As used in this article, the following terms shall be defined:
(1) BILLBOARD. A sign which is larger than thirty-two (32) square feet in display area on one face of the sign, and which advertises a product, service, profession or business, the subject of which advertisement is not present on the property that includes the location of the sign.
(2) BUILDING FRONTAGE. The developed length of that portion of the building, which faces a right of way or which faces a public parking lot containing not less than twenty (20) parking spaces and serving the building.
(3) BULLETIN BOARD. Bulletin boards for community, charitable or religious organizations which are not illuminated, the display area of which may not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet.
(4) CANOPY SIGN. A sign affixed to a canopy, awning, eaves or extended roof of a building, which identifies the business conducted in said building, provides a minimum clearance of eight (8) feet from the lowest point of the sign to the ground beneath it.
(5) COMMUNITY BANNERS. Temporary banners associated with school activities, rallies and seasonal events or with community social, cultural or religious activities; provided that banners for single event are not in place for a period exceeding thirty (30) days.
(6) CONSTRUCTION SIGN. A sign pertaining to the construction, alteration, rehabilitation or remodeling of real estate, either in progress or intended.
(7) DIRECTIONAL SIGN. A sign which is designed and erected solely for the purpose of traffic or pedestrian direction and placed on the property to which or on which the public is directed. This definition includes, but is not limited to, entrance and exit signs to a parking lot or area and signs stating the regulations for use of a parking lot.
(8) DIRECTORY SIGN. A wall-mounted sign listing the businesses or the activities conducted within a building or group of buildings.
(9) DISPLAY AREA. The area of a sign or advertising device that can be enclosed or measured by the smallest square, rectangle, triangle, circle or combination thereof, which will encompass the entire sign or advertising device; excluding trim, frame, apron, posts, uprights, braces or other structural members which support it. Where a sign is double-facing and only one face can be viewed from a single location on a roadway, the display area shall be the area of one sign face. Where a sign has two (2) or more faces which can be viewed from a single location, the display area of all such faces shall be included in determining the total display area of the sign.
(10) ELEVATED SIGN. A General Business Sign that is freestanding and placed atop or affixed to structural supports, including poles, posts, uprights and braces, and which provides minimum eight (8) feet of clearance between the lowest edge of the sign and the surface of the ground, parking lot, street or alley directly beneath it; the display area of which is not greater than three hundred (300) square feet.
(11) ERECT. To build, construct, install, attach, hang, place, inscribe, suspend, affix, paint or repaint.
(12) FLASHING SIGNS. A sign which contains an intermittent flashing light source or which includes the illusion of intermittent or flashing light by means of animation or an externally mounted intermittent light source. Also, any sign in which any part of the light source varies in intensity and/or hue and flashes or appears to flash or turn on and off; or a sign in which a message constantly flashes or turns on and off, or alternates with other copy by means of rotating or otherwise moving portions of the sign.
Illuminated signs which indicate the time, temperature, weather, or other similar information shall not be considered flashing signs, provided that the total area of such sign is not greater than sixteen (16) square feet, the vertical dimension of any letter or number is not greater than twenty-four (24) inches, and the color or intensity of light is constant except for periodic changes in the information display, which occur not more frequently than once every ten (10) seconds.
(13) FREESTANDING SIGN. A sign supported wholly by upright braces, or posts in or upon the ground. The posts or other supporting structures shall be considered as part of the sign, except that they shall not be included in computing the sign display area. A freestanding sign is a ground sign, elevated sign or any other sign independent of a building or any other structure.
(14) GENERAL BUSINESS SIGN. A sign pertaining only to the use of the premises on which the sign is located and displaying information, which may include the name, symbol or logo of the owner, occupant, management, business or the building; an address, the type of business, profession, service or activity conducted on the premises; and descriptive information about the products and services offered. The maximum display area of such a sign shall not exceed three hundred (300) square feet.
(15) GRADE LEVEL. The finished elevation of the lot upon which the sign is located.
(16) GROSS AREA. The gross area of a sign is the display area of the sign, plus trim, frame and apron, but not including structural supports.
(17) GROUND SIGN. A General Business Sign that is a freestanding sign or a wall with a sign permanently attached to it or a decorative wall that incorporates a sign. Said sign may display any message displayed on a General Business Sign, but may not exceed eight (8) feet in height or one hundred (100) square feet in display area.
(18) HAZARD SIGNS. Signs warning of construction, excavation or similar hazards so long as the hazard exists.
(19) SIGN MEMORIAL. That sign or signs, tablet or plaque memorializing a person, event, structure or site.
(20) HOLIDAY DECORATIONS. Temporary holiday decorations, provided that decorations for a single holiday or season are not in place for a period of exceeding sixty (60) days. This limitation applies also to decorations, placed by the City.
(21) INCIDENTAL SIGN, BUSINESS. A permanent information sign located in other than residential zoning districts, which pertains to a particular service or commodity offered or facility available on the premises on which the sign is located. Such signs may indicate address, hours and days of operation, whether a business is open or closed, credit card information, operating instructions for self-service gas pumps, emergency address and telephone numbers and other similar information. An Incidental Business Sign may not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in the display area.
(22) INCIDENTAL SIGN, RESIDENTIAL. A permanent information sign located in a residential zoning district, which pertains to the display of the name, address, hours of operation, activities and services conducted in permitted community and religious uses and in non-conforming uses or structures. An Incidental Residential Sign may not exceed ten (10) square feet in display area.
(23) INTERNAL SIGNS. Signs not intended to be viewed from public streets and located to be not visible from public streets or adjacent properties, such as signs in interior areas of shopping centers, commercial buildings and structures, ball parks, stadiums and similar uses of a recreational or entertainment nature.
(24) LOT FRONTAGE. The length of the property line of any one premises along each legally accessible public right-of-way it borders.
(25) MAINTAIN. To permit a sign, sign structure, or any part of each to continue, or to repair or refurbish a sign, sign structure, or any part of each.
(26) MAXIMUM HEIGHT. The maximum height of signs shall be determined in accordance with restrictions of all zoning districts.
(27) NAMEPLATE. A non-electrical sign identifying only the name and occupation or profession of the occupant of the premises on which the sign is located.
(28) OBSOLETE SIGN. A sign which no longer correctly directs or exhorts any person, advertises a bona fide business, lessor, owner, product or activity conducted or product available on the premises where such sign is displayed.
(29) OFF PREMISES SIGN. A sign that advertises an activity conducted at a location other than on the lot or parcel of land on which the sign is located, and encloses a display area of not more than thirty-two (32) square feet.
(30) OFFICIAL FLAGS. Official federal, state or local government flags, emblems and historical markers.
(31) OFFICIAL SIGNS. Official federal, state or local government traffic, directional and informational signs and notices issued by any court, person or officer in performances of a public duty.
(32) ON PREMISES SIGN. A sign that advertises an activity conducted on the lot or parcel of land on which the sign is located.
(33) OPEN LETTER SIGN. A sign consisting of a logo or symbol, individual letters or connected lettering not mounted on any type of background other than a building or the surface of an integral architectural element which is a part of a building. The surface which forms the background for the letters shall not be illuminated from behind, but individual letters may be illuminated. The display area of an open letter sign shall not exceed two hundred (200) square feet, which shall be calculated as follows: the area shall be the number of square feet in the smallest, single rectangle within which all the letters of the sign can be enclosed, multiplied by a factor of two-tenths (0.2). The area of a logo or symbol shall be the number of square feet in the smallest, single square, rectangle or circle within which it can be enclosed multiplied by a factor of nine-tenths (0.9).
(34) PAINTED GRAPHICS. Any mosaic, mural, painting, graphic art technique, or combination thereof placed on a wall and containing no copy, advertising symbols, lettering, trademarks or other references to the premises or to the products and/or service offered for sale on the premises.
(35) PERMANENT SIGNS. A sign that is not temporary.
(36) POLITICAL SIGNS. Temporary signs promoting the campaign of an individual for public office or of any political issue that is to be voted upon by the voting public.
(37) PORTABLE SIGNS. Any sign not permanently attached to the ground, to a building, or to a supporting structure that is permanently attached to the ground or to a building, which said sign may not exceed forty (40) square feet.
(38) PROHIBITION SIGNS. "No Trespassing", "No Parking" and similar warning signs.
(39) PROJECTING SIGNS. A General Business Sign located above the ground, permanently affixed to the exterior wall of a building or other structure, extending beyond said building or structure more than twelve (12) inches and located, not less than eight (8) feet above the ground or the finished surface of a sidewalk, street, driveway or alley directly beneath it; the display area of which is not greater than one hundred (100) square feet.
(40) PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE SIGN. An electronic or electrically controlled public service message sign which conveys only information such as time, date, temperature, atmospheric conditions, or general news information where different alternating copy changes are shown on the same lamp bank matrix without giving the appearance of directional movement. The display area of a public service message sign may not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet.
(41) READER BOARD. A General Business sign in the form of a structure or framework on which notices are posted in the form of removable letters or posters pertinent to the business on the premises, the display area of which is not larger than one hundred (100) square feet. Such signs may be freestanding, projecting, wall, roof or ground signs.
(42) REAL ESTATE SIGN. A temporary sign pertaining to the sale, lease or rental of real estate.
(43) ROOF SIGN. A sign erected on or above a roof, parapet, or roof eaves and installed in a manner such that no portion of the sign extends beyond the limits of the exterior surface of the walls of the building upon which it is placed. A roof sign may not exceed the height limitations for the zoning district in which it is located, regardless of the height of the building upon which it is placed, and may not enclose a display area greater than three hundred (300) square feet.
(44) SIGN. Any display, name, identification, description, illustration, device, building, or building treatment which is visible from any public place or is located on private property and exposed to the public view and which directs attention to a product, place, activity, person, service, institution, profession, business or solicitation. A sign may have more than one advertising face and more than one advertising face may be mounted on the same supporting structure.
(45) SUBDIVISION IDENTIFICATION NUMBER. A structure marking an entrance to a residential subdivision, office park or industrial park. A subdivision identification marker may contain no advertising other than the name of the owner or developer of the subdivision, office park or industrial park.
(46) SIGN HEIGHT. The vertical distance measured from grade level to the highest point of the sign.
(47) TEMPORARY SIGN. Any sign, which is not illuminated, and is not permanently attached to the ground, to a building or to a supporting structure that is permanently attached to the ground or to a building. Temporary signs are generally those made of paper, poster board, wood or other materials that deteriorate rapidly when exposed to weather; such as, political campaign signs or posters, sales of personal property such as garage, yard, porch or moving sale signs.
(48) TEMPORARY PROMOTIONAL DISPLAY. A temporary sign or signs made of paper, poster board, wood or other materials that deteriorate rapidly, and displayed so as to attract attention to the sale of merchandise or services, or a change in policy or in the status of a business; including the display of banners, pennants and decorative materials in conjunction with a grand opening, carnival, fair, bazaar or similar event.
(49) WINDOW SIGN. Any sign painted on, attached to or displayed in a window so as to direct attention of persons outside the building to a product or activity of the institution or business on the premises.
(Ord. 10-25-99.)