Alexandria Township
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
Signs
§ 115-56 Scope and applicability.
In all zoning districts within the jurisdiction of this chapter, signs may be used, erected, maintained, altered, relocated, removed or demolished only in compliance with the provisions of this article and any and all ordinances and regulations of the municipality relating to the use, erection, maintenance, alteration, moving or removal of signs or similar devices.
§ 115-57 General regulations.
The following regulations shall be observed for all signs in all zoning districts in the municipality.
A.
Only signs which promote or draw attention to a product, article of business or service offered, sold or rendered at or in the place or premises where such sign is located shall be permitted in the municipality.
B.
Any sign located along the right-of-way of a state or federal highway shall comply with any more restrictive requirements of the state and federal government relating thereto.
C.
No sign shall be placed in such a position as to endanger traffic by obscuring view or by confusing with official street signs or signals because of position, color or reflective surface.
D.
Except in the case where a local right-of-way abuts a structure, only traffic signs and similar regulatory notices of a duly constituted governmental body are permitted within a street right-of-way.
E.
Except in the case where a local right-of-way abuts a structure, no sign other than those of governmental authority shall be erected or maintained nearer to a street line or lot line than a distance equaling the height of the top of the sign.
F.
Except in the case where a local right-of-way abuts a structure, no sign other than those of a governmental authority shall be permitted within a distance of 20 feet from the intersection of any ultimate right-of-way line and the edge of a private accessway, unless the sign is situated at least eight feet above the level of the street center line.
G.
Except for within the Village Commercial (VC) Districts, there shall be a minimum distance of 20 feet between any side property line and sign erected under the provisions of this article.
H.
No sign shall project over a public walkway, except where a local right-of-way abuts a structure, or signs of governmental authority. For those exceptions where a sign is permitted, the lowest edge of such sign shall be at least eight feet above the sidewalk elevation.
I.
All signs must be contained within the building height restriction of the zoning district.
J.
Only one sign of a permitted type shall be erected on any one premises held in single and separate ownership unless such premises fronts on more than one street, in which case one such sign may be erected on each street frontage.
K.
Every permitted sign must be constructed with durable materials, must conform with the requirements of the BOCA Building Code and must be kept in good condition and repair. Any sign which is allowed to become dilapidated may be removed by the Township at the expense of the owner or lessee of the property on which it is located.
L.
Lights illuminating signs shall be so arranged so that the source of light is not visible from any point off the lot and that only the sign is directly illuminated.
§ 115-58 Permitted signs.
A.
AR Agricultural Residential, CR Conservation Residential, VR Village Residential and I Institutional Districts.
[Amended 3-14-1990 by Amendment 5.01]
(1)
The following types of signs shall be permitted on any lot used exclusively for a single-family dwelling:
(a)
Permanent signs limited to the names of residents and/or the property and the address, provided that the size of any such sign does not exceed two square feet.
(b)
Temporary signs relating to the sale, improvement or development of the premises, political campaigns or charitable fund-raising drives, provided that the size of any such sign does not exceed 15 square feet.
(2)
Signs on lots used for other than single-family dwelling purposes exclusively shall conform to the provisions of § 115-58B(2).
B.
VC Village Commercial and LB Local Business Districts. The following types of signs shall be permitted:
(1)
Signs for permitted noncommercial uses, provided that such signs conform to the sign regulations under § 115-58A.
(2)
Signs for permitted commercial, agricultural and home occupation uses, provided that:
(a)
Signs shall advertise only the name of the establishment or products involved on the lot on which such signs are located.
(b)
Signs shall be stationary and shall not contain any visible moving or movable parts.
(c)
Signs attached to buildings shall be permanently attached and shall be limited to one sign per facade on two facades. Such attached signs shall not project farther than six inches from the building, and the total area of one sign shall not exceed 10% of the area of the facade or 20 square feet, whichever is smaller.
(d)
A maximum of one freestanding sign, not exceeding 20 square feet in area, shall be permitted, except that properties fronting on two or more streets may have one such sign per street. Size restrictions for freestanding signs shall be based upon measurement of one side only. Both sides may be used.
(e)
Signs shall be erected behind the setback lines.
C.
IC Industrial Commercial, AB-1 Airport Business-1, AB-2 Airport Business-2 and AP Airport Residential Air Park Districts. Signs shall be permitted as provided for in Subsection B, except that:
(1)
Permanently attached signs shall not exceed 10% of the area of the facade or 40 square feet, whichever is smaller.
(2)
A maximum of two freestanding signs, not exceeding 75 feet each in area, shall be permitted, except that properties fronting on two or more streets may have one additional sign per street.