(a) Purpose: the purpose of this section is to promote the public health, safety, and welfare through the provision of standards for existing and proposed signs of all types. More specifically, it is intended to:
(1) Enhance and protect the physical appearance of the community.
(2) Promote and maintain visually attractive residential, retail, commercial, and industrial districts.
(3) Ensure that signs are located and designed to reduce sign distraction and confusion that may be contributing factors in traffic congestion and accidents, and to maintain a safe and orderly pedestrian and vehicular environment.
(4) Provide review procedures that enable the city to comprehensively evaluate the appropriateness of any sign to the site, building, and/or surroundings.
(5) Prohibit all signs not expressly permitted in this section.
(b) Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter the following definitions shall apply:
(1) ALTERED SIGN: A sign that has been modified in some way other than by maintenance.
(2) APARTMENT COMPLEX SIGN: A sign used solely to identify the name of an apartment complex with no additional information on the sign. [See Section 1294.07]
(3) AWNING: See Section 1230.04.
(5) BUILDING SIGN: A sign on or attached to a building or portion thereof including, but not limited to, an awning, canopy, hanging, projecting, roof or wall sign.
(6) CANOPY: See Section 1230.04.
(7) CANOPY SIGN: Any sign forming a part of or attached to a canopy or marquee. [See Section 1294.07]
(9) FREESTANDING SIGN: Any sign not attached to or forming a part of a building, including but not limited to pole and monument signs.
(10) HANGING SIGN: A sign that hangs from an overhang, soffit, marquee, awning, canopy or similar structure and is above a walking or driving surface. [See Section 1294.07]
(11) HOST LOT: A lot upon which an off-premises, rear lot, or similar type sign is located.
(12) ILLUMINATED SIGN: Any sign illuminated by electricity, gas or other artificial light.
(13) ILLUMINATED SIGN, EXTERNALLY: A sign illuminated primarily by light directed toward it, across it or by backlighting from a source not from within.
(14) ILLUMINATED SIGN, INTERNALLY: A sign whose light source is located in the interior of the sign, so that the light projects through the face of the sign, or which is attached to the face of the sign and is a design element of the sign.
(15) JOINT IDENTIFICATION SIGN: A sign that displays advertising or information of more than one business, person or activity. [See Section 1294.07]
(16) MAINTENANCE OF SIGNS: Work performed on a sign face, cabinet or supporting structure, which is necessary to maintain the structural integrity of the structure, or the painting or changing of the sign face without changing the size or shape of the sign face.
(17) MENU BOARD: A sign, which typically displays a list of items available for sale, including but not limited to, “Presell Menu Boards”, “Drive Thru Signs”, “Custom Order Sign” and other similar signs. [See Section 1294.07(a)(2)E.]
(19) MULTIPLE MESSAGE ADVERTISING DEVICE: See definition for VARIABLE MESSAGE SIGN.
(20) OFF-PREMISES SIGN: Any sign unrelated to a business or profession conducted, or to a commodity or service sold or offered upon or within fifty feet of the premises where such sign is located. [See Section 1294.10]
(21) ON-PREMISES SIGN: Any sign related to a business or profession conducted, or to a commodity or service sold or offered upon or within fifty feet of the premises where such sign is located. [See Section 1294.08]
(22) PERMANENT SIGN: Any sign except designated temporary signs.
(23) POLE SIGN: A freestanding sign with a height exceeding five and a half feet or a freestanding sign having more than fifty percent of the sign separated from the ground by air.
(24) PROJECTING SIGN: Any sign which projects from the exterior of a building more than eight inches. [See Section 1294.07]
(26) REAR LOT SIGN: A sign located on a lot, where the lot on which the sign is located is adjacent to a rear lot, and the display information, advertisement, announcement, or directions on the sign serves the business or activity on the adjacent rear lot. [See Section 1294.09]
(27) ROOF SIGN: Any sign erected upon the roof or parapet of a building or a building sign, which extends above the eave, overhang, gable end or parapet of the building to which it is attached. [See Section 1294.07]
(28) SIGN: A device that is self supporting or is attached to a structure and is arranged, intended, designed or used as an advertisement, announcement, menu board, or to give direction, including a billboard or advertising device of any kind.
(29) SIGN FACE: The portion of a sign available for display of information, announcements, directions or other advertisements, which directs attention to any object, product, place, activity, person, institution, organization or business.
(31) SIGN HEIGHT: The vertical distance measured from the average grade surrounding the sign, excluding any mounding, to the highest portion of the sign, including the frame. [See Section 1294.05]
(32) SIGN SETBACK: The distance measured from the sign structure to the nearest adjacent property line. [See Section 1294.06]
(33) SUBDIVISION SIGN: A sign used solely to identify the name of a residential subdivision. [See Section 1294.07]
(34) TEMPORARY SIGN: Any sign placed in or on the ground, attached to or supported by a structure, or attached to which is not a permanent sign.
(35) VARIABLE MESSAGE ELECTRONIC SIGN: A sign that changes the message shown on the face of the sign by means of an electronic system including, but not limited to, VARIABLE MESSAGE LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE SIGN and VARIABLE MESSAGE PROJECTION SIGN type systems. For purposes of this Code, the largest individual face available for display at any one time determines the area of the sign. [See Section 1294.07]
(36) VARIABLE MESSAGE SIGN: A sign that changes the message shown on the face of the sign and includes, but is not limited to, a VARIABLE MESSAGE MECHANICAL SIGN, VARIABLE MESSAGE LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE SIGN, VARIABLE MESSAGE PROJECTION SIGN or MULTIPLE MESSAGE ADVERTISING DEVICE. For purposes of this Code, the largest individual face available for display at any one time determines the area of the sign. [See Section 1294.07]
(37) VARIABLE MESSAGE MECHANICAL SIGN: A sign that changes the sign face by mechanical means, including but not limited to rotating cubes or rotating vertical triangular slats.
(38) VARIABLE MESSAGE LIGHT EMITTING DEVICE SIGN: A sign that changes the sign face by electronic means, including but not limited to turning lights on and off, remote numeric displays, scrolling messages, glow cubes, light emitting diodes, cathode ray tubes, or other similar technology.
(39) VARIABLE MESSAGE PROJECTION SIGN: A sign that changes the sign face by electronic means, including, but not limited to projection, digital or similar technology.
(40) WALL SIGN: Any sign on the exterior of the building that does not project more than eight inches from the face of the building to which it is affixed, painted, or attached. [See Section 1294.07]
(Ord. 08-33. Passed 5-4-09; Ord. 20-37-A. Passed 2-1-21.)