ABANDONED SIGN: Any sign for a commercial or noncommercial enterprise that is no longer engaged in business at said location for thirty (30) continuous days.
AWNING: A type of hood or covering over doors or windows, constructed of flexible fabric or equivalent on a light metal frame(s) which is adjustable or fixed.
AWNING SIGN: Any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning.
BANNER: Any sign of lightweight fabric, vinyl or similar material that is intended to promote a special event and mounted to a pole or a building. National, state or municipal flags, or signs erected by or on behalf of the city, or the official flag of any educational institution, shall not be considered a banner. A sign of lightweight fabric, vinyl or similar material shall not be considered to be a banner; provided, that such material is to be permanently and completely affixed and adhered to the surface of a solid, rigid structure and stretched so as to prevent any movement whatsoever.
BID DISTRICT: Business improvement district, a portion of the general commercial zone defined in resolution 49 adopted November 2, 1992.
BUILDING MARKER: Any sign indicating the name of a building and/or date of, and/or incidental information about, its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
BUILDING SIGN: See definition of Wall Sign.
CANOPY SIGN: Any sign that is a part of or attached to a canopy, marquee, or other structural protective cover over a door, entrance, or outdoor service area.
CHANGING SIGN: Shall mean and include electronic message center signs, public service informational signs, reader board signs, and time and temperature signs.
DIRECTORY SIGN: A sign which lists and identifies business establishments or offices within a principal building, shopping center, office park, or industrial park having three (3) or more such establishments or offices to be listed.
GROUND SIGN: A sign supported by one, two (2), or three (3) uprights, poles, or braces placed in or upon the ground surface, and not attached to any part of any building. Such sign may also be referred to as a freestanding sign, detached sign or pylon sign. Ground signs with more than three (3) supports will not be allowed.
HISTORIC DISTRICT: An area as defined in title 2, chapter 8 of this code.
IDENTIFICATION SIGN: A sign that identifies the street number and, when appropriate, the name of the building.
ILLUMINATED SIGN: A sign designed to give forth any artificial light, or designed to reflect such light deriving from any source which is intended to cause such light or reflection.
INFO/DIRECTIONAL SIGN: A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the zone lot on which it is located, such as "no parking", "entrance", "loading only", "telephone", and other similar directives. No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the zone lot on which the sign is located shall be considered info/directional. An info/directional sign shall be no larger than six (6) square feet, and be limited to a maximum height of eight feet (8').
MARQUEE: See definition of Canopy Sign.
MONUMENT SIGN: A ground sign generally having a low profile with no open space between the ground and the sign and having a sign structure constructed of masonry, wood, or materials similar in appearance to the building with which it is associated.
NONCONFORMING SIGN: Any sign that does not conform to the requirements of this chapter. See subsection 9-6-2F of this chapter.
NUISANCE SIGN: Signs, posters or drawings in the public right of way or on a property line abutting the public right of way which are tacked, posted, drawn or otherwise affixed to trees, poles, posts, fences, sidewalks, curbs, fire hydrants. See section 9-6-4 of this chapter.
OFF PREMISES SIGN: A sign which directs attention to a business, profession, person, activity, commodity, or service which is conducted, sold, or offered at a location other than the premises on which the sign is located or the right of way adjacent thereto.
ON PREMISES SIGN: A sign which directs attention to a business, profession, person, activity, commodity, or service located on a premises where the sign is installed and maintained.
PORTABLE SIGN: Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure; or signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; menu and sandwich board signs; umbrellas used for advertising; and signs attached to or painted on vehicles parked and visible from the public right of way, unless said vehicle is used in the normal day to day operations.
POSTER PANEL: A sign erected, constructed or maintained for the purpose of displaying changeable advertising or off premises outdoor advertising by means of posters, pictorial, or reading matter, when such sign is supported by uprights or braces, or attached to a building.
PROJECTING SIGN: A sign other than a canopy sign which projects from and is supported by a wall of a building, with the face or faces of such sign oriented on a plane perpendicular to the building wall.
REAL ESTATE SIGN: A temporary on premises sign pertaining to the sale, lease, or rental of land or buildings.
ROOF SIGN: A sign erected upon or above any portion of the roofline or parapet wall of a building, and which is wholly or partially supported by said building.
ROOFLINE: The top of the building wall or the top of the parapet; for buildings with sloped roofs, whichever forms the top line of the building silhouette, excluding any minor projections such as chimneys.
SIGN: Any object, device, display, or structure, or part thereof, situated outdoors or visible from outdoors, which is used to advertise, identify, display, direct, or attract attention to an object, persons, institution, organization, business, product, service, event or location by any means, including words, letters, figures, design, symbols, fixtures, colors, illumination, or projected images.
SIGN AREA OR COPY AREA: A. The entire area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of the message, delineated by lettering, representations, emblems, or other figures, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background against which it is placed. Structural members bearing no sign copy shall not be included.
B. The sign area shall be determined by totaling the square footage of all the signs (and faces of signs); each face of signs that face two (2) or more directions shall be counted separately.
SIGN DISTRICTS: A. Residential Sign District: Rules applicable to this sign district will be enforced in the following Menomonie zoning districts:
Agricultural
Limited multiple-family residential
Multiple-family residential
Single-family residential
except for those portions of the zoning districts that comprise schools. See "Institutional Sign District", subsection D of this definition.
B. Commercial Sign District: Rules applicable to this sign district will be enforced in the following Menomonie zoning districts:
General commercial
Local commercial
Local shopping center
Neighborhood office
Technology park specialized industrial
C. Industrial Sign District: Rules applicable to this sign district will be enforced in the following Menomonie zoning districts:
General industrial
Restricted industrial I and II
D. Institutional Sign District: Rules applicable to this sign district will be enforced on all zone lots that contain schools (public and private; K-12 and posthigh school institutions) and/or churches.
SIGN HEIGHT: The distance measured vertically from the average grade of the finished ground elevation to the highest point of the sign; for ground signs this shall include visual appurtenances which may extend above the sign.
TEMPORARY SIGN: A banner, pennant, poster, board or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas, plastic, wallboard, plywood, or other like materials, and intended to be displayed for a limited period of time. All of the following signs shall be considered temporary signs and shall meet the requirements for temporary signs:
A. Promotional and special event banners.
B. Signs erected in conjunction with the construction or remodeling of a building.
C. Election, referendum and fundraising campaign signs.
D. Inflatable signs and tethered balloons.
E. Open house and grand opening signs.
F. Outdoor sale signs.
G. Portable signs.
H. Real estate sale or lease signs.
I. Temporary window signs.
J. Thrift sale signs.
VENDING MACHINES: Signs affixed to and designed as an integral part of vending machines, gasoline pumps, ice or milk containers, newspaper machines, or other similar machines, indicating only the contents of such devices, the pricing of the contents contained within, directional or instructional information as to use or other similar information. Such sign may be illuminated by reflective or internal means, and shall not extend from or project from such devices. Such signs shall not be included in the determination of total allowable signage area for the zone lot upon which the vending machine is located.
VISION TRIANGLE: The area formed by measuring from the intersection of two (2) property lines at the intersection of two (2) streets to points twenty five feet (25') along said property lines and then connecting these two (2) points with a straight line.
WALL SIGN: A sign which is attached directly to a building wall, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane approximately parallel to the building wall. A sign mounted upon a sloped roof of a commercial building which is an integral part of the design of such roof and building, and does not project above the roofline, shall be considered a wall sign and regulated as such.
WINDOW SIGN: A sign affixed to, in contact with, painted upon, or placed within a window, for the purpose of viewing from outside the premises; such sign must be placed only on the interior of any window unless painted directly upon it. This does not include merchandise located in a window. The area of any permanent window sign shall not exceed twenty percent (20%) of the window area.
ZONE LOT: A parcel of land in single ownership that is of sufficient size to meet minimum zoning requirements for area, coverage, and use, and that can provide such yards and other open spaces as required by the zoning regulations. (1975 Code Ch. 16 § XIX; amd. Ord. 2007-09, 7-16-2007; Ord. 2012-10, 6-4-2012)