As used in this chapter, certain terms are defined as follows:
(a) “Banners” means signs of flexible materials suspended by rope, wire, line, string, or fastened directly to posts or other structures.
(b) “Bench sign” means any sign painted on, located on or attached to any part of a bench.
(c) “Bus shelter sign” means any sign painted or affixed to any bus shelter.
(d) “Changeable copy sign” means a sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged manually or electronically.
(e) “Directional sign” means a temporary or permanent sign that provides information regarding location, instructions for use or functional/directional data.
(f) “Flags” means noncommercial flags or any flags displayed from flagpoles or staffs that do not display any commercial advertisement and are not considered to be signs.
(g) “Flashing sign” is any directly or indirectly illuminated sign that exhibits changing natural or artificial light or color effects by any means.
(h) “Free-standing signs” means signs supported by or suspended from posts, pillars, columns or other similar structures or signs supported by or mounted on buildings in such a manner that such sign is not parallel to and flush with such wall.
(i) “Frontage” (building) means the length of a single exterior building wall or structure of a single premise orientated to the public way.
(j) “Highway sign” refers to an on-premises advertising sign above the maximum height limit. New construction or reconstruction of these signs is not permitted.
(k) “Informational sign” means signs used by businesses to promote new products, sales or seasonal products, placed in windows or on the premises.
(l) “Interior sign” means any sign placed within a building, but not including “window signs” as defined by this chapter. Interior signs, with the exception of window signs as defined, are not regulated by this chapter.
(m) “Marquee sign” means a permanent roofed structure attached to and supported by the building and projecting beyond the building line or over public property. A marquee sign is attached or constructed in a marquee.
(n) “Monument sign” means a free-standing sign having fifty percent (50%) or more of the bottom of the sign in contact with the ground or supporting structure.
(o) “Off-premises sign” means any outdoor device or display designed to inform or convey messages to the public about persons, products or services available principally at a site removed from the location of the sign. This could include, but shall not be limited to, ground signs, bus shelters, bench advertising, trash receptacles, flags, banners, posts, and inflatable devices.
(p) “Outdoor advertising structure” means any structure or device designed to hold, stabilize or maintain a sign.
(q) “Pole sign” means a free-standing sign having more than fifty percent (50%) of the sign separated from the ground by air.
(r) “Political sign” means a sign having reference to a candidate for elective public office or a public question or issue to be submitted to the electorate at any election.
(s) “Portable sign” means a sign with fixed type or that which is designed to allow for adding and removing letters and numbers to the sign face and which can be moved from one location to another without any change to its structure or components. This includes trailer signs, A-frame signs, self-supporting signs, streamers, and air activated devices.
(t) “Projecting sign” means any sign that extends perpendicular from a structure, suspended above ground level. Maximum area is eight square feet (8').
(u) “Public or semi-public signs” means signs for a church, school, community or other public or semi-public institutional building not exceeding forty square feet (40') in area and located on the premises.
(v) “Real estate sign” means a sign offering real estate for sale, lease or rent or indicating property has been sold, leased or rented. Sign shall not be illuminated. Sign to be removed ten days or less after conveyance of property. Sign is not to exceed eight square feet (8') in area, nor more than four feet (4') in height above ground level; located no closer than ten feet (10') to the right-of-way along the street or streets on which the lot or parcel fronts; City may enforce, at its discretion, greater distance to achieve safe view for traffic. One (1) sign shall be permitted on each lot or parcel of property for which conveyance is intended. No permit needed.
(w) “Roof sign” means a sign mounted on, and supported by, the main roof portion of a building, or above the uppermost edge of a parapet wall of a building and which is wholly or partially supported by such a building. Signs mounted on a mansard facade, pent eaves and architectural projections such as canopies or marquees shall be considered to be rooftop signs.
(x) “Roofline” means the top edge of a peaked roof or in the case of an extended facade or parapet, the uppermost point of the facade or parapet.
(y) “Sign” means any device visible from a public place that displays either commercial or noncommercial messages by means of graphic presentation of alphabetic or pictorial symbols or representations.
(z) “Streamer” means a ribbon-shaped or cord like rope, which may have pennants and/or banners attached and which is stretched or hung between two (2) or more supports.
(aa) “Temporary signs” means signs not exceeding forty total square feet (40') announcing special events, construction of buildings, the architect, or building, contractor, and may be erected for a period of sixty days (60) in one (1) calendar year on sites which a building permit has not been obtained or until building construction is completed. Real estate signs shall be excluded as a temporary sign. See subsection (e) hereof for definition of Real Estate Sign.
(bb) “Window sign” means a sign, graphic, poster, symbol or other identifications, which is within six feet of the interior side of the window and conveys a message to the exterior.
(Ord. C85-01. Passed 12-3-01; Ord. 58-05. Passed 7-5-05.)