ABANDONMENT – A sign or sign structure shall be deemed abandoned if the use or structure on the lot is unused, unoccupied, vacant or abandoned for six calendar months within any twelve month period.
ANIMATED SIGN - Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting to depict action or create a special effect or scene.
AREA OF SIGN - The area enclosed by one rectangle, the sides of which makes contact with the extreme point or edges of the sign, excluding the supporting structure which does not form part of the sign proper or of the display.
AWNING SIGN - A sign other than a projecting sign designated on a canopy or awning of noncombustible material and identifying the name and address of a building or an establishment contained therein.
BANNER – Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is permanently mounted to a pole or building by a permanent frame at one or more edges. National flags, state or municipal flags, or the official flag of any institution or business shall not be considered banners.
BEACON – Any light with one or more beams directed into the atmosphere or directed at one or more points not on the same zone lot as the light source’ also, any light with one or more beams that rotate or move.
BENCH SIGN - Any sign painted on, located on, or attached to any part of the surface of a bench, seat, or chair placed on or adjacent to a public roadway.
BILLBOARD - An off-premise sign that is more than two-hundred (200) square feet.
BUILDING MARKER – Any sign indicating the name of a building and date and incidental information about its construction , which sign is cut into a masonry surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
BUILDING SIGN – Any sign attached to any part of a building, as contrasted to a freestanding sign.
CANOPY SIGN – Any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy, or other fabric, plastic, or structural protective cover over a door, entrance, window, or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN - A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters, or illustrations that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face of the surface of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a changeable copy sign for purposes of this ordinance. This definition includes both electronically and manually changeable signs.
COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL - Any material that will ignite when heated to a temperature at or below 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.
COMMERCIAL MESSAGE – Any sign wording, logo, or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises, or calls attention to a business, product, service or other commercial activity.
CONFORMING SIGN - A sign that complies with the requirements of this Zoning Ordinance.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN - Any off-premise sign which indicates the direction or specific location of an institution, organization or business, which does not include advertising or any information regarding product lines or services offered.
DISPLAY SURFACE OR FACE - The area intended for display of advertising.
DOUBLE FACED - A sign having two display surfaces.
FLASHING SIGN - Any illuminated sign which exhibits changing natural or artificial light or color effect by any means whatsoever.
FREESTANDING SIGN - A sign that is wholly independent of any building for support.
GROUND SIGN - A sign supported by poles, uprights or braces extending from the ground or an object on the ground but not attached to any part of any building.
IDENTIFICATION SIGN - A sign indicating the name and address of an occupant as well as the business, commodity or service being conducted in the building.
ILLUMINATED SIGN - A sign designated to give forth any artificial light or reflect such light from an artificial source.
INCIDENTAL SIGN – A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary to the use of the zone lot on which it is located, such as “no parking”, “entrance”, “loading only”, “telephone”, and other similar directives. No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the zone lot on which the sign is located shall be considered incidental.
INFORMATIONAL SIGN – A sign commonly associated with and limited to informational and directions relating to the permitted use on the premises on which the sign is located. Content shall be limited to such information or directives as “no parking”, “entrance”, “telephone” and other similar messages. No commercial message shall be allowed. Informational signs shall not be illuminated except from a concealed light source that does not flash, blink, or fluctuate. Such signs shall not be animated except that gauges or dials may be animated to the extent necessary to display correct measurement.
MARQUEE SIGN – Any sign attached to, in any manner, or made a part of a marquee.
MOVING SIGN - Any sign, all or any part of which physically moves or is animated to give the appearance of movement.
NAMEPLATE - A sign indicating the name and address of an occupant.
NONCONFORMING SIGN – A sign which is not properly erected under the conditions of the Zoning Ordinance.
OFF-PREMISE SIGN - Any sign that identifies or provides information related to a good, service or event that is not located on the property where such sign is located.
ON-PREMISE SIGN – A sign which directs attention to a business, commodity, service or entertainment conducted, sold or offered on the same premise of lot where the sign is located.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN - A sign including a billboard which directs attention to a business, commodity, service, entertainment or other activity, conducted, sold or offered elsewhere than on the zone lot on which the sign is located.
PENNANT – Any lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.
PERMANENT SIGN - A sign intended to be erected or used, or in fact which is used for time period in excess of 120 days. (Ord. 2003-27. Passed 5-5-03.)
POLITICAL ADVERTISING SIGN - A sign concerning candidates for elective office, public issues and similar matters to be decided by the public at an election. Political signs and posters, excluding billboards, on behalf of candidates for a particular public office or on behalf of a particular ballot issue are permitted without a permit; however, said signage and/or posters shall be subject to the guidelines set forth herein. (Ord. 2007-06. Passed 3-19-07.)
PORTABLE SIGN - A sign designed or constructed in such a manner that it can be moved or relocated without involving any structural or support changes and shall include signs that are constructed on a chassis intended for the mounting of wheels, thereby permitting the sign to be moved.
PROJECTING SIGN – Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends more than six inches beyond the surface of such building or wall.
REAL ESTATE SIGN - Any sign advertising the sale, lease, rental or development of real property.
RESIDENTIAL SIGN – Any sign located in a district zoned for residential uses that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located, if offering such service at such location conforms with all requirements of the zoning ordinance.
ROOF SIGN - Any sign planted, erected upon, against or directly above the parapet of a building, including a sign affixed to any structure erected upon a roof.
SIGN – Any device, fixture, placard, or structure that uses any color, form, graphic, illumination, symbol, or writing to advertise, announce the purpose of, or identify the purpose of a person or entity, or to communicate information of any kind to the public.
SUSPENDED SIGN – A sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal plane surface and is supported by such surface.
TEMPORARY SIGN - A sign that is not permanently mounted and is intended to be used, or in fact used, for a time period of 120 days or less.
WALL SIGN – Any sign attached parallel to, but within six inches of, a wall, painted on the wall surface of, or erected and confined within the limits of an outside wall of any building or structure, which is supported by such wall or building, and which displays only one sign surface.
WINDOW SIGN – Any sign, pictures, symbol, or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale, or service, that is placed inside a window or upon the windowpanes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window. (Ord. 2003-27. Passed 5-5-03.)