(A) Permitted signs - all districts. The following signs shall be permitted in all districts, subject to the requirements set forth hereinafter:
(1) Construction signs: One sign only shall be permitted listing the building contractors, professional firms, and lending institutions on sites under construction. The sign shall be confined to the site of the construction, construction shed, or trailer and shall be removed no later than 14 days after the completion of the project. Such permissible sign shall not exceed 12 square feet per acre or 40 square feet, whichever is less. However, no sign shall be required to be less than 36 square feet in business, commercial and manufacturing districts. For construction projects exceeding 10 acres, the permissible sign shall not exceed 64 square feet subject to annual renewal.
(2) Real estate for sale or lease signs:
(a) Residential: One temporary real estate for sale or lease sign, located on the real estate to be sold or leased, shall be allowed for each lot, parcel or tract. If the lot, parcel or tract has multiple frontage, one additional sign, to be placed facing the additional frontage, shall be allowed on the property. Under no circumstances shall more than a maximum of two signs be permitted on the property. For a tract of real estate containing one acre or more, permissible signs shall not exceed 12 square feet per acre or 40 square feet, whichever is less. For a tract of real estate containing less than one acre, a sign shall not exceed nine square feet in area. The fee for signs 12 square feet or less shall be $15. The fee for signs exceeding 12 square feet shall be $25. An additional fee of $50 shall be charged for illuminated signs. The building commissioner is authorized to waive any fees for signs of 12 square feet or less.
(b) Commercial: One temporary real estate for sale or lease sign, located on the real estate to be sold or leased, shall be allowed for each lot, parcel or tract. If the lot, parcel or tract has multiple frontage, one additional sign, to be placed facing the additional frontage, shall be allowed on the property. Under no circumstances shall more than a maximum of two signs be permitted on the property. Any permitted sign shall not exceed 32 square feet in area. The fee for signs 12 square feet or less shall be $15. The fee for signs exceeding 12 square feet shall be $25. An additional fee of $50 shall be charged for illuminated signs. The building commissioner is authorized to waive any fees for signs of 12 square feet or less.
(3) Subdivision identification sign: One temporary subdivision identification sign located on the real estate shall be allowed for each development of 10 lots or more. An additional temporary subdivision identification sign subject to the limitations herein set forth shall be allowed for such development on each major thoroughfare adjacent to said development. Permissible signs shall not exceed 12 square feet per acre or 40 square feet, whichever is less. However, no sign shall be required to be less than 36 square feet. Such signs located on a major thoroughfare or major thoroughfares and whether located on one major thoroughfare or more than one major thoroughfare, shall be located at least 1,000 feet apart as measured along said major thoroughfares. For construction projects exceeding 10 acres, the permissible sign shall not exceed 64 square feet subject to annual renewal.
(4) Subdivision directional sign: One temporary subdivision directional sign may be erected near each major intersection to the subdivision with a maximum of 4 such signs permissible for any one subdivision which has no subdivision identification sign on a major thoroughfare. A subdivision that has at least one temporary subdivision identification sign on a major thoroughfare shall be limited to a maximum of 2 subdivision directional signs. Each sign shall not be more than 8 feet long and 4 feet high. Such signs shall not be less than 15 feet from the nearest edge of the pavement. The content of such signs shall be restricted to the name of the subdivision, the name of the developer and/or agent, or identification emblem and a directional arrow. The top of such signs shall not exceed 8 feet above grade.
(5) Permanent identification signs: Signs of a permanent nature setting forth the name of a church or a community center or other like facilities, shall be permitted if set back in accordance with the building setback requirements of the zoning restrictions relating to the classification of the property on which the sign is placed. Such signs shall not exceed 1 square foot in area for each 2 feet of lot line adjoining a street with not more than 60 square feet. Such sign or signs on a corner lot may face each street but the total area shall not exceed the maximum amount herein provided. Such signs shall not exceed 6 feet above grade.
(6) Civic, religious and quasi-public signs: Name, directional and informational signs, and emblems of service clubs, places of worship, civic organization and quasi-public uses shall be permitted on private property is located in accordance with the building setback requirement of the zoning restrictions relating to the classification of the property on which the sign is placed. Such signs shall not exceed 1 square foot in area for each 2 feet of lot line adjoining a street with a maximum of 40 square feet. Such sign or signs on a corner lot may face each street but the total area shall not exceed the maximum amount herein provided. Each sign shall not exceed 10 feet above grade.
(7) Public signs: Signs of a non-commercial nature and in public interest, erected by, or on the order of, a public officer in the performance of a public duty, such as directional signs, regulatory signs, warning signs, and informational signs.
(8) Informational signs for public, charitable or religious events: Temporary signs announcing any public, charitable, educational or religious event, located entirely within the premises of that institution and located no less than 10 feet from the property line up to a sign area of 40 square feet. Such signs shall be allowed no more than 21 days prior to the event and must be removed within 7 days after the event. If building mounted, the top shall be no more than 10 feet above ground level.
(9) Integral signs: Names of buildings, dates of erection, monumental citations, or commemorative tablets and the like when curved into stone, concrete, or similar material or made of bronze, aluminum or other permanent type construction and made an integral part of the structure.
(10) Political campaign signs: Signs announcing candidates seeking public office and other data pertinent thereto shall be permitted up to a total area of 9 square feet for each zoning lot. Said signs shall be confined within private property and shall not be less than 15 feet from the nearest edge of the street pavement. Said signs shall not be displayed more than 30 days prior to and 7 days after the election for which intended.
(11) Pennants: Pennants shall be permitted as follows:
(a) For the initial grand opening of a commercial or business establishment, not to exceed a 14 day period of display for any one location.
(12) Temporary external signs.
(a) Purpose. Temporary external signs and banners may be permitted for promotions of special community activities, special business or commercial events such as grand openings or sales, or extraordinary activities of nonprofit organizations, subject to the restrictions established herein or as permitted by the city council.
(b) Permit limitations. A permit must be obtained from the building department for all temporary external signs, and shall be limited to a maximum of 90 days, provided no two such permits shall be granted during any 12 month period. Any such signs shall be removed within 24 hours after the expiration of the permit.
(c) Size. The maximum size of such temporary signs shall be 100 square feet per side, including trim, moldings, and frames, unless in the Harlem Avenue Overlay District, where the maximum size of temporary signs shall be 60 square feet.
(d) Permit and fees. A permit must be secured and design of temporary sign submitted to the building department for approval before any construction or erection of any temporary sign shall be permitted. The established fee for such temporary sign permit shall be $75.
(e) Lighting. All temporary signage shall be non-illuminated. No flashing lights, beacons, or spot lights shall be allowed.
(f) Enforcement. The building commissioner or the police department are authorized and directed to enforce all provisions of this section. The building commissioner shall forward a copy of each temporary sign permit to the police department as the permits are issued.
(g) Application. Application for temporary sign permits shall be as required, as other signs in this chapter.
(h) Revocability of permit. All rights and privileges acquired under this section are mere licenses revocable by ordinance enacted by the city council and all temporary sign permits shall come under this provision.
(i) Fines. For each day beyond the 90-day temporary sign permit that the sign remains on the premises, a penalty of $50 per day shall be levied.
(j) From November 15 through January 15, outdoor signs and lights of a Christmas holiday nature or relating to Christmas holiday special events and promotions are permitted in all zoning categories without fee but subject to the approval of the building commissioner.
(k) The permit fee required by division (A)(12)(d) of this section may be waived for all sign permits requested under division (A)(8) of this section for no more than 14 days and provided the sign will not be displayed for more than 14 days. The sign shall be placed on the permitted property only.
(l) All temporary signs and banners must be maintained in good condition.
(m) For not for profit events the permit fee is waived, however a cash deposit of $250, for up to five signs, must be posted with the city to ensure the removal of all signs after the event and a cash deposit of $500 for signs over five signs up to ten signs. Requests for more than ten signs must be reviewed and approved by the city’s license permits and franchise committee prior to installation.
(n) Fees for any new business requesting a temporary sign permit for a grand opening sign shall be waived.
(B) Permitted signs - residential districts. In addition to those signs permitted in division (A)(1) through (10) above, and in accordance with the regulations with respect to said signs, the following additional signs only are permitted in all residential districts subject to the regulations hereinafter set forth.
(1) Single family residential name and address signs: Two single family residential name signs not exceeding two (2) square feet each in area shall be permitted per single-family dwelling. Such signs shall be allowed on mailboxes, but shall otherwise be located at least 6 feet from the nearest property line. Two street number signs not exceeding 2 square feet in area shall be allowed in any residential district. Such signs shall be allowed on mailboxes and over doorways but shall otherwise be located at least 6 feet from the nearest property line.
(2) Multi-family building identification signs: In any multiple family dwelling in which a professional rental office is permitted, 1 sign shall be permitted at each vehicular entrance from a public right-of-way and at each major public entrance to the dwelling for all offices in the dwelling, the sign not to exceed 10 square feet. Permitted signs shall be located at least 6 feet from any property line, and the top of the sign shall not be over 5 feet above the ground, whether freestanding or on a building. The sign shall indicate only the name, address, and information phone number.
(C) Permitted signs - business, commercial and industrial districts: In addition to those signs permitted in division (A)(1) through (10) above and in accordance with the regulations with respect to said signs, the following additional business signs are permitted in all business, commercial and manufacturing districts subject to the requirements hereinafter set forth. However, if a lot is located in the Harlem Overlay District, the sign shall be subject to the requirements of § 153.57 of this code of ordinances. Permanent banners may be permitted by the city council on a case-by-case basis. Dates to be determined.
(1) Wall signs: Wall signs may be located anywhere on any wall of the building; provided, however, that no such sign or its supporting structures shall in any way cover any window or part of a window. No wall signs shall extend above the roof line at the edges of the building (excepting the vertical face of a mansard roof which shall be considered wall space for these purposes). In the case of a multi-story building which has an enclosed mechanical penthouse of not less than 2,000 square feet, a wall sign may be permitted within the area of the penthouse. No building may have more than 1 principal wall sign per business frontage if said wall sign is visible from opposite directions and not more than 2 such signs if such sign is not visible from opposite directions except:
(a) Multi-tenant retail commercial buildings which may provide each tenant with a sign area not to exceed 7.5% of the area of its leased exterior storefront; and
(b) Commercial or industrial buildings may have an entrance identification sign on a wall other than specified above provided the entrance identification sign does not exceed 10 square feet and is located on the wall within 10 feet of the primary public entrance which leads directly into a lobby or waiting area.
(2) Monument signs:
(a) Improved real estate: Where a building does not cover the full area of the real estate business, a monument sign is permitted in compliance with §§ 93.62 et seq. Every part of a monument sign must be set back at least five feet from the property line. Monument signs shall be permitted only where there is a minimum of 50 lineal feet of lot frontage. No sign may have more than two sides. All such signs shall be securely fastened to the ground. All monument signs must be designed and engineered by a licensed engineer. Drawings stamped by an engineer licensed by the State of Illinois must be submitted to the building commissioner along with the permit application.
(b) Unimproved real estate: Signs for businesses conducted on unimproved lots shall be allowed a total area for all signs not to exceed one-half square foot for each two lineal feet of lot frontage, or 40 square feet overall, whichever is smaller. Each sign shall not exceed 10 feet in height above grade.
(c) Shopping centers: For an integrated, planned business development in single management or under unified control, a monument sign stating the name of the center shall be allowed. All tenants of the center may be listed with uniform copy. The sign must be located a minimum of five feet from the property line and landscaped on all sides, three feet from the base, and will be of the evergreen variety.
(3) Business frontage; lot frontage: Business frontage and lot frontage for purposes of this section, shall be the frontage of a lot on a public road or major privately owned circulation road within a business, commercial, or industrial district. A corner lot shall be considered to have business and lot frontage on each road for purposes of determining location of wall signs only.
(4) Window signs: There shall be no limit to the number of interior window signs; provided, however, that the total area of all window signs shall not exceed 50% of window glass area, which shall be calculated separately for each side of the building. No illuminated signage or lighting is allowed with the exception of open/close sign without additional permitting.
(5) Electronic message center (EMC) signs: Electronic message center signs shall be permitted in commercial/business (B and B1 Districts) areas, subject to the following restrictions:
(a) The EMC display portion of a sign face cannot exceed 60% of the area;
(b) The EMC display must be programmed with a background of less light intensity than text or graphics;
(c) ln no event shall the illumination of any EMC sign exceed 5,000 NITS during business hours. A NIT is a unit of illumination brightness equal to one candela per share meter measured perpendicular to the rays of the source;
(d) During the hours from dusk until dawn, the illumination of any EMC sign shall not exceed 1,200 NITS;
(e) No such sign shall be permitted to operate unless it is equipped with a mechanism able to automatically adjust the NITS of the sign by means of an electronic timer or photo eye/light sensor so as to automatically reduce the NITS from dusk until dawn;
(f) Signs displaying more than one static message shall do so sequentially, with each static message having a dwell time of no less than three seconds, and a transition time between static messages of no more than one second. A STATIC MESSAGE is an advertisement or message that, when displayed, contains no motion, flashing, running lights, variation in brightness, or animation;
(g) Simple animation is allowed up to 25% maximum of complete programmed content of a message, with minimum of 75% static message content. Simple animation can be grouped or spaced apart, but in no case exceed 25% of the complete message. No streaming video animation is permitted. No flashing or other distractive effect is permitted;
(h) Signs shall not resemble or simulate any warning or danger signal, or any official traffic control device, sign, signal or light;
(i) Signs shall only display time, temperature and alpha-numeric text, logos, graphics and simple animations. There shall be no streaming video allowed;
(j) Signs shall only advertise the business, products or services available on the premises on which the sign is located, and may include advertising for charitable organizations and/or civic events;
(k) Prior to the issuance of any permit for the installation, testing, maintenance, or use of any EMC sign, the operator shall provide written certification that the illuminative brightness of the display shall not exceed 5,000 NITS at any time; and
(l) The city, through appropriate personnel, may exercise its police powers to protect the public health, safety, and welfare by requesting that emergency information be displayed upon digital outdoor advertising signs. With the consent of the sign owner, upon notification, the sign operator may display, in appropriate sign rotations: Amber Alert emergency information, or emergency information regarding terrorist attacks, or natural disasters. Emergency information messages should then remain in rotation according to the designated issuing agencies’ protocols.
(m) All existing EMC signs shall comply with this section within 90 days of notification of non-compliance.
(D) The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all planned unit developments as follows:
(1) B and B-1 uses within a planned unit development shall be governed by the B-1 provision of the sign ordinance, unless the development is within the Harlem Overlay District, in which case it will be governed by § 153.57 of this code of ordinances.
(2) Single family residential uses within a planned unit development shall be governed by the single family residential provisions of the sign ordinance.
(3) Multiple family residential uses within a planned unit development shall be governed by the multiple family residential provisions of the sign ordinance.
(Ord. 90-32, passed 10-2-90; amend. Ord. 92-35, passed 9-15-92; amend. Ord. O-22-03, passed 4-15-03; amend. Ord. O-44- 06, passed 12-5-06; amend. Ord. O-03-08, passed 1-15-08; amend. Ord. O-07-09, passed 2-3-09; amend. Ord. O-32-09, passed 10-6-09; amend. Ord. O-38-09, passed 12-1-09; Am. Ord. O-05-10, passed 2-16-10; amend. Ord. O-33- 11, passed 8-2-11; amend. Ord. O- 12-15, passed 4-21-15; amend. Ord. O-19-15, passed 5-5-15; amend. Ord. O-38-15, passed 10-6- 15)