Unless otherwise specifically stated, the following regulations shall apply to all signs within the Village:
(a) All signs shall be professionally manufactured, or of equivalent quality. Permanent signs shall be fabricated with rigid materials that are of good quality and good durability.
(b) No sign or sign structure shall be placed on private or public property without the consent of the owner or agent thereof.
(c) The lowest component of all signs that project (or are supported on posts that project) shall not be less than eight feet above the finished grade of a sidewalk or any other pedestrian way. If located over a pavement used for vehicular traffic, the lowest component of the sign shall not be less than eighteen (18) feet above the finished pavement.
(d) Signs shall be anchored to prevent any lateral movement that would cause wear on supporting members or connections.
(e) All signs shall be subject to the intersection visibility standards established in Section 1111.04.
(f) The back side of all permanent signs that do not contain a second sign face or structural supports shall be completely enclosed.
(g) Maintenance. All signs shall be maintained in accordance with the following:
(1) The property owner, occupant, or other person responsible for the sign shall maintain the sign in a condition fit for the intended use and they shall have a continuing obligation to
(2) The Zoning Administrator may order any sign to be painted or refurbished whenever needed to keep the sign in a neat and safe condition. All supporters, guys, braces and anchors for such signs shall be maintained in a safe condition.
(3) Failure to maintain a sign in good working condition shall be a violation of this code.
(h) Signs in Rights-of-Way.
(1) Signs shall be prohibited in the right-of-way with the exception of:
A. Signs installed by the Village of Centerburg, Knox County, the State of Ohio, federal government, or public transit agencies;
B. Any warning signs or traffic safety signs required by public entities; or
(2) The Zoning Administrator may remove or cause to be removed any unlawful sign in the public right-of-way. The Zoning Administrator shall maintain said sign for five (5) days. If the owner fails to contact the Zoning Administrator or claim the same sign within five days, said sign may be destroyed.
(i) Manual changeable copy signs shall be permitted on freestanding signs only. Manual changeable copy signs shall comprise no more than one-third (33.3%) of the total area of the sign per side or ten (10) square feet per side, whichever is more, and shall be an integral part of the sign. In residential districts, manual changeable copy signs shall not be internally illuminated. Where permitted to be illuminated, such signs shall be illuminated only between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
(j) Illumination.
(1) Unless otherwise specifically stated, signs may be illuminated through internal or external lighting sources.
(2) Light sources shall be shielded from all adjacent buildings and streets and shall be focused exclusively on the sign.
(3) Lights shall not be of such brightness so as to cause glare that is hazardous to pedestrians or motorists, or will cause unreasonable reasonable light trespass upon adjacent residential districts.
(4) Where an illuminated sign is allowed and such illumination is provided by solar power, any solar panels that are a part of the sign structure shall have a maximum size of two (2) square feet.
(5) An illuminated sign or lighting device shall employ only light of constant intensity.
(6) Where electronic message centers are allowed, such signs shall be in compliance with the following standards:
A. General.
i. Not more than one electronic message center shall be permitted on a lot, provided such lot must have a minimum of 250 feet of frontage located on a state route within the Village that is designated as a forty-five (45) miles per hour speed limit zone or greater speed limit.
ii. An electronic message center shall only be allowed on monument signs.
iii. The electronic message center portion of the sign shall not be larger than ninety percent (90%) of the total sign area allowed for the monument sign on the applicable lot based on the standards of this chapter.
B. Copy (Lettering).
i. Copy (lettering) shall be limited to red letters on a black background.
ii. Letters shall not be smaller than four (4) inches nor greater than eight (8) inches in height. Letters shall be of an appropriate width proportionate to height to be clearly legible.
iii. Each electronic message center will not display more than four (4) rows of text at any time.
C. Brightness.
i. The maximum luminance shall not exceed 5,000 nits between sunrise and sunset.
ii. Except when prohibited to operate as set forth in Paragraph 1117.05(j)(6)C.iii, the electronic message center shall automatically adjust luminance to a maximum of 250 nits from sunset to sunrise.
iii. Where a residential dwelling is located within thirty (30) meters (98.42 feet) of the electronic message center face, and for all electronic message centers on lots zoned P-I, the electronic message center must be turned off between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Where a business located on the lot is open to the public past 10:00 p.m., the electronic message center may remain functional until the close of business hours. An application should provide evidence to demonstrate no conflict will occur with any adjacent residential development.
D. Message Timing.
i. Each message shall appear static for a minimum of ten (10) seconds ("dwell time").
ii. Transition Time
a) If a fade or dissolve effect is used, the effect will take no more than three seconds to complete transition.
b) If a fade or dissolve effect is not used, the electronic message center will not display a blank screen between messages for more than one second before the next message appears.
E. Permitted Effects. The electronic message center may use the following effects:
i. Dissolve: an effect accomplished by varying the light intensity and pattern an effect in which one message gradually appears to dissipate and lose the legibility with the gradual appearance and legibility of the second message.
ii. Fade: an effect accomplished by varying the light intensity, where a message is gradually reduced in intensity to the point of not being legible followed by a subsequent message which gradually increases intensity to the point of legibility.
F. Prohibited Effects. The electronic message center shall not use the following effects:
i. Flashing: exhibiting changing light or color effect by any means to provide intermittent illumination that changes light intensity in sudden transitory bursts and creates the illusion of intermittent flashing light by streaming, graphic bursts showing movement, or any mode of lighting which resembles zooming, twinkling or sparkling (except dissolve or fade).
ii. Spinning or rotating;
iii. Interactive display;
iv. Sequencing: An effect where a message is not completed in one display, and is continued on a subsequent display.
v. Scroll: an effect in which a message appears to move vertically across the display surface.
vi. Travel: an effect in which a message appears to move horizontally across the display surface.
vii. Video: the display of photographic image in sequence.
G. Operating Regulations.
i. The owner of the electronic message center shall regularly perform maintenance on the electronic message center to ensure each component and part operates as designed. If more than ten percent (10%) of the components are not functional, the owner will cease operating the electronic message center until it is repaired and fully functioning.
ii. The owner of the electronic message center shall use reasonable means to control and secure access to the electronic message center programming and message capabilities to ensure that those messages approved to appropriate owner personnel are displayed.
iii. At no time will the owner of the electronic message center permit the electronic message center to constitute a nuisance which would include but not be limited to being inoperable, malfunctioning, abandoned, etc., to neighboring property owners or the community, or to be a hazard to traffic safety. While operating the electronic message center outside these guidelines will be a nuisance and/or hazard, it is not yet known whether a nuisance or hazard may result from the operation within these guidelines. Once the electronic message center is operational, if the Village determines that their operation constitutes a nuisance or hazard, the owner will coordinate with the Village to mitigate and resolve the nuisance or hazard.
iv. In the case of malfunction, the electronic message center shall contain a default design to freeze the sign message in one position.
(Ord. 2023-16. Passed 6-5-23.)