§ 152.28 NON-CONFORMING SIGNS AND SIGNS WITHOUT PERMITS.
   (A)   General. Except as otherwise provided herein, the owner of any zone lot or other premises on which exists a sign that does not conform with the requirements of this chapter or for which there is no current and valid sign permit shall be obligated to remove such sign or, in the case of a non-conforming sign, to bring it into conformity with the requirements of this chapter.
   (B)   Signs existing on effective date. For any sign existing in the city on 4-9-2013, the effective date of this chapter, an application for a sign permit must be submitted to the Code Enforcement Officer before six months after the effective date of this chapter. For any sign on property annexed at a later date, applications for sign permits shall be submitted within six months of the effective date of the annexation or within such period as may be established in an annexation agreement between the city and the landowner. Signs that are the subject of applications received after the applicable date set forth in this section shall be subject to all the terms and conditions of this chapter and shall not be entitled to the protection of this subsection (B). Applications for permits for existing signs submitted before six months after the effective date of this chapter shall be exempt from the initial fees adopted under the authority of this chapter, but not from renewal or subsequent fees.
   (C)   Non-conforming existing signs, permits and terms. A sign that would be permitted under this chapter only with a sign permit, but which was in existence on 4-9-2013, the effective date of this chapter, or on a later date when the property is annexed to the city, and which was constructed in accordance with the ordinances and other applicable laws in effect on the date of its construction, but which by reason of its size, height, location, design or construction is not in conformance with the requirements of this chapter, shall be issued a non-conforming sign permit if an application in accordance with subsection (A) above is timely filed. Such permit shall allow the sign(s) subject to such permit, which were made non-conforming by the adoption of this chapter, to remain in place and be maintained for a period ending no later than ten years after the effective date of this chapter; provided that, no action is taken which increases the degree or extend of the non-conformity. Such signs are also subject to the provisions of this subsection (C). A change in the information on the face of an existing non-conforming sign is allowed. However, any non-conforming sign shall either be eliminated or made to conform with the requirements of this section when any proposed change, repair or maintenance would constitute an expense of more than 25% of the lesser of the original value or replacement value of the sign.
   (D)   Lapse of non-conforming sign permit. A non-conforming sign permit shall lapse and become void under the same circumstances as those under which any other sign permit may lapse and become void.
   (E)   Sign removal required. A sign that was constructed, painted, installed or maintained in conformance with a permit under this chapter, but for which the permit has lapsed or not been renewed or for which the time allowed for the continuance of a non-conforming sign has expired, shall be forthwith removed without notice or action from the city.
(Ord. 3006, passed 4-9-2013) Penalty, see § 152.99