(a) A sign may be erected, placed, established, painted, created, or maintained in the Village only in conformance with the standards, procedures, exemptions, and other requirements of this ordinance.
(b) No sign shall be installed in any manner which may endanger the safety of any pedestrian or motor vehicle. No sign shall project into any public right-of-way or obstruct traffic visibility at street or highway intersections.
(c) All signs and components thereof shall be kept in good repair and in safe, neat, clean and attractive condition.
(d) Area measurement for any sign consisting of separate letters or designs or symbols or parts thereof that are constructed without being fixed to a background structure shall be made by measuring the overall area occupied by the letters, designs or symbols.
(e) A sign for a conditional use shall be constructed and maintained as approved at the time the conditional use is approved. Signs for conditional uses in any business, commercial or industrial district shall be as specified or conform to the requirement for the most similar use in the district in which it is located subject to approval of the Board of Appeals.
(f) Exemptions. The following types of signs are exempt from sign permit requirements:
(1) Any public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state or local law or regulation.
(2) Public Signs: Signs of a non-commercial nature and in the public interest, erected by, or on the order of, a public officer in the performance of his public duty, such as safety signs, danger signs, trespassing signs, traffic signs, memorial plaques, signs of historical interest and the like.
(3) Institutional: Signs setting forth the name or any single announcement for any public, charitable, educational or religious institution, located entirely within the grounds of that institution, up to an area of 20 square feet. Such signs may be illuminated in accordance with the regulations contained hereinafter. If building mounted, these signs shall be flat wall signs and shall not project above the roof line. If ground mounted, the top shall be no more than four feet above ground level.
(4) Integral: Names of buildings, date of erection, monumental citations, commemorative tablets and the like when carved into stone, concrete or similar material or made of bronze, aluminum or other permanent-type construction and made an integral part of the structure, provided that such signs do not exceed two square feet in area.
(5) Private Traffic Direction: Signs directing traffic movement onto a premises or within a premises, not exceeding three square feet in area for each sign. Traffic directional signs on private property shall contain no commercial message. Illumination of these signs shall be permitted in accordance with the section hereinafter included on illumination. Horizontal directional signs on and flush with paved areas are exempt from these standards.
(6) Small Signs: Signs not exceeding two square feet in area, attached flat against the building, stationary and not illuminated, announcing only the name and occupation of building tenant.
(7) Rentals: Signs on the premises announcing rooms for rent, apartment or house for rent and not exceeding four square feet.
(8) Vehicles: Signs on vehicles of any kind, provided the sign is painted or attached directly to the body of the original vehicle and does not project or extend beyond the original manufactured body proper of the vehicle, provided that the primary use of the vehicle is not for advertising purposes. If a vehicle is parked at such location in such a manner and for such a purpose as to constitute a use primarily intended for sign advertising purposes, then the regulations as to signs in the zoning district in which it is located shall be applied to include the sign on the vehicle.
(9) Farms: Names of occupants and other identification painted or otherwise made a part of the surface or roof of a barn or other accessory building pertaining to and identifying the owner and/or activity of the farm unit provided said identification is not for advertising purposes.
(10) Any sign inside a building that is not in a window display.
(11) Works of art that do not include a commercial message.
(12) Holiday display lighting and decorations with no commercial message.
(13) Any traditional display in connection with the celebration of a national holiday, a religious holiday, or a community celebration, and the display of the American flag, or flag of other government entity respectfully displayed are hereby permitted.
(14) Garage/yard sale signs. These signs shall be removed no later than five days after completion of the event or transaction.
(Ord. 11-07. Passed 7-18-07.)