The following regulations shall apply to all signs.
(A) Construction standards.
(1) All signs shall be constructed and installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the State Building Code.
(2) All temporary signs shall be constructed of materials and printed with inks capable of withstanding normal weather conditions.
(3) All signs, except for banners, flags, temporary signs and window signs conforming in all respects with the requirements of this chapter shall be constructed of permanent materials and shall be permanently attached to the ground, a building or another structure by direct attachment to a rigid wall, frame or structure.
(B) Electrical standards. All illuminated signs shall be installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the State Electrical Code and all detached signs shall be illuminated by an underground electrical source. Underground electrical cable is required to be weather-sealed and meet national electrical standards for burial depth.
(C) Maintenance of signs. All signs shall be maintained in good structural and aesthetic condition. Deficiencies such as chipped paint, broken plastic, missing letters and exposed light bulbs shall be evidence of a lack of maintenance.
(D) Obstructions prohibited. No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct the clear sight triangle at a street intersection nor shall any sign obstruct the view of motorists entering or leaving an off-street parking area.
(E) Relation to other building elements.
(1) Signs shall relate in their placement and size to other building elements without obscuring building elements such as windows, cornices or decorative details, except that signs may be placed on the inside of windows.
(2) Sign material, style and color shall complement the building facade in terms of design, scale, color and materials.
(3) Individual shop signs in a single storefront shall relate to each other in terms of design, size, color, placement on the building and lettering style.
(4) Signs placed on the inside of the window areas shall conceal no more than 25% of the area of the window on which the signs are located.
(F) Sign lighting.
(1) Neon, argon and similar lighting fixtures shall not be used anywhere on the exterior of a building; however, such signs if non-flashing and non-moving may be mounted on the inside of store windows.
(2) Signs shall only be lighted with indirect light sources (e.g., backlighting); knockout signs are encouraged. Ground-mounted floodlights may also be used if the light is directed only on the sign and not onto adjacent properties or roadways and the light fixtures are fully shielded from view through the use of landscaping.
(3) If channel letter signs are being used, they are required to be mounted on a raceway and the electrical connection from the raceway to the junction box on the inside of the wall shall be in a ridged conduit. The power supply for channel letters should be run directly from the power supply to the sign as a dedicated circuit.
(G) Sign height computation.
(1) Sign height shall be computed as the lower of:
(a) Existing grade prior to construction; or
(b) The newly established grade after construction, exclusive of any filling, berming, mounding or excavating solely for the purpose of locating the sign.
(2) The calculation of the height of any sign placed upon a berm or mound shall include the height of the berm or mound.
(H) Sign area computation. The area of a sign face (which is also the sign area of a wall sign or other sign with only one face) shall be computed by means of the smallest square, circle, rectangle, triangle or combination thereof, that will encompass the extreme limits of the writing, representation, emblem or other display, together with any material or color forming an integral part of the background of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the backdrop or structure against which it is placed, but not including any supporting framework, bracing or decorative fence or wall when such fence or wall otherwise meets zoning regulations and is clearly incidental to the display itself. Stenciled window signs with lettering only and transparent background may be measured as the total area of the smallest rectangle(s) to encompass each word.
(I) Sign area computation for multi-faced signs. The sign area for a sign with multiple faces shall be computed by adding together the area of all sign faces visible from any one point. When a sign is composed of two or more sign faces, only one of which can be viewed from any one point, and when such sign faces are part of the same structure, the sign area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.
(J) Forfeiture of illegal signs placed on or over public property. Any sign installed or placed on or over public property, except in conformance with the requirements of this section, shall be forfeited to the public and be subject to confiscation and disposal. In addition to other remedies provided by this section and the town code of ordinances, the town shall have the right to recover from the sign owner and/or installer the full costs of removal and disposal of such sign.
(K) Relocation of signs. Signs for which a sign permit has been issued may be relocated on the same property in conformance with the regulations of this subchapter upon notification to the Zoning Officer. Signs that are nonconforming may not be relocated except upon removal of all nonconforming features of the sign.
(L) Obsolete or abandoned signs.
(1) A sign or part of a sign advertising or pertaining to a business, product, service, commodity, event, activity or purpose which no longer exists or that has not been in use for 90 days or more shall be deemed to be an abandoned sign.
(2) Obsolete or abandoned signs are prohibited and shall be removed by the owner, or his or her agent, within 30 days of termination of the business, activity, event and the like with the exception of political signs, which shall be removed within seven days after elections.
(3) Failure to remove such signs or parts of signs shall result in written notice from the Zoning Officer. Failure to comply with these terms shall result in the sign being removed at the owner’s expense. Costs of removal or repair, court costs and attorney fees incurred by the town shall be assessed against the owner(s), to be collected by the town in an action on the nature of the debt.
(Ord. O-2007-14, passed 8-7-2007; Ord. passed 12-7-2010) Penalty, see § 156.999