Any sign permitted under these regulations may be illuminated, provided such illumination complies with the following:
A. Hours Of Operation: All illuminated signs within one hundred feet (100') of any residential property (lot) line shall be turned off between the hours of eleven o'clock (11:00) P.M. and seven o'clock (7:00) A.M. unless the establishment is engaged in the operation of its business with employees on the premises during such period.
B. Installation Or Application: Illumination shall be installed or applied such that:
1. The light source is contained within the sign and is visible only through a translucent surface or recessed into the sign structure; or
2. The light source is external to the sign and is directed to and concentrated on the sign; or
3. The light source is supplied by neon tubing.
C. Glare: Illumination shall be prevented from striking or causing a glare on the street or nearby properties.
D. Protection Of Light Source: Floodlights, gooseneck reflectors or other external sources of illumination shall be contained within a protective casing.
E. Motion: Illumination shall be constant in intensity and color and shall not consist of flashing, animated, chasing or scintillating lights. Electronic message centers, as defined herein, shall not be considered "flashing" signs for the purposes of these regulations.
F. Brightness Limitations: In no instance shall the lighting intensity of any sign, whether resulting from internal or external illumination, exceed seventy five (75) foot-candles when measured with a standard light meter perpendicular to the face of the sign from a distance equal to the narrowest dimension of the sign.
G. Electronic Message Center (EMC) Signs:
1. For EMC signs located in districts other than the C-R, R-X, R-1 and R-A districts:
a. EMC signs must not exceed 0.3 foot-candle over ambient lighting conditions when measured at the recommended distance, based on the electronic message center size. The recommended distance = the square root of (the area of sign sq ft x 100).
b. Sensor: All EMC signs shall be equipped with a sensor or other device that automatically determines the ambient illumination and programmed to automatically dim according to ambient light conditions, or that can be adjusted to comply with the 0.3 foot-candle measurements.
2. For EMC signs located in the C-R, R-X, R-1 and R-A districts: For the purposes of establishing rules and regulations for EMC signs in the C-R, R- X, R-1 and R-A districts, the minimum requirements and best management practices provided by the International Dark-Sky Association, Guidance for Electronic Message Centers IDA2019-01, as amended from time to time, are hereby adopted in its entirety, except such portions thereof as may be modified by Section 7.401
G2.
a. Curfew: EMC signs shall be turned off no later than the earlier of thirty (30) minutes after sunset or seven o’clock (7:00) P.M. EMC signs shall remain turned off until seven o’clock (7:00) A.M. the following morning.
b. Light Intensity: For any/all establishments with an EMC sign that remains illuminated as permitted under the curfew provided in Section 7.401
G2a, the light intensity from the EMC sign shall not exceed 4 foot-candles using the sign’s night-mode white screen setting when measured with a standard light meter at a distance of ten feet (10') away from the face of the EMC sign.
c. Glare: Illumination shall be prevented from striking or causing glare on the street or nearby properties.
d. Sensor: All EMC signs shall be equipped with a sensor or other device that automatically determines the ambient illumination and programmed to automatically dim according to the maximum light intensity permitted.
f. Properties with frontage on major or minor arterial roads are exempt from these regulations and shall instead meet the requirements of Section 7.401
G1. (Ord. 6286, 12-6-2016; amd. Ord. 6728, 3-5-2024)