1339.02 DEFINITIONS.

   (a)    "Approved combustible material" means wood or materials not more combustible than wood and approved plastics.

   (b)    "Approved plastics" includes slow-burning plastics such as cellulose, acetate or other plastics of no greater combustibility, as approved by the Fire Chief of the City.

   (c)    "Billboard" means a sign used to advertise a business, commodity, or service which is conducted elsewhere than on the premises on which the billboard is located. Billboards may have an engineered structural frame, in accordance with the Ohio Basic Building Code, or may be a pole sign or wall sign type.

   (d)    "Building Superintendent" or "Superintendent" means the Superintendent of the Bureau of Buildings, Inspections, Licenses and Permits or other person authorized to administer and enforce the provisions of this chapter.

   (e)   "Building setback line" means a line defining the minimum front, side and rear yard setback requirements established in the Zoning Ordinance of the City, and in which no building or structure may be located, except as otherwise provided herein.

   (f)    "Curbline" means a line at the face of the curb nearest to the street or roadway. In absence of a curb, the curbline shall be established by the Engineering Department of the City.

   (g)    "Display surface" means the area made available by the "sign structure" for the purpose of displaying the advertising message.

   (h)   "Incombustible material" means any material which will not ignite at or below a temperature of 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, during an exposure of five minutes, and which will not continue to burn or glow at that temperature.

   (i)    "Licensed sign erector" means any person, firm or corporation who has registered with the City in accordance with Chapter 1333 and who is qualified to erect and service all types of signs covered by the provisions of this chapter. The word “qualified” shall be construed to mean any person who has had at least two years proven experience in erecting signs under a licensed sign erector’s control, and under regulations which are equivalent of this chapter.

   (j)    "Marquee" means any board or awning of permanent construction attached to and projecting from the exterior wall of a building over public property.

   (k)    "Off-premise sign" means a sign used to advertise a business, commodity, or service located off the premises on which the sign is located. Off-premise signs may have an engineered structural frame, in accordance with the Ohio Basic Building Code, or may be a pole sign or wall sign type.

   (1)    "Projections" means the total distance by which a sign extends over public property and beyond the face of a building or beyond the building setback line.

   (m)    "Sign" means any card, cloth, paper, metal, painted glass, wood, plaster, stone, plastic or other material of any kind or character whatsoever which shall be used to attract attention to any object, product, place activity, person, institution or organization or business. The term "place" includes the erecting, construction, posting, painting, printing, tacking, nailing, gluing, stacking, carrying or fastening or making visible in any manner whatsoever. For the purpose of this chapter the word "sign" shall not include the flag, pennant or insignia of any government, religious or educational organization. A "sign" shall include the following types:

      (1)   "Combination sign". A sign which incorporates any combination of the features of a pole sign, projecting sign and a roof sign.

      (2)   "Electric sign". Sign containing electrical wiring which has characters, letters, figures, designs, faces or backgrounds illuminated by incandescent or fluorescent lamps or luminous tubes attached as part of the sign. For the purposes of this chapter "electrical signs" shall not include signs illuminated by an exterior light source.

      (3)   “Electronic message display sign”. A changeable copy electric sign that utilizes a computer generated message or some other electronic means of changing copy.

      (4)   "Pole sign". A sign wholly supported by a sign structure placed in the ground.

      (5)   "Projecting sign". A sign other than a wall sign which projects from and is supported by a wall of a building or structure.

      (6)   "Pylon sign". A sign within an enclosed base where the base appears to be an integral part of the sign and set in concrete slab with the superstructure enclosed giving the appearance that the sign is placed upon the ground.

      (7)   "Roof sign". A sign which is attached to roof framing, walls and/or columns of a building or structure on which the entire advertising display is above the roof level of a building or structure.

      (8)   "Wall sign". A sign attached to or erected against the exterior wall of a building or structure, or which is an integral part of the building or structure, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane parallel to the plane of such wall of the building or structure.

      (9)   "Awning/Canopy sign". A sign in which letters or logos are applied to a canopy or awning.

   (n)   "Sign structure" means the supports, uprights, braces and framework used to

support any of the types of signs as defined in this chapter. A sign structure may be a single

pole and may be an integral part of a building or other structure.

   (o)    "Temporary sign" means a sign made of cloth, plastic, wood or other approved material which is not permanently attached to a building or which is temporarily anchored into or onto the ground or a sign which directs attention to a special sale or event at the same location where the sign is placed, such as "changeable letter sunflower signs".

   (p)    "Safety strip" means a strip of land parallel to and abutting a public dedicated street, controlling the access onto the property, and located between the edge of the sidewalk and the curb. (Ord. 12-186. Passed 12-18-12.)