165.01 Purposes | 165.11 Signs Exempt from Regulation |
165.02 Applicability; Effect | 165.12 Prohibited Signs |
165.03 Definitions and Interpretations | 165.13 General Permit Procedures |
165.04 Computations | 165.14 Permits to Construct or Modify Signs |
165.05 Signs Allowed on Private Property with and without Permits | 165.15 Sign Permits; Continuing |
165.06 Signs for Interstate-Oriented Businesses | 165.16 Temporary Sign Permits (Private Property) |
165.07 Permits Required | 165.17 Time of Compliance; Nonconforming Signs and Signs without Permits |
165.08 Design, Construction and Maintenance | 165.18 Violations |
165.09 Master or Common Signage Plan | 165.19 Enforcement and Remedies |
165.10 Signs in the Public Right-of-Way | 165.20 Fee Schedule |
The purposes of this chapter are: to encourage the effective use of signs as a means of communication in the City; to maintain and enhance the aesthetic environment and the City’s ability to attract sources of economic development and growth; to improve pedestrian and traffic safety; to minimize the possible adverse effect of signs on nearby public and private property; and to enable the fair and consistent enforcement of these sign restrictions. The ordinance codified in this chapter was adopted under the zoning authority of the City in furtherance of the more general purposes set forth in the Zoning Code.
A sign may be erected, placed, established, painted, created, or maintained in the City only in conformance with the standards, procedures, exemptions and other requirements of this chapter. The effect of this chapter as more specifically set forth herein is:
1. To establish a permit system to allow a variety of types of signs in commercial and industrial zones, and a limited variety of signs in other zones, subject to the standards and permit procedures of this chapter.
2. To allow certain signs that are small, unobstructive, and incidental to the principal use of respective lots on which they are located, subject to the substantive requirements of this chapter, but without a requirement for permits.
3. To provide for temporary signs without commercial messages in limited circumstances in the public right-of-way.
4. To prohibit all signs not expressly permitted by this chapter.
5. To provide for the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter.
Words and phrases used in this chapter have the meanings set forth in this section. Words and phrases not defined in this section but defined in the Zoning Code shall have the meanings set forth in the Zoning Code. Principles for computing sign area and sign height are contained in Section 165.04. All other words and phrases shall have their common, ordinary meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise. Section headings or captions are for reference purposes only and shall not be used in the interpretation of this chapter.
1. “Animated sign” means any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.
2. “Banner” means any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is permanently mounted to a pole or a building by a permanent frame at one or more edges. National flags, State or municipal flags or the official flags of any institution or business are not considered banners.
3. “Beacon” means any light with one or more beams directed into the atmosphere or directed at one or more points not on the same zone lot as the light source; also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or move.
4. “Building marker” means any sign indicating the name of a building and date and incidental information about its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
5. “Building sign” means any sign attached to any part of a building, as contrasted to a freestanding sign.
6. “Canopy sign” means any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy or other fabric, plastic or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window or outdoor services area. A marquee is not a canopy.
7. “Changeable copy sign” means a sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face of the surface of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter. A sign on which the only copy that changes is an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature is considered a “time and temperature” portion of a sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this chapter.
8. “Commercial message” means any sign wording, logo or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises or calls attention to a business, product, service or other commercial activity.
9. “Flag” means any fabric, banner or bunting containing distractive colors, patterns or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision or other entity.
10. “Freestanding sign” means any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed on or anchored in the ground and that are independent from any building or other structure.
11. “Incidental sign” means 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 incidental.
12. “Interstate high rise sign” means an on-site pole sign which is constructed to attract the attention of interstate travelers and is located within 1,000 feet of the interstate right-of-way and advertises the use of the principal building.
13. “Interstate sign” means an on-site sign which is not an interstate high rise sign but is within 1,000 feet of the interstate right-of- way.
14. “Lot” means any piece or parcel of land or a portion of a subdivision, the boundaries of which have been established by some legal instrument or record that is recognized and intended as a unit for the purpose of transfer of ownership.
15. “Marquee” means any permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building or extending along and projecting beyond the wall of the building, generally designed and constructed to provide protection from the weather.
16. “Marquee sign” means any sign attached to, in any manner, or made a part of a marquee.
17. “Nonconforming sign” means any sign that does not conform to the requirements of this chapter.
18. “Pennant” means any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.
19. “Portable sign” means any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designated to be transported, including but not limited to signs designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to A- or T-frames; menu and sandwich board signs, balloons used as 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 of the business.
20. “Principal building” means the building in which is conducted the principal use of the zone lot on which it is located. Zone lots with multiple principal uses may have multiple principal buildings, but storage buildings, garages and other clearly accessory uses shall not be considered principal buildings.
21. “Projecting sign” means any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than six inches beyond the surface of such building or wall.
22. “Residential sign” means any sign located in a district zoned for residential uses that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located, if offering such service at such locations conforms with all requirements of the Zoning Code.
23. “Roof sign” means any sign erected and constructed wholly on and over the roof of a building, supported by the roof structure, and extending vertically above the highest portion of the roof.
24. “Roof sign, integral” means any sign erected or constructed as an integral or essentially integral part of a normal roof structure of any design, such that no part of the sign extends vertically above the highest portion of the roof and such that no part of the sign is separate from the rest of the roof by a space of more than six inches.
25. “Setback” means the distance from the property line to the nearest part of the applicable building structure or sign, measured perpendicularly to the property line.
26. “Sign” means any device, fixture, placard or structure that uses any color, form, graphic, illumination, symbol or writing to advertise, announce the purpose of or identify the purpose of a person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to the public.
27. “Street” means a strip of land or way subject to vehicular traffic (as well as pedestrian traffic) that provides direct or indirect access to property, including but not limited to alleys, avenues, boulevards, courts, drives, highways, lanes, places, roads, terraces, trails or other thoroughfares.
28. “Street frontage” means the distance for which a lot line of a zone lot adjoins a public street, from one lot line intersecting said street to the furthest distant lot line intersecting the same street.
29. “Suspended sign” means a sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal plane surface and is supported by such surface.
30. “Temporary sign” means any sign that is used only temporarily and is not permanently mounted.
31. “Wall sign” means any sign attached parallel to (but within six inches of) a wall, painted on the wall surface, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one sign surface.
32. “Window sign” means any sign, picture, symbol or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale or service that is placed inside a window or upon the window panes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window.
33. “Zone lot” means 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 Code.
34. “Zoning Administrator” means the Zoning Administrator of the City or his or her designee.
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