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An ordinance amending Title 17 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws by deleting sections 17.32.020(B)(3) and 17.40.510(C) and adding new language in those sections clarifying that signs regulated by the Metropolitan Department of Codes are to be maintained so that all sign panels remain complete and intact (Proposal No. 2023Z-005TX-001).
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WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (“Metro”), through the Department of Codes Administration, regulates signs within the Metro area in order to ensure that they convey necessary information and meet standards regarding public health, safety, and welfare, as well as certain legal and aesthetic standards;
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County has an interest in having signage maintained in good working order, with all panels intact and conveying to the public all necessary and intended information;
WHEREAS, the public benefits when signs are functional, intact, and contain all necessary panels, and when signs do not appear to be dilapidated, in disrepair, and derelict;
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County wishes to clarify its existing sign ordinances in order to establish that missing or partially missing sign panels violate the Metropolitan Code of Laws.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Metropolitan Code of Laws shall be amended by deleting section 17.32.020(B)(3) and substituting the following language:
Maintenance. All signs shall be maintained in good surface and structural condition, with all panels in place, complete, and intact, and in compliance with all building and electrical codes.
Section 2. That the Metropolitan Code of Laws shall be amended by deleting section 17.40.510(C) and substituting the following language:
Dilapidated Signs. All signs regulated by this title, including the panels constituting the signs, together with all supports, braces, guys and anchors, shall be maintained in good repair, so that all sign panels are affixed in place within the sign cabinet, frame, or similar structure and are complete and intact. In addition to any other available remedies, the zoning administrator may order the removal of any sign that is not maintained in accordance with this code, including the provisions of the metropolitan building code and the metropolitan electric code.
Section 3. The Metropolitan Clerk is directed to publish a notice announcing such change in a newspaper of general circulation within five days following final passage.
Section 4. This Ordinance shall take effect upon publication of above said notice announcing such change in a newspaper of general circulation, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This ordinance, as substituted, amends Sections 17.32.020 and 17.40.510 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws related to the maintenance of signs.
Current law requires all signs to be maintained in good surface and structural condition, in addition to meeting all applicable building and electrical codes. It identifies any sign where the supports, braces, guys, and anchors are not maintained in good repair as being “dilapidated”. The zoning administrator has the authority to remove any sign not maintained in accordance with these requirements or other applicable building and electrical codes. The existing language does not identify missing panels as a condition that would make a sign dilapidated.
The ordinance under consideration would add the existence of missing, incomplete, or damaged sign panels to the criteria that determine if a sign is dilapidated and in violation of the sign code.
This proposal is scheduled for the July 27, 2023 Planning Commission meeting.