(A) All signs shall be constructed pursuant to the requirements of the State Building Code.
(B) All signs shall be maintained by the owner in a safe condition. A sign shall be repainted whenever its paint begins to fade, chip, or discolor.
(C) Anchorage requirements.
(1) No sign larger than four square feet in area shall be suspended by non-rigid attachments that will allow the sign to swing in a wind.
(2) All freestanding signs shall have self-supporting structures permanently attached to concrete foundations.
(3) All portable signs on display shall be braced or secured to prevent motion.
(4) No sign shall be attached to hang from any building until all necessary wall attachments have been approved by the Building Official.
(D) Additional construction and placement requirements.
(1) No sign shall be erected, constructed or maintained so as to obstruct any fire escape, required exit, window or door opening used as a means of egress.
(2) No sign shall be attached in any form, shape, or manner which will interfere with any opening required for ventilation, except that signs may be erected in front of and may cover transom windows when not in violation of the provisions of the current Building or Fire Codes.
(3) Signs shall be located in such a way as to maintain horizontal and vertical clearance of all overhead electrical conductors in accordance with present Electrical Code specifications.
(4) Lighting shall be directed away from road rights-of-way and adjacent dwellings.
(5) External illumination for signs in all districts shall be so constructed and maintained that the source of light is not visible from the public right-of-way or residential property and does not interfere with or obstruct any official traffic sign or signal.
(6) Except as otherwise permitted by this chapter, no signs other than governmental signs shall be erected or temporarily placed within any right-of-way or upon any public lands or easements.
(7) When a free standing sign or sign structure is constructed so that the sign faces are not back to back, the angle shall not exceed ten degrees. If the angle is greater than ten degrees, the total area of both sides added together shall not exceed the maximum allowable sign area for that district.
(E) Setbacks.
(1) Freestanding signs shall have a minimum setback of ten feet from any public right-of-way measured to any portion of the sign.
(2) Freestanding signs shall have a minimum setback of five feet from any side or rear property lines.
(3) No freestanding sign shall be located within 25 feet of any intersection of street right-of-way lines and/or driveway entrances. This distance may be reduced if the Zoning Administrator determines that the sign will not affect traffic sight lines.
(F) Height. The top of any sign, including its super structure if any, shall be no higher than the roofline for structures with peaked roofs. Signs attached to flat roofs may extend no more than three feet higher than the roofline, but not more than 35 feet above ground level.
(G) Procedural requirements.
(1) Permits required.
(a) Signs permitted by this Division may be erected only upon the issuance of a sign permit by the city for each individual sign eligible hereunder. Permit applications shall be submitted to the Zoning Administrator with the appropriate fee determined from a fee schedule adopted by the City Council. The permit is valid for the life of the sign so long as the sign is kept in good repair and not altered in a way that is not in compliance with the provisions of this Division. Signs exempted herein do not need a permit. Unused sign permits expire six months after the issuance date. If a sign requires inspection by the Building Inspector, the permittee is responsible for the appropriate inspection fees.
(b) Signs located along state highways must also obtain a sign permit issued by the state.
(2) Consent of property owner required. It is unlawful to erect or maintain any sign on any property, public or private, without the consent of the property owner thereof.
(3) Sign variance. Any person wishing to erect a sign which does not comply with the provisions of this Division may submit an application for a variance in accordance with the procedures set forth in Division 151.06.
(H) Removal of signs. Signs erected on private property in violation of this Division are hereby designated as a nuisance and subject to removal. Any signs erected on public property in violation of this Division may be immediately removed and confiscated by the city or its assigns.
(I) Nonconforming signs. Signs which do not conform to the provisions of this Division applicable thereto, shall be a nonconforming use and subject to the provisions of Part 151.01.4.
(J) Substitution. Signs containing noncommercial speech are permitted anywhere that advertising or business signs are permitted.
(K) Severability. If any section, subsection, clause, or phrase of this Sign Chapter is for any reason held to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Division. The City Council hereby declares that it would have adopted the Sign Chapter in each section, subsection, sentence, or phase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, or phrases be declared invalid.
(Ord. 20220120-01, passed 1-20-22)