(a) Temporary signs may not be illuminated.
(b) Light sources to illuminate permanent signs located inside or outside of buildings shall not be of excessive brightness or cause glare hazardous to pedestrians or drivers of automobiles, or be objectionable to adjacent Residential Districts. "Excessive brightness" shall be defined as any sign that emits more than 10.00 Footcandles (equivalent to 10.00 Lumen per square foot) of light when measured at night, three feet perpendicular from the center of any sign face. "Excessive brightness" can be avoided through the use of nonwhite background internally and externally illuminated signs, cut out letters on internally illuminated signs with opaque backgrounds, and dark backgrounds on internally illuminated translucent signs. "Hazardous glare" can be avoided with the proper placing, shielding, screening and wattage for externally illuminated signage.
(c) The colors red, yellow, or green shall not be used where they may interfere with the sight lines of a traffic signal.
(d) Bright lighting of a roof or building for advertising purposes and "outline lighting" of buildings or roofs shall be prohibited. Illumination of nonresidential buildings and roofs shall be at the discretion of the Planning Commission after reviewing the location, zoning district, and proximity to public streets and adjacent residential areas.
(e) Signs in Residential Districts shall not be illuminated except for monument or wall mounted institutional identification signs and, at the discretion of the Planning Commission, residential identification monumental signs. Identification signs in residential districts shall be illuminated by external means only. Internally illuminated signs shall not be permitted in residential districts. All permitted permanent signs in business and industrial districts may be illuminated as limited in subsection (b) hereof.
(f) Holiday lighting during the holiday season shall not be restricted by the foregoing regulations.
(g) Illumination of monument signs shall be limited to external lights for indirect lighting or in the case of internal lighting with not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the sign face opaque or nontransparent. External lights shall be screened, shielded and so located that no glare of the light shines onto any public road or residential district.
(h) Use of exposed neon tubing and signage in marquee, wall, and window signs shall be approved or disapproved at the discretion of the Planning Commission after reviewing the location, brightness, zoning district, and proximity to public streets and residential areas. Exposed neon shall comply with all the performance standards listed above.
(Ord. 2002-47. Passed 5-2-02.)