City of Harrisonburg Proposed Sign Ordinance for Public Review

 
IMPORTANT NOTICE  for Harrisonburg Businesses and Commercial/Office Property Owners
 
Several Chamber members have reviewed the proposed ordinance and will have specific comments at tonight’s meeting and submitted to the Harrisonburg Department of Planning and Community Development before the end of the month. Regulation of signs is a balance between functionality, aesthetics, information, marketing and personal preference. There is typically a “grandfather clause” for existing signage, but new signs, and probably replacement signs as well as sign modifications, will fall under the new ordinance. You are encouraged to ask questions specifically to your own circumstance and City staff will gladly try to answer your questions or concerns.
 
City of Harrisonburg Proposed Sign Ordinance for Public Review
 
In response to the Supreme Court Decision Reed v. The Town of Gilbert, which determined localities cannot regulate signage based upon the content of the sign, the city of Harrisonburg Department of Planning and Community Development has drafted a sign ordinance to replace the existing sign ordinance. The current sign ordinance was last comprehensively reviewed and adopted in April 23, 1996. The changes made to the sign ordinance include addressing any content-based language, providing the option for temporary signs, and adjusting the ordinance to be more reader friendly. The proposed sign ordinance can be found on the city webpage at www.HarrisonburgVA.gov/sign-ordinance-update.
 
City staff will host a panel discussion to answer questions and receive comments about the proposed sign ordinance on January 17, 2019 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at City Hall in Room 011 located in the basement of City Hall. All members of the public are invited to attend the panel discussion, which will start promptly at 4:00 pm.
Any public comments will be accepted until January 31, 2019.

Proposed Sign Ordinance [233KB]
Current Sign Ordinance
Summary of Changes [86KB]