(A) Every projecting sign must be constructed and braced to withstand a horizontal wind pressure as required by Indiana Code for the superficial area exposed. Every projecting sign shall be securely attached to the building wall by iron or metal bolts, anchors, supports, chains, stranded chains, or steel rods.
(B) Signs projecting from the building wall may be extended within two feet, six inches of the curbline, but in no case shall such sign extend more than seven feet from or beyond the face of the building or property line, and no projecting sign shall be, at its lowest point, less than nine feet above the sidewalk level. However, on streets having sidewalks five feet or less in width, projecting signs may be erected attached to a building or structure and permitted to extend to an imaginary line projecting perpendicularly from the curb, with the lowest point of such sign no less than 14 feet above the sidewalk level.
(C) No projecting sign shall be erected to a greater height than 80 feet above the curb level of an adjacent street or above the cornice of any building which is three stories or more in height.
(D) All projecting signs erected, constructed, or maintained shall be constructed entirely of noncombustible material, approved for the purpose by the Building Commissioner.
(E) No projecting sign for which a permit is required by this chapter, and which is now or may be erected hereafter, within the fire limits, shall be illuminated other than by electricity.
(F) Noncombustible advertising displays, models, letter work, sign devices, or representations used in the nature of advertising, announcement, or direction may be hung to marquees; provided, however, such sign shall be at least nine feet above the sidewalk level and no such advertising display shall extend beyond or outside of the lines of the marquees.
(G) No projecting sign shall be erected hereafter when the area of one face of such sign shall exceed 300 square feet.
(H) Turnbuckles shall be placed in all chains and guy wires supporting projecting signs weighing 200 pounds or more, except in cases where turnbuckles are dispensed with by special permission of the Building Commissioner.
(I) Projecting signs shall be supported as follows:
(1) The dead load of projecting signs may be supported with chains or guy wires, the working stress of which chains or guy wires shall not exceed one-fifth of the ultimate strength of such chains or guy wires. The net cross-sectional area of the supporting chains or guy wires shall not be less than 1/4-inch in diameter. Chains or guy wires supporting the dead load of any such sign shall be erected or maintained at an angle not less than 30 degrees with the horizontal. Supporting chains or cables may be used for the resistance of wind pressure, and the working stress of such supporting chains or cables shall be designed so that it will not exceed one-fifth of the ultimate breaking strength of the chains or cables. The least cross-sectional diameter of the chains or cables shall not be less than 1/4-inch. Supporting chains or cables resisting wind pressure shall be erected or maintained at an angle of 45 degrees or more than the face of the sign that the chains or cables are supporting. In no case shall there be less than two chains or cables designed to resist the dead load and two chains or cables on each side to resist the live load of any projecting sign having 20 square feet in one facial area. Chains or cables resisting a wind pressure on any side of a projecting sign shall not be more than eight feet apart.
(2) All supporting chains or guy wires, where used either for the resistance of live or dead loads shall be secured by a bolt or expansion screw that will develop the strength of the supporting chain or cable, with a minimum half-inch bolt or lag screw secured by an expansion shield or other method approved by the Building Commissioner.
(3) Chains or guy wires used to support the live load or dead loads of projecting signs, erected or maintained at an angle of more than 45 degrees, may be fastened to masonry walls with expansion bolts or by machine screws in iron supports. Where the supporting chains or cables must be fastened to walls made of wood, the supporting or anchor bolts shall go through the wall and be fastened securely on the other side.
(4) No staples or nails shall be used to secure any projecting sign or display to any building or structure, unless the sign or display weight is less than one pound.
(5) Stiff-arms, compression members or members in flexure may be used to support either the live load or the dead load of a projecting sign, but the effective or unsupporting length of the main compression members of any sign or stiff-arm shall not exceed 120 times the least radius of gyration, and for the secondary members of 200 times the least radius of gyration.
(6) In any projecting sign or advertising display, the extreme fiber stress of the steel to be used shall not exceed 18,000 pounds per square inch, and for wood the extreme fiber stress shall not exceed 1,200 pounds per square inch of any grade lumber.
(7) All projecting signs weighing over 30 pounds shall have at least one dead load, head lift guy attached thereto, as provided by this section.
(8) All projecting signs weighing over 150 pounds shall have at least two dead load, head lift guys attached thereto, as provided in this section.
(9) In no case shall any advertising display support be attached to a parapet wall.
(Ord. 29-1977, passed 10-17-77; Am. Ord. 2-1989, passed 5-15-89; Am. Ord. 4-1996, passed 4-15-96) Penalty, see § 150.999