use their variance power to grant exceptions to the Sign Schedule to permit the Comprehensive Sign Design Plan if the Plan complies with the following requirements:

  1. the Comprehensive Sign Design Plan is consistent with the Sign development intended in the Sign Schedule which applies to the Zone in that it is proposed; and

  2. the Comprehensive Sign Design Plan results in a greater degree of visual harmony between the proposed Sign and the building or Site than would be possible through the provisions of the applicable Sign Schedule having regard for the factors listed in clause (a) above.

Schedule 59A

Schedule 59B

Schedule 59C

Schedule 59D

Schedule 59E

Schedule 59F

Schedule 59G

Schedule 59H

Schedule 59I

Schedule 59J

Schedule 59k