(a) Permits Required: No sign shall be erected or altered until approved by the Zoning Inspector, after paying a fee and issuance of a permit unless otherwise exempted in this Chapter. A new permit shall be required if such signs are relocated on the ground or are increased in surface area or dimension or change of copy.
(1) No sign for which a permit has been issued shall thereafter be moved to another location within the City nor shall it be structurally altered in any way without the approval of the official or board that granted the original permit. An additional fee shall be paid at the time of application for permission to move or alter each such sign.
(2) If a sign is proposed to be located within a Historic District, the Zoning Inspector shall require a Certificate of Appropriateness for submission to the Historic Landmarks Commission for review and approval.
(b) Assurance of Discontinuance: As an additional means of enforcing this Zoning Code, the Zoning Inspector may accept an assurance of discontinuance of any act or practice deemed to be in violation of this Zoning Code or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant hereto from any person engaging in, or who has engaged in, such act or practice. Any such assurance shall specify a time limit during which such discontinuance shall occur. Failure to perform such assurance shall constitute prima facie proof of a violation of this Zoning Code, or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant hereto, or of any order issued pursuant thereto, which makes the alleged act or practice unlawful, for the purpose of securing any injunctive relief from a court of competent jurisdiction.
(c) Effective Period: Every sign permit issued by the Zoning Inspector shall become null and void if the sign is not erected within one hundred and eighty (180) days from the date of such permit. If construction authorized by such a permit is suspended or abandoned for one- hundred and twenty (120) days any time after the construction is commenced, another permit shall be obtained before work is recommenced. The fee for such additional permit shall be one-half (½) the amount required for a new permit for such construction, provided that no changes have been made in the original plans. Such permit shall not be unreasonably withheld, provided that proper application is made and the fee paid.
(d) Revocation: The Zoning Inspector may, in writing, suspend or revoke a permit issued under this Chapter whenever the permit is issued on the basis of a misstatement of fact or fraud. When the Zoning Inspector denies a sign permit, he or she shall give written notice of the denial to the applicant, together with a brief written statement of the reasons for the denial.
(e) Permit Fees: An application for a permit shall be filed with the Zoning Inspector, together with a fee for each sign. The fee schedule shall be as determined from time to time by City. (Ord. 40-2013. Passed 4-9-13.)