(A) The purpose of this chapter is to promote public health, safety and welfare by establishing reasonable regulations governing the size, character, location and structural integrity of signs and other advertising structures. This chapter is enacted to promote:
(1) Vehicular and pedestrian safety by prohibiting signage that obstructs the view of or distracts attention from traffic-control devices;
(2) Vehicular and pedestrian safety by eliminating visual obstructions resulting from signage located adjacent to or over public rights-of-way;
(3) Public safety by establishing design and maintenance standards for advertising structures that reduce the risk of fire, collapse and fragmentation and by providing for the inspection and removal of advertising structures that have become unsafe;
(4) Public safety by prohibiting signs that interfere with firefighting and rescue efforts; and
(5) Economic well-being by permitting commercial enterprises to use advertising structures of sufficient size to fulfill communicative needs while prohibiting excessively large structures and sign competition that tends to depreciate the value of adjacent properties.
(B) All regulations are to be construed in favor of promoting vigorous political debate and accommodation of the rights of residents and visitors to speak freely. The provisions of this chapter shall be uniformly enforced without regard to the content of any advertising message or the identity of the proponent of that message.
(Ord. 1362-07, passed 6-4-2007)