Loading...
Where for twelve (12) consecutive years beginning at any time prior to January 1, 2006 a sign with a face of at least three hundred (300) square feet has remained at the same location continuously with no change in height setback, number of panels, size, or dimensions, other than changes allowed by division (1) of Section 350.10, it shall be conclusively presumed for purposes of Section 350.18 of this Zoning Code and Section 3113.04 of the Building Code that the sign was erected initially pursuant to valid permits, certificates, and all other approvals required by the City at the time of erection.
(Ord. No. 1282-06, § 5. Passed 11-27-06, eff. 1-6-07)
The following regulations shall apply in non-residential zoning districts to parking garages accommodating more than ten (10) vehicles and to open parking lots which are not accessory to a main use:
(a) Exemptions. Regulations of this zoning code do not restrict directional and informational signs not readable from a public street.
(b) Sign Types. Parking garages and lots regulated by this section shall be permitted identification, business, directional and information signs displayed as either free-standing, projecting, wall or window signs.
(c) Number and Area. No more than two (2) permitted signs shall be displayed at each vehicular entrance to the garage or lot. Except for directional and information signs not exceeding four (4) square feet each in area, no other signs shall be permitted on the property. Combined area of all signage displayed at each entrance shall not exceed seventy-five (75) square feet and no single sign shall exceed fifty (50) square feet in area.
(d) Supplemental Regulations. Individual signs permitted for parking garages and lots shall conform to all regulations of this chapter not in conflict with regulations of this section. With regard to the location of free-standing signs, the regulations for retail zoning districts shall apply.
(Ord. No. 3076-A-89. Passed 12-10-90, eff. 12-20-90)
All signs and sign structures shall be maintained in a safe condition and shall not exhibit evidence of significant wear, deterioration or damage. Whenever the Commissioner of Building and Housing has ordered the repair or removal of a permanent or temporary sign due to its hazardous condition or due to the lack of an appropriate required permit and such action has not been taken within forty-eight (48) hours of delivery of such notice to the person or entity which owns the sign or on whose property it is displayed, the Commissioner may cause the repair or removal of the sign at the expense of such person or entity. If in the opinion of the Commissioner, the sign is so hazardous as to constitute an immediate danger to human life, the Commissioner shall promptly cause the repair or removal of the sign at the expense of such person or entity, in accordance with division (i) of Section 3103.09, without the necessity of waiting forty-eight (48) hours.
(Ord. No. 3076-A-89. Passed 12-10-90, eff. 12-20-90)
A sign which is displayed pursuant to a Building Permit issued by the City, but does not conform to current regulations, shall be deemed a legal nonconforming sign (hereinafter referred to as a “nonconforming” sign) and shall be governed by the following regulations:
(a) Permitted Repair and Alterations. A nonconforming sign may be painted, cleaned or repaired as required in Section 350.18 but shall not be otherwise altered, moved or replaced unless made to conform to current regulations. Such sign, however, may be altered to permit a change of message or change of face if such change does not structurally alter the sign casing or support.
(b) Limitation on Reconstruction. A nonconforming sign or part thereof damaged or deteriorated to an extent exceeding fifty percent (50%) of its replacement cost shall not be reconstructed or replaced unless made to conform to regulations of this Code. For a nonconforming sign damaged by a single incident (such as a storm), to an extent less than fifty percent (50%) of its replacement cost, reconstruction is permitted only if such work is begun within six (6) months of the incident and is completed within twelve (12) months of the incident.
(c) Discontinuance of Use. A nonconforming sign shall be removed or made to conform to regulations of this Code if the use to which the sign refers has been discontinued for a continuous and immediately preceding period of at least six (6) months, except as provided in division (f) of this section. In the case of a nonconforming billboard, as defined in this chapter, such sign shall be removed or made to conform to regulations of this Code if, for a continuous and immediately preceding period of at least twelve (12) months, the billboard has been blank or has displayed copy which is faded or damaged so as to render it illegible or has referred to an event or activity which has ended or to a business or product or service which has been discontinued.
(d) Temporary Signs. All nonconforming temporary signs, including portable signs, shall be removed or made to comply with the regulations of this Code within thirty (30) days after issuance of a violation notice by the City.
(e) Signs for Nonconforming Uses. For legal nonconforming uses, such as a retail use in a residential zoning district, the applicable signage regulations shall be those most appropriate to the nature of the nonconforming use.
(f) Landmark Signs. A landmark sign is one which is determined to be historically or architecturally significant by the Landmarks Commission in accordance with the standards of division (a) of Section 161.04 of the Codified Ordinances. A sign so identified by the Commission shall be exempt from the prohibitions regarding reconstruction or retention as stated in divisions (a) and (b) of Section 350.19. Any proposed reconstruction of such sign shall be permitted only if approved by the Landmarks Commission in accordance with its customary standards for review.
(Ord. No. 1435-99. Passed 2-28-00, eff. 3-6-00)
The following supplemental regulations shall apply to permitted signs in non-residential zoning districts:
(a) Non-Ground Floor Uses. For uses not located on the ground floor and for ground floor uses which lack direct access from the building exterior, the following signs shall be permitted in addition to signs otherwise permitted for the building. Regardless of the number of such uses in a building, not more than one (1) wall or projecting identification sign, a maximum of twelve (12) square feet in area, shall be placed at each ground floor entrance providing access to the uses in question. In addition, for each such use, window signs not exceeding twenty (20) square feet in total area shall be permitted for display on the inside surface of windows within the subject space.
(b) Secondary Frontages and Entrances.
(1) Secondary Frontages. A building or building unit with frontage on a second street or with a customer building entrance from a rear or side parking lot shall be permitted total additional wall, window, projecting and canopy sign area not to exceed fifty percent (50%) of the sign area otherwise permitted. Such signs shall be displayed so that the total sign area placed on any facade does not exceed the maximum sign area permitted for the building’s primary frontage. This provision shall also apply to buildings or building units with secondary frontage along the Cuyahoga River or Lake Erie and to buildings adjoining a freeway right-of-way.
(2) Secondary Entrances. For lots served by more than one (1) vehicular entrance, one (1) additional freestanding identification sign shall be permitted at each additional vehicular entrance if the minimum distance between any two (2) such signs is five hundred (500) feet as measured along street lines. Where such distance is less than five hundred (500) feet but more than three hundred (300) feet, a second free-standing identification sign shall be permitted if the height of each such sign is no greater than twelve (12) feet and the combined sign area of the two (2) signs is no greater than one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the maximum sign area permitted for a single free-standing identification sign on the subject property.
(c) New Businesses. Upon its initial opening, a new business establishment may display a temporary identification sign for a maximum period of sixty-two (62) days prior to installation of a permanent identification sign. Such temporary sign may be a wall, window or portable sign which shall conform with all regulations applicable to permanent signs (except clearly inapplicable structural requirements) and shall be counted as part of the maximum permitted permanent sign area. In addition, temporary window signs for such new businesses may cover up to seventy- five percent (75%) of window area. Strings of pennants, streamers, pinwheels, balloons and similar small lightweight objects shall be permitted for “grand openings” for a single period not exceeding seven (7) days within the first six (6) months after issuance of the initial Occupancy Certificate for a new business.
(d) Open Lots. For uses without buildings, and for uses on lots where building frontage in less than twenty percent (20%) of lot frontage, maximum sign face area for the use, including free-standing signs, shall be the greater of fifty (50) square feet or the figure resulting from the following formula where “LW” equals the width of the lot frontage, as defined in division (a)(2) of Section 350.05: LW x 1.0 = SQUARE FEET OF SIGNAGE. The area of a free- standing sign shall in no instance exceed one hundred (100) square feet.
(e) Major Public Assembly Facilities. For public assembly facilities located within the Central Business District and providing a minimum seating or attendance capacity of five thousand (5,000) persons, signage shall be permitted in accordance with the following standards contained in this division (e) which recognize the unique nature of these large-scale public assembly facilities. Except as provided in these standards, all other regulations of this Zoning Code shall apply to such signage.
(1) Type, Number, Height and Location of Signs. The City Planning Commission may authorize variations in otherwise applicable regulations of this chapter to the extent necessary to provide adequate information to the public.
(2) Electronic Changeable Copy Signs. Information displayed through electronically changeable copy on signs located on the premises of a qualifying public assembly facility or on property located within five hundred (500) feet of the qualifying public assembly facility and owned or leased by the owners of said public assembly facility shall be limited to the following:
A. Identification of the facility or events held at the facility;
B. Identification of the events held at other local public assembly facilities and identification of festivals and other special events held in the City;
C. Identification of products or services offered for sale on the premises of the qualifying public assembly facility;
D. Public service messages, such as time, temperature and information of a civil nature, including welcoming of visitors to the City;
E. Acknowledgement of organizations or individuals sponsoring events held at the facility or contributing to the construction or operation of the facility as sponsors or patrons.
(Ord. No. 1435-99. Passed 2-28-00, eff. 3-6-00)
The provisions of this chapter shall not govern the display of the following signs and objects:
(a) The American, Ohio and Cleveland flags and flags of other nations or nationality groups (except where used as part of a sign advertising a product or service);
(b) Governmental signs providing traffic control information and similar public information;
(c) Signs which are part of the original construction of a vending machine, fuel pump or similar device;
(d) Any monument within a cemetery;
(e) Cornerstones and permanent building plaques displaying the date of construction, architect’s name, building name, historical information, etc., and not exceeding eight (8) square feet in area;
(f) Signs in non-residential districts displaying only a street address and not exceeding two (2) square feet in area;
(g) Holiday decorations, excluding advertising, displayed for reasonable and customary durations of time;
(h) Vehicles regularly and customarily used to transport persons or property for a business;
(i) Works of art that do not include a commercial message; and
(j) Signs identifying the name and sponsoring agency of a children’s day care center, provided that no more than one (1) such sign is displayed at each such facility and that such sign does not exceed ten (10) square feet in surface area.
(Ord. No. 689-93. Passed 4-5-93, eff. 4-8-93)
The Board of Zoning Appeals may, in specific cases, vary or permit exceptions to any of the provisions of this chapter if it finds that such variance or exception will not violate the spirit or intent of this chapter and is in accordance with the general criteria for the granting of Variances as stated in Chapter 329.
(Ord. No. 3076-A-89. Passed 12-10-90, eff. 12-20-90)