Article 1. Purpose and Applicability
15.06.110 Purpose and intent.
A. Purpose. These sign regulations are established to safeguard the health, safety, convenience, order and welfare of all residents of the Town of Parachute, Colorado. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a balanced and fair legal framework for the design, construction, and placement of signs that:
1. Promote the safety of persons and property by ensuring that signs do not create a hazard by:
a. Confusing or distracting motorists; or
b. Impairing drivers’ ability to see pedestrians, obstacles or other vehicles, or to read traffic signs;
2. Promote the efficient communication of messages, and ensures that persons exposed to signs are not overwhelmed by the number of messages presented;
3. Protect the public welfare and enhances the appearance and economic value of the local real estate by reducing and preventing sign clutter;
4. Ensure that signs are compatible with their surroundings, and prevent the construction of signs that are a nuisance to occupants of adjacent and contiguous property due to brightness, reflectivity, bulk, or height;
5. Enhance property values and business opportunities;
6. Encourage common character through common elements;
7. Assist in wayfinding; and
8. Provide fair and consistent permitting and enforcement among all applicable uses and end users.
B. Intent. It is the intent of these regulations to provide for the proper control of signs in a manner consistent with the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. It is not the intent of these regulations to regulate signs based on the content of their messages. Rather, this chapter advances important, substantial, and compelling governmental interests.
1. The incidental restriction on the freedom of speech that may result from the regulation of signs hereunder is no greater than is essential to the furtherance of the important, substantial, and compelling interests that are advanced by this chapter.
2. The Town has an important and substantial interest in preventing sign clutter (which is the proliferation of signs of increasing size and dimensions as a result of competition among property owners for the attention of passing motorists and pedestrians), because sign clutter:
a. Creates visual distraction and obstructs views, potentially creating a public safety hazard for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians;
b. May involve physical obstructions of streets or sidewalks, creating public safety hazards;
c. Degrades the aesthetic and essential historic character of the Town, making the Town a less attractive place for tourism, commerce, and private investment; and
d. Dilutes or obscures messages displayed along the Town’s streets through the proliferation of distracting structures and competing messages.
3. The Town has a substantial and/or compelling interest in preventing traffic accidents.
4. The Town has a substantial and/or compelling interest in preventing negative impacts associated with temporary signs. Temporary signs may be degraded, damaged, moved, or destroyed by wind, rain, snow, ice, and sun, and after such degradation, damage, movement, or destruction, such signs harm the safety and aesthetics of the Town’s streets if they are not removed.
5. Certain types of speech, including but not limited to written and graphic speech, are not constitutionally protected due to the harm that they cause to individuals or the community.
6. Signage may be restricted in areas of historic significance or in areas where design guidelines and ordinances have been duly adopted by the Town. (Ord. 711 §1 (Exh. A), 2017; Amended Ord. 794 §4, 2021)