A permit shall not be required for the following signs:
(a) The flag, pennants or insignia of any nation, state, Municipality, or other political unit or jurisdiction.
(b) Cornerstones, commemorative tablets and historical signs, not to exceed ten (10) square feet in area.
(c) Signs bearing only residential property address or names of occupants of residential premises, not to exceed one (1) square foot in area. Signs bearing only non-residential street number, not to exceed one (1) square foot in area.
(d) One wall sign on or over a show window or door of a store or business establishment, announcing only the name of proprietor and the nature of the business, not to exceed three (3) square feet in area.
(e) Real estate for sale, sold, rental or lease signs limited to no more than five (5) square feet in area, no more than three (3) feet in height, and with one (1) sign per lot. Sold signs may be posted for a period not to exceed ten (10) days. A maximum of three (3) off-premise directional signs shall be permitted in conjunction with an open house, not to exceed 48 consecutive hours. During the hours of the open house, one additional sign indicating that the house is open will be permitted on the property.
(f) Signs for the civic promotion of schools, church, or community service activities which may be displayed for a maximum of thirty (30) days.
(g) Flags, signs and sources of illumination clearly in the nature of decorations customarily associated with any national, state, local or religious holiday, and containing no advertisement.
(h) Traffic directional signs indicating points of entry or exit to off-street parking, provided such signs are not larger than four (4) square feet in area. Such signs shall not be located in a public right-of-way and shall not obstruct the view of motorists for the purposes of ingress and egress.
(i) Window signs not larger than twenty-five (25) percent of the aggregate window area on the same elevation nor more than 25 percent of each individual unit. For uses that are located in the second or higher floors of a building, window signs shall meet the requirements of this section.
(j) One (1) sandwich board shall be permitted for each business location not to exceed four (4) feet in height as measured from the sidewalk and shall not exceed three (3) feet in width per side. Such signs shall be limited to five (5) colors, shall be displayed only during daylight hours and shall not be located on a sidewalk less than six (6) feet in width. Damage to sandwich signs and any liability shall be the responsibility of the owner. Sandwich boards shall be placed in such a way as to leave at least four (4) feet to allow for passage. Sandwich boards are not permitted in residential areas.
(k) Personal property "For Sale" signs limited to one (1) per residential dwelling, not to exceed four (4) square feet in area and posted not more than three (3) consecutive days. Off-premises directional signs shall be permitted for a single forty-eight (48) hour period.
(l) A maximum of two (2) directional signs for any bona fide church, religious sect or congregation located within the corporate boundaries of St. Clairsville shall be permitted provided that such signs do not exceed four (4) square feet in area, do not exceed six (6) feet in height and are located outside a public right-of-way.
(m) A sign(s) located inside a building, whether or not the same are visible from the exterior that is clearly for the customers benefit when inside the business.
(n) Signs of a duly constituted government body.
(o) Banners, ribbons, pennants and streamers may be installed as part of window signs provided such elements are displayed for a period of not longer than thirty (30) days.
(p) Elevated signs posted to indicate special parking locations for the handicapped, imprinted with the international symbol of accessibility.
(q) Flags, pennants, or insignia of any educational institution.
(r) Political signs and/or posters are permitted as a wall, window or ground sign in all zoning districts. Said ground signage and/or posters may not be higher than six (6) feet above grade nor greater than twenty-four (24) square feet in area. Further, political signs and/or posters may not be attached or placed on utility poles, traffic devices or within any public right-of-way or in any location which may cause hazardous traffic conditions. Political signs and/or posters may not be illuminated. It is recommended that a political sign erected on behalf of candidates for a particular public office or on behalf of a particular political issue that will be placed on the ballot for consideration by the electors of the City of St. Clairsville not be displayed more than thirty (30) days prior to an election and removed no later than seven (7) days after such election. Any sign and/or poster determined to be in violation of this Ordinance shall be removed by City personnel and if said signage/posters are not claimed within ten (10) days after the election for which the sign/poster is applicable to, it shall be discarded. A sign and/or poster must be located on private property. (Ord. 2007-06. Passed 3-19-07.)