(a) Location of Signs.
(1) All signs shall be erected in conformity with the respective zoning district requirements unless otherwise specified. No sign shall be erected so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door or window or any other exitway.
(2) No sign shall be attached to a standpipe, gutter drain or fire escape, nor shall any sign be erected so to impair access to a roof.
(b) Construction and Maintenance.
(1) The construction, installation, erection, anchorage and maintenance of all signs shall be subject to the regulations of the Uniform Building Code or any other standard applicable to the Village. All electrical wiring associated with free-standing signs shall be installed underground.
(2) Abandoned signs shall be completely removed from the premises within sixty (60) days after such abandonment is established, unless said sign is converted to another lawful and contemporary use within that sixty-day period. The supporting structure for abandoned signs shall be completely removed within a period of one (1) year after abandonment is established, unless a new and lawful sign is established thereon.
(3) No person shall fail to maintain a sign on such person's premises, including signs exempted by this Chapter from the permitting requirements, in good structural condition at all times. All signs, including all metal parts and supports thereof that are not galvanized or of rustresistant metals, shall be kept neatly painted. The enforcement officer is authorized to inspect and may order the painting, repair, alteration, or removal of a sign that constitutes a hazard to safety, health, or public welfare because of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, abandonment, or obsolescence, under the procedures prescribed by Section 1149.18 of this Chapter.
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, any temporary sign that is constructed of lightweight wood and cardboard, or of wire frame and plastic, is deemed to have a lifespan of sixty (60) days, after which time, such temporary sign is deemed to be Dilapidated and shall be replaced or become subject to removal pursuant to Section 1149.18.
(c) Mounting of Signs. All signs shall be mounted in one of the following ways:
(1) Flat against a building or wall.
(2) Back to back in pairs, so that the backs of signs will be screened from public view.
(3) In clusters in an arrangement which will screen the backs of the signs from public view.
(4) Otherwise so that the backs of all signs or sign structures showing to public view shall be painted and maintained a neutral color or a color that blends with the surrounding environment.
(d) Limitation on Number of Signs. In those districts within which a reduction in total sign area is applied as the number of signs increases, the following exemption is offered: If more than four establishments occupy a single zoning lot, the twenty percent (20%) reduction in total sign area shall not apply if all signs are grouped in a single location or are part of a common sign for the entire zoning lot. In such instances, each establishment shall be permitted an additional wall-mounted sign not more than four inches from the face of the wall or structure of the building.
(Ord. 2018-11. Passed 8-13-18.)