(a) Outdoor Advertising Illumination Regulated. This section is intended to regulate the amount of light disturbance associated with lighting and illumination installed in conjunction with outdoor advertising sign illumination, and to mitigate the impacts of lighting associated with outdoor advertisement. The following provisions shall govern lighting provided as any component of all outdoor sign or advertising structures installed within the City of Loveland, Ohio:
(1) Top Mounted Fixtures Required. External lighting fixtures used to illuminate an outdoor advertising sign shall be mounted on the top of the sign structure and the light shall be directed to illuminate only the signage. All such fixtures shall comply with the shielding and flat lens requirements established within Section 554.02(b) of this chapter. The use of bottom-mounted or ground mounted outdoor advertising-sign lighting shall be prohibited, unless all of the following standards are achieved:
A. The bottom-mounted or ground-mounted fixture is designed and installed to meet the requirements of Section 554.02 of this Chapter;
B. The bottom-mounted or ground-mounted fixture is designed and installed as to be completely shielded from view from any street, right-of-way, alleyway, sidewalk, or adjoining property; and
C. The bottom-mounted or ground-mounted fixture is appropriately angled and directed as to direct all light directly onto the signage being illuminated with no measurable light spillover extending beyond the perimeter of the signage being illuminated.
(2) Height Restrictions. Luminaires used primarily for sign illumination may be mounted at any height, up to a maximum height of twenty-five (25) feet, regardless of lumen rating, provided that the luminaire meets the shielding and flat lens requirements established within Section 554.02(b)(1) of this chapter.
(3) Internally Illuminated Cabinet Signs. Internally illuminated outdoor advertising signs constructed utilizing translucent materials and wholly illuminated from within shall not require shielding. Dark backgrounds with light lettering or symbols shall be required to minimize detrimental effects. The total lumen allowance per property shall not exceed one thousand eight hundred (1800) lumens per installation.
(4) Internally Illuminated Channel Letter Signs. Internally illuminated channel letter signs constructed utilizing translucent materials and wholly illuminated from within shall not require shielding. The total lumen allowance per property shall not exceed one thousand two hundred (1200) lumens per installation.
(5) External Fixtures to Be Integrated. Externally affixed light fixtures shall be designed as to be fully integrated into the design of the overall signage cabinet or structure.
(6) Auto-Dimmer Photocell Activation Required. LED-style Electronic Message Center Signs shall be permitted to be installed, subject to the provisions enumerated elsewhere within the Codified Ordinances for the City of Loveland, Ohio, provided that the signage is equipped with a nighttime auto-dimming circuit that shall reduce the total light output from dusk until dawn to not greater than eighty (80) nits (cd/m2) total luminance. No LED-style Electronic Message Center Sign shall be permitted to exceed three thousand five hundred (3,500) nits (cd/m2), total luminance during daytime operation. For more information, refer to the most recently released Illuminating Engineering Society’s (IES) RP-39 “Off-Roadway Sign Luminance” recommended practice.
(7) Illuminated Interior Signage Regulated. Illuminated interior signage, including but not limited to, neon signage, LED signage, or other types of internally illuminated signs that convey operational status, hours or operation, or advertising products or services contained therein, that are also installed in a manner resulting in the signage being visible to any public or private street, access easement, parking lot, sidewalk, or other right-of-way, shall not exceed nine hundred (900) lumens.
(b) Nonconforming Outdoor Advertising Lighting. Existing outdoor advertising structures employing either external or internal illumination that were lawfully existing, permitted, and installed prior to the date of enactment of this chapter shall be permitted to remain, provided that the existing sign or the lighting utilized to illuminate the sign is not altered, enlarged, expanded, replaced, or further modified in any way whatsoever.
Nothing within this Section shall be interpreted as prohibiting the replacement of nonfunctioning light bulbs or LED drivers when conducted as part of normal maintenance of the existing signage lighting. However, LED-style Electronic Message Center Signs shall be adjusted to meet the brightness requirements detailed in Section 554.03(a)(7) by December 31, 2023, or one (1) year from the date of the enactment of this ordinance, whichever is later.
(c) Discontinuation or Termination. Nonconforming outdoor advertising structures employing either external or internal illumination that are damaged or destroyed beyond fifty percent (50%) of the original value of the structure, or that are otherwise abandoned and discontinued, or are not illuminated for more than forty-five (45) consecutive days shall be classified as being permanently discontinued and shall not be re-established, repaired, or replaced except in conformance with these regulations.
(d) Compliance Period Limitation. Existing outdoor advertising structures that utilize
either external or internal illumination methods shall be brought into conformance with this chapter not later than December 31, 2033. (Ord. 2023-60. Passed 5-23-23.)