§ 47-22.1. General.

A.

The City of Fort Lauderdale has an interest in protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public through ensuring traffic safety and protecting the beauty and aesthetics of the City. That interest is furthered by limiting the proliferation of signs and the time, place and manner of their use. Except as otherwise provided in the City Code of Ordinances, all signs in the city shall be limited to on-premises signs.

B.

Purpose of section. This section is intended to provide reasonable, content-neutral regulation of signs to enhance the efficiency of land use and land use planning in the city. In general, this ordinance seeks to regulate on-premise commercial signs and to allow reasonable advertising area to commercial establishments. It is meant to eliminate conspicuous excesses in urban advertising but not to destroy the right to advertise. This control extends to signs on boats in canals in the city.

C.

Scope of section. This section regulates the time, place and manner in which a sign is erected, posted, or displayed on private property such as the height, area, location, and other similar aspects of signs and sign structures and does not in any manner regulate the content of the written or depicted copy on any individual sign, nor does this section regulate in any manner purely graphic material as herein defined; noncommercial holiday signs and decorations; noncommercial political speech, signs on products, product containers, or product dispensers; governmental signs; or signs required by local, state, or federal law; or window displays or building designs, exclusive of any commercial signage or other commercial communication. This section regulates signs intended to be viewed from public rights-of-way, vehicular travelways, and waterways. Any sign authorized by this section shall be allowed to contain noncommercial copy in lieu of commercial or other copy.

(Ord. No. C-97-19, § 1(47-22.1), 6-18-97; Ord. No. C-18-05 , § 8, 3-6-18)