According to the regulations of this Code and subject to the following provisions, the following signs are permitted in all zoning districts without a permit. These signs are not included in the determination of the total allowable number of signs or total allowable sign area for a site.
(a) Decorations commemorating a holiday that are not displayed in a manner that promotes commercial activity;
(b) Temporary signs;
(c) Any sign required by the City to provide notice for a required public hearing to be erected, displayed, and removed according to the requirements of the City of Kent;
(d) Signs erected on a City of Kent, state, or federal building or land by the authorized public agency;
(e) Incidental signs. Unless the Community Development Director determines in his or her sole discretion that a sign constitutes a public nuisance, the incidental sign is exempt. The landowner or land user may appeal the decision of the Community Development Director to the BZA in accordance with Section 1111.03
;
(f) Interior signs;
(g) Any lawful sign in a public or private right-of-way installed by an authorized public agency, including but not limited to, street signs and address signs;
(h) Private traffic control signs that conform to the requirements of the Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices;
(i) Signs advertising the lease or sale of a property. Such signs are limited to a maximum size of six (6) square feet per sign and may not be located in the public right-of-way. One sign is permitted per front yard (i.e., corner lots may have two such signs, one per street frontage);
(j) Seasonal outside table umbrellas;
(k) One sign denoting the architect, engineer, or contractor when placed upon a work site under construction. Such sign must not exceed twelve (12) square feet in area; and
(l) National flags, state flags, municipal flags, and the official flag of any charitable, non-profit, or public sector entity are exempt from all City of Kent sign regulations. One corporate flag or non-commercial flag is also exempt from these sign regulations so long as all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The corporate flag is flown in conjunction with the flag of the United States of America, State of Ohio, or City of Kent;
(2) The corporate flag is no larger than the flag of the United States of America, State of Ohio, or City of Kent with which it is being flown in conjunction; and
(3) The corporate flag is less than sixteen (16) square feet.
(m) Political Signs. At the discretion of the owner, signs containing a relevant political message (as opposed to an advertisement for a financial enterprise, business, or other non-political message) may be deemed political signs and are therefore exempt from size and content restrictions. Political signs, however, must be removed or replaced after sixty (60) days. The Zoning Inspector may order such sign removed or replaced sooner if the sign has become weathered, tattered, torn, or otherwise defaced. Political signs remain subject to the prohibition in Section 1109.08
(k) against obscene signs.
(Ord. 2021-057. Passed 6-16-21.)
(n) Electronic menu and order summary boards primarily visible to the person(s) placing an order in a drive-thru lane.
(Ord. 2022-099. Passed 9-21-22.)