Businesses skirting feather flag rules

Love them or hate them, feather flags are increasingly flapping in Ramona even though per regulations they are not intended for long term advertising use and should only stay up for 45 days, one time per year.

These guidelines were cited by Ramona Design Review Board (DRB) Chairman Rob Lewallen who shares oversight responsibilities with his fellow board members.

Even though the feather flags can sometimes be seen in multiples, Lewallen said businesses are only allowed to display one 4-by-6-foot temporary sign, feather flag and/or banner at a time, unless they are 2 feet wide, in which case they can have two 2-by-6-foot signs.

“People are not aware they need permission from the Design Review Board,” said Lewallen of the DRB’s authority to recommend the feather flags to the county before they are installed. “They are supposed to have it from the county, but if they have the community’s permission then they’re in the clear.”

Lewallen said feather flags are intended to be used to announce special events, such as a business’s grand opening or remodeling. Businesses are not supposed to use them for any type of advertising, such as a sale, he added, or as permanent fixtures.

He said he has seen plenty of violations of these guidelines around town, even though the rules are spelled out in the Ramona Village Center Form Based Code. When infractions occur, San Diego County’s Code Compliance Division can ask the businesses to remove them.

“Code Compliance tells them to take them down, and usually they do. But if they don’t remove them Code Compliance can fine them, although they usually give a warning first,” Lewallen said. “They have a few days to take them down, and if they don’t, they get into more trouble. The fines get larger and larger. You don’t want to have to deal with Code Compliance.”

The county’s Code Compliance Division tries to get voluntary compliance with feather flag guidelines before enforcing the rules through monetary citations and fines.

(Julie Gallant)

Brent Panas, chief of departmental operations at the county’s Planning & Development Services, said Code Compliance has received two complaints regarding feather flags in Ramona in the past year. He said they receive a variety of complaints regarding feather flags, although most of them are associated with commercial rather than residential properties.

Code Compliance’s goal is to achieve voluntary compliance with the guidelines, Panas said. He said staff offer to help educate the community about the codes and ordinances that apply to the identified violation and provide a reasonable time to comply.

“When necessary, Code Compliance may escalate our enforcement through monetary citations and fines,” Panas explained by email. “Code Compliance evaluates complaints on a case-by-case basis. When a decision is made to cite, Code Compliance will issue a compliance notice outlining the violation(s), options to comply, and compliance timelines.

“The county may grant additional time for compliance when those responsible make progress toward resolving the violation. Furthermore, Code Compliance staff will reach out to the property owner or business owner to discuss compliance progress before issuing a monetary fine. Our goal is to obtain voluntary compliance.”

The Form Based Code regulates most of the downtown area where feather flags are typically used in the commercial district. A separate document, the Ramona Design Guidelines for the Ramona Community Planning Area, provide guidance for the remaining 132 square miles of Ramona including San Diego Country Estates.

Although feather flags are commonly used by businesses, Lewallen said the flags can wave near homes as long as the residence is not within 1,000 feet of a scenic corridor. He said the county will address complaints about feather flags in residential areas.

He noted the DRB’s oversight is limited to commercial and industrial areas, multifamily residential buildings of 7.3 units per acre density or greater, major use permits, and structures within 1,000 feet of a scenic corridor.

“The Design Review Board doesn’t address residential,” he said. “The county gets involved if a neighbor complains. We decided we didn’t want to regulate residential unless its apartments.”

He added that most properties in Ramona are subject to the DRB’s review, and decisions about installing feather flags are subject to the DRB’s recommendation and county’s approval.

Businesses or individuals wanting to install feather flags should submit a site plan or application of a site plan waiver, depending on the scope of the proposed signage, to https://publicservices.sdcounty.ca.gov/CitizenAccess, where complaints can also be filed.