The following signs are allowed in all districts without a permit, but shall comply with all other applicable provisions of this subchapter:
(A) Signs posted by government. Any sign in the public interest, erected by, or on the order of, public officers in the performance of their public duty, such as directional signs, regulatory signs, warning signs, and informational signs and all signs posted by public utilities whether or not such signs are in the public right-of-ways.
(B) Campaign signs. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this subchapter, all signs of any size containing non-commercial speech may be posted in any number from 46 days before the state primary in a state general election year until ten days following the state general election in accordance with M.S. § 211B.045. All such signs or posters shall be confined to private property. No such sign or poster shall be within any polling place or within 100 feet of the building in which any polling place is situated on the date of any public election held within the city.
(C) Window signs. Window signs shall be allowed subject to the sign area allowances of the respective zoning districts provided that the sign not exceed 50% of the total area of the window in which they are displayed.
(D) Address signs. A minimum of one address sign shall be required on each building in all districts. Such sign(s) shall contain numerals of a sufficient size to be legible from the nearest street, yet shall not exceed two square feet in area. The numerals shall be metal, glass, plastic or curable material and shall not be less than three and one-half inches in height. The numerals shall be placed as to be easily seen from the street.
(E) Flags, non-commercial. A permit shall not be required for a non-commercial flag. Non-commercial flags shall not count against the maximum sign area allowed in each zoning district. In the Public and Institutional Zoning District, each non-commercial flag may not exceed 60 square feet in area and no more than three non-commercial flags may be displayed per lot. In all other zoning districts, each non-commercial flag may not exceed 24 square feet in area and no more than three non-commercial flags may be displayed per lot. The side yard setback for each flagpole holding a non-commercial flag shall be at least equal to the height of the flagpole and be placed a minimum of ten feet from a public right-of-way.
(F) Sandwich board signs shall be allowed within all business zoning districts subject to the following regulations:
(1) Number. One sandwich board sign is permitted per site or one per tenant for multitenant sites.
(2) Size. Sandwich board signs may be no larger than eight square feet per sign face and four feet in height. No materials, including but not limited to balloons, streamers and windsocks, may be added to the sign to increase its height or width.
(3) Location.
(a) Sandwich board signs shall be placed only on the business property and meet required principal building setbacks or be located within ten feet of the principal business entry door.
(b) Sandwich board signs shall be located so as to maintain a minimum four foot pedestrian walkway unless additional setback is necessary due to high volume pedestrian traffic as determined by the Zoning Administrator except, in the B-2 (Downtown, Commercial) Zoning District, sandwich boards may be placed on public sidewalks directly in front of the business being advertised. Before installing a sandwich board sign in the city's public right-of-way, the owner of the property upon which the sandwich board sign is to be located must procure and maintain while the sandwich board sign is in place, at the owner's sole cost and expense, a policy of comprehensive general liability insurance on an "occurrence" basis against claims for personal injury liability, including, without limitation, bodily injury, death and property damage, with a limit of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence. Such insurance shall name the city as an additional insured. The property owner shall provide the city a certificate of insurance as evidence of such insurance coverage and a release and hold harmless agreement in form and content approved by the City Attorney.
(c) Sandwich board signs displayed by businesses in multi-tenant buildings must be placed adjacent to the business entrance of the business placing the sign when more than one sandwich board sign is being displayed on the property.
(d) Sandwich board signs shall not block driveways, entryways, parking spaces and pedestrian accesses, create a safety hazard or obstruct vehicular/pedestrian traffic visibility.
(e) Sandwich board signs shall not be placed on sidewalks that have not been cleared of snow and/or other debris.
(4) Display. Sandwich board signs shall only be displayed during the hours when the business is open to the public.
(5) Design. Sandwich board signs shall be professionally painted and/or made of superior quality weather and wind resistant materials. Signs shall not be illuminated or contain electronic moving parts.
(Ord. 0701, passed 1-9-07; Am. Ord. 0807, passed 10-14-08; Am. Ord. 1106, passed 8-9-11; Am. Ord. 1401, passed 1-28-14; Am. Ord. 1604, passed 5-10-16; Am. Ord. 1704, passed 10-24-17)