Unless otherwise specifically stated, the following regulations shall apply to all signs within the Village:
(a) No sign or sign structure shall be placed on private or public property without the consent of the owner or agent thereof.
(b) All signs shall be subject to the intersection visibility standards established in Section 1113.02.
(c) Permitted permanent signs should be designed so as to be similar in character with regard to materials, color, and size to signs designed or located on the same building and on adjoining buildings in order to equalize the attention they are meant to attract and to produce an overall unified effect and in accordance with the standards set forth in this section.
(d) The back side of all permanent signs that do not contain a second sign face and structural supports shall be completely enclosed.
(e) Construction Standards.
(1) All signs shall be professionally manufactured or of equivalent quality. Permanent signs shall be fabricated with rigid materials that are of good quality and good durability.
(2) Signs shall be structurally sound and located so as to pose no threat to pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
(3) The construction, erection, safety, and maintenance shall comply with all applicable building and electrical codes. In the event there is a conflict between the provisions of this section and the provisions of any applicable building or electrical codes, the provisions of the more restrictive code shall govern.
(4) The lowest member for all signs, which project or are supported on posts, shall not be less than eight (8) feet above the finished grade of a sidewalk or any other pedestrian way. If located over a pavement used for vehicular traffic or within eighteen (18) inches of the vertical projection of the edges of such pavement, the lowest member of the sign shall not be less than fifteen (15) feet above the finished pavement.
(5) Signs shall be anchored to prevent any lateral movement that would cause wear on supporting members or connections.
(6) Signs shall be structurally designed to withstand a wind pressure of thirty (30) pounds per square foot in any direction.
(f) Signs in Rights-of-Way.
(1) Signs shall be prohibited in the right-of-way with the exception of the following:
A. Signs installed by Sheffield Village, Lorain County, the State of Ohio, the federal government, or public transit agencies;
B. Any warning signs or traffic safety signs required by public utility providers; or
(2) The Village Administrator may remove or cause to be removed any unlawful sign in the public right-of-way.
(g) Illumination. Unless otherwise specifically stated, signs shall be permitted to be illuminated in compliance with the following:
(1) Where illuminated signs are permitted, such illumination may be through internal or external lighting sources.
(2) Light sources shall be shielded from all adjacent buildings and streets and shall be focused exclusively on the sign.
(3) 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.
(4) Not be flashing, moving, or intermittent so that any part of the message changes at a rate of more than once every two (2) minutes.
(5) An illuminated sign or lighting device shall employ only light of constant intensity.
(6) Electronic message centers are a permitted form of illuminated sign for permitted freestanding signs, subject to the following requirements:
A. The sign area of the electronic message center shall not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the total sign area.
B. All electronic message centers shall be set back a minimum of 300 feet from a residential dwelling unit.
C. Any message changes shall be a static, instant message change.
D. Messages can only change once every eight (8) seconds or longer.
E. The transition time between messages shall be less than one (1) second.
F. All electronic message centers shall contain a default mechanism that will cause the sign to revert immediately to a black screen if the sign malfunctions.
G. The electronic message center shall come equipped with an automatic dimming photocell, which automatically adjusts the display's brightness based on ambient light conditions.
H. Illumination shall not exceed 0.3 footcandles over ambient lighting conditions when measured at fifty (50) feet in any direction from an electronic message center sign.
I. Audio emissions from electronic message center signs shall be prohibited.
(Ord. 2879. Passed 10-23-23.)