§ 153.147 GENERAL PROVISIONS.
   (A)   Conformance to codes. Any sign hereafter erected shall conform to the provisions of this subchapter and the provisions of the Minnesota Building Code and any other ordinance or regulation within the city.
   (B)   Signs in the rights-of-way. No sign other than an official traffic sign or similar sign shall be erected within two feet of the lines of any street, or within any public way, unless specifically authorized by other ordinances or regulations of the city or by specific authorization of the Code Official.
   (C)   Projections over public ways. Signs projecting over public walkways shall be permitted to do so only subject to the projection and clearance limit either defined herein or, if not so defined, at a minimum height of eight feet from grade level to the bottom of the sign. Signs, architectural projections or sign structures projecting over a vehicular access area must conform to the minimum height clearance limitations imposed by the city for the structures.
   (D)   Traffic visibility. No sign or sign structure shall be erected at the intersection of any street in such a manner as to obstruct either free or clear vision, nor at any location where by its position, shape or color, may interfere with or obstruct the view of or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device.
   (E)   Computation of frontage. If a premises contains walls facing more than one property line or encompasses property frontage bounded by more than one street or other property usages, the sign area(s) for each building wall or property frontage will be computed separately for each building wall or property line facing a different frontage. The sign area(s) thus calculated shall be permitted to then be applied to permitted signs placed on each separate wall or property line frontage.
   (F)   Animation and changeable messages. Animated signs, except as prohibited in § 153.149 of this chapter, are permitted in all non-residential zones as a conditional use approved by the city’s Planning Commission. Changeable signs, manually activated, are permitted in all non-residential zones. Changeable signs, electrically activated, are permitted in all non-residential zones. Area(s) shall apply to allowable signage square footage.
   (G)   Maintenance, repair and removal. Every sign permitted by this subchapter shall be kept in good condition and repair. When any sign becomes insecure, in danger of falling or is otherwise deemed unsafe by the Code Official, or if any sign shall be unlawfully installed, erected or maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this subchapter, the owner thereof or the person or firm using same shall, upon written notice by the Code Official forthwith in the case of immediate danger and, in any case, within ten days, make such sign conform to the provisions of this subchapter, or shall remove it.
If within ten days the order is not complied with, the Code Official shall be permitted to remove or cause such sign to be removed at the expense of the owner and/or the user of the sign, or an administrative citation may be issued as set forth in another section of this chapter.
   (H)   Obsolete sign copy. Any sign copy that no longer advertises or identifies a use conducted on the property on which the sign is erected must have the sign removed within 30 days after written notification of the Code Official; and, upon failure to comply with the notice, the Code Official is hereby authorized to cause removal of the sign, and any expense incident thereto shall be paid by the owner of the building, structure or ground on which the sign is located, or an administrative citation may be issued as set forth in another section of this chapter.
   (I)   Non-conforming signs. Any sign legally existing at the time of the passage of this subchapter that does not conform in use, location, height or size with the regulations of the zone in which it is located, shall be considered a legal non-conforming use structure and shall be permitted to continue in such status until such time as it is either abandoned or removed by its owner, subject to the following limitations.
      (1)   Structural alterations, enlargement or re-erection are permissible only where the alterations will not increase the degree of non-conformity of the signs.
      (2)   Any legal non-conforming sign may be removed or rebuilt without increasing the existing height or area if it is damaged, or removed if allowed to deteriorate to the extent that the cost of repair or restoration exceeds 50% of the replacement cost of the sign as determined by the Code Official.
      (3)   Signs that comply with either divisions (I)(1) or (I)(2) above require permits.
(Prior Code, § 11.14)