1331.02 PERMITS AND SIGN MAINTENANCE.
(a) A sign permit shall be required for all signs. Permanent sign applications shall be charged a fee of $50.00. Applications shall be made to the Building and Zoning Codes Administrator. Each permit application shall include a drawing to scale showing the dimensions of the building, colored photographs of the existing or proposed buildings, size, design and layout of the sign and illumination. Applicants for a sign within 660 feet of an interstate or state primary highway shall also make application to the Ohio Department of Transportation, advertising device control section or its equivalent.
(b) All signs and the premises surrounding a sign shall be maintained in a safe and inoffensive condition and be kept free and clear of weeds and rubbish. If the Building and Zoning Codes Administrator finds the premises or the sign not maintained as required herein, abandoned, or in a dilapidated condition, written notice to remedy the condition shall be served by hand delivery or ordinary mail to the last known business operator and the owner of the premises, as well as any recorded lessee. The notice shall require the owner, operator, lessee or any other person with an interest in the premises to remedy the condition within ten days of the hand delivery or mailing of the notice. If the owner, operator, lessee or other interest holder fails to comply, the City of Dover may remedy the condition by any means deemed necessary, including but not limited to, removal of the sign and all appurtenances thereto. The failure to remove the sign is declared a nuisance. All costs associated with the remedy of the condition shall be assessed against the owner, operator, lessee or any other interest holder in the premises and shall further be placed as a lien against the premises.
(c) Any permanent sign that is abandoned for 90 days, or if the business closes for a period in excess of 90 days, shall be immediately removed by the land owner, business operator, or lessee. The landowner, business operator or lessee, shall remove any sign accessory to an abandoned use or lessee. If the landowner, business operator or lessee fails to remove said sign, the Building and Zoning Codes Administrator shall follow the procedures noted in subsection (b) hereof. Seasonal businesses are exempt from this provision unless the business has permanently ceased operation.
(d) Signs are prohibited on utility poles, hydrants, bridges, walls, trees and foliage. Signage is prohibited off-site for any business, unless utilizing an existing billboard. The use of trucks, trailers or semi-trailers, or job site trucks, trailers or semi-trailers as an advertising device at any location within the City is prohibited unless it is used as a temporary vehicle necessary for an ongoing work project at that location. A period of 28 days shall be considered a legitimate period for a determination that a truck, trailer, or semi-trailer are considered an off-site job trailer. Additional time may be granted by the Building and Zoning Codes Administrator due to circumstances of an ongoing project.
(e) Pole or pylon signs exceeding seven feet in height that are supported by or suspended from a freestanding column or columns, including billboards are prohibited.
(f) Legal nonconforming signs shall be maintained or repaired to safe condition. All legal nonconforming signs declared to be a nuisance by the Building and Zoning Codes Administrator shall be removed or reconstructed in compliance with the Zoning and Sign Codes.
(g) The affected property owner, business operator, or lessee may appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals or the Architectural Review Board any order of the Building and Zoning Codes Administrator. (Ord. 20-17. Passed 5-15-17.)