§ 153.220 SIGNS EXEMPT FROM REGULATION.
   The following signs shall be exempt from regulation under the Zoning Ordinance. The following signs shall be allowed without a sign permit and shall not be included in the determination of the type, number, or area of permanent signs allowed within a zoning district, provided such signs comply with the regulations in this section, if any.
   (A)   Official traffic signs.
   (B)   Government/regulatory signs (public signs). Signs erected or required by government agencies or utilities, including traffic, utility, safety, railroad crossing, and identification or directional signs for public facilities.
   (C)   Any public information sign and any other notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state or local law, regulation or resolution, or grant.
   (D)   Any sign inside a building, or other enclosed facility, not attached to a window or door which are not meant to be viewed from the outside that is not legible from a distance of more than three feet beyond the building in which such sign is located.
   (E)   Works of art that do not include a commercial message.
   (F)   Scoreboards for athletic fields.
   (G)   Religious, holiday lights and decorations, and seasonal decorations containing no commercial message when displayed during the appropriate time of the year.
   (H)   Vehicular signs, including but not limited to the use of business logos, identification or advertising on vehicles primarily and actively used for business purposes and/or personal transportation.
   (I)   Personal expression signs of any sign type, including flags, provided that they do not exceed three square feet in area per side, are non-commercial in nature, and not illuminated.
   (J)   Signs or emblems of a religious, civil, philanthropic, historical or educational organization that do not to exceed four square feet in area.
   (K)   Private drive signs. One sign per driveway entrance, not to exceed two square feet in area.
   (L)   Address signs. Up to two signs stating address, number and/or name of occupants of the premises and do not include any commercial advertising or other identification.
      (1)   Residential districts. Signs not to exceed three square feet in area.
      (2)   Non-residential districts. Signs not to exceed five square feet in area.
   (M)   Security and warning signs. These limitations shall not apply to the posting of conventional "no trespassing" signs in accordance with state law.
      (1)   Residential districts. Signs not to exceed two square feet in area.
      (2)   Non-residential districts. Maximum of one large sign per property, not to exceed five square feet in area. All other posted security and warning signs may not exceed two square feet in area.
   (N)   Flags of the United States, the state, foreign nations having diplomatic relations with the United States, and any other flag adopted or sanctioned by an elected legislative body of competent jurisdiction. These flags must be flown in accordance with protocol established by the Congress of the United States for the Stars and Stripes. Any flag not meeting these conditions shall be considered a sign and shall be subject to regulations as such.
      (1)   Location. Flags and flagpoles shall not be located within any right-of-way. Height: Flags shall have a maximum height of 30 feet.
      (2)   Number. No more than three flags per lot in residential districts; no more than four flags per lot in all other districts; public spaces have no number restriction.
      (3)   Size. Maximum flag size is 24 square feet in residential districts, 35 square feet in all other districts; public spaces have no size restriction.
   (O)   Flags - other. Flags containing commercial messages may be used as permitted freestanding or projecting signs, and, if so used, the area of the flag shall be included in, and limited by the computation of allowable area for signs on the property.
   (P)   Flags - other. Flags up to three square feet in area containing noncommercial messages are considered personal expression signs and are regulated in accordance with § 5.E.
   (Q)   Legal notices.
   (R)   Vending machine and ATM signs.
   (S)   Memorial signs, public monument or historical identification sign erected by the village, including plaque signs up to three square feet in area.
   (T)   Signs which are a permanent architectural feature of a building or structure, existing at the time of adoption of this section.
   (U)   Signs advertising the variety of crop growing in a field. Such signs shall be removed after the growing season.
   (V)   Incidental signs, including incidental window signs.
   (W)   Directional signs provided they do not contain any commercial messaging.
      (1)   Area. No single directional sign shall exceed four square feet in area.
      (2)   Height. Directional signs shall have a maximum height of five feet.
      (3)   Illumination. Directional signs shall be non-illuminated.
   (X)   Art and murals provided such signs do not contain any commercial messaging.
   (Y)   Temporary signs including, but not limited to, yard or garage sale signs; political signs not in the right-of-way and no sooner than      days before the applicable election (must be removed within      days of the applicable election).
(Ord. 10-2020, passed 2-18-2020)