1149.02 DEFINITIONS.
   A-FRAME SIGN: A portable sign containing two (2) sign faces and whose framing is hinged at the apex at an angle less than ninety (90) degrees. Also known as a "Sandwich Board."
   ABANDONED SIGN:
   (a)   Any sign or its supporting sign structure which remains without a message or whose display surface remains blank for a period of one (1) year or more (for a sign or its supporting sign structure which conforms to this chapter at the time of adoption);
   (b)   A sign which advertises or promotes a business, service, owner, product, or activity which no longer operates at that location;
   (c)   A Commercial sign which pertains to a time, event or purpose which no longer applies; or
   (d)   A sign that is Deteriorated (as defined in herein), or is not adequately maintained, repaired, or removed within the specified time as ordered by this Chapter.
   ADVERTISING SIGN: Any off-premises sign which directs attention to any business, profession, product, activity, commodity, or service that is offered, sold, or manufactured on property or premises other than that upon which the sign is located. A billboard is a type of advertising sign.
   ANIMATED SIGN: Any sign having a conspicuous and intermittent variation in the physical position of any part of the sign.
   ATTENTION-ATTRACTING DEVICE: Any device, such as balloons, searchlights, twirling signs, inflatable objects, etc., intended to attract the attention of the public to an establishment, location, product or service.
   AWNING: A roof-like cover, often of fabric, metal, plastic, fiberglass or glass, designed and intended for protection from the weather or as a decorative embellishment, and which is supported by and projects from a wall or roof of a structure over a window, walk, door, or the like.
   AWNING SIGN: A sign or graphic printed on or in some fashion attached directly to the awning material.
   BANNER: Any temporary sign of light-weight fabric or similar material either enclosed or not enclosed in a rigid frame, and secured or mounted to a pole or a building at one (1) or more edges to allow motion caused by the atmosphere. Flags, as defined herein, shall not be considered banners.
   CAMPUS SIGN: Signs permitted for multiple story buildings developed within a campus setting or environment.
   CANOPY: A roof-like cover, often of fabric, metal, plastic, fiberglass or glass, on a support which is supported in total or in part from the ground, providing shelter over, for example, a doorway, outside walk or parking area.
   CANOPY SIGN. Any sign that is part of or attached to a canopy, made of fabric, plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, or window.
   CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN: A portion of a sign designed to periodically accommodate message changes. Changeable copy signs include the following:
   (a)    Electronically controlled signs (see Electronic Message Center Sign).
   (b)    Manually controlled signs.
   COMMERCIAL MESSAGE: Any sign wording, logo, or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises, or calls attention to a business, product, service, or other commercial activity.
   COMMERCIAL SIGN: A sign that contains a commercial message.
   CONTRACTOR SIGN: A sign advertising or identifying a contractor which is not a sign advertising a business or profession located on the property or premises where the advertised business is located, but which identifies the contractor performing work on such property or premises.
   CORPORATE LIMIT SIGN: Signs established by the Village, located on municipal property, to designate its boundaries to persons traveling into the community. Corporate limit signs may include the signs of nonprofit organizations.
   DETERIORATED SIGN: Showing signs of weathering, rust, corrosion, exposed wiring, chipped paint or faces, cracked, broken, tom, or missing faces, or loose materials, or other evidence of disrepair.
   DIRECTORY SIGN: Signs to direct pedestrian traffic within retail, office, industrial and institutional developments that have at least five (5) businesses, tenants or structures.
   ELECTRONIC MESSAGE CENTER SIGN: A sign capable of displaying words, symbols, figures or images that can be electronically or mechanically changed by remote or automatic means, not including animated graphics and/or video.
   ENTRANCEWAY SIGN. A type of ground sign located at the entrance or entrances of residential, commercial or industrial subdivisions that incorporate high quality building materials and landscaping to create a uniquely identifiable landmark for the subdivision.
   FLAG: Any fabric or similar light-weight material attached at one (1) end of the material, usually to a staff or pole, so as to allow movement of the material by atmospheric changes and which contains distinctive colors, patterns, symbols, emblems, insignia, or other symbolic devices used to represent a government, political subdivision, and/or any organization, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, but not including a commercial message.
   FLASHING SIGN: Any sign having a conspicuous and intermittent variation in the illumination of the sign.
   FREE-STANDING SIGN: A non-movable sign anchored directly to the ground or supported by one or more posts, columns, or other vertical structures or supports, and not attached to or dependent for support from any building.
   GOVERNMENT SIGN. Signs designed for control of, or to provide information to, traffic and other regulatory functions, and signs of public utilities and/or common carriers indicating danger and/or location of facilities and/or components, and aids for service or safety which are erected by the order of a public officer in the performance of his/her public duty ( see also Public Sign).
   GROUND SIGN: A freestanding sign supported by one or more uprights, braces or pylons located in or upon the ground, or something requiring location on the ground.
   HAND-HELD SIGN: A sign containing a commercial message that is held, carried, worn, balanced by or otherwise mounted on a person. A hand-held sign shall include a human or animal used as an advertising device for commercial establishments, typically by holding or wearing of insignia, masks, or costumes associated with the commercial establishment.
   IDENTIFICATION SIGN: A sign located at or near the entrance to an industrial, business or residential development, which is necessary for the safety or convenience of motorists and which is therefore erected primarily in the public interest.
   ILLUMINATED SIGN: Any sign illuminated by electricity, gas or other artificial light, including reflecting or phosphorescent light.
   (a)   Indirect illumination - A light source not seen directly.
   (b)   Internal illumination - A light source concealed or contained within the sign, and which becomes visible in darkness through a translucent surface.
   INTERIOR SIGN: Signs located within a structure not intended to be legible from the exterior. Signs affixed to a window or the walls enclosing the display area behind a window, which are obviously intended to be legible from the exterior, shall be considered exterior signs.
   LIGHT DEVICE: Any light, string of lights or group of lights located or arranged so as to cast illumination on a sign.
   MARQUEE: Any permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of a building, generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the weather.
   MARQUEE SIGN: Any building sign painted, mounted, constructed or attached in any manner on a marquee.
   NAMEPLATE: A permanent sign no larger than one square foot placed on the front of a residential structure, or mounted in the front lawn of a residential property. A nameplate will be included in the calculation of the maximum signage area allotted to a parcel.
   NON-COMMERCIAL MESSAGE: A message intended to direct attention to a political candidate, election issue, political, social, religious, community or public service issue or idea, aim, viewpoint, aspiration or purpose and not intended to produce any commercial benefit or tend to encourage a commercial transaction.
   NON-COMMERCIAL SIGN: A sign containing a non-commercial message. Any sign that may be displayed under the provisions of this Chapter may contain a non-commercial message.
   OBSCENE SIGN: A sign which contains words or pictures in which the dominant theme, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest in sex or is patently offensive because it affronts the contemporary community standard relating to the description or representation of sexual material which is without redeeming social value.
   OFF-PREMISE ADVERTISING SIGN: A sign which contains a commercial message unrelated to a business, profession, commodity, service, activity, sold or offered upon the premises where such sign is located.
   ON-PREMISES SIGN: Any sign containing a commercial message related to a business or profession conducted, or a commodity or service sold or offered, upon the premises where such sign is located.
   PENNANT: Any sign oflight-weight plastic, fabric, or other similar material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, which is suspended from a rope, wire, or string, usually in a series, and which is designed to move in the wind. Flags of any government or political subdivision shall not be considered pennants.
   POLE SIGN. Any freestanding sign which has its supportive structure(s) anchored in the ground and which has a sign face elevated above ground level.
   PORTABLE SIGN. Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported from place to place, including, but not limited to, signs transported by means of wheels; A-Frame signs; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way, unless such vehicle is used in the normal day-to-day operation of the business.
   PUBLIC SIGN. Any sign required or specifically authorized for a public purpose by any law, statute, or ordinance which may be of any type, number, area, height above grade, location, illumination or animation, required by the law, statute, or ordinance under which the signs are erected (see also Government Sign).
   PROJECTING SIGN: A type of wall sign affixed to any building or part thereof, or structure, extending beyond the building wall or parts thereof, or structure, by more than twelve (12) inches.
   REAL ESTATE SIGN: A temporary sign posted on property that is actively marketed for sale or lease.
   ROOF SIGN: A sign erected upon or above a roof or parapet wall of a building or structure.
   SANDWICH BOARD: See "A-Frame Sign."
   SEASONAL OR HOLIDAY DISPLAY. Any temporary display, such as Christmas decorations, used for a holiday and installed for a short, limited period of time.
   SIGN: Any object, device, display, or structure, or part thereof, visible from a public place, a public right-of-way, any parking area or right-of-way open to use by the general public, which is designed and used to attract attention to an institution, organization, business, product, service, event, or location by any means involving words, letters, figures, designs, symbols, fixtures, logos, colors, illumination, or projected images. For clarification, examples of items which typically do not satisfy the necessary elements of this definition include, but are not limited to: works of art; architectural elements incorporated into the style or function of a building; and, flags of any nation, state, political subdivision, other geopolitical entity not related to a commercial business, product or service, and/or any organization, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, but not including a commercial message. For purposes of this definition, a work of art is any item expressing creative skill or imagination in a visual form, such as a painting or sculpture, which is intended to beautify or provide an aesthetic influence to a public area or area which is visible from the public realm and which in no way identifies or specifically relates to a commercial business, product or service.
   SIGN AREA: The entire area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of writing or a representation, emblem or any figure of similar character, together with any frame or other material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate such sign from the background against which it is placed. The necessary supports or uprights on which such sign is placed, not being advertising matter, shall not be included in computation of surface area. The area of a sign having more than one display surface shall be computed as the total of the exposed exterior display surface area.
   SIGN FACE: The surface or the sign upon, against or through which the message of the sign is exhibited.
   SIGN HEIGHT: The vertical distance from the uppermost point used in measuring the area of the sign to the crown of the road on which the property fronts.
   SIGN STRUCTURE: The supports, uprights, bracing or framework for signs.
   SIGN WALKER: An individual carrying a portable sign intended to convey a commercial message to vehicular traffic.
   SITE SIGN: A sign located on any parcel for which a building permit has been issued but on which construction related to such building permit is incomplete. ·
   SNIPE SIGN: Any sign that is posted on trees, landscaping, utility poles or structures, streetlights, fences, fire hydrants, bridges, curbs, sidewalks, park benches parkways, streets, right-of-ways, or other locations on public property.
   TEMPORARY SIGN: Any sign or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas, light fabric, paper, cardboard, or other light materials, which is displayed for a limited time only. Residential yard signs and signs painted on window surfaces which are readily removed by washing shall also be considered temporary signs. Temporary signs are not, nor are intended to be, permanently attached to a building, structure or the ground.
   WALL SIGN: Any sign painted on, attached to or erected against the wall of a building or structure, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane parallel to the plane of said wall and extending not more than fifteen inches from the face of the wall.
   WINDOW-PERMANENT SIGN: A sign containing a commercial message, legible from the exterior of a building or structure, which is painted, attached, glued or otherwise affixed to a window or depicted upon a card, paper or other material and placed on, taped on or hung immediately behind the window or displayed from a window for the specific purpose of directing attention to a business, profession, service, product or activity sold or offered upon the premises where such sign is located.
   WINDOW-TEMPORARY SIGN: A sign containing a commercial message, legible from the exterior of a building or structure, which is painted on a window; depicted upon a card, paper or other material; placed on, taped on or hung immediately behind the window; or displayed from a window for the specific purpose of attracting the attention of a passerby to a sale, promotional items or other products or services.
   YARD SIGN: A temporary sign, which is mounted on a stake or a frame structure (often made from wire) that includes one (1) or more stakes.
(Ord. 2018-11. Passed 8-13-18.)