(a) Maintenance provisions. All signs, supports, braces, poles, wires and other appurtenances of signs or sign structures shall be kept in good repair, maintained in safe condition, and shall conform to the following standards:
(1) A sign shall be in a state of disrepair when more than 20 percent of its total surface area is covered with disfigured, cracked, ripped or peeling paint or poster paper, or any combination of these conditions. Any sign in a state of disrepair shall be considered in violation of this chapter.
(2) No sign shall be allowed to stand with bent or broken sign facing, broken supports, loose appendages or struts which causes the sign to stand more than 15 degrees from the perpendicular.
(3) No sign or sign structure shall be allowed to have weeds, vines or other vegetation growing on it and obscuring it from the street or highway from which it is intended to be viewed.
(4) No indirectly illuminated sign shall be allowed to stand with only partial illumination operational.
(5) Any sign which violates the maintenance provisions listed in this subsection (a) shall be in violation of this chapter and shall be repaired or removed as required by the applicable sections of this article.
(b) Abandoned signs.
(1) Signs or parts of signs which advertise or pertain to a business, product, service, commodity, or purpose which no longer exists or that has not been in use for 180 days or more shall be deemed to be an abandoned sign. Signs which are associated with seasonal business shall not be considered abandoned provided there is clear intent to continue the business in the upcoming season. However, failure to operate any business for a minimum of 90 consecutive days in a calendar year shall deem any sign associated with such business an abandoned sign.
(2) Abandoned signs are prohibited and shall be removed by the owner or his agent or the owner of the property where the sign is located within 30 days from the date such sign is deemed to be abandoned.
(3) This section shall be enforced in accordance with section 36-340(d).
(Code 1989, § 92.159)