A legally nonconforming sign shall immediately lose its legal status, and shall immediately comply with the provisions of this Code or be removed, if any of the following occurs.
(A) Abandonment.
(1) Any sign which advertises or identifies a business, product or service that has not been available or in operation at the location for more than 90 days, or which has not been maintained in a state of good repair for that time, shall be deemed to be abandoned and nonconforming rights extinguished, and shall be removed.
(2) This provision shall not apply to permanent signs accessory to businesses which are open only on a seasonal basis; provided there is a clear intent to continue operation of the business.
(B) Destruction, damage or obsolescence. If more than 60% of the face of a sign is damaged or destroyed, or if a sign is structurally damaged, the sign shall be brought in conformance with this Code.
(C) Amortization.
(1) Legally nonconforming signs shall be maintained only as long as they advertise or identify the business or nature thereof in existence on the effective date of this Code. Change of copy, enlargement, relocation, reconstruction, structural alteration or other change shall not be permitted.
(2) The right to maintain a legally nonconforming sign shall be deemed to run with the business in existence on the effective date of this Code and shall not be transferable to another business, use or lot, but shall expire along with discontinuation of the business, service or product being advertised on the effective date of this Code. Copy on off-premises signs and changeable copy boards which is meant to be periodically changed may be changed without affecting legally nonconforming status.
(Title VII, Ch. 17, § 8.2) Penalty, see § 158.999