The following signs shall be exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit and from the limitation on items of information, but shall be subject to the other provisions of this chapter, and (with the exception of “addresses”) shall be included for purposes of determining the allowable total number and size of signs on a premises:
(A) Addresses. Address numerals and other sign information required by law or governmental order, rule or regulation. Such address information cannot exceed two square feet per officially assigned address, or the size required by the law, order, rule or regulation, whichever is greater;
(B) Auxiliary signs. Auxiliary signs placed in store windows regarding hours of operation, accepted charge cards, warnings or similar information, provided that they shall not exceed one square foot or 144 square inches total;
(C) Bulletin boards. Bulletin boards, not exceeding 12 square feet for public, eleemosynary or religious institutions where the bulletin board is located on the premises of said institutions;
(D) Business nameplates. Non-illuminated nameplates denoting the business name or an occupation legally conducted on the premises, provided that only one nameplate per proprietor may be erected and that such nameplate not exceed one square foot;
(E) Flags and standards. Flags, standards, emblems and insignia of governmental, or educational organizations, having a size less than 40 square feet, and displayed for noncommercial purposes, and not more than one flag pole and three flags per zoning lot. Three flags and three flag poles would be permitted in commercial areas only;
(F) Government signs. Signs of duly constituted governmental body, including traffic signs or other similar regulatory devices, directional signs, Historic District signs, legal notices, warnings at railroad crossings and other instructional or regulatory signs pertaining to health, hazards, parking, swimming, dumping and such emergency or non-advertising signs as may be approved by the City Engineer or Director of Community Development for safety purposes or by the City Council;
(G) Historic markers. Commemorative plaques, memorial tablets or emblems of official historical bodies, provided that no such marker shall exceed two square feet and provided further that all such markers shall be placed flat against a building, monument stone or other permanent surface;
(H) Holiday decorations. Temporary displays of a primarily decorative nature, clearly incidental and customary with traditionally accepted civic, patriotic or religious holidays;
(I) Monument signs. Plaques, tablets, cornerstones or lettering inlaid into the architectural materials of a building or structure of not more than two square feet denoting the name of that structure and its date of erection;
(J) Project identification signs. One freestanding sign not exceeding two square feet per side and four feet in height may be placed on the premises of new non-single-family and non-duplex residential building or undergoing remodeling, which shall be reviewed and approved by the Director of Community Development prior to installation. Signs must be removed upon issuance of occupancy permit or final inspection;
(K) Site information signs. Signs of no more than two square feet which, without including an advertising reference of any kind, provide direction or instruction to guide persons to facilities intended to serve the public, including, but not specifically limited to, those signs identifying rest rooms, public telephones, walkways, traffic flow, parking restrictions and features of a similar nature;
(L) Political signs. Political signs may be located entirely on private property pursuant to the owner’s consent and subject to the following limitations:
(1) Political campaign signs of not more than six square feet in area per candidate or issue per lot may be displayed. No such sign may exceed four feet in height;
(2) Political signs shall be maintained in good physical condition and shall not exceed six square feet in area and four feet in height per sign. Except as provided in division (L)(3) below, the total area of political signs shall not exceed a total of 30 square feet in area per zoning lot, and the total area of political signs that may be located within the required setback is zero square feet;
(3) Notwithstanding the size limitations contained in division (L)(2) above, from the date a ballot for any particular election has been certified until seven days after such election occurs, in addition to the amount of signage authorized in division (L)(2) above, political campaign signs that meet the criteria established in division (L)(1) above may be located within the required setback with no limitations on total square feet per zoning lot;
(4) Unless a political sign includes on the sign face the name of the person responsible for the sign, the owner of the private property on which the sign is located shall be deemed responsible for the sign;
(5) Political signs shall be exempted from any regulations regarding sign colors, but not regulations relating to illumination of signs;
(6) Political signs are permitted at all times and are exempted from permit requirements at all times; and
(7) Political signs may not be located in the public right-of-way.
(M) Warning signs. A warning sign such as no trespassing, beware of dog, no soliciting and the like, not to exceed one square foot in size; and
(N) Temporary signs. Temporary signs shall be exempted from any regulations regarding sign colors, but not regulations relating to the illumination of signs.
(Prior Code, Ch. 36, § 1, Art. III, E) (Ord. 93-64, passed 10-4-1993; Ord. 07-01, passed 1-2-2007; Ord. 2008-05, passed 1-22-2008; Ord. 2012-01, passed 1-17-2012)