The following general standards shall apply to all outdoor signs unless expressly stated otherwise in this chapter:
(a) Illumination.
(1) Location and design of light source. Whenever an external artificial light source is used for a sign, such source shall be located, shielded, and directed so as to not be directly visible from any public street or private residence. No receptacle or device housing a permitted light source shall protrude more than 18 inches from the face of the sign or building to which it is attached.
(2) Level of illumination. In no event shall the illumination of any sign, resulting from any internal or external artificial light source, exceed 50 foot candles when measured with a standard light meter held perpendicular to the sign face at a distance equal to the narrowest dimension of such face. All artificial illumination shall be so designed, located, shielded, and directed as to illuminate only the sign face or faces and to prevent the casting of glare or direct light upon adjacent property or streets.
(3) Signs adjacent to residential areas. Any illuminated sign located on a lot abutting or across a street from, and visible from, any residentially zoned area, shall not be illuminated from the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., except that such sign may remain illuminated during such time as the activity to which the sign pertains is open for business so long as such sign is not a public or private nuisance.
(4) Flashing lights prohibited. Except for public service signs when expressly permitted by this section, no flashing, blinking, or intermittent lights shall be permitted.
(b) Structural Elements. The construction and structural components of all signs shall be in accordance with the standards and regulations of the Village Building Code.
(c) Minimum Height of Certain Signs. The bottom of every awning, canopy, flat sign and wall sign shall be elevated at least eight feet above grade. Wall signs on the same façade shall maintain the same top and bottom elevations above grade.
(d) Minimum Setback. Except as otherwise provided, no sign shall be closer than ten feet to a right-of-way or six feet from a side lot line.
(e) Obstruction of Access Ways. No sign or sign structure shall obstruct free ingress to or egress from a fire escape, door, window, or other required access way.
(f) Traffic Safety.
(1) Confusion with traffic signals. No sign shall be maintained at any location whereby reason of its position, size, shape, content, color, or illumination it may obstruct, impair, obscure, interfere with the view of, or be confused with any traffic control sign, signal, or device or where it may interfere with, mislead, or confuse traffic.
(2) Obstruction of sight triangles prohibited. No sign, nor any part of a sign other than a supporting pole or brace no greater than 18 inches in width or diameter, shall be located lower than eight feet from grade within the area of any sight triangle, as defined in § 1262.03 of this chapter, in districts where pole signs are allowed.
(g) Signs in Rights-of-Way. No sign, except governmental signs, shall be placed in or extend into or over any public property or public right-of-way.
(h) Sign Maintenance. The owner of a sign and the owner of the premises on which such sign is located shall be jointly and severally liable to maintain such sign, including its illumination sources, in compliance with this Code and applicable laws, in a safe and secure condition, and in neat and orderly condition and good-working order at all times, and to prevent the development of rust, corrosion, rotting, or other deterioration in the physical appearance or safety of such sign. The premises around monument and pole signs shall be kept clean and free of rubbish and weeds. No sign or sign structure shall be maintained which, in the opinion of the Building, Planning & Zoning Manager, is structurally unsafe or constitutes a hazard to safety, health, and welfare by reason of inadequate construction, maintenance, dilapidation or abandonment.
(i) Sign Measurement.
(1) Determination of sign face area. The area of a sign shall be determined by computing the entire area within a single polygon that completely enclosed the sign face (i.e., the extreme limits of lettering, representations, emblems or other figures, together with all surrounding material, color, lighting, trim or ornamentation forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background from which it is placed) and in which polygon no interior angle is greater than 180 degrees.
(2) Area of sign with more than one exterior face. The area of the sign designed with more than one exterior face shall be computed as including 100% of all sign face areas as defined above that are visible from any ground position. A V-shaped sign whose interior angle is 90 degrees or less shall be counted as two sign faces.
(3) Exceptions. In a residential development where the sign identifying the name of the development is attached to a wall or fence, the area of the entire wall or fence shall not be computed in determining the maximum sign area.
(j) Signs on Lots with Multiple Users. When more than one user occupies a zoning lot, the owner of that lot shall be responsible for allocating permitted signage among such users.
(k) Sign Spacing. No sign shall be nearer than two feet to any other sign or structure, other than a structure to which it is lawfully attached.
(l) General Safety. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, no sign shall be constructed or maintained in any area or in any manner so as to create a nuisance or a threat to the public safety or welfare.
(m) Electronic Changeable Copy Signs. Electronic copy signs are permitted, provided that movement is limited to scrolling, or flashing copy with a minimum two second delay. Animations are prohibited.
(n) Nonconforming Signs. Nonconforming signs are subject to the provisions of § 1264.07(d).
(o) Temporary Signs.
(1) All temporary signs, excluding now hiring signs, banners, political signs, a-frame signs, grand opening signs, and pennants, streamers, balloons, festive device signs, or similar moving devices or air activated graphics, may be displayed for a period not to exceed 30 days for a maximum of four times a year for every calendar year with a minimum of 30 days between installations.
(2) All temporary signs must be located on the same zoning lot as the use to which they are accessory.
(3) All temporary signs in Planned Business Districts may be permitted as authorized by these regulations.
(4) Banners.
A. One banner may be displayed for a maximum of two time(s) per year for a period not to exceed 14 days in the Commercial, Public Facilities, and Office Research Districts, and for a maximum of six time(s) per year for a period not to exceed 14 days in the Industrial Districts.
B. All banners shall be securely fastened.
(5) Grand opening signs.
A. Grand opening signs are limited to one sign per street front.
B. Grand opening signage shall be erected for a period not to exceed 14 days.
C. Permits for grand opening signs shall be issued only if a valid certificate of occupancy has been issued for the use in question within the previous six months.
(6) Political signs. Political signs must have a minimum setback of ten feet in all districts.
(7) A-frame signs.
A. A-frame signs may be displayed up to 180 days a year.
B. A-frame signs must be placed indoors at the close of each business day, or no later than 10:00 p.m.
C. A-frame signs must be located on the same parcel as the structure or activity to which they are accessory, and within 15 feet of the use or activity on the lot to which they are accessory. The use in this case may be any lawfully placed principal, accessory, or temporary structure located on the lot.
(8) Pennants, streamers, balloons, festive device signs, or similar moving devices or air-activated graphics.
A. One pennant, streamer, balloon, festive device sign, or similar moving device or air activated graphic may be displayed per use.
B. The pennant, streamer, balloon, festive device sign, or similar moving device or air activated graphic shall be erected for a maximum of two time(s) per year for a period not to exceed 14 days in the Commercial and Public Facilities Districts, and for a maximum of four time(s) per year for a period not to exceed 14 days in the Industrial Districts.
C. The pennant, streamer, balloon, festive device sign, or similar moving device or air-activated graphic shall be securely fastened.
(9) Now hiring signs. “Now hiring signs” which are ground mounted shall be made out of a rigid frame with a rigid sign face or faces.
(p) Location of Signs. Signs shall be located on the same zoning lot as the use to which they are accessory.
(q) Signs on Multiple Building Frontages. For single-tenant buildings in all non-residential districts, one additional flat or wall sign may be placed on the side(s) of the building facing a secondary public right-of-way in accordance with the sign size and location regulations applicable to the underlying zoning district.
(r) Window Signs. No more than 25% of the window glazing on an exterior wall may be covered by window signs. A permit is not required.
(Ord. 12-64. Passed 3-12-13; Ord. 17-37. Passed 5-9-17; Ord. 17-38. Passed 6-13-17; Ord. 20-24. Passed 3-10-20; Ord. 20-69. Passed 11-10-20.)