(a) Maintaining Sign Condition. All signs and sign structures shall be kept in good repair and in a proper state of preservation. If a sign is removed and not replaced, the property owner shall also remove any related sign equipment and accessories and the building, structure, or ground, shall be restored back to its original condition.
(b) Sanitation and Landscaping.
(1) Property surrounding any freestanding or ground-mounted sign shall be kept clean, sanitary, and free from noxious and offensive substances, weeds, debris, rubbish, and flammable material.
(2) All plant materials and other landscaping surrounding any sign shall be maintained on a regular basis, including pruning, mowing, watering, fertilizing, and replacement of dead and diseased materials.
(c) Inspection of Existing Signs. The Building Commissioner shall have the authority to routinely enter onto property to inspect existing signs for compliance with this chapter and compliance with the Ohio Basic Building Code.
(d) Correction of Defects.
(1) The sign owner shall be notified by the Building Commissioner of any defects or deferred maintenance requiring corrective action in writing.
(2) If any sign reaches a state of disrepair and is deemed unsightly or unsafe or abandoned by the Building Commissioner and is not properly renovated or otherwise brough into compliance with this chapter within thirty (30) days, it shall be condemned, and an order issued for its immediate removal by the sign erector, owner of the sign, or owner of the land.
(e) Nuisance Declaration. Any sign or other object placed, erected, constructed, reconstructed, or altered or permitted to remain on any premises in violation of this chapter is hereby declared to constitute a nuisance, and in addition to any penalty provided in this Code for such violation, the nuisance may be abated in the manner provided under the general laws of the State of Ohio and the Codified Ordinances of the City.
(Ord. 2022-34. Passed 1-9-23.)