(a) Intent. The intent of these Sign Regulations is to promote and protect the public health, welfare, and safety by regulating existing and proposed outdoor advertising and outdoor advertising signs of all types. It is intended to protect property values, create a more attractive economic and business climate, enhance and protect the physical appearance of the community and preserve the scenic and natural beauty of designated areas. It is further intended to reduce sign or advertising distraction and obstructions that may contribute to traffic accidents, reduce hazards that may be caused by signs overhanging or projecting over public rights-of-way, and curb the deterioration of the natural environment and enhance community development.
(b) General Terms and Conditions.
(1) "Sign" means any display, figure, painting, drawing, placard, or other device visible from a public way which is designed, intended, or used to convey a message, advertise, inform, or direct attention to a person, institution, organization, activity, place, object, or product. It may be a structure or part thereof painted on or attached directly or indirectly to a structure.
(2) For a sign which is framed, outlined, painted, and otherwise prepared and intended to provide a background for a sign display, the area dimensions shall include the entire portion within such background or frame.
(c) General Requirements for Signs in all Districts. A permit shall be required and the regulations contained in this section shall apply to all signs in all zoning districts.
(1) No sign may be so arranged or erected in any district, so that it interferes with traffic through glare, blocking of reasonable sight lines for streets, sidewalks, driveways, or through confusion with traffic control devices by reason of color, shape, location or illumination.
(2) No sign shall be placed on or above the roof of any building.
(3) No sign erected or maintained in the window of a building visible from any public or private street or highway, shall occupy more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the window surface.
(4) No sign or part thereof or any other advertising device shall contain or consist of banners, posters, spinners, or other similar moving devices. Such devices, as well as strings of lights, shall not be used for the purpose of advertising or attracting attention.
(5) No sign shall be placed in or above any public rights-of-way except publicly owned signs, such as traffic control signs and directional signs on faces of buildings and those must have a minimum clearance of nine (9) feet above any public sidewalk and fourteen (14) feet above public driveways or alleys. Signs directing and guiding traffic and parking on private property but bearing no advertising matter shall be permitted on any property.
(d) Signs Permitted in all Districts. The following signs shall be permitted in all zoning districts.
(1) Signs advertising the sale, lease, or rental of the premises upon which the sign is located, shall not exceed twenty-five (25) square feet in area, except in all residential districts where the area of the sign shall not be more than twelve (12) square feet.
(2) Political Signs, as defined in subsection (i) hereof.
(3) Signs denoting the name and address of the occupants of the premises, not to exceed two (2) square foot in area.
(4) Signs or bulletin boards customarily incidental to places of worship, libraries, social clubs, or societies, which signs or bulletin boards shall not exceed fifteen (15) square feet in area and shall be set back from all street lot lines at least twelve (12) feet.
(5) All other signs are prohibited unless otherwise permitted in specific districts by other provisions of these Sign Regulations hereinafter.
(e) Wall and Projecting Signs.
(1) In a business or industrial district, each business or industry shall be permitted one (1) projecting sign for each face of the building facing a street. No projecting sign shal1 project more than nine (9) feet outside the property line or extend to a point closer than two (2) feet from the curb line. Said sign shall be no less than nine (9) feet above the sidewalk line. Said sign shall have a maximum advertising face of fifteen (15) square feet (3 x 5). Such sign shall be limited to displaying only the name of the owner, trade names and symbols, products sold and the business activity on the premises where such sign is located.
(2) In a business or industrial district, each business or industry shall be permitted one (1) wall sign for each face of the building facing a street. Such wall sign shall project not more than twelve (12) inches from the face of the building and shall not be over three (3) feet in height. Such sign shall be limited to displaying only the name of the owners, trade names and symbols, products sold and the business or activity of the premises where such sign is located.
(f) Ground Signs.
(1) In a business or industrial district one (1) ground sign shall be permitted for each business or industrial establishment, provided no part of such sign shall project into the rights-of-way of any street or highway. The maximum area of any face of such sign shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet, the height shall not exceed twenty (20) feet, and any part of the sign shall not be less than fifty (50) feet from any residential lot line.
(2) Such ground signs shall be limited to displaying only the name of the owners, trade name and symbols, products sold and the business or activity on the premises where such sign is located.
(g) Temporary Signs.
(1) In all districts temporary signs not exceeding fifty (50) square feet in area, announcing special public or institutional events, the erection of a building displaying the name of the architect, the builders, or contractors may be erected for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days plus the event or construction period.
(h) Pole Signs.
(1) In any business and industrial district one (1) free-standing pole sign shall be permitted for each business or industrial establishment. Such sign shall not exceed thirty (30) feet in height and shall have a maximum advertising face area of thirty-two (32) square feet. Such pole signs shall be limited to displaying only the name of the owners, trade names and symbols, products sold and the business or activity on the premises where such sign is located.
(i) Entrance and Exit Signs.
(1) In all districts all parking lots having spaces for four (4) or more cars may have entrance and exit signs. Such signs shall not exceed five (5) square feet on any face and shall only display directional information.
(j) Political Signs.
(1) No political sign shall be posted in any place or in any manner that is destructive to public property upon posting or removal.
(2) All candidates for public office, their campaign committees, or other persons responsible for the posting on public property of campaign material shall remove such material within two (2) weeks following election day.
(k) Home Occupation Signs.
(1) Home occupation signs shall be limited to displaying only the name of the owners, trade names and symbols, products sold and the business or activity on the premises where such sign is located as defined in Section 1133.02
(b).
(l) Outdoor Advertising Displays and Billboards. Outdoor advertising displays and billboards shall be permitted only in business and industrial districts and along Federal Interstate Highways subject to the following provisions:
(1) Such signs shall not be located within fifty (50) feet of an existing street right-of-way or in front of an established building line, whichever is greatest.
(2) Such signs shall not be located within required yards.
(3) Such signs shall not be located so as to interfere with the visibility and safe operation of vehicles entering or leaving the premises or intersecting street and walkways.
(4) Such signs shall not be located within two hundred (200) feet of any other outdoor advertising display or billboard on the same side of the street.
(5) Such signs shall be located so as to be completely visible at a distance of one hundred fifty (150) feet by a motorist traveling in the direction for which the display is designed.
(6) Such sign shall not be located on or within fifty (50) feet of any building, within twenty (20) feet of any lot line or within fifty (50) feet of any residential area.
(7) The maximum display area for any one outdoor advertising display or billboard sha11 not exceed two hundred (200) square feet for one face and four hundred (400) square feet for two (2) or more faces, and in no case shall any motorist be exposed to more than two hundred (200) square feet of display area of such sign from any one viewpoint.
(8) The gross area of outdoor advertising display or billboard area shall not exceed one (1) square foot for each one (1) foot of frontage of the property of ownership on which the sign is located.
(m) Setbacks at Intersections of Highways.
(1) At the intersection of any state or federal highway with an arterial or local thoroughfare, or other major intersection as determined by the City Engineer, the setback of any sign shall not be less than one-hundred (100) feet from the established right-of-way of each highway br street.
(n) Alteration and Removal of Signs.
(1) The Zoning Inspector shall order the alteration or removal of any sign erected or mounted subsequent to the enactment of these sign regulations which does not comply with the provisions and requirements of same.
(2) The Zoning Inspector shall order the alteration or removal within sixty (60) days of any sign which is considered a threat to the general safety or welfare due to blinking lights, moving parts, nearness to intersection, needed repair, or other valid reasons.
(3) The Zoning Inspector shall institute and request proper legal proceedings or actions by the City when any order regarding the alteration, repair, or removal of any sign is not complied with.
(4) The City may in accordance with the manner prescribed by law or other existing regulations, alter, repair, or remove signs and recover the cost thereof when any order regarding the alteration, repair, or removal of such signs is not acted upon as required.
(5) The City may order the alteration or removal of any nonconforming sign, constructed prior to the enactment of these sign regulations, but in so doing shall reimburse the owner of such sign or other appropriate person, firm, etc., the estimated monetary value of such sign or replacement cost for a conforming sign, or cost of alterations, whichever is appropriate.
(6) The estimated value of such sign shall not take into consideration the advertising value of the sign.
(Ord. 35-15. Passed 4-27-15.)