For purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them below:
(a) Abandoned Sign. Any sign that advertises a business, lessor, owner, product, service, or activity that is no longer located or present on the premises where the sign is displayed or for which no legal owner can be found.
(b) Animated Sign. A sign or other advertising structure that has lights or illuminations that flash, move, rotate, flicker, depict action, or create a scene, blink, vary in intensity or color, or use intermittent electrical impulses, or which has revolving, or rotating parts or other visible mechanical movements. An animated sign does not include a changeable copy sign as separately defined.
(c) Awning. A covering attached to a building or structure, erected in or over a window or door, and usually supported by a metal frame. A fixed covering erected over a public sidewalk or private walkway as a protection to an entrance of a building or structure. See "Canopy" and "Marquee."
(d) Awning Sign. A sign that is attached to or otherwise a part of an awning.
(e) Banner. Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is mounted to a pole, staff, or a building by a string, rope, wire, or frame at one or more edges. Flags shall not be considered banners. See Ornamental Banner, Pennant Banner, Promotional Banner and/or Street Banner.
(1) Ornamental banner. An artistic and decorative banner attached top and bottom (or two sides) to permanent structural members on a post or building erected for another purpose and used by the City, art groups, civic groups, or commercial organizations to give a festive appearance to a plaza, street, mall, or other public or quasi-public space.
(2) Pennant banner. A lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material suspended from a rope, wire, or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind. Rows of flapping pennants typically do not communicate any essential message other than to attract the attention of a passerby.
(3) Promotional banner. A temporary banner used as a supplemental sign to make special public announcements, communicate events of general civic interest, or to announce sales, open houses and grand openings.
(4) Street banner. A banner extending across a street, road, highway or alley.
(f) Canopy. A roof-like structure typically extending from part or all of a building face over a public right of way or private vehicular or pedestrian space, and constructed of some durable material such as metal, glass, plastic, or canvas supported at all corners or extremities by poles, posts, or direct attachment to a building; a canopy typically has little vertical or wall space on it and is only as thick as necessary to create a functional roof. See "Awning" and "Marquee."
(g) Canopy Sign. Any sign attached to or constructed in or on a canopy or marquee.
(h) Changeable Copy Sign. A sign, or portion thereof with letters, numbers or illustrations that can be periodically changed or rearranged without altering the face of or surface of the sign. A changeable copy sign displays message and/or graphics with electronic or mechanical means, is not animated, and remains unchanged for at least 3 seconds.
(i) Commercial Message. Any sign working, logo, or other representation that, directly or indirectly, names, advertises, or calls attention to a business, product, service, or other commercial activity.
(j) Contractor Sign. A temporary, freestanding sign located on the premises of a construction site that may contain advertising in connection with the name of the building contractor or subcontractor, and may refer to materials, appliances, supplies, and building trades used in the construction.
(k) Curb Sign. Any sign composed of one or more numerals painted on a curb located within a public right-of-way which designates the address of the premises upon which it is located.
(l) Embellishment. A purely decorative adornment or structural trim on a sign which includes letters, figures, characters, or representations in cutouts or irregular forms or similar ornaments attached to or superimposed upon a sign, as well as any molding, battens, capping, nailing strips, latticing, and platforms which are attached to a sign structure. An embellishment shall not include any design which appears in the corporate logo of the business or products advertised; or a symbol or representation which typifies the nature of the business or products advertised. (Ord. 1-2006. Passed 2-22-06.)
(m) Flag. Any fabric containing distinctive colors, patterns, or symbols, used as a symbol of a government, political subdivision, corporation, or other entity (subject to Section 1166.07
(g)(2)). Examples of flags include the flag of the United States, the State of Ohio, the City of Sylvania, foreign nations having diplomatic relations with the United States, corporate flags, and any other flag adopted or sanctioned by an elected legislative body of competent jurisdiction.
(Ord. 84-2006. Passed 8-21-06.)
(n) Freestanding Sign. Any sign supported by structures or supports that are placed on, or anchored in, the ground and that is independent from any building or other structure.
(o) Future Development Sign. A temporary, freestanding sign located on the premises of a proposed development construction project which may contain advertising in connection with the name of the development firm, engineer, architect, development firm, building contractor, or real estate firm and may depict a plat map and conceptual drawings of the construction.
(p) Hazardous Sign. A sign which is hazardous to the public health or safety.
(q) Identification Sign, Area. A decorative sign, free-standing or affixed to a wall or fence, which only identifies the name and/or address of a neighborhood, residential subdivision, multiple residential complex, or commercial or industrial complex.
(r) Identification Sign, Building. Any sign stating the use and name given to the use of a building, structure or area when such use is permitted in the district in which the sign is located.
(s) Incidental Signage. A sign less than or equal to three (3) square feet in size or groups of such signs related to secondary purposes of the use of the subject property which does not contain a commercial message legible from a position off the zone lot from which sign is located. Incidental signage includes warnings and vehicular directional signage such as "no parking," "no solicitation," "no trespassing," "beware of dog," security alarm warnings, "caution," "entrance," "exit," "loading zone," "reserved parking spaces," "handicapped parking spaces," "telephone," etc. Incidental signage may also indicate 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.
(t) Institutional Bulletin Board. A sign which primarily displays the name of an organization and/or upcoming events of that organization.
(u) Low Profile Sign. A freestanding sign where the base of the sign structure is a maximum of twelve (12) inches above the adjacent grade affixed to the ground by supports, but not having the appearance of a solid base.
(v) Marquee. A fixed covering erected over a public or private walkway as a protection to an entrance of a building or structure. See "Awning" and "Canopy."
(w) Mobile Sign. A portable sign mounted on a trailer.
(x) Monument Sign. A freestanding sign where the base of the sign structure is on the ground and where the sign is supported primarily by an internal structural framework or integrated into landscaping or other solid structural features other than support poles.
(y) Motor Vehicle Sign. Any sign on or attached to a motor vehicle or trailer, other than a public transportation vehicle, which is used for displaying general commercial advertising. Motor vehicle signs do not include customary identification and logos utilized in the normal business or work of the vehicle owner, or for sale signs.
(z) Multiple-Face Sign. Any sign having two parallel planes or surfaces.
(aa) Nonconforming Sign. Any sign which was erected and maintained prior to the effective date of this Sign Code, and any subsequent amendments thereto, and which fails to conform to all applicable regulations and restrictions of this Sign Code.
(bb) Normal Grade. Normal grade shall be construed to be the lower of either the existing grade prior to construction, or the newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding, or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.
(cc) Off-Premise Signs. A sign which advertises an activity, service or product located on property other than property at which such activity or service occurs or which product is sold or manufactured, or an advertising device erected by a company or individual for the purpose of selling advertising messages for profit.
(dd) On-Premise Signs. A sign which is located on the same site as the activity or property advertised, and has as its purpose the identification of the activity, its products or services, or the sale or lease of the property on which the sign is located, rather than the purpose of general advertising. It must be located upon property either owned or leased and used by the advertised business or profession for the purpose of conducting the business activity.
(ee) Permanent Sign. A sign attached to a building, structure, or the ground in a manner that enables the sign to resist environmental loads, such as wind, and precludes ready removal or movement of the sign.
(ff) Projecting Sign. Any sign affixed to a building or wall in such a manner that its leading edge extends, in whole or in part, more than eighteen (18) inches beyond the surface of such building or wall.
(gg) Pole-Mounted Sign. A freestanding sign supported by one or more pole structures anchored in the ground and independent from any building or other structure.
(hh) Political Campaign Temporary Sign. Freestanding temporary signs advocating or opposing a candidate for public office or a position on an issue to be determined at an election.
(ii) Portable Commercial Sign. Temporary signs with a commercial message which are not permanently affixed into the ground or to a building or structure and which can easily be picked up and moved to another location.
(jj) Real Estate Sign. Any sign advertising the sale, lease, or rental of real estate which is placed upon the property so advertised.
(kk) Roof Line. The line composed of the highest points of the vertical exterior enclosing walls of a building or structure.
(ll) Roof Sign. Any sign erected on or affixed to a building or structure which extends, in whole or in part, above the roof line.
(mm) Service Director. The Service Director of the City of Sylvania. References to the Service Director in this Chapter shall include a duly authorized designee.
(nn) Sign. Any letters, parts of letters, words, figures, numerals, emblems, devices, designs, displays, drawings, trademarks, posters, handbills or any other objects which: (i) are designed, intended, or used to advertise or make known, designate or attract attention to any person or any thing (such as a person, place, event, product or business), (ii) are visible to persons located outdoors, and (iii) are capable of attracting the attention of such persons. A sign shall include any supporting structures or equipment used to display the sign face.
(oo) Street Frontage. The distance for which a lot line of a zone lot adjoins a public street, from one lot line intersecting said street to the furthest distant lot line intersecting the same street.
(pp) Temporary Sign. Any sign not intended for permanent installation, such as promotional and street banners and signs at construction sites. They may also be incidental or miscellaneous in nature, such as political campaign temporary signs and real estate signs.
(qq) Visible. Capable of being seen and comprehended without visual aid by a person.
(rr) Wall Sign. Any sign attached parallel to, but within eighteen (18) 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.
(ss) Window Sign. Any sign placed inside a window in a building or structure or upon the window panes or glass such that it is visible from the exterior of the window.
(tt) Zone Lot. A parcel of land in single ownership that is of sufficient size to meet minimum zoning requirements for area, coverage, and use, and that can provide such yards and other open spaces as required by the zoning regulations.
(uu) Zoning Administrator. The Zoning Administrator of the City of Sylvania. References to the Zoning Administrator in this Chapter shall include duly authorized designees.
(Ord. 1-2006. Passed 2-22-06.)