Parowan commission begins drafting new sign ordinance; favors monument signs, limited electronic displays

The Parowan City Planning and Building Commission opened a broad discussion June 17 on a proposed rewrite of the city’s commercial sign code and asked staff to prepare a draft ordinance for public hearing.

Staff asked commissioners to rank the primary purposes of the code — assist businesses, help visitors navigate, preserve the town’s rural character, and protect safety and dark skies. Commissioners generally agreed that aiding businesses and wayfinding were priorities and that preserving rural character should be part of the policy mix, with safety treated as a baseline requirement.

Commissioners expressed a preference to encourage monument signs for gateway corridors while allowing other types of signage in appropriate locations. "Monument signs do cost more money but ... this is the main highway stretch — the first thing that you see coming into Parowan," a commissioner said. Business owner Elizabeth Bishop cautioned against excessive restrictions on small operators, saying, "The more I'm told by government how to advertise my business, the less attracted I am to opening a brick and mortar." Bishop asked that guidelines accommodate businesses that cannot afford large monument signs.

On electronic message center (EMC) signs, the commission discussed technical limits and mitigation measures: auto-dimming, foot-candle or lumen limits, limiting the percentage of a sign devoted to video, and restrictions on animation or flashing in certain zones. A representative from sign firm Yesco described technical options such as louvers and dimming systems that can reduce light spill and glare. Commissioners asked staff to research national measurement standards (foot-candles) and examples from nearby cities.

Temporary signs, political signs and the need for clear definitions were also discussed; commissioners asked staff to ensure state constitutional protections for political speech are reflected. The commission asked staff to produce a draft ordinance that will include zone-specific matrices for size, height and allowable sign types and to bring that draft back for a public hearing and subsequent vote.

There were no formal votes on the sign-code concepts at this meeting.