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Article 6: Development Standards Section 6.12: Signs Orange County, North Carolina – Unified Development Ordinance Page 6-83 (N)(K) Security and warning signsSigns posted on private property warning the public against trespassing, or similar messages, provided that any such sign does not exceeding two square feet in area; and.. (O) Political Signs, in accordance with the following standards:17 (1) Political Signs are allowed in all zoning districts. (2) A Zoning Compliance Permit shall not be required to allow for the placement of a political sign on private property. (3) There shall be no limit to the number of political signs that can be placed on private property so long as the placement of these signs complies with the provisions of this Ordinance and the signs do not create a public safety hazard. (4) Within residential zoning districts, political signs shall not exceed nine square feet in area or four feet in height. (5) Within non-residential zoning districts, political signs shall not exceed the maximum allowable sign area permitted for freestanding signs. (6) Political signs shall only be erected 90 days prior to the established date of a general election, school board election, referendum, special election, primary, or other similar political activity. (7) Political signs shall be removed within 21 days after an election. (8) Political signs shall be allowed within rights-of-way of the State highway system only in accordance with State law. (9) Political signs shall not be allowed on telephone poles, utility poles, trees, other similar natural objects, and other signs or sign structures. 6.12.6 Prohibited Signs The following signs are prohibited in all zoning districts: (A) Advertising signs Any Ssigns resembling or mimicking traffic signals, traffic signs, emergency vehicles’ flashing lights, non-governmental sanctioned signs utilizing the words ‘stop’, ‘slow’, ‘caution’, ‘danger’, or any sign that is likely to be misconstrued by the traveling public as being official governmental signs or emergency warnings, or which by their distracting nature create a hazard to motoriststraffic signs; 17 (B) Signs, except for off-premises signs allowed under this Section, advertising an activity, business, product or service no longer conducted on the premises upon which the sign is located. Such signage shall be removed within 90 days from the date of termination of such activity. Upon failure of the owner to remove such signs within the prescribed time, the Planning Director shall take appropriate legal action to have such sign removed All signs located on property where previously approved land use(s) have ceased for more than 90 days shall be removed;18 (C) Signs with Fflashing, blinking, or pulsating components or, signs or signs with moving parts except for signs showing time of day and temperature that are part of an approved sign advertising a permitted business activity on a parcel of property;19 17 In consultation with the County Attorney we are eliminating language that could be construed as establishing prohibitions or allowances based on a signs content 18Staff and the Attorney’s office have wrestled with existing language in an attempt to develop ‘content neutral’ regulation. Our goals is to provide a mechanism to require the removal of signage from a parcel where there is no longer an identifiable use of said property. The revised wording is an attempt to craft a content neutral standard that still allows us the authority to require removal of signage from an unused property. 19 In consultation with the County Attorney we are eliminating language that could be construed as establishing prohibitions or allowances based on a signs content. 37