(1) No person shall construct, erect, enlarge, alter, or relocate any sign, or install electrical parts, wiring, or illumination in or upon a sign, until all required permits have been obtained, including, but not limited to, sign permits, building permits, electrical permits, and any other permit required under federal, state, or local law. A sign permit for the construction and continued use of a sign is subject to the terms and conditions stated in the permit and to the provisions of this chapter.

(2) Building and electrical permits shall be the responsibility of the owner. Prior to obtaining building and electrical permits, the owner shall obtain a sign permit or demonstrate an exception from the permit requirements of this chapter.

(3) An application for sign permit approval is subject to the procedures set forth in NBCC 18.70.060.

(4) All illuminated signs must be installed by a state-licensed sign contractor, subject to the requirements of the state electrical code. All electrically illuminated signs shall be listed, labeled, and tested by a testing agency recognized by the state of Oregon.

(5) Except as provided in NBCC 18.70.080, no person shall erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, demolish, equip, use, or maintain any sign, or cause or permit the same to be done, in violation of any provision of this chapter or a permit issued hereunder.

(6) Nothing in this chapter is intended, nor shall be construed, to permit the erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, or maintenance of any sign at any place or in any manner unlawful under any other federal, state, or local law. When any part of this chapter conflicts with another provision of federal, state, or local law, the provision that establishes the stricter standard shall control.

(7) Nothing in this chapter is intended to and does not restrict speech on the basis of its content, viewpoint, or message. No part of this chapter shall be construed to favor commercial speech over noncommercial speech, or to favor any particular noncommercial message over any other noncommercial message. To the extent any provision of this chapter is ambiguous, the term shall be interpreted to not regulate on the basis of speech content, and the interpretation resulting in the least restriction on the content of the sign message shall prevail.

(8) Signs located within management units within the Coos Bay estuary management plan shall be regulated under the provisions of this chapter based upon the appropriate underlying zone district standards.

(9) Nonconforming signs that were lawfully installed prior to the adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter may remain subject to NBCC 18.70.100(6). Normal maintenance and repair are allowed provided the cost of the structural repairs does not exceed 50 percent of the replacement value of the sign. If the structural repairs exceed 50 percent of the replacement value of the sign it must conform to the current requirements. (Ord. 2061 § 1, 2022)