Bill No. 8065

1   Bill No. 8065 - A BILL to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Charleston, West 
 2   Virginia, adopted January 1, 2006, as amended, by amending the sign regulations 
 3   relating to the size of digital display signs.  
 4 
 5   Be it Ordained by the Council of the City of Charleston, West Virginia: 
 6 
 7   The Zoning Ordinance for the City of Charleston, West Virginia, effective January 1, 
 8   2006, is hereby amended as follows: 
 9 
10   Sec.   24-060   General Sign Regulations  
11   A.    All signs shall comply with the provisions of Section 21-030, Safety and Vision.  
12   B.    A pole sign shall not extend over a public right-of-way.  
13   C.    A wall sign shall not extend above any roof line or further than twelve (12) inches 
14         from the building, or part of the building, to which the sign is attached.  
15   D.    No shingle sign or marquee sign shall be lower than nine (9) feet above ground 
16         level. 
17   E.    No sign shall be permitted to be erected unless the back of such structure is 
18         shielded from public view by a building, other structure, high planting, or another 
19         sign of the same size (where permitted), or unless such back is painted a neutral 
20         color or is enclosed in a solid metal backing that is treated or painted against 
21         corrosion.  
22   F.    The painted portions of signs shall be periodically repainted and kept in good 
23         condition.  
24   G.    The general area in the vicinity of a sign must be kept clear of weeds, debris, 
25         trash and other refuse by the property owner.  
26   H.    The roofs of all marquees shall be properly guttered and connected by down 
27         spouts to a sewer so that the water there from will not drip or flow onto public 
28         property.  
29   I.    The allowed square footage of window signs in zoning districts R-O and above 
30         shall not exceed 25% of the total square foot area of each window, or up to 50% 
31         of the total square foot area of each window if there are no wall signs on the 
32         premises.  Window sign calculations shall include, but not be limited to, 
33         informational signage such as hours of operation and open/closed signs. 
34   J.    Digital display signs shall be freestanding signs of an area of 12 square feet or 
35         less and conform to other relevant definitions and restrictions for freestanding 
36         signs listed elsewhere in the Zoning Ordinance. Such signs must remain static 


                                                                                   Page | 3 of 37         and nonanimated and shall remain fixed for a minimum of 15 minutes. Messages 
38         must transition instantly, with no transition graphics. The luminance may not 
39         exceed 5,000 nits (candela per square meter) between sunrise and sunset or 
40         250 nits during nighttime hours. Digital display signs are not permitted in the 
41         Central Business District or the East End Overlay District. 
42 
43   All prior ordinances or parts of ordinances, inconsistent with this ordinance are hereby 
44   repealed to the extent of such inconsistency. 
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                                                                                   Page | 4 of      Resolution No. 25-115 
      
     Introduced in Council:                          Adopted by Council: 
      
     December 15, 2025                                               
                                               
     Introduced by:                                  Referred to: 
      
     Joseph Jenkins                              Finance