The purpose of this subchapter is to regulate signs and outdoor advertising in a manner that will minimize their harmful effect while permitting latitude for creative and effective advertising and identification. It is intended by this subchapter to give recognition to the legitimate needs of business,industry and other activities, through appropriate guidelines, in attaining their identification and informational objectives. It is a basic tenet of this subchapter that unrestricted signage does not benefit the community, or individual businesses, or property owners. To achieve this purpose, this subchapter has the following objectives:
(A) Regulate the construction, alteration, repair and maintenance of all signs with respect to structural and fire safety, location, type of sign, dimensions, height, and method of illumination;
(B) Seek removal of illegal signs, and encourage the replacement or removal of nonconforming signs that are incompatible with the purpose of this subchapter;
(C) Preserve the appearance of the city by preventing the placement of oversized and non-accessory signs that are out of scale with surrounding buildings and structures;
(D) Keep the number of signs and sign messages at a reasonable level necessary to identify a business and its products; and
(E) Avoid visual clutter that confuses or misleads traffic, obstructs vision and is potentially harmful to property values, business opportunities and community appearance.
(Ord. 10-013, passed 1-11-10)