(a) Permission Of Owner: No person shall erect, construct or maintain any sign upon any property, structure, or building without the prior written consent of the owner or person entitled to possession of the property, structure or building, or authorized representative. The written consent must accompany the application for a sign permit.
(b) Permit Application: No person shall erect, maintain, or remove any sign or rigid canopy over a street, alley, sidewalk or other public way, or on any building, or on any property within the village without having first obtained a permit from the electrical inspector or his authorized designee. Permits for such signs shall be issued by the electrical inspector or his authorized designee, upon approval, and payment of a fee provided in this code. The installation of a freestanding sign shall also require a copy of the plat of survey for the property where the sign shall be located.
(c) Permit Fees: Fees are calculated on the total square footage of each sign face. The fee for the installation of any sign shall be as set forth in section 13-1 of this code. In addition, electrical signs will comply with the electrical code as adopted by the village and are subject to the fees established for electrical connections as set forth in section 8-105 of this code. The minimum fee for any sign shall be as set forth in section 13-1 of this code, plus inspection fees.
(d) Time Limit Of Permit: If, after such permit shall have been granted, the operation covered by the permit shall not have begun within six (6) months after the date thereof, or if such operations are not completed within one (1) year from such date, then such permit shall expire by the terms thereof, and no operations thereunder shall be begun or completed until a renewal of the permit shall be obtained, as provided in subsection (e) of this section.
(e) Renewal: Renewal of a sign permit issued as herein provided and which has expired by the terms thereof as provided for in subsection (d) of this section, payment of an additional fee of fifty percent (50%) of the original fee shall be required.
(f) Forfeit Of Fees: All fees shall be forfeited to the village upon expiration of the permit for either: (1) a failure to commence operations, (2) a failure to renew permit, or (3) a failure to file a request for permit fee refunds.
(g) Refund Of Permit Fees: A fee paid for a permit under section 8-167 of this code, may be refunded upon application for refund to the building commissioner, only if within thirty (30) days of the issuance of the original permit no work of any kind has commenced. Application for a refund shall be submitted to the building commissioner on the forms prescribed by the building commissioner, and shall contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person who paid the original permit fee; the address of the site for which the original permit was issued; the original permit number; and the signature of the person making the refund request. An inspection shall be made by the building commissioner to verify that work has not commenced. Therefore, one (1) inspection fee shall not be refunded.
(h) Penalty: Any owner or agent who is required to obtain a permit under section 8-167 of this code and begins any work prior to obtaining said permit shall pay a penalty to the village in the amount of twice the permit fee specified in subsection (c) of section 8-167, unless the permit fee is over one thousand dollars ($1,000.00),then the penalty shall be limited to fifty percent (50%) of the permit fee, exclusive of other costs. The permit shall not be issued until the original permit fee plus the penalty is paid in full to the village.
(Code 1972, §§ 4-7-1, 4-7-5, 4-7-16; Ord. 82-8, 8-9-1982; Ord. 83-18, 7-21-1983; Ord. 91-13, § 1, 6-10-1991; Ord. 91-29, §§ 7, 10, 9-9-1991; Ord. 98-6, § 2, 2-9-1998; Ord. 98-12, § 2, 3-23-1998; Ord. 2008-23, § 2, 5-27-2008; Ord. 2012-24, § 27, 9-24-2012; Ord. 2016-20, § 1, 5-23-2016)