(A) Codes. All signs shall conform to the latest edition of the applicable building codes and electrical codes.
(B) Fastenings. All signs must remain safe and secure during the period of use. All parts of the signs, including bolts and cables, shall remain painted and free of corrosion.
(C) Fire escapes. A sign may not obstruct a fire escape.
(D) Lighting and illumination. Illuminated signs shall be illuminated under the following guidelines.
(1) No sign shall be illuminated by other than electrical means and all wiring shall satisfy state electrical codes.
(2) The light from illuminated signs shall be shielded at its source in a manner that will not shine light on adjacent properties or onto abutting public streets.
(3) Illumination from all signs shall not exceed three foot-candles at a distance of 15 feet from the sign, whether elevated or at ground level.
(E) Identification. All signs for which a permit is required and applied for shall identify the name and operating telephone number of the person responsible for the sign on the permit application.
(F) Proximity to electrical conductors. Signs and all supporting structures shall be no closer to electrical utilities than is permitted by applicable codes. No sign, including cables and supports, shall, in any event, be within six feet of any electrical conductor, electrical light pole, electric street lamp, traffic light or other public utility pole.
(G) Sanitation. Property surrounding any ground sign shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. It shall be free from weeds, rubbish and flammable material.
(H) Landscaping. The area beneath and around a sign shall be landscaped with plants, ground cover and materials so as to complement the site and integrate the sign with buildings, parking areas, surrounding vegetation and natural features of the landscape.
(I) Height and setbacks. Unless otherwise specifically stated, a freestanding sign shall be set back a distance equal to the height of the sign. Freestanding signs shall be set back a minimum of ten feet in the GC and OS-1 districts. Freestanding signs shall not exceed 15 feet to the top of the sign face and shall clear a minimum of eight feet in height to the bottom of the sign face.
(J) Computation of area. The area of a sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop of the structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when the fence or wall otherwise meets Zoning Ordinance regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself. Where a sign has two or more faces, the area of all faces shall be included in determining the total area of the sign.
(K) Computation of height.
(1) The height of a sign shall be computed as the distance from the base of the sign at normal grade to the top of the highest attached component of the sign. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of:
(a) Existing grade prior to construction; or
(b) The newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.
(2) In cases where the normal grade cannot reasonably be determined, sign height shall be computed on the assumption that the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign is equal to the elevation of the nearest point of the crown of a public street or the grade of the land at the principal entrance to the principal structure on the zoning lot, whichever is lower.
(L) Responsibility for compliance. The owner of the property on which a sign is placed and the person maintaining the sign are each fully responsible for the condition and the maintenance of the sign and the area around the sign.
(Prior Code, § 152.07) (Ord. 39, passed 1-19-2010) Penalty, see § 152.99