Signs are a permitted accessory use in all districts subject to the following regulations:
(A) No sign shall exceed 250 square feet in area.
(B) Signs shall not be erected, placed, or maintained on rocks, fences, trees, and the like and shall not interfere with any electric light, power, telephone, or cable wire/fiber or their support.
(C) Substitution clause. The owner of any sign which is otherwise allowed by this subchapter may substitute non-commercial speech signs in lieu of any other commercial speech sign or other non-commercial speech sign. The purpose of this provision is to prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over noncommercial speech, or favoring of any particular non-commercial speech over any other non-commercial speech. This provision prevails over any more specific provision to the contrary.
(D) Window signs are permitted in street facing windows provided they do not exceed 25% of the window area which has street frontage. Window signage shall be counted towards the overall permitted signage on a building.
(E) Freestanding, temporary, sandwich board, portable, or building signs that project/encroach into the public right-of-way shall be approved by the City Council and/or the jurisdictional authority. Projecting signs shall maintain a ground clearance of at least ten feet. Irrespective of the City Council’s and/or other jurisdictional authority’s approval of the foregoing, the owner of such sign shall be liable for any related bodily injury or property damage however caused and shall save harmless the city its agents and representatives from any and all loss or damages.
(F) Illuminated signs shall be subject to the electrical requirements of the Electrical Code of the State of Minnesota. Illuminated signs shall have a shielded light source and meet the glare standards stated in § 152.081.
(G) No sign shall be attached to or placed upon any building in such a manner to obstruct any window or door for fire escape or be attached to any fire escape.
(H) All off-premise commercial signs are prohibited.
(I) Every home or structure having an official address shall have an address sign that is visible from the street. Address signs shall not count towards the overall permitted signage on a building.
(J) Sight triangle. No sign, except for authorized signs, shall be erected within a corner lot sight triangle so that clear visibility of approaching vehicular or pedestrian traffic can be maintained. Such sight triangle means that triangular area defined as follows: beginning at the point of intersection of the right of way of two intersecting streets, thence 30 feet along one right of way line, thence diagonally to a point on the other right of way line 30 feet from the point of beginning, thence to the point of beginning. Exception: signs within the C-2, Central Business District.
(K) Any additional or other signage not stated in this subchapter shall require approval of the City Council and/or other jurisdictional authority.
(L) All signs along state and federal highways shall conform to state and federal sign regulations.
(M) No sign shall contain statements, words, pictures or drawings of an obscene nature or character as defined by M.S. § 617.241, Subd. 1(a), as may be amended.
(Ord. 188, passed 4-11-13; Am. Ord. 200, passed 6-8-15) Penalty, see § 152.999