(A) All new signage or alterations to signage within the historic district shall be required to receive a certificate of appropriateness unless otherwise noted within these regulations. No certificate of appropriateness shall be required for a change of copy on a sign, the customary use of which involves frequent and periodic changes of copy; the Board of Review shall indicate at the time that a certificate of appropriateness is initially granted for such a sign that the sign is of a type that has frequent and periodic changes of copy. A certificate of appropriateness shall not be required to conduct ordinary maintenance or repair of any sign within the historic district; however, no sign shall be reworded, redesigned, or altered in any way other than ordinary maintenance or repair unless the sign is brought into conformity with the ordinance, and a certificate of appropriateness is obtained. Change of message or design of a sign is not ordinary maintenance of a sign.
(B) Purpose. The necessity of signs is recognized for identification and successful conduct of a business, service, or profession and to direct and control traffic on the streets and to note points of public interest; use and control of signs is of great importance. Therefore, the purpose of these regulations is to promote the public health, safety, and welfare by regulating signs within the historic district. It is intended to protect property values, create a more attractive economic and business climate, preserve the dignity and architectural significance of the district, preserve its scenic and natural beauty, and provide a more enjoyable and pleasing community for its residents.
(C) (1) Special allowable sign types: certificate of appropriateness not required.
(a) Signs of duly constituted governmental bodies, including traffic or similar regulatory devices, and legal notices.
(b) Flags or emblems identifying the political, civic, philanthropic, educational, or religious organizations located on the premises.
(c) Memorial plaques, cornerstones, historical tablets, markers, and the like, unless one face exceeds six square feet in surface area.
(d) Signs not visible off the lot.
(e) Signs posted in conjunction with doorbells or mailboxes.
(f) Signs required to be posted or maintained by law or government order, rule, or regulation, unless specifically prohibited, limited, or restricted.
(g) Signs displayed strictly for the direction, safety, or convenience of the public, including signs which identify restrooms, parking area entrances or exits, and the like.
(h) Address signs showing only the numerical address designations of the premises upon which they are situated, street names, no trespass and other warning signs, unless one face exceeds 96 square inches in surface area.
(i) Temporary real estate signs not exceeding 10 square feet per face in area. Such a sign shall not be illuminated.
(j) Temporary construction site sign erected on the site during the period of construction to announce the name of the owner or developer, contractor, architect, or engineer. Such a sign shall not be illuminated.
(k) Temporary signs or displays located on the inside of store windows relating to the business conducted within.
(l) Banners or flags of not-for-profit organizations of the community promoting a specific activity do not need a certificate of appropriateness if they are temporary in nature and are removed within three months.
(m) Political signs. Signs of candidates for public office may be placed in front yards within the historic district without a permit for a two-month period of time or as regulated by city ordinance.
(2) Allowable sign types: certificate of appropriateness required.
(a) Flat signs. Any sign painted or affixed to an exterior wall of a building having the face of the sign parallel to the building. Such signs shall meet the following guidelines.
1. There shall be a limit of one sign per establishment per street frontage.
2. The sign shall not extend horizontally more than three inches from the building face.
3. The length of each sign shall not exceed two-thirds of the width of the narrowest building face and the height shall not exceed 20% of the length unless otherwise approved by the Board.
4. Each sign may appear without illumination or may be illuminated. Lighting source, design, and placement must be as unobtrusive as possible and the proposed method of lighting is also subject to review by the Board of Review.
5. Each sign may only carry a message related to a business or profession conducted or a commodity or service sold or offered upon the premises where such a sign is located.
(b) Dimensional surface signs. This sign type is also affixed to an exterior wall of a building having the face of the sign parallel to the building. It may consist in part or in whole of three- dimensional letter forms applied directly to the building surface, or applied to a separate flat background. The message may be in relief or depressed by means of carving, etching, routing, positive or negative cutout, and the like. Special three-dimensional signs such as a figure, barber pole, clock, pawnshop symbol, and the like are generally acceptable provided these symbols meet appropriate guidelines.
1. There shall be a limit of one sign per establishment per street frontage.
2. Each sign shall not extend horizontally more than 12 inches from the building face.
3. The length of each sign shall not exceed two-thirds of the width of the narrowest building face and the height shall be no greater than 20% of the length unless otherwise approved by the Board.
4. Each sign may appear without illumination or may be illuminated. Lighting source, design, and placement must be as unobtrusive as possible and the proposed method of lighting is also subject to review by the Board of Review.
5. Each sign may only carry a message related to a business or profession conducted or a commodity or service sold or offered upon the premises where such a sign is located.
6. The sign shall be contained in a three-dimensional rectangle whose top side does not exceed the second level window sills, and shall have a minimum clearance of nine feet above the line of the sidewalk.
(c) Projecting signs. Any sign projecting horizontally more than 12 inches from the building face.
1. There shall be a limit of one sign per each pedestrian level tenant per street frontage and one sign for each upper floor tenant.
2. Each sign shall not exceed 16 square feet in surface area.
3. Each sign shall not extend horizontally more than one-half the distance of the width of the sidewalk from the property line to the curb.
4. Each sign may appear without illumination or may be illuminated. Lighting source, design, and placement must be as unobtrusive as possible and proposed method of lighting is also subject to review by the Board of Review.
5. Each sign may only carry a message related to a business or profession conducted or a commodity or service sold or offered upon the premises where such a sign is located.
6. For establishments at the pedestrian level or for establishments wholly contained on the upper floor, the sign shall be contained within a rectangle whose top edge does not exceed the height of the third level window sills or roof line, whichever is lower. The bottom edge shall have a minimum clearance of nine feet above the line of the sidewalk. The inside edge of a projecting sign shall be mounted no less than six inches and no more than 12 inches away from the face of the building.
(d) Window signs. Any permanent sign painted, gold-leafed, or attached onto the glass area or installed behind a window or in a showcase intended for viewing through the window from the outside of the premises.
1. There shall be a limit of one sign per window.
2. The area of a permanent window sign will be limited to 20% of the window area, except in the case of a door sign when the sign's area may be 50% of the glass area.
3. The sign area will be calculated for each window.
4. Lettering may be up to eight inches in height on pedestrian or second level windows, and up to nine inches in height on third level and higher windows.
5. Each sign may only carry a message related to a business or profession conducted or a commodity or service sold or offered upon the premises where such a sign is located.
(e) Freestanding signs. Any sign having its own support which is independent of a building, including but not limited to bulletin board and A-shaped sandwich signs for sidewalk use.
1. There shall be a limit of one sign per pedestrian level street frontage establishment.
2. A-shaped sandwich signs may be up to four feet in height and up to ten square feet per face in area.
3. Each sign may be located anywhere within the front yard or side yard of the establishment. Freestanding signs cannot be located on a sidewalk except A-shaped sandwich signs may be located anywhere on the sidewalk directly in front of the establishment provided that the unobstructed sidewalk width is at least eight feet.
4. Freestanding signs may not exceed a height of 25 feet and must be visually compatible to the scene. Surrounding signs, structures, and proposed sign height will be considered in determining the sign area which would be appropriate.
5. Each sign may only carry a message related to a business or profession conducted or a commodity or service sold or offered upon the premises where such a sign is located.
6. Freestanding signs will not exceed 16 square feet per face.
(f) Awning signs. Any sign painted or sewn onto an awning. Awnings shall only be made of canvas or other cloth fabric. Metal, plastic, and other rigid materials are prohibited.
1. There shall be a limit of one sign per awning.
2. The maximum height of lettering on awnings shall be 24 inches. Symbols will be permitted provided the total area of any symbol and any lettering comprises no more than one-third of the awning area.
3. Awnings will only be permitted within the area of any pedestrian level.
4. The bottom of any awning shall be at least seven feet above the sidewalk.
(g) Banners and flags. Any piece of fabric bearing an emblem, symbol, or message shall be permitted on special occasions with approval of the Board of Review. Each sign may only be temporary in nature and must be removed within three months unless an extension of time is granted by the Board of Review.
(h) Temporary signs. Any sign not permanently attached to a building, the ground, or other structure, including mobile signs. Any sign originally constructed or designed for mobility, either self- propelled, or nonself-propelled, shall be considered mobile and not a permanent sign, although the means or devices for mobility have been removed and their function replaced by a permanent type of foundation or anchorage to the land.
1. Each mobile sign shall not remain on display for a period exceeding four weeks.
2. There shall be a limit of one mobile sign per pedestrian level tenant or one sign for each upper floor tenant.
3. Each mobile sign may appear without illumination or may be illuminated subject to review by the Board of Review.
4. Each mobile sign may only carry a message related to a business or profession conducted or a commodity or service sold or offered upon the premises where such a sign is located.
5. Each mobile sign may be located anywhere within the front yard of the establishment.
6. Each mobile sign may not exceed the height of eight feet from the ground level.
(3) Prohibited sign types.
(a) Roof signs. Any sign placed on, over, or above the roof or parapet of a building.
(b) Billboards. Any off-premises advertising sign.
(c) Off-premises signs. Any sign which advertises goods, services, facilities, events, or activities, except as in division (C)(2)(g) above, not related to its location or which directs persons to different premises from those on which the sign is located if such a sign is attached to the outside surface of a building or structure or to trees, fence posts, or telephone posts.
(d) Flashing signs. Generally, signs which flash, blink, revolve, or are otherwise in motion, vary in intensity, or appear to be in motion, will not be permitted. Such illumination methods may be accepted by the Board of Review, however, if they are deemed appropriate in a particular circumstance, for example, the traditional rotating barber pole.
(4) Other provisions.
(a) No sign, or device, awning, canopy, or other apparatus pertaining to signs shall be kept or maintained by supports of permanent posts or poles between the property line and curb.
(b) The method of attachment should respect the architectural integrity of the structure and relate to or become an extension of the architecture. No sign shall conceal architectural details.
(c) All signs shall be professional in appearance, and notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter to the contrary, a maximum of four signs per building shall be permitted, provided, however, that corner buildings shall have a maximum of three signs on each side facing a street, totaling six signs altogether.
(d) No sign shall be erected or constructed that is unsafe, insecure, a fire hazard, a wind hazard, a barrier to needed light or air, or is in any way a menace to public safety and welfare.
(e) The color and materials of any sign shall be harmonious with color and materials of the building identified by the sign. Materials such as wood, wrought iron, steel, metal, grillwork, and so forth, which were used in the nineteenth century, are encouraged. Materials such as extruded aluminum and plastics may not be appropriate.
(f) Whenever the Building Inspector determines a sign to be structurally unsafe through lack of proper maintenance or for other reasons, or endangers the safety of the building or endangers the public safety, the Building Inspector shall order that such sign be made safe or removed. Such order shall be complied with within 30 days of the receipt thereof by the person owning or using the sign or the owner of the building or premises on which such a sign is affixed or erected.
(g) The Historic District Board of Review may enact guidelines as to sign shapes, colors, sizes and types of lettering, messages, and other sign features which it finds are acceptable throughout the historic district. If the Building Inspector finds that the sign meets all the criteria specified in the general rules set up by the Board for approved signage, the Building Inspector may issue a certificate of appropriateness without bringing that sign before the historic district Board of Review.
(5) (a) Procedure. Before a sign is constructed, erected, or altered, it must receive a certificate of appropriateness, unless the sign is exempted under division (B) above. Procedures for applications, issuing certificates and permits, appeals, and inspections shall be set forth in the rules of the Board of Review. Each application shall also be accompanied by a plan showing:
1. The exact location and height of the sign.
2. The area and size of the sign.
3. The exact message of the sign.
4. The color, materials, character, and method of illumination.
5. The method of fastening or supporting the sign.
6. In the case of a projecting or freestanding sign, the vertical distance between such a sign and the finished grade and the horizontal distance between such a sign and the curb.
(b) Each applicant shall, upon request of the Building Inspector, submit any additional information deemed necessary. Detailed drawings drawn to scale are not required; however, if the above requirements are not met, and if the Board finds that as a result of a failure to meet these requirements, it has insufficient informat-ion with which to make a decision, it may further find that the application is incomplete and that the application not be considered until such time as the application becomes complete.
(6) Nonconforming signs. Signs of a nonconforming nature which were legally installed at the time of passage of this chapter may continue to exist under the regulations and conditions as set forth in Sections 10.00 through 10.60 of the 1981 Zoning Ordinance of the City of Madison, Indiana, provided, however, that none of those sections may be interpreted to permit a rewording, redesigning, or an altering of the signs in any way unless they are brought into conformity with this chapter.
(Ord. 1982-12, passed 7-31-82; Am. Ord. 1987-12-B, passed 7-21-87)