A. The purpose of this chapter is to provide standards to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare by regulating and controlling the design, quality of materials, construction, location, electrification and maintenance of all signs and sign structures not located within a building.
B. The regulations of this chapter are not intended to permit any violation of the provisions of this code or of any other lawful city or state ordinance. (Ord. 2447, 1-22-1968; amd. Ord. 3325, 2-13-1984)
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them:
APPROVED PLASTICS: Only those slow-burning plastics such as cellulose acetate or methyl methacrylate or other plastics of no greater combustibility, as now approved by the Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., for sign use.
BUILDING CODE: The building code of the city, as adopted in chapter 1 of this title.
BUS STOP BENCH: The structure permitted to be located on public property, bearing advertising and used for public seating purposes, in accordance and controlled by title 7, chapter 2, article B of this code.
COMBINATION SIGN: Any sign incorporating any combination of the features of ground, projecting and roof signs.
CURB LINE: The line at the face of the curb nearest to the street or roadway. In the absence of a curb, the curb line shall be established by the city engineer.
DISPLAY SURFACE: The area made available by the sign structure for the purpose of displaying the advertising message.
ELECTRIC SIGN: Any sign containing electrical wiring, but not including signs illuminated by an exterior nonconnected light source.
GROUND SIGN: Any sign which is supported by one or more uprights, poles or braces in or upon the ground, other than a combination sign or pole sign.
MARQUEE: A permanent roofed structure attached to and supported by the building and projecting over public property.
NONCOMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL: Any material which will not ignite at, or below, a temperature of one thousand two hundred degrees Fahrenheit (1,200°F) during an exposure of five (5) minutes, and which will not continue to burn or glow at that temperature, as specified in the building code.
NONSTRUCTURAL TRIM: The molding, battens, caps, nailing strips, latticing, cutouts or letters and walkways which are attached to the sign structure.
POLE SIGN: Any sign supported wholly by a pole or poles in the ground which are not a part of a building.
PORTABLE SIGN: Any sign consisting of solid materials, whether on a frame, chassis, or wheels, which can be moved from one location to another.
PROJECTING SIGN: Any sign, other than a wall sign, which projects from and is supported by a wall of a building or structure.
PROJECTION: The distance by which a sign extends over public property or beyond the building line.
ROOF SIGN: Any sign attached to roof framing, walls or columns of the building on which the entire advertising display is above the roof level.
SIGN: Any medium, which is used or intended to be used to attract attention to the subject matter for information or advertising purposes.
SIGN STRUCTURE: The supports, uprights, braces and framework of the sign.
TEMPORARY SIGN: Any sign, banner, pennant, valance or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas, light fabric, cardboard or other like materials, without frames, intended to be displayed for a limited period of time only.
WALL SIGN: Any sign attached to or erected against the wall of a building or structure, with the exposed face of the sign in a plane parallel to the plane of the wall. (Ord. 2447, 1-22-1968; amd. Ord. 3325, 2-13-1984; Ord. 3410, 10-21-1985)
A. Sign Painting Or Posting On Existing Buildings Or Billboards: Any person desiring to engage in the act of drawing, painting or posting a sign on any existing building or billboard or signboard surface as covered by this chapter, shall first apply to the city council for a license to do so. Said license shall be in the amount of twenty five dollars ($25.00) per year, except as in subsection B of this section, payable annually on January 1 of each year. The license provided for in this subsection shall be limited to the drawing or painting or posting of signs only.
B. Painting, Erecting And Installing Signs:
1. Any person desiring to engage in the act of painting, erecting, maintaining, repairing, servicing, installing or removing signs, portable signs, billboards or signboards, as covered by this chapter, regardless of size or weight, shall first apply to the city council on an approved application form supplied by the city for a license to do so. The fee for such license is in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for the first year; thereafter the license shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) per year for each year of subsequent renewal. The license provided for in this subsection shall also apply to the drawing or painting of signs and is in lieu of the license in subsection A of this section.
2. The applicant, at the time of applying for license required by this subsection, shall execute and file with the building official (or a specified intergovernmental agency if so designated by the building official) a certificate of insurance written by a company authorized to transact business in the state, in limits of not less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) combined single limit to any person and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) property damage; said certificate to be written on a standard form and carrying an endorsement naming the city and its employees (or the intergovernmental agency designated by the building official) as additional insureds as its interest may appear and conditioned upon the faithful performance of all duties required of such contractor by any ordinances, rules and regulations of the city. It shall be a further condition of said certificate of insurance that the obligator will hold the city (through the specified intergovernmental agency if so designated) harmless from any and all damages sustained by reason of neglect or incompetency on the part of such contractor, his agents or employees in the performance of the work done under a license or permit issued upon the filing of said certificate.
Said certificate of insurance shall be issued by December 31 of each year, and shall be refiled on or before said date for each subsequent year and shall be in continuous full force and effect. It is the intent and purpose of this certificate of insurance to also bind the individual, company, firm, association or partnership, whether it be trade name, corporation or other business association or arrangement with which the principal is associated.
Homeowners working on their principal residence shall be exempt from filing this certificate.
C. Exceptions To License: The licenses required by subsections A and B of this section shall not be required for the following:
1. A sign painted on a building by an owner or lessee on their own property.
2. The installation of a ground sign not exceeding nine (9) square feet in area, advertising the sale or rental of a lot or parcel of property, or job sign, such sign to be located on the premises so advertised.
D. Effective Date Of Fees, Bonds: Any changes contained herein regarding license fees or bonds of sign contractors shall become effective when such fees or bonds next become due, or when new licenses or bonds are required after the effective date hereof. (Ord. 2447, 1-22-1968; amd. Ord. 2521, 3-16-1970; Ord. 3020, 4-9-1979; Ord. 3325, 2-13-1984; Ord. 3587, 10-10-1988; Ord. 4065, 1-3-1995; Ord. 4087, 4-3-1995)
All signs, together with all of their supports, braces, guys and anchors, shall be kept in repair and in proper state of preservation and working order. The display surfaces of all signs shall be kept neatly painted or posted at all times. The building official may order the removal of any sign that is not maintained in accordance with this section. (Ord. 2447, 1-22-1968; amd. Ord. 2521, 3-16-1970)
A. Inspections Required:
1. All signs for which a permit is required by this chapter shall be subject to inspection and reinspection at the discretion of the building official.
2. All signs containing electrical wiring shall be subject to the provisions of the city electrical code 1 .
3. The sign erector's name must appear visibly on all signs.
B. Appeals From Action Of Building Official: Any person who has been ordered by the building official to incur an expense for the alteration or removal of any sign, or any person whose application for a permit for a sign has been refused, may appeal to the building inspection board of appeals by serving written notice to the building official. The notice of appeal must be served upon the building official by personal service or certified mail within twenty (20) days after the date of the order of removal or the date the application for permit has been refused. The notice shall immediately be transmitted to the board of appeals. All appeals shall be handled in the manner outlined in the building code.
C. Certificate Of Inspection And Compliance Required: Each owner of a sign shall furnish to the building official, upon request, a letter certifying to a complete inspection from a bonded and licensed sign company, showing that any defective maintenance items have been corrected, and showing that the sign is being maintained in a good state of repair. (Ord. 2447, 1-22-1968; amd. Ord. 2521, 3-16-1970; Ord. 3020, 4-9-1979; Ord. 3325, 2-13-1984)
Notes
| 1 | 1. See chapter 3 of this title. |
A. Obstruct Traffic-Control Signs; Signs Along Highways: No sign shall be erected in such manner as to confuse or obstruct the view of any official traffic sign, signal or device. In the case of property abutting a state property, the sign shall be erected in such a manner as to comply with Iowa Code chapter 306C.
B. Signs Not To Constitute Traffic Hazard: No sign shall be constructed, erected or altered to obstruct the view of traffic on any highway, street, intersection or railroad.
C. Church Signs: Church signs are permitted on public parking but when erected shall not obstruct the view of traffic or traffic signals, and shall be limited to two (2) square feet in area and shall be erected by a licensed sign erector. (Ord. 2447, 1-22-1968; amd. Ord. 2521, 3-16-1970; Ord. 3325, 2-13-1984)
Whenever the building official shall find signs, advertising, displays or any other materials or articles on public or private property in violation of any provision of this code or other city ordinance or any law, he may remove such sign or he shall report his findings to the superintendent of streets who shall pick up, or cause such materials or articles to be picked up, and stored at the city garage, where the owner of the materials or articles may claim them by paying the sum of twenty five dollars ($25.00) to cover the costs incurred by the city. (Rev. Ord. 2087, Comp. 1941, p. P-8a; Ord. 3325, 2-13-1984)
No sign shall be permitted anywhere in the city which, in the opinion of the building official, does not accurately or fairly represent the services or products advertised on such sign, and which is likely to mislead the general public who rely upon the information contained on the sign. (Ord. 3020, 4-9-1979)
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