(A) Intent. These regulations provide standards for the erection and maintenance of private signs. The principal feature of this section is the restriction on the total sign area permissible per site. Only one on-premises sign shall be allowed per lot, unless approved otherwise through a conditional use permit. The sign shall be located in the front or side yard, and shall not project over public property. All private signs shall be erected and maintained in accordance with the following standards. The general objectives of these standards are to promote health, safety, welfare and in part to achieve the following:
(1) Safety. To promote the safety of persons and property by providing that signs:
(a) Do not create a hazard due to collapse, fire, collision, decay, or abandonment;
(b) Do not create traffic hazards by confusing or distracting motorists, or by impairing the driver’s ability to see pedestrians, obstacles, or other vehicles, or to see and interpret any official traffic sign, signal or device.
(c) Aid the traveling public in navigation to the locations of businesses and services.
(2) Communications efficiency. To promote the efficient transfer of information by providing that:
(a) Businesses and services may identify themselves;
(b) Customers and persons may locate a business or service;
(c) No person or group is arbitrarily denied the use of the sight line from public rights-of-way for communication purposes.
(3) Landscape quality and preservation. To protect the public welfare and to enhance the appearance and economic value of the landscape by providing that signs:
(a) Do not create a nuisance to persons using the public rights-of-way;
(b) Do not constitute a nuisance to occupancy of adjacent and contiguous property by their brightness, size, height or movement;
(c) Protect and preserve the aesthetic quality and physical appearance of the county.
(B) Permitted signs and sign area. In the following districts, the sign area and height set forth shall apply to all signs on the premises except as provided in II-8.005:
(1) A-1 - General Agriculture; PF - Park Forest Districts.
(a) Freestanding signs. One or more freestanding signs with the total combined area of one square foot for every 100 linear feet of road frontage.
1. The total area of any one sign shall not exceed 16 square feet.
2. The maximum height shall not exceed ten feet.
(b) Wall signs. On buildings or structures not used as a single family dwelling, a wall sign with the area of one square foot for every two linear feet of building frontage with a maximum of 16 square feet of sign area.
(2) A-2 - Residential Agriculture; RR - Rural Residential; and SRD - Suburban Residential Districts.
(a) Wall signs.
1. On buildings or structures not used as a single-family dwelling, a wall sign with the area of one square foot for every two linear feet of building frontage with a maximum of 16 square feet of sign area.
2. As allowed below by division (E)(9) below.
(b) Freestanding signs.
1. Multi-family structures and apartments may have one freestanding sign per street frontage not to exceed 16 square feet in size per sign.
2. Single-family dwellings may have one freestanding sign in conjunction with a home occupation or conditional use permit as allowed by division (E)(9) below.
(3) GC - General Commercial; RC - Recreation Commercial; HSC - Highway Service Commercial; C/LI - Commercial/Light Industrial and I-I General Industry Districts.
(a) Wall, roof, or projecting signs.
1. The total sign area on structures which are two stories or less in height shall not exceed two square feet for each linear foot of building frontage.
2. The total sign area on structures which are greater than two stories in height shall not exceed either two square feet for each linear foot of building frontage, or 15% of the area of the frontage wall, whichever is greater.
(b) Freestanding signs having a total sign area not to exceed one square foot for each linear foot of road frontage or 200 square feet, whichever is less.
1. The maximum sign height shall be 30 feet.
(C) Regulations and limitations of permitted signs.
(1) Wall signs. Wall signs may be located anywhere on the wall of a building.
(2) Projecting signs.
(a) Projecting signs may project no more than five feet from the building face.
(b) Projecting signs shall have a minimum clearance of ten feet above grade level about any yard or sidewalk and 16 feet above any road or drive.
(c) Projecting signs may project no more than five feet above the top of a parapet or roofline including the framework or support.
(3) Roof signs. Roof signs shall rise no higher than five feet above the top of a parapet or roof line and shall not exceed the height limits for the zoning district.
(4) Freestanding signs.
(a) Freestanding signs within GC - General Commercial; RC - Recreation Commercial; HSC - Highway Service Commercial; C/LI - Commercial/Light Industrial and I-I - General Industry Districts shall be limited to one sign structure per street frontage except that businesses on frontages of 300 feet or more may erect two freestanding signs; however, the total sign area for both signs may not exceed that allowed for the street frontage.
(b) Freestanding signs shall be located only in the front or side yard.
(c) Freestanding signs shall not project over public property.
(d) Freestanding signs shall not be erected within the intersection safety zone triangle of two intersecting streets or a street and railroad. The intersection safety zone triangle, in this case, shall be the triangular area formed by measuring 40 feet from the intersection along both roads and connecting these two points with a straight line. Exceptions: Freestanding signs may be located in the intersection safety zone triangle when the sign and sign structure comply with the following:
1. The sign face is located 12 feet above the grade level of the street; and
2. The sign structure is of such a size and spacing as to not obstruct the view of said intersection.
(D) Electronic message signs.
(1) Electronic message signs placement.
(a) Any permitted sign within GC - General Commercial; RC - Recreation Commercial; HSC - Highway Service Commercial; C/LI - Commercial/Light Industrial and I-I - General Industry Districts may be an electronic message sign.
(b) No electronic message signs are allowed in A-1 - General Agriculture; PF - Park Forest Districts; A-2 - Residential Agriculture; RR - Rural Residential; and SRD - Suburban Residential Districts.
(c) Electronic message signs must be setback a minimum 300 feet from any residential structure.
(2) Message hold time. Electronic message signs shall display a static message which may not change or be changed for a period of six seconds.
(3) Message transitions. The transition from one static display message to the next shall be limited to gradual movements including, but not limited to, dissolve, fade, or traveling; however, sudden movement is prohibited, including, but not limited to blinking and flashing.
(E) Special situations. The following signs may be allowed in addition to the signs permitted in division (B) above and do not require a permit or fees, but signs must be in conformance with all other state and local laws:
(1) Automobile service station. Gasoline dispensing stations may have, in addition to other signs, one 12 square foot sign on each street frontage.
(2) Interstate highway interchange. In the GC - General Commercial; RC - Recreation Commercial; HSC - Highway Service Commercial; C/LI - Commercial/Light Industrial and I-I - General Industry Districts, businesses which are adjacent to both the interstate and the intersecting cross street may by conditional use erect one additional on-premise freestanding sign not to exceed 200 square feet or 60 feet in height.
(3) Construction signs. Additional signage may be placed on a property during the time a property has an active building permit. The total sign area shall not exceed 100 square feet or 20 feet in height and shall be removed within one week after final inspection or upon the expiration of the building permit, whichever comes first.
(4) Neighborhood identification signs. In any zone, a masonry wall, landscaping and other similar material or feature may be combined to form a display for neighborhood or tract identification, provided that the legend of such signs or display shall consist only of the neighborhood or tract name, and the sign area shall not exceed 32 square feet.
(5) Institutional signs. Churches, cemeteries, schools, day care centers, institutional and public uses in the agricultural and residential districts may have an on-premise sign not exceeding 32 square feet in area per frontage. Institutional signs require a building permit prior to construction/placement of the sign.
(6) Integral signs. Names of buildings, dates of erection, monumental citations, commemorable tablets, and the like, of permanent type construction and made an integral part of the building structure shall be permitted not to exceed 16 square feet per building.
(7) Private traffic directional signs. Signs directing traffic movement into, out of or within the commercial premise. Such signs shall not exceed an area of four square feet per sign face and four feet in height. Only two private directional signs are allowed per legal driveway.
(8) Real estate signs. Temporary signs shall be permitted while a property is actively listed for sale. The total sign area of such signs shall not exceed 32 square feet for each street frontage.
(9) Special use signs. In the A-1 - General Agriculture; PF - Park Forest Districts; A-2 - Residential Agriculture; RR - Rural Residential; and SRD - Suburban Residential Districts, uses which are governed by a conditional use permit, major home occupation, or agricultural tourism permit may have freestanding, wall, roof, or projecting signs on the premise in accordance with the stipulations of the permit. The total sign area of each sign shall not exceed 32 square feet. Special use signs require a building permit prior to construction/placement.
(10) Banners. Each commercial and industrial zoned property may have one banner no larger than 32 square feet at all times. Additional banners within commercial or industrial zoned property can be placed for a maximum of 21 days during any calendar year. Banners shall be securely mounted or affixed with rigid posts, frame, structure, or building.
(Ord. 14-01, passed 6-6-2014, Ch. 8, § 1.4; Ord. 22-04, passed 4-11-2023)