All signs hereinafter erected, used or maintained, except official, traffic and street signs, shall conform to the provisions of this section.
(a) Signs Permitted in All Districts. The following non-business and non-advertising signs are permitted in all zoning districts without the necessity of securing a building permit for such sign.
(1) One (1) nameplate sign identifying the owner or occupant of a building or dwelling unit, provided the surface area does not exceed two (2) square feet and no such sign shall be erected within two (2) feet of a street right-of- way line.
(2) One (1) sign identifying a permitted home occupation, provided the surface area does not exceed two (2) square feet and no such sign shall be erected within two (2) feet of a street right-of-way line.
(3) One (1) sign indicating the private nature of a driveway or trespassing sign, provided the surface area does not exceed two (2) square feet and no such sign shall be erected within two (2) feet of the street right-of-way line.
(4) One (1) identification sign, not to exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in surface area, for schools, churches, colleges and universities, hospitals, libraries, nursing homes, country clubs and golf courses, community or recreation centers, and other institutions of a similar public or semi-public nature. Such sign shall be solely for the purpose of displaying the name of the institution or association and its activities or services. In addition, a bulletin board may be permitted, provided the total of thirty-two (32) square feet is not exceeded by both the bulletin board and the identification sign.
(5) One (1) sign for multi-family dwellings or apartments, not to exceed eighteen (18) square feet in surface area and no more than twelve (12) feet nor less than two (2) feet above the ground.
(6) Political signs placed out of public right of way only in accordance with the requirements of this section.
(b) General Sign Requirements. All signs shall comply with the following provisions:
(1) Signs permitted in the "R-4" District shall comply with the requirements of subsection 1185.38(b)(2) below and the requirements and design guidelines approved by the Steubenville Historic Landmarks Commission. Where there is a difference between Historic Landmarks Commission requirements and these standards, the more restrictive provisions shall govern.
(2) Signs Permitted in the "B-1", "B-2", "B-2A", "B-3", "B-4" and "B-5" Commercial Districts; the "I-1", "I-1A", "I-2" and "I-3" Industrial Districts; the "C-2" River Conservation District; and the "P", Public and Semi-Public District. shall be subject to the following requirements:
A. The total surface area of all business signs on a lot shall not exceed the sum of five (5) square feet for each lineal foot of street frontage of the lot. In cases where there is no street frontage for a business site, then the total surface area of all business signs shall not exceed five (5) square feet for each lineal foot of building access road frontage. In cases where a business does not have street or access road frontage, then the total surface area of all business signs shall not exceed five (5) square feet for each lineal foot of frontage of the building face, for a maximum of two (2) sides of the building.
(c) Requirements for specific sign types.
(1) Wall signs. One (1) wall sign shall be permitted for each business frontage which shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet in size. No wall sign shall project above the roof or parapet line more than three (3) feet, nor extend more than eighteen (18) inches from the wall to which attached into any required yard. No wall sign shall be attached to or obstruct any window, door, stairway or other opening intended for ingress or egress or for needed ventilation or light.
(2) Free-standing signs. One (1) free-standing sign, including monument, pylon, pole and ground signs, shall be permitted for each business occupancy, excluding those located in a neighborhood, community or regional shopping center project. One (1) free-standing sign shall be permitted for each street frontage for neighborhood, community and regional shopping centers in accordance with this Zoning Code, designed for the purpose of announcing the shopping center itself. Such free- standing shopping center sign area shall be counted in computing total allowable business sign area for the lot or site. Such signs shall not exceed one hundred fifty (150) square feet in surface area and must be set back at least fifteen (15) feet from the street right-of-way line. No part of any free-standing sign shall project beyond the property line. Free-standing signs shall not exceed the height of the principal building to which the sign is accessory, or forty (40) feet in height, whichever is lower. No part of any free-standing sign shall project beyond the property line.
(3) Canopy and marquee signs. Two (2) canopy or marquee signs shall be permitted for each business frontage. The permanently-affixed copy area of canopy or marquee signs shall not exceed an area equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the face area of the canopy or marquee upon which such sign is affixed or applied. Graphic striping, patterns or color bands on the face of a canopy or marquee sign shall not be included in the computation of sign copy area.
(4) Projecting signs. One (1) projecting sign shall be permitted for each street frontage of a business occupancy, not projecting beyond a plane within eighteen (18) inches of the inner curb line or in the absence of a curb line, such other point as may be determined by the Zoning Administrator. No such sign shall extend vertically above the highest point of the building façade to which it is mounted. Such signs shall maintain a clear vertical distance above any sidewalk or walkway a minimum of seven (7) feet six (6) inches.
(5) Roof signs. Roof signs are permitted in commercial and industrial zoning districts only, but no sign erected upon the roof of a building shall extend higher than twenty-five (25) feet above the roof at the point of mounting and a clearance of at least four (4) feet shall be maintained between the bottom edge of the sign and the roof level, and no sign shall exceed six hundred seventy-two (672) square feet in area.
(6) Window signs. The aggregate area of window signs shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the window area on which such signs are displayed. Window panels separated by muntins or mullions shall be considered as one continuous window area. Window signs shall not be assessed against the sign area permitted for other sign types.
(7) Electronic Message Display Signs. Electronic message display signs shall be permitted in commercial, industrial and public and semi-public zoning districts in compliance with the following standards:
A. Displays shall contain static messages only, changed only through fade or dissolve transitions.
B. Each message on the sign must be displayed for a minimum interval of eight (8) seconds.
C. Electronic message display signs constructed as business signs, and displaying a message indicating other than time of day, temperature or weather, shall direct attention only to business activities of the sign owner or business occupant, business activities taking place on the premises where the sign is located, political signs and/or public service announcements.
D. Only one (1) electronic message display sign per site shall be permitted and in the event a site has more than one business occupant, the owner of the site shall determine how the sign area is to be allocated to the occupants.
E. Electronic message display signs may be constructed as wall, free-standing, marquee or canopy signs and shall be subject to all height, size, setback and other requirements.
F. Electronic message display signs shall not include scrolling, streaming, traveling, animated or flashing words, symbols, figures or images.
(8) Advertising signs or billboards. Not more than one (1) advertising sign or billboard shall be permitted for every five hundred (500) feet of street frontage. No such sign shall exceed a length of twenty-five (25) feet or a surface area of five hundred (500) square feet. Such signs must be set back at least twenty-five (25) feet from the street right-of-way line. No advertising sign or billboard shall be erected within fifty (50) feet of a residential zoning district.
(9) Directional signs. No more than two (2) directional signs shall be permitted per street entrance to any lot or site. There shall be no limit to the number of directional signs providing directional information within the interior of a lot or site. No directional sign shall at a street entrance shall exceed two (2) square feet in area. Not more than twenty-five (25) percent of the area of any directional sign shall be permitted to be devoted to business identification or logo, which area shall not be assessed against the sign area permitted for other sign types. One (1) sign per street entrance shall be permitted describing the conditions of use or identity of a parking lot or facility shall be permitted not exceeding nine (9) square feet in size.
(10) Temporary signs. All temporary signs shall comply with the following requirements:
A. Real estate signs. One (1) sign for each street frontage of a lot or site and pertaining to the lease or sale of the building or property on which the sign is erected shall be permitted, provided it does not exceed nine (9) square feet in surface area, is set back at least fifteen (15) feet from the curb or street line, and is no more than twelve (12) feet nor less than two (2) feet above the ground.
B. Development or construction signs. One (1) sign for each lot or site identifying contractors or developers engaged in the construction or remodeling of a building or site shall be permitted, provided it does not exceed twelve (12) square feet in surface area, is set back at least fifteen (15) feet from the street line, is no more than twelve (12) feet nor less than two (2) feet above the ground, and is removed within thirty (30) days following completion of work. One (1) sign for each street frontage identifying a future proposed
development project shall be permitted, provided it does not exceed thirty two (32) square feet in surface area, is set back at least fifteen (15) feet from the street line, is no more than twelve (12) feet nor less than two (2) feet above the ground, and is removed following completion of the development project.
C. Special promotion, event and grand opening signs. One (1) sign temporarily displayed to advertise special promotions, events and grand openings shall be permitted for each street frontage. Such signs shall be displayed for not more than thirty (30) consecutive days in any three (3) month period, and not more than sixty (60) consecutive days in any calendar year. Such signs shall be erected no sooner than five (5) days prior to the event or grand opening and shall be removed not more than one (1) day after the event or grand opening.
D. Portable signs. Portable signs shall be permitted in commercial, industrial and public and semi-public zoning districts only as temporary signs. Only one (1) portable sign shall be permitted on each lot or site and such sign shall not be displayed for more than thirty (30) days in any calendar year.
E. Political signs. Political signs shall not be placed in any public right of way and shall not obstruct traffic visibility. Such signs shall be placed no sooner than sixty (60) days prior to the election and removed within ten (10) days after the election. Political signs placed in a residential zoning district shall not exceed eight (8) square feet in size and political signs placed in a commercial, industrial or other zoning district shall not exceed thirty-six (36) square feet in size. The owner of the property where the political signs are placed shall be responsible for their removal.
(11) Menu Boards. Menu board signs shall not be permitted to exceed fifty (50) square feet in size.
(d) Exempt Signs. The following signs are exempt from the provisions of this section:
(1) Official notices authorized by a court, governmental agency or public safety official.
(2) Directional, warning, street identification or informational signs authorized by federal, state or local governments.
(3) Memorial plaques and building cornerstones when cut or carved into a masonry surface or when made of noncombustible material and made an integral part of the building or structure.
(4) Flags and insignias of any governmental agency, school or civic, charitable, religious, fraternal or similar organization.
(5) Seasonal decorations within the appropriate public holiday season.
(6) Works of fine art displayed in conjunction with a business when the business does not receive direct financial gain from such display.
(7) Street address signs or combination nameplate and street address signs containing no other information or material which do not exceed two (2) square feet in size.
(e) Prohibited Signs. The following signs and locations are prohibited:
(1) Signs located in such a manner as to obstruct or otherwise interfere with an official traffic sign, signal or device; or obstruct or interfere with a driver's view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic.
(2) Signs attached to any utility pole, light standard, street tree or other public facility located on public lands or within public right-of-ways.
(3) Signs which flash, rotate, blink or are animated by lighting in any fashion that would have the appearance of traffic safety signs and lights, or emergency or municipal vehicle warnings from a distance.
(4) Portable signs except as allowed for temporary signs.
(5) Any sign attached to, or placed on, a vehicle or trailer parked on public or private property, except signs meeting the following conditions:
A. The primary purpose of such vehicle or trailer is not the display of signs.
B. The signs are magnetic, decals or painted upon an integral part of the vehicle or equipment as originally designed by the manufacturer, and do not break the silhouette of the vehicle.
C. The vehicle or trailer is in operating condition, currently registered and licensed to operate on public streets when applicable, and actively used or available for use in the daily function of the business to which such signs relate.
(6) Vehicles and trailers are not used primarily as static displays, advertising a product or service, nor utilized as storage, shelter or distribution points for commercial products or services for the general public.
(7) Signs which use a series of two (2) or more free-standing signs placed parallel to a street carrying a single advertising message, part of which is contained on each sign.
(8) Balloons, streamers or pinwheels except those temporarily displayed as part of a special sale, promotion or community event. For the purposes of this subsection, "temporarily" means no more than thirty (30) days in any calendar year.
(9) Signs which display or depict vulgar, obscene or sexually oriented or explicit words, phrases, symbols, figures or images.
(f) Other Sign Restrictions.
(1) Any sign within a designated "H" Historic District of the City must comply with the guidelines adopted by the Steubenville Historic Landmarks Commission before a building permit is issued. Where there is a difference between Historic Landmarks Commission requirements and these standards, the more restrictive provisions shall govern.
(2) Gooseneck and thin line reflectors and lighting shall be permitted for indirectly illuminated signs, provided such reflectors and lights do not extend more than six (6) feet beyond the sign structure to which they are attached and such illumination is directed upon the face of the sign to reduce the possibility of direct light rays or glare shining onto adjoining property or street rights-of-way.
(3) All signs and sign structures shall be properly maintained and kept in a clean and proper state of maintenance and appearance.
(4) Any sign now or hereafter existing which no longer advertises a bona fide business conducted, product sold, or activity or advertising campaign being conducted, shall be taken down or removed by the owner, agent or person having the beneficial use of the premises upon which such sign may be found within thirty (30) days after the use for which the sign was placed on the premises is terminated. Upon the failure of the person charged with the removal of such sign within thirty (30) days from the date of such order, and upon failure to comply with such notice within the time specified herein, the Zoning Administrator is hereby authorized to cause the removal of such sign, and any expenses incident thereto shall be paid by the owner or the person having the beneficial use of the premises upon which such sign is attached. In the event the owner fails to pay for such expenses, the Zoning Administrator is hereby authorized to cause a lien to be charged against the premises upon which the sign is located. The Zoning Administrator shall notify the Clerk of Council who shall certify to the Auditor of Jefferson County, Ohio the costs incurred together with a description of the premises and such cost shall become a lien against such real estate to be collected with other taxes and returned to the City.
(Ord. 2016-11. Passed 4-12-16.)