The purpose and intent of this chapter is to maintain, enhance and improve the aesthetic environment of the city by preventing visual clutter that is harmful to the appearance of the community; improve the visual appearance of the city while providing for effective means of communication, consistent with constitutional guarantees and the city’s goals of public safety and aesthetics; and to provide for the safety of the traveling public by limiting distractions, hazards and obstructions. This will be accomplished by regulation of the display, erection, use and maintenance of signs. The use of signs is regulated according to land use zoning districts, as defined in the Zoning Code. The placement and scale of signs are regulated primarily by type and length of street frontage, though lot size, investment and surrounding conditions must also be considered. A sign is not permitted as a main or accessory use, except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. This chapter is not intended to, and does not restrict speech on the basis of its content, viewpoint or message. No part of this chapter shall be constructed to favor commercial speech over non-commercial speech. To the extent that any provision of this chapter is ambiguous, the provision shall be interpreted not to regulate on the basis of speech content and the interpretation resulting in the least restriction on the content of the sign’s message shall prevail.
(Prior Code, § 415.01) (Ord. 2007-08, passed 5-16-2007; Ord. 20210421-01, passed 4-21-2021)