Spokane Municipal Code

Title 17C Land Use Standards

Chapter 17C.240 Signs

Section 17C.240.010 Intent and Purpose

1. Signs have a strong visual impact on the character and quality of the community.  As a prominent part of the scenery, they attract or repel the viewing public, affect the safety of vehicular traffic, and their suitability or appropriateness helps to set the tone for the neighborhood.  The City relies upon its scenery and physical beauty to attract commerce, aesthetic considerations assume economic value.  It is the intent of the City, through this Chapter, to protect and enhance the City’s historic and residential character and its economic base through the provision of appropriate and aesthetic signage.  In addition, it is the intent of the City to limit the size, type and location of signs in order to minimize their distracting effect on drivers and thereby improve traffic safety. The City seeks to balance the need for the protection of public health, safety, welfare and community aesthetics, with the desire to protect the freedom of speech, and prevent discrimination in the application of free speech principles and tenets through the use of content-neutral regulations.

2. The purpose of this Chapter is to promote the public health, safety and welfare through a comprehensive system of reasonable, effective, consistent, content-neutral and nondiscriminatory sign standards and requirements.  This Chapter has also been adopted to:

   1. Promote and accomplish the goals, policies and objectives of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code;

   2. To provide minimum standards in order to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare, and promote traffic safety by following the established design standards, including quality of materials, construction, illumination, size, location and maintenance of sign and sign structures;

   3. Recognize free speech rights by regulating signs in a content-neutral manner;

   4. Promote the free flow of traffic and protect pedestrians and motorists from injury and property damage caused by, or which may be fully or partially attributable to, cluttered, distracting and/or illegible signage;

   5. Protect the beauty of the City’s built environment by encouraging signs that are compatible with the architectural style, characteristics and scale of the building to which it may be attached, and to encourage signs that are compatible with adjacent buildings and businesses;

   6. Protect property values, the local economy, and the quality of life by preserving and enhancing the appearance of the streetscape;

   7. Provide consistent sign design standards;

   8. Encourage creative and innovative approaches to signage, and signs that are of a quality design, pleasing in appearance and are appropriate in size, materials and illumination to the surrounding neighborhood;

   9. Provide an improved visual environment for the citizens of and visitors to the City; and

   10. Adopt clear, understandable regulations which enable the fair and consistent enforcement of this Chapter.

Date Passed: Monday, January 29, 2018

Effective Date: Saturday, March 17, 2018

ORD C35577 Section 1