(A) Any signs hereafter erected or maintained shall conform to the provisions of this section and any other ordinance or regulation of the city.
(B) The following types of signs, and no other, shall be permitted:
(1) Official traffic and street signs;
(2) In Residential Districts, only non-commercial signs, such as trespassing signs, signs indicating the private nature of a driveway or premise shall be permitted, provided that the area on 1 side of any like sign shall not exceed 2 square feet;
(3) Identification signs for schools, churches, hospitals or similar institutions, and for clubs, lodges, farms, estates or similar uses, are permitted provided that the area on 1 side of any like sign shall not exceed 12 square feet;
(4) Real estate signs, including signs advertising the sale or rental of premises, are permitted provided the area on 1 side of any like signs shall not exceed 6 square feet. Signs indicating the location and direction of premises in the process of development are permitted provided the area on 1 side of any like sign shall not exceed 24 square feet;
(5) Temporary signs of contractors, architects, mechanics and artisans are permitted, provided that the signs shall be removed promptly upon completion of the work and further provided that the signs shall not exceed 24 square feet in area;
(6) Business or industrial signs may be erected and maintained in conjunction with a commercial or industrial use, provided:
(a) That the area on 1 side of all like signs erected on 1 street frontage of any 1 premises shall not exceed 50 square feet, unless authorized by a conditional use permit issued by the City Council; and
(b) The sign, except a directional sign, is erected only on the premises on which the use to which the sign relates is conducted.
(7) Billboards shall be permitted in B-2, General Business District, M-1 Industrial District and B-1 Highway Business District, provided they are included as part of the permitted aggregate sign space for that use.
(C) The following restrictions shall apply to all permitted sign users:
(1) No sign shall be of a nature or placed in a position that it will cause danger to traffic on a street;
(2) In districts requiring a front yard setback, no sign other than official traffic signs shall be erected within the lines of any street;
(3) Except by conditional use permit which may be issued by the City Council, illuminated signs shall be permitted in the Commercial and Industrial Districts only. The city retains the right to regulate the intensity of lights and require that the lights be turned out or down at certain times;
(4) No sign shall be of a flashing, intermittent type or moving illumination type except an official traffic signal;
(5) In districts where there is no required building setback, no sign shall project more than 48 inches over a sidewalk, and must be at least 7 feet above the sidewalk, except signs shall be permitted on marquees if height of letters do not exceed 24 inches;
(6) No signs shall violate the front, side or rear yard requirements of the district in which it is placed; and
(7) Signs, which do not conform, to the regulations herein set forth shall be declared a non-conforming use and as so shall be subject to the provisions of § 153.130.
(D) Political campaign signs.
(1) Political campaign signs designating candidates seeking public political office and other data pertinent thereof shall be subject to the following restrictions:
(a) Signs shall be permitted only on private property provided the candidate has obtained the property owner's permission. Signs are prohibited on public property;
(b) At a corner of an intersection, signs are prohibited within a triangle formed by measuring 30 feet along the curbs from the point where the curbs intersect and drawing an imaginary line from curb to curb to define the triangle;
(c) Where a sidewalk is installed parallel to a public street, 12 inches from the sidewalk edge farthest from the street shall be the minimum setback from the street for sign placement;
(d) All signs are presumed to be the property and responsibility of the candidate. Each candidate shall provide to the City Administrator the names and means of contacting 2 persons that may receive notice of violation on the candidate's behalf; and
(e) Any candidate who fails to remove a sign placed in violation of this section within 48 hours after receiving notice from the city shall be guiltily of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalty contained in § 153.151(A) below.
(2) Nothing in this section shall preclude the immediate removal of signs deemed by the city to be a safety hazard.
(3) Signs placed in violation of this section are also subject to immediate removal by the city.
(Ord passed 4- -1995; Am. Ord. passed 8- -2001) Penalty, see § 10.99