General sign standards apply to all permitted and legal nonconforming signs.
(A) Construction and attachment. All signs in the city shall be designed and constructed or affixed to buildings in such a manner as to comply with the most current State of Minnesota building codes as they pertain to signage. All electrical aspects thereof are to be consistent with and as required by the State of Minnesota Electrical Code.
(B) Maintenance. All signs shall be maintained and repaired, as necessary, to keep them in good repair. Any sign or sign structure which may be, or may hereafter become rotted, unsafe or unsightly shall be repaired or removed by the licensee, owner, or agent of the owner of the property upon which the sign stands upon written notice of the Building Official. Window graphics must not become unsightly or illegible. Chipped or peeling areas must be removed, repaired or replaced.
(E) Setbacks. All signs shall be setback on the front, rear and side yards as stated in § 152.22. At the discretion of the Building Official, setbacks in any district may be increased at intersections or other areas where signs may obstruct vehicular sight lines.
(F) Illumination. All illuminated signs shall have a shielded light source and concealed wiring and conduit and shall not interfere with traffic signalization. The beam of light shall not shine directly upon any part of a residence or into the street. No revolving beams or beacons shall be used. Signs with light sources or reflective qualities of such brightness that constitute a hazard or nuisance as determined by the building official are prohibited.
(G) Electronic message centers. All EMC signs shall comply with the following special requirements:
(1) Such signs may be used only to advertise activities and events conducted on the premises or activities and events off premises if the off premises activities and events being advertised are taking place on a contiguous lot. The signs may also be used to present time, date, temperature, or information concerning civic events.
(2) Signs may have multiple static displays or segmented messages, subject to all of the following restrictions:
(a) Each change of message shall be accomplished in one second or less.
(b) Each message shall remain in a fixed position for at least eight seconds.
(c) Fade or dissolve techniques employed during transition may not have the appearance of moving text or images.
(3) Brightness not to exceed .3 foot-candles above ambient light. Such measurements are to be taken using a foot-candle meter at an appropriate distance, depending on sign area, from the sign (see table below.) Signs shall be equipped with automatic dimmer controls to automatically adjust brightness in correlation with ambient light conditions.
(4) The following display features and functions are prohibited: continuous scrolling and/or traveling, flashing, spinning, rotating, and similar moving effects, and all dynamic frame effects or patterns of illusory movement or simulating movement. Full motion video or film display via an electronic file imported into the EMC software or streamed in real time into the EMC is also prohibited.
(5) Signs must be equipped with a feature that will turn off the display if the sign malfunctions.
(6) EMC signage must be placed at least 50 feet from a residential lot line.
(7) Brightness Measurement Table:
Sign Area (square feet) | Measurement Distance (feet) | Sign Area (square feet) | Measurement Distance (feet) |
Sign Area (square feet) | Measurement Distance (feet) | Sign Area (square feet) | Measurement Distance (feet) |
10 | 32 | 55 | 74 |
15 | 39 | 60 | 77 |
20 | 45 | 65 | 81 |
25 | 50 | 70 | 84 |
30 | 55 | 75 | 87 |
35 | 59 | 80 | 89 |
40 | 63 | 85 | 92 |
45 | 67 | 90 | 95 |
50 | 71 | 95 | 97 |
55 | 74 | 100 | 100 |
(H) Placement of signs. No sign shall obscure any traffic-control signal from the vision of any motorist in a moving traffic lane or be placed within 150 feet of such signal. Signs shall not be attached to public utility poles, fences or other vertical surfaces, which are not intended to be signboards. No signs shall be placed within the public right-of-way, nor shall any sign obstruct access to fire escapes of required windows, doors, exits or standpipes. Signs erected or affixed on roofs are prohibited, as are wall signs that project more than 12 inches above the building soffit or eave height. Signs and/or logos shall not be painted directly upon any natural surface such as rocks or trees, nor shall any signs be painted directly on the roof or walls of a building.
(I) Content of signs. Except for traffic signs and legal notices, no sign visible from the street shall use words, phrases, symbols or characters with the intent of simulating a public safety warning or traffic sign. No signs shall contain images, profanity or other language that is considered to be obscene or offensive to the general public.
(J) Sign labeling. Every freestanding on- or off-premises sign structure erected in the city shall have noted, in a conspicuous place thereon, the name of the firm that manufactured the sign and the permit number. Wall, window and awning or fascia signs are exempt from this requirement.
(K) MNDOT compliance. If approval from MNDOT (Minnesota Department of Transportation) is required, evidence of such approval must be submitted as part of the city sign permit application. MNDOT approval does not supersede or in any way replace city approval that in all cases will still be required.
(Ord. 497, passed 8-10-15; Am. Ord. 531, passed 3-25-19)