(a) Illumination.
(1) Permitted are the following types of illumination for all activities in all areas, except Public Facilities and residential districts, subject to the limitations indicated in this Section.
A. Colored light.
B. Flashing signs which consist of a light which is intermittently on and off are prohibited.
C. Illuminated surface colors, internal illumination, such as a light source concealed or contained within the sign, and which becomes visible in darkness through a translucent surface.
D. Indirect illumination, such as a light source not seen directly.
E. Floodlight illumination, provided that the floodlight or spotlight is positioned so that none of the light shines onto an adjoining property or in the eyes of pedestrians or motorists.
F. Neon tube illumination such as a light source applied by a neon tube which is bent to form letters, symbols or other shapes.
G. Illumination controls. Flashing, moving, rotating intermittently lighted signs or other mechanically rotated or eye-catching devices shall be prohibited. Display signs illuminated by electricity, or equipped in any way with electric devices or appliances, shall conform with respect to wiring and appliances to provisions of the Chapter relating to electrical installations. Signs shall not be illuminated by fluorescent lamps using more than four hundred twenty-five (425) milliamperes or by transformers of more than thirty (30) milliamperes capacity. Fluorescent lamps of eight hundred (800) milliamperes may be used provided the spacing between such lamps is no less than nine (9) inches from center to center of lamp and such lamps are not closer than five (5) inches from center of lamp to inside face or faces of sign. Neon tubing may be powered by milliampere transformers only when such tubing is used to back light silhouetted letters or for the internal illumination of plastic faced signs or letters. Such tubing shall not be visible to the eye and shall not be closer than one (1) inch to the plastic face or letter of any sign.
(2) Signs shall be permitted to be illuminated in compliance with the following:
A. Light sources shall be shielded from all adjacent buildings and streets.
B. Lights shall not be of such brightness so as to cause glare that is hazardous to pedestrians or motorists, or cause reasonable objection from adjacent residential districts.
C. The illumination of signs shall not obstruct traffic control or any other public informational signs. Signs visible from sight lines along streets shall not contain symbols or words, or red and green lights that resemble highway traffic signs or devices.
(3) In single-family residential districts, temporary signs shall not be illuminated. Permanent, freestanding signs shall only be externally illuminated using white light only.
(b) Construction Standards.
(1) No signs shall be placed, erected or maintained so as to obstruct, in any manner, any fire escape or window, door, exit or entrance to or from any building, or otherwise be placed in the City's right-of-way.
(2) No sign shall be placed, erected or maintained in a manner which will interfere with the proper and convenient protection of property by the Division of Fire.
(3) No sign shall be supported or braced from or guyed to a sidewalk, street, alley or public thoroughfare.
(4) Where a public thoroughfare approaches and crosses a railroad at the same grade, no sign shall be erected or placed in a manner which would obstruct the view of 400 feet of the railroad on each side of the crossing, by anyone on the thoroughfare within 200 feet of the crossing.
(5) No sign shall be placed or erected in such a manner as to unduly obstruct the view of traffic or traffic lights at intersections.
(6) No sign shall be erected or placed so that any part thereof, including cables, guys, braces, supports, etc., shall be within a fifteen (15) foot distance of public utility electric conductors carrying not more than 600 volts, and for conductors carrying more than 600 volts not within a distance of thirty (30) feet of such conductors, except that this provision shall not apply to electric conductors which serve the sign.
(7) No sign shall be placed or erected on the wall of a building when such wall abuts on any residential district as established by the Zoning Code.
(8) No sign shall be placed or erected on or attached to any part of a building roof.
(9) Permanent signs shall be fabricated on and of materials that are of good quality and good durability.
(10) Electric signs and all permanent signs involving structural requirements of the building code shall be installed, repaired, altered and serviced only by a contractor licensed to perform such tasks.
(11) Temporary signs shall be durable and weather-resistant, and fastened or anchored sufficiently, whether attached to the building or positioned in the ground.
(c) Maintenance. All signs shall be maintained in accordance with the following:
(1) All signs, including all of their supporting features, shall be kept in a safe condition and shall be kept sufficiently painted or otherwise protected to prevent deterioration.
(2) All signs which are not maintained properly to insure their safe condition or which have become unsafe, shall be properly repaired and/or painted, or removed, when so ordered by the Building Commissioner. If the Building Commissioner finds that any sign is unsafe, insecure, a menace to the public, or constructed, erected, or maintained in violation of the provisions of this Code, notice shall be given in writing by the Building Commissioner to the owner. The owner of the sign shall, within forty-eight (48) hours of such notification, correct such unsafe condition or remove the sign. If the correction has not been made within the allotted forty-eight hours, the sign may be removed or altered by the City to comply with these regulations at the expense of the owner or occupant of the property upon which the sign is located. The Building Commissioner may cause any sign, which, in the City's opinion, creates a danger to persons or property to be removed immediately and without notice.
(d) Abandoned Signs & Failure to Maintain.
(1) Any tenant who vacates a premises, or the owner of such premises, shall, within ten (10) days after such premises has been vacated, remove all signs owned or erected by such tenant, unless a new tenant or the owner of such premises maintains such signs in good repair and in a safe condition at all times.
(2) When the use or required maintenance of any sign is discontinued, the owner of such sign shall immediately remove the same.
(3) Any non-conforming sign which is unused for a continuous period of six (6) months or which advertises business activities, products, or services which have been discontinued or abandoned for a period in excess of six (6) months shall be removed or altered to comply with the provisions of this Chapter.