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Erection of the following signs shall be permitted in protected areas, subject to the following conditions and limitations listed herein and further, subject to other applicable regulations where such regulations are more restrictive or more definitive than the provisions of this article and are not inconsistent therewith.
(a) Temporary signs which are located and oriented to the frontage on the street or streets which provides actual access to the property. In no event shall any temporary sign be larger than 120 square feet.
(b) Point-of-sale signs.
(1) Content. The content of point-of-sale signs shall be limited to information which directs attention to a business or profession conducted on the premises or to an activity, commodity, service or entertainment primarily sold, offered, manufactured, processed or fabricated on the premises.
(2) Detached signs. Each business, industry or institutional use may have two detached point-of-sale signs. A corner lot or lot with access to more than one local street may have three detached point-of-sale signs. In no event, except as modified herein, shall any point-of-sale sign be erected which is greater in height than the height limitation established for the zoning district in which the sign is located.
(3) Wall signs. Wall signs within 200 feet of a freeway right-of-way shall be confined to the wall of the building containing the principal entrance. A wall sign may be placed on one other wall of the building and shall be limited to 10% of the other wall area, but in no event shall exceed 80 square feet.
(4) Roof signs. Roof signs are prohibited.
(c) Within the protected area, each business, industry or institutional use abutting a freeway right-of-way may have, a single, detached point-of- sale sign oriented to the freeway. Such sign shall meet the following criteria in addition to other sign criteria of this chapter.
(1) It must be a substitution and not an addition to signage permitted by this section.
(2) No flashing lights are permitted.
(3) There shall be no moving parts, animation or other devices used to depict motion.
(4) The sign shall conform architecturally with other structures on the premises.
(5) In those instances where the elevation of the freeway creates a line-of-sight problem, a sign may be increased in height so that no more than 30 feet of the sign is visible from a point three feet above the surface of the edge of the freeway traffic lane, nearest the proposed sign, measured at 90% degrees from the expressway to the sign location. In cases where the sign is on a curve, the measurement shall be radial. However, in no instance shall the sign exceed 75 feet in height.
(Ord. 2272, passed 6-21-1971; Ord. 2814, passed 10-26-1981; Ord. 3047, passed 10-12-1987; Ord. 3077, passed 10-10-1988)
(a) Signs which have been erected prior to the effective date of this article may continue to be maintained until five years after the effective date. Thereafter, unless such signs conform to the provisions of this section, they shall be removed. If a nonconforming situation can be eliminated by the removal of one sign, the sign which has been erected for the longest period of time shall have priority.
(b) Any sign legally erected, permitted or maintained subsequent to July 2, 1971, which is not in violation of this article but upon the opening for public use of a freeway or applicable portion thereof becomes nonconforming the same may continue to be maintained for a period of five years from the day of the opening provided on or before the expiration of the five-year period, the nonconforming sign must be removed; provided, any sign which is exempt from the provisions of this section pursuant to § 50-142.3(c) hereof, but subsequently becomes nonconforming due to the elimination of the obstruction preventing its visibility from a freeway must be removed within five years from the time of the elimination of such obstruction; further provided, after the effective date of this section any sign erected, permitted or maintained after a future freeway right-of-way has been designated by the recording of a freeway right-of-way map in the public records of Genesee County, Michigan, which becomes nonconforming due to the completion of the freeway shall be removed within 30 days after the freeway or applicable portion thereof is open for public use.
(c) The requirements to remove any nonconforming sign shall be contingent upon the City instituting condemnation to pay the fair market value of the sign according to law.
(Ord. 2272, passed 6-21-1971; Ord. 2456, passed 10-7-1974)
ARTICLE XXV-B. GENERAL SIGN REGULATIONS
(a) For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ATTACH or INSTALL. Any act associated with the placing of a sign such as to construct, erect, post, paint, glue, paste, print, staple, nail, stamp, tape, tack and the like.
SIGN. Any panel, painted, printed, plated, etched, routed, screened, cut, formed and the like, either illuminated or not illuminated, advertising or in concert with other advertising a name(s) or a person, firm, service, event, product or place or having any form of inscription, notice of publicity thereon. Included in this definition are signs commonly referred to as posters, placards, show bills, circulars, stickers, billboards and the like.
(b) For the purpose of this article, signs shall be divided into types listed below. Where applicable, the appropriate BOCA nomenclature is also given for the various types of signs.
Article Types | BOCA Nomenclature
|
Article Types | BOCA Nomenclature
|
1. Temporary sign |
Temporary sign |
2. Nameplates |
— |
3. Projecting and vertical signs |
Marquee signs |
4. Column signs |
Ground signs |
5. Roof signs |
Roof |
6. Poster signs |
Poster panel or billboard |
7. Portable signs |
— |
8. Special signs |
— |
9. Mobile/trailer signs |
— |
(Ord. 2504, passed 6-23-1975; Ord. 2726, passed 7-23-1979)
(a) No sign shall be erected on or over public property within a distance of ten feet, measured horizontally, from any fire hydrant, traffic light, fire alarm box or street light pole, nor shall any sign be erected in any location where by reason of traffic conditions, fire, explosion hazard, it would imperil public safety or interfere with the functions of the Fire Department. No sign of Types 1, 3 and 4 shall be erected with its lowest point nearer than ten feet of the sidewalk grade; provided, however, that any sign attached to a canopy erected on or over public property pursuant to the Building Code, as amended, shall be a part of the canopy and shall comply with the clearance requirements for the canopy.
(b) No person shall attach any notice, sign, placard, carpet or other encumbrance or any tree, fountain, post, railing, fence or other structure in or surrounding any public park ground or boulevard.
(c) Between the street right-of-way line and a point seven feet behind this line it is the intent of this article to provide a minimum clear vision area in the space between 36 inches above grade and ten feet above grade, no part of any sign face, sign column or other sign appurtenances, including traffic, information signs, shall encroach into this clear vision area. Exceptions to this requirement would be when the existing building setbacks are less than seven feet, such are found along some parts of Fenton Road, Lewis Street and the like.
(d) The provisions of the BOCA Basic Building Code, having been adopted by the City of Flint, shall remain in full force and effect and are to be read in harmony with the provisions of this article to the extent feasible; provided, however, in the event of any conflicting provisions of this article with the BOCA Basic Building Code or any other ordinance now or hereafter in effect, the more restrictive provisions of the conflicting ordinance shall apply.
(e) Prohibited are signs which:
(1) Contain or are an imitation of an official traffic sign or signal or contain words such as “Stop,” “Go Slow,” “Caution,” “Danger,” “Detour,” “Warning” or similar words, or any other words, phrases, symbols or characters, in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic;
(2) Are of a size, location, movement, content, coloring or manner of illumination, including but not limited to, flashing lights, which may be confused with or construed as a traffic-control device which hide from view any traffic or street sign or signal;
(3) Advertise any activity, business, product or service once conducted or available on the premises upon which the sign is located, but which is no longer conducted or available on the premises. The owner of the premises shall have such sign removed within 30 days after termination of the activity, business, product or service which this sign advertises. If the sign is not removed by the owner of the premises the Director of Building and Safety Inspection shall undertake to have the sign removed and the charges therefor shall be assessed against the property; or
(4) Contain statements, words or pictures of an obscene, indecent or immoral character, as such terms are defined by the provisions of this Code of ordinances and any other ordinance of the City of Flint dealing with obscenity.
(f) Illumination. All light sources used to illuminate signs shall be shielded in such a manner that passersby and building occupants within view of such signs will not be able to view the bare lamps of such illuminated signs. Signs with exposed lamps shall be approved by the Division of Building and Safety Inspection as to elements of glare. No colored lights shall be used at any location or in any manner so as to be confused with or construed as traffic-control devices.
(g) Signs are defined as structures and are subject to height limitations set forth herein.
(h) A sign not in conformance with this article shall constitute a nonconforming use of property. No nonconforming sign shall be replaced, restored, reconstructed, extended or substituted except in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(Ord. 2504, passed 6-23-1975; Ord. 2726, passed 7-23-1979; Ord. 3063, passed 7-11-1988)
Cross-reference:
Building Code, see §§ 11-1 et seq.
(a) This section is limited to signs maintained for a period of 60 days or less. Signs used for a longer period must conform to the requirements of a permanent sign.
(b) A cloth-type sign panel shall not exceed 30 square feet in area and shall be suspended by wire or rope securely anchored.
(c) The Division of Building and Safety Inspection may order any temporary sign in a dilapidated condition removed, regardless of the period of time since its installation.
(d) The term
TEMPORARY SIGN shall include, but shall not be limited to, construction signs, real estate signs, political signs and overhead or suspended signs.
(e) There shall be one construction sign per project which may identify all of the architects, engineers, contractors and other individuals or firms involved with the construction at the site of the sign, and there may be one sign announcing the character of the building enterprise or the purpose for which the building under construction is intended, but neither of the signs shall include any advertisement of any product and each such sign shall be limited to a combined total maximum area of 64 square feet and shall be confined to the site of construction and shall be removed within 30 days after the beginning of the intended use of the project.
(f) Real estate signs shall be limited to a total area of six square feet, but the limit shall be increased to 32 square feet of total area in commercial and manufacturing districts. Such signs shall be removed within 20 days after the sale, rental or lease of the property.
(g) Political signs (temporary) shall be limited to a maximum size of six square feet in residential districts but the area limit shall be increased to 32 square feet of total area in commercial and manufacturing districts. This size provision shall not prohibit the use of permanent signs of any size or location legally authorized herein for political advertisement. Political signs (temporary) are exempt from the requirements for permits under the Basic Building Code; they are exempt from the requirements for installation by a licensed bonded sign hanger, and they are exempt from the requirements for authorization or ratification in writing of the owner of the property as required herein, however, oral permission shall be required. Such exception, however, shall not be construed to relieve the owner of the sign from responsibility for its erection, maintenance and safety. The earliest time that political (temporary) signs may be installed is 40 days before an election. Political signs (temporary) shall be removed within 20 days of the election. Nothing herein shall prohibit political signs for general election candidates to remain on location between the primary and general election.
(h) The attaching and removal of political signs and other signs of a temporary nature shall comply in all respects with subsections (a) through (f) of this section, and in addition, shall comply with the following provisions.
(1) Location. No person shall, by himself or herself or by another, attach any signs except such as may be expressly authorized by law on any street or sidewalk, or upon any public place or object in the City, or on any fence, building, or property belonging to the City, or upon any street, telegraph pole, electric light pole, or tower or any other utility pole, in or on any public tree, street or alley in the City. This section shall not prohibit the City from developing and leasing or licensing public property to a private person for advertising purposes.
(2) Attachment of signs. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation, except a public officer or employee in the performance of a public duty, or a private person in giving a valid legal notice, to attach any sign or notice of any kind upon any property, public or private, or cause or authorize the same to be done, without consent, authorization or ratification in writing of the owner, holder, occupant, lessee, agent or trustee thereof; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to the distribution of handbills, advertisements or other printed matter that are not securely affixed to the premises.
(3) Installation. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to install any signs or notice of any kind upon any property, private or public, or cause or authorize the same to be done unless the person, firm or corporation shall affix thereto on either lower corner a notice, in letters not less than one-quarter inch high, stating the name and address of the person, firm or corporation, engage in or employed to do the physical installation of such signs.
(4) Removal. The person, firm or corporation, whose name appears on the sign shall be responsible for the removal of such sign or notice and the same shall be removed from the property, private or public, within 20 days after the occurrence of the event for which the sign was installed.
(5) Sale signs. “For sale” signs of the so-called “garage sale,” “rummage sale,” “yard sale” or “antique sale” type shall be restricted to the property where the sale is being held and such sign shall remain posted no longer than nine days, nor more than two occasions within a 12-month period.
(Ord. 2504, passed 6-23-1975; Ord. 2726, passed 7-23-1979; Ord. 3254, passed 9-27-1993; Ord. 3305, passed 8-14-1995)
(a) Unless otherwise restricted by provisions of this article, nameplates for professional offices, apartment complexes, public and quasi-public buildings and institutions shall be sized in proportion to the building which they service. The Director of Building and Safety Inspection shall review the application for installation of nameplate signs and determine the appropriateness of the size of the sign.
(b) The Director of Building and Safety Inspection shall develop and publish guidelines for the size limitations of nameplates.
(Ord. 2504, passed 6-23-1975)
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