§ 33-84. Definitions.

For the purposes of this article the following words and phrases are hereby defined as provided in this section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Where there is a question as to the correct classification or definition of a sign, the Director shall place said sign in the strictest category and/or classification.

(1)

Sign: Any display of characters, letters, logos, illustrations or any ornamentation designed or used as an advertisement, announcement, or to indicate direction.

Use of merchandise, products, vehicles, equipment, inflated balloons, or the like as an attention attractor or advertising device, with or without a printed or written message or advertisement, shall be considered a sign.

(2)

Attraction board: A sign or portion of a sign on which copy is changed periodically, advertising special sales, bargains, etc. Said attraction board may be incorporated into the sign permitted.

(3)

Awning, canopy, roller curtain or umbrella sign: Any sign painted, stamped, perforated, or stitched on the surface area of an awning, canopy, roller curtain or umbrella.

(4)

Blank wall. The wall of a building that is free of windows, balconies, railings, articulated facade, decorative grills or gratings, or other architectural elements. Walls constructed on rooftops or as part of a parapet shall not be considered blank walls for the purposes of this article.

(5)

Cantilever: That portion of a building, projecting horizontally, whether it be on the same plane as the roof line or not.

(6)

Cantilever sign: Any sign which is mounted on a cantilever. No cantilever sign may extend beyond the cantilever.

(7)

Class A (temporary signs): Any sign(s) to be erected on a temporary basis, such as signs advertising the sale or rental of the premises on which located; signs advertising a subdivision of property; signs advertising construction actually being done on the premises on which the sign is located; signs advertising future construction to be done on the premises on which located, and special events, such as carnivals, concerts, public meetings, sporting events, political campaigns or events of a similar nature.

(8)

Class B (point of sale sign): Any sign advertising or designating the use, occupant of the premises, or merchandise and products sold on the premises, shall be deemed to be a point of sale sign (class B) and shall be located on the same premises whereon such is situated or the products sold.

(9)

Class C (commercial advertising signs): Any sign which is used for any purpose other than that of advertising to the public the legal or exact firm name of business or other activity carried on the premises, or for advertising any service or product or products actually and actively being offered for sale on the premises, or which is designed and displayed solely to offer for sale or rent the premises, or to advertise construction being done, or proposed to be done, on the premises, or to advertise special events, shall constitute a class C sign.

Class C signs may be in the form of a billboard, kiosk, bulletin board, mural, or poster board, or may be affixed flat to a building or painted thereon.

(10)

Detached sign: Any sign not attached to or painted on a building, but which is affixed and permanently attached to the ground. Permanently attached as used herein shall mean that the supporting structure of the sign is attached to the ground by a concrete foundation.

(11)

Digital technology (signs): Electronic technology that allows for changes to sign copy resulting from digital data input. Included in this technology are signs that use series of lights, including light emitting diodes (LED), fiber optics, or other similar technology.

(12)

Director: The Director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources or successor department, or the Director's designee.

(13)

Directional sign: A sign which guides or directs the public and contains no advertising. The name of the facility (such as store name), which the sign is giving direction to, may be included when specified conditions in the ordinance are complied with.

(14)

Entrance features: Any combination of decorative structures and landscape elements located at the entrance to a development, which identifies or draws attention to the development and/or exercises control of ingress and egress to the development. An entrance feature may include, although not necessarily be limited to, ornamental walls, fences, identifying lettering, logos, works of art, and other decorative structures, earthworks, water bodies, fountains, trees, plantings, and other landscape elements, as well as gatehouses, either singly or in any combination thereof.

(15)

Flat sign: Any sign attached to and erected parallel to the face of, or erected or painted on the outside wall of any building, and supported throughout its length by such wall or building.

(16)

Kiosk sign: A detached, single- or dual-face sign placed within a base and affixed or permanently attached to the ground, where the sign face is similar in dimensions to a bus-shelter sign. The kiosk structure shall be of pedestrian scale and may also contain wi-fi or other equipment that is housed in a compartment that screens the equipment from view.

(17)

Marquee: A covered structure projecting from, and supported by the building with independent roof and drainage provisions, and which is erected over a doorway or entranceway as protection against the weather.

(18)

Marquee sign: Any sign attached to or hung from a marquee.

(19)

Mural: Any Class C wall sign painted on, affixed, or secured flat to the facade of a building.

(20)

Nits (nt): The unit of measurement for luminance. Luminance is the measure of the light emanating from an object with respect to its size and is the term used to quantify electronic sign brightness. A nit is the total amount of light emitted from a sign divided by the surface area of the sign (candelas per square meter (cd/m )).

(21)

Portable sign: Any sign not attached to or painted on a building and not affixed or permanently attached to the ground.

(22)

Projecting sign: Any sign which is an independent structure, which is attached to the building wall, and which extends at any angle from the face of the wall. No projecting sign shall extend above the roof or parapet wall in any residential district.

(23)

Projected Technologies: The projection, through digital technology, of two-dimensional or three-dimensional static or moving images.

(24)

Pylon: A vertical extension of a building, constructed integrally and concurrently with the building, or in connection with a major remodeling or alteration of a building. To classify as a pylon for sign purposes, the pylon structure must be an integral part of the building structure, extending to ground level. In business and industrial districts only, the material and construction may vary from the materials and type of construction of the exterior walls of the building, but same must be approved by the Director. In all cases, the pylon shall have the appearance of a solid structure.

(25)

Pylon sign: A flat sign attached to or painted on the face of a pylon. The outer edge of the sign shall not extend beyond the pylon nor above the roof line.

(26)

Roof sign: Any sign which is painted on, fastened to, or supported by the roof or erected over the roof.

(27)

Semaphore: Any sign consisting of two (2) dual-face signs extending horizontally from a light standard. Such sign projecting from opposite sides of such light standard, and such signs must be located in the parking lot of a shopping center to identify the location of parking areas. No advertising is permitted on the sign.

(28)

Shopping center: An area zoned for business is a shopping center where at least two hundred fifty (250) feet of street frontage has been zoned for commercial purposes under one (1) application and under one (1) ownership, and where it contains at least two (2) tiers of in-front parking, contains two (2) or more retail uses, and is subject to site plan or plot use approval as a condition of the applicable resolution or ordinance.

(29)

Wall: For sign purposes, that portion of the building's exterior, horizontal surface on the same plane, regardless of vertical or horizontal indentations, and including the surface of parapets and pylons projecting from the building. For sign purposes, there shall be considered to be only four (4) planes to any building and it shall be the prerogative of the Director to determine which portion of odd-shaped buildings, such as buildings of hexagon or octagon design, to which flat signs may be affixed, with such location to be so determined as to prevent a grouping of signs which can be viewed from one (1) direction.

(30)

Wall sign: Any sign painted on or attached to and erected parallel to the face of, or erected and confined within the limits of, the outside wall of any building and supported by such wall or building and which displays only one (1) advertising surface.

(31)

City of Miami Urban Core: The geographic area commencing at Biscayne Bay and the North side of NE 18th Street; thence West along the North side of NE 18th Street to the East side of NE 2nd Avenue; thence North along the East side of NE 2nd Avenue to the South side of NE 36th Street; thence East along the South side of NE 36 Street to the West side of Biscayne Boulevard; thence North along the west side of Biscayne Boulevard to the North side of I-195; thence West along the North side of I-195 to the East side of N. Federal Highway; thence North along the East side of N. Federal Highway to the North side of NE 39th Street; thence West along the North side of NE 39th Street to East side of NE 2nd Avenue; thence North along the East side of NE 2nd Avenue to North side of NE 40th Street; thence West along the North side of NE 40th Street to West side of N. Miami Avenue; thence South along the West side of N. Miami Avenue to its intersection with the South limited access right-of-way line of the I-195 Eastbound exit ramp; thence West along said South limited access right-of-way line to the intersection with the South side of NW 37 ^th Street; thence West along the South side of NW 37 ^th Street to the East side of NW 1 ^st Avenue; thence South along the East side of NW 1 ^st Avenue to the North side of NW 36 ^th Street; thence East along the North side of NW 36 ^th Street to the West side of N. Miami Avenue; thence South along West side of N. Miami Avenue to the North side of NW 29 ^th Street; thence West along the North side of NW 29 ^th Street to the East side of NW 6 ^th Avenue; thence South along the East side of NW 6 ^th Avenue to the South side of NW 22 ^nd Street; thence East along the South side of NW 22 ^nd Street to the West side of NW 5 ^th Avenue; thence South along the West side of NW 5 ^th Avenue to the North side of NW 22 ^nd Street; thence East along the North side of NW 22 ^nd Street to the West side of NW 3rd Avenue; thence South along the West side of NW 3rd Avenue to the North Side of the Dolphin Expressway; thence West along the North side of the Dolphin Expressway to the East side of I-95; thence North along the East side of I-95 to North side of NW 20th Street; thence West along the North side of NW 20th Street to the West side of NW 14th Avenue; thence South along the West side of NW 14th Avenue to the South side of the Dolphin Expressway; thence East along the South side of the Dolphin Expressway to the East bank of the Wagner Creek Canal; thence South 300 feet along the East bank of the Wagner Creek Canal; thence East running parallel 300 feet to the South of the Dolphin Expressway to the West side of NW 7th Avenue; thence North along the West side of NW 7th Avenue to the South side of the Dolphin Expressway; thence East along the South side of the Dolphin Expressway to the West side of I-95; thence South along the West side of I-95 to the North side of NW 5 ^th Street; thence West along the North side of NW 5 ^th Street to the West side of NW 6 ^th Avenue; thence South on the West side of NW 6 ^th Avenue to the West side of NW North River Drive; thence South along the West side of NW North River Drive to the north side of West Flagler Street; thence East along the north side of West Flagler Street to the West side of I-95; thence South along the West side I-95 to the South side of SW 8th Street; thence East along the South side of SW 8th Street to the East side of S. Miami Avenue; thence North along the East side of S. Miami Avenue to the South side of the Miami River; thence East along the South side of the Miami River to the East side of Brickell Avenue; thence North along the East side of Brickell Avenue to the North side of the Miami River; thence East along the North side of the Miami River to Biscayne Bay; thence North along the Biscayne Bay shoreline to the point of beginning, as shown on the City of Miami Urban Core map shown below.

(Ord. No. 85-59, § 2, 7-18-85; Ord. No. 95-215, § 1, 12-5-95; Ord. No. 07-61, § 2, 4-26-07; Ord. No. 07-91, § 1(2), 7-10-07; Ord. No. 10-71, § 1, 10-19-10; Ord. No. 12-09, § 1, 3-6-12; Ord. No. 16-15, § 2, 2-2-16; Ord. No. 18-3, § 1, 1-23-18; Ord. No. 19-05, § 3, 1-23-19)