(A) Conformance to chapter. Any sign hereafter erected shall conform to the provisions of this chapter and any other ordinance or regulation within this city.
(B) Signs in rights-of-way. No sign other than an official traffic sign or similar sign shall be erected within two feet of the lines of any street, or within any public way, unless specifically authorized by other ordinance or regulation of this city or by specific authorization of the Code Official.
(C) Projections over public ways. Signs projecting over public walkways shall be permitted to do so only subject to the projection and clearance limits either defined herein or, if not so defined, at a minimum of eight feet from grade level to the bottom of the sign. Signs, architectural projections or sign structures projecting over vehicular access areas must conform to the minimum height clearance limitations imposed by the city for such structures.
(D) Traffic visibility. No sign or sign structure shall be erected at the intersection of any street in such a manner as to obstruct free and clear vision, nor at any location where by its position, shape or color it may interfere with or obstruct the view of or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device.
(E) Computation of frontage. If a premises contains walls facing more than one property line or encompasses property frontage bounded by more than one street or other property usages, the sign area(s) for each building wall or property frontage will be computed separately for each building wall or property line facing a different frontage. The sign area(s) thus calculated shall be permitted to then be applied to permitted signs placed on each separate wall or property line frontage.
(F) Animation and changeable messages. Animated signs, except as prohibited in § 152.168 of this chapter, are permitted in all nonresidential zones. Changeable signs, manually activated, are permitted for nonresidential uses in all zones. Changeable signs, electrically activated, are permitted in all nonresidential zones.
(G) Maintenance, repair and removal. Every sign permitted by this chapter shall be kept in good condition and repair. When any sign becomes insecure, in danger of falling or is otherwise deemed unsafe by the Code Official, or if any sign shall be unlawfully installed, erected or maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, the owner thereof or the person or firm using same shall, upon written notice by the Code Official immediately in the case of immediate danger, and in any case within not more than ten days, make such sign conform to the provisions of this chapter, or shall remove it. If within ten days the order is not complied with, the Code Official shall be permitted to remove or cause such sign to be removed at the expense or the owner and/or the user of the sign.
(H) Obsolete sign copy. Any sign copy that no longer advertises or identifies a use conducted on the property on which the sign is erected must have the sign copy covered or removed within 30 days after written notification from the Code Official and upon failure to comply with such notice, the Code Official is hereby authorized to cause removal of such sign copy, and any expense incident thereto shall be paid by the owner of the building, structure or ground on which the sign in located.
(I) Nonconforming signs. Any sign legally existing at the time of the passage of this chapter that does not conform in use, location, height or size with the requirements of the zone in which such sign is located, shall be considered a legal nonconforming use or structure and shall be permitted to continue in such status until such time as it is either abandoned or removed by its owner, subject to the following limitations:
(1) Structural alterations, enlargement or re-erection are permissible only where such alterations will not increase the degree of nonconformity of the signs; and
(2) Any legal nonconforming sign shall be removed or re-built without increasing the existing height or area if it is damaged, or removed if allowed to deteriorate to the extent that the cost of repair or restoration exceeds 50% of the replacement cost of the sign as determined by the Code Official.
(Ord. 08-02, passed 2-19-2008; Ord. passed 2-2-2010)