(A) Freestanding monument sign (low profile).
(1) Base material: Durable, stone, masonry or wood material.
(2) Maximum height: Ten feet.
(3) Maximum area: 100 square feet.
(4) Minimum setback:
(a) Three feet from lot lines in Central Business and Neighborhood Business Districts;
(b) Five feet from lot lines in all other areas.
(5) Landscaping: The area around the base of the sign must be landscaped with appropriate greenery.
(B) Awnings. A sign that is painted on, printed on or attached to an awning.
(1) Number of signs per business: Not more than one per lot.
(2) Maximum projection over public sidewalk: 50% of the distance between the building line and the curb line in the central business district. In all other areas, no canopy projection over public right-of-way shall be permitted.
(3) Minimum clearance above grade: eight feet.
(4) Maximum length: length of building.
(5) Maximum area for signs affixed to marquee or awning, one square foot per linear foot of business frontage.
(C) Free-standing pylon signs.
(1) Pylon signs shall be prohibited in any location on property zoned I-1, Limited Industry or B-1, Central Business District.
(2) On property zoned B-3, Limited Business, pylon signs shall be allowed only on property that has frontage directly on State Street or Elm Avenue, or any frontage road thereof.
(3) Maximum sign area and height:
Lot Area (feet squared) | Maximum Height | Pylon Sign Maximum Area (feet squared) |
Less than 6,000 | 20 | 50 |
6,000 - 12,000 | 24 | 80 |
12,000 - 24,000 | 28 | 120 |
24,000 - 48,000 | 32 | 160 |
More than 48,000 | 36 | 180 |
(4) Maximum number per business: one per 300 feet of business lot frontage. (One for frontage up to 300 feet with additional sign allowed for every 300 feet beyond initial 300-foot frontage.)
(5) Minimum setback, pylon sign: pylon structure shall be situated within lot line boundaries. In all other areas, no sign attached to a pylon structure shall project over the public right-of-way.
(D) Building face sign maximum.
(1) Two feet squared per linear foot of business frontage;
(2) One foot squared for each front foot of building siding on a street (side of corner lot);
(3) One foot squared for each linear foot of building rear, viewable by pedestrians or vehicular traffic; and
(4) Maximum area for any building face sign shall be 100 square feet in central business and neighborhood business district and 180 square feet in highway commercial and industrial districts.
(E) Suspended sign maximums. One square foot, with one sign per business.
(F) Projecting signs. Projecting signs are permitted, subject to the following standards:
(1) Minimum height above grade: eight feet; ten-foot minimum clearance for a projecting sign on a corner building when a sign is placed on the building corner or within 25 feet of the building corner, whether the corner is at a street intersection or at an alley intersection;
(2) Maximum height above grade: 16 feet;
(3) Maximum projection permitted: four feet;
(4) Maximum size: nine feet squared; and
(5) Maximum number per building: one. Where a building contains more than one tenant, the maximum number of projecting signs is still one per building, rather than one for each individual business.
(G) Electronic message signs/boards.
(1) Electronic message displays shall display static foreground images for intervals of at least five seconds per image. Static foreground images may be accompanied by the display of background animation, as defined in this chapter, between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
(2) If the sign is within 200 feet of a residential district and is visible from a residential use, the sign shall not be illuminated between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
(3) Transitions on the sign/board may display fade mode and dissolve mode, as defined in this chapter, but shall not be permitted to transition using travel mode, as defined in this chapter.
(4) Transition modes, messages, and background animation which cause any portion of the sign to flash or appear to flash are prohibited.
(5) The sign/board shall only be used to promote activities, products, or services pertaining to the subject property, except as provided in § 152.06; time and temperature; gas pricing; or other public service oriented messages.
(6) The sign/board shall have automatic light dimming capabilities that adjust the brightness to the ambient light at all times of day.
(7) The sign/board shall not exceed a maximum brightness level of 0.3 foot candles above ambient light as measured from a preset distance depending on sign size. The measurement distance shall be determined using the following calculation: the square root of the product of the sign area and 100.
Example using a 12-square foot sign: √(12x100) = 34.6 feet measuring distance.
(8) The sign/board shall not exceed 25% of the allowable sign area or exceed 40 square feet per face, whichever is less.
(9) The sign/board shall be a minimum distance of 50 feet from a residential district or use.
(10) Electronic message signs/boards shall be prohibited within the portion of the Central Business District bounded by 3rd Avenue North and a line that corresponds to the westerly extension of 3rd Avenue South, on both sides of State Street from State Street to the alley, and in the case of the areas south of 2nd Avenue South, the lots between State Street and a line that corresponds to the easterly line of the above noted alleys, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Electronic Message Boards Prohibited
(11) Existing electronic message signs/boards shall meet the requirements of divisions (1) through (7) above within 90 days of the effective date of this division (G).
(H) Incidental signs.
(1) Up to two incidental signs may be attached to a freestanding sign structure or flat against a building wall. The signs are restricted to credit cards accepted, price-posting signs, official notices required by law or trade affiliations.
(2) Areas of each sign shall not exceed five square feet; the total area of all such signs shall not exceed ten square feet.
(I) Incidental signs; service station pumps.
(1) One permanently affixed incidental sign may be attached to each gasoline station pump. The signs are restricted to advertising of products or services available on-site, credit cards accepted, price-posting signs, official notices required by law or trade affiliations.
(2) Area of each sign shall not exceed two feet squared.
(J) Directional signs. One sign is permitted near each driveway. The area of each sign shall not exceed 12 square feet. Maximum permitted height shall be 12 feet.
(K) Special informational signs.
(1) Display. Each business may display one special informational sign containing a one-word generic message, such as “Open,” “Antiques,” “Gifts,” “Sale,” without displaying the name of the business. The signs shall be attached to the building face or projecting from the building in a flag bracket.
(2) Sign structure and support. Each sign shall be composed of cloth, enclosed or not enclosed in a rigid frame and secured or mounted so as to allow movement of the sign by movement of the atmosphere. No strings, fiber ropes or wood slats shall be permitted for support or anchorage purposes. Use of wire rope of -inch minimum diameter is acceptable to support and attach the signs. Each sign shall be perforated over at least 10% of its area to reduce wind resistance.
(3) Projections. If the special informational sign is projecting, it shall comply with the standards for projecting signs set forth in division (E) above.
(4) Maximum sign area.
(a) Level 1, four square feet; and
(b) Level 2, nine square feet.
(5) Maximum number of signs.
(a) Level 1, one per building; may be used in combination with a projecting sign.
(b) Level 2, each building may have one; and (Level 2 special informational sign or one projecting sign, but not both.)
(c) Levels 1 and 2: where a building contains more than one tenant, the maximum number of signs indicated above is per building rather than per individual business.
(6) Maximum display time. Special informational sign display shall be limited to the hours each business day that the business or businesses to whom the sign pertain(s) is/are actually open. Where a building contains more than one tenant, the display time may coincide with the business having business hours beginning sooner or ending later than the other businesses.
(L) Combination of signs and maximum aggregate sign area.
(1) Maximum aggregate sign area of all signs on premise (except for exempt signs): two square feet per linear foot of business lot frontage plus one square foot for each lot frontage on side street plus one square foot for each linear foot of building rear viewable by pedestrian or vehicular traffic and having public entrance. For purposes of calculating the maximum aggregate sign area for one side of a building, only the maximum area for that side of the building may be used. The maximum allowable areas for all sides of a building shall not be added together to determine the maximum area for one side.
(2) Each building may have one permanent projecting sign and one Level 1 special informational sign or each building may have one permanent projecting sign or one Level 2 special informational sign, but not both. Where a building contains more than one tenant, the maximum number of projecting sign and Level 1 or Level 2 special informational sign combinations indicated above is per building rather than per individual business.
(M) Billboard; highway business and industrial areas only.
(1) Maximum area, 350 feet squared;
(2) Maximum height, 25 feet;
(3) Minimum setback from highway right-of-way, 45 feet; and
(4) Minimum spacing, 600 feet, with 600-foot buffer between residential uses and sign.
(N) Signs by conditional use permit. Wall graphics, billboard, kiosk. Marquees and canopy signs.
(O) Temporary signs.
(1) General provisions.
(a) Such signs shall be permitted in the B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, I-1 and I-2 zoning districts.
(b) Such signs shall require a temporary (30-day) sign permit. Each property shall be limited to four such permits per calendar year.
(c) Such signs shall be limited to a total of 32 square feet per side per property at any one given time.
(d) Such signs shall be located on the property which the advertising pertains to.
(e) Such signs shall not be located within any road right-of-way.
(f) Such signs must be maintained and not frayed, torn or tattered.
(2) Exempt temporary signs; no permit required.
(a) Sandwich boards during business hours such that they are not located within the road right-of-way.
(b) Temporary signs for sales events which last no longer than three days.
(P) Prohibited signs.
(1) Abandoned sign;
(2) Animated sign;
(3) Changing sign, except signs displaying any one or a combination of the following: time, temperature and stock market indices;
(4) Flashing sign;
(5) Indexing sign (sign having multi-prisms that turn to show three advertising messages in the same sign area);
(6) Roof sign, except for a sign that forms a parapet wall above the roof line, is flush with or set back from the building face, does not cause the overall height of the building (including the sign) to exceed the height limitation for principal buildings in subject zoning district, and does not exceed the maximum area for a building face sign;
(7) Rotating sign; and
(8) Marquees and/or canopies, except by Conditional Use Permit, inlcuding recommendations from the Historical Preservation Commission, and the Waseca Planning Commission.
(`86 Code, § 9.83) (Ord. 779, passed 11-20-01; Am. Ord. 926, passed 6-5-07; Am. Ord. 973, passed 11-1-11; Am. Ord. 976, passed 12-6-11; Am. Ord. 988, passed 11-5-13)