(a) Permit Required. No person shall erect, place, suspend, attach, move or maintain, any sign or structure over the street, or any street clock, or street bulletin board, without first obtaining permission in writing from the Board of Public Works, and the Council so to do.
The approval in writing of the Cultural Affairs Commission (Amended by Ord. No. 173,297, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper 7/1/00.) shall be obtained before erecting, altering or removing any street clock, sign or structure over the street. (Amended by Ord. No. 109,896, Eff. 9/28/57.)
(b) Plans to Be Filed. Any person desiring any permit, permission, or approval as provided for in this section shall file complete plans, drawings and specifications and such other information as the Board of Public Works may require showing the proposed construction.
(c) Power to Revoke Permits. The Board of Public Works shall have, and is hereby granted, the power and authority to revoke any permit granted hereunder, and is also granted the power and authority to order any sign maintained in violation of any provision of this section to be altered, repaired, changed, reconstructed, demolished or removed as may be necessary to conform hereto. Such work or act shall be completed within ten (10) days of the date of said order.
The provisions of this section shall not be deemed or constructed to prohibit the maintenance of any sign in accordance with the provisions of any previous ordinance of this City, unless such sign is dangerous and unsafe, or the advertising displayed thereon is unlawful.
(d) Signs or Structures Over Streets. No person shall erect, construct, suspend or maintain, any sign or structure across, over or above any street or sidewalk or any portion thereof, except as otherwise allowed by this section. Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to prohibit, upon the issuance of the permits required by this section, the erection, construction, suspension or maintenance of any such sign or structure within this City or at the recognized boundary of any local community of said City, across, over or above any such street or any portion thereof, if such sign or structure bears exclusively the name of such local community, or words or figures commemorating an historical, cultural, or artistic event or location, without the addition of any advertising whatsoever. (Amended by Ord. No. 109,896, Eff. 9/28/57.)
(e) Bulletin Boards – Clocks. The owner, proprietor or manager of any daily newspaper or theater in the City may erect, place and maintain upon the sidewalk in front of any office of such daily newspaper or in front of any such theater, as the case may be, not to exceed two bulletin boards, not more than three (3) feet six (6) inches in width and seven (7) feet in height, or one such board of six (6) feet in width and seven (7) feet in height, in case such bulletin boards are located at the curb and are at least twenty (20) feet from the point of intersection of the lines of any streets, measured parallel with the street.
The owner, proprietor or manager of any building or place of business may erect, place and maintain upon the sidewalk in front of such building or place of business not to exceed one street clock having a dial not less than thirty (30) inches or more than forty (40) inches in diameter supported upon a post or ornamental design the total height of which shall be not less than fifteen (15) feet or more than twenty (20) feet, in case no portion of such post and clock within eight (8) feet of the sidewalk is more than two (2) feet from the outer edge of the curb, and in case such clock is located at least twenty (20) feet from the point of intersection of the lines of any streets, measured parallel with the street. Such clock may be supported on the corner of any building at the intersection of streets if the lower portion thereof is not less than fifteen (15) feet or more than twenty (20) feet above the sidewalk, and in case such clock does not exceed one-tenth of the height of the building nor more than twelve (12) feet and does not project from any face, wall or the corner of the building in any direction more than five (5) feet. The supports for any clock shall be capable of sustaining four times the weight of the clock with a safety factor of four.
The Board of Library Commissioners (Amended by Ord. No. 173,297, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper 7/1/00.) of the City may erect, place and maintain upon the sidewalk in front of any branch library, not to exceed one metal sign containing the words “Public Library” supported on a cast iron post not more than eight (8) feet in height, in case no portion of such post is more than two (2) feet from the outer edge of the curb and is located at least twenty (20) feet from the point of intersection of the lines of any streets, measured parallel with the street.