No person, firm, association or corporation, whether engaged in the business of outdoor advertising or not, shall erect, maintain or display any billboard, poster panel, bulletin, advertising structure, advertising sign or other advertising device upon buildings, structures or land without first obtaining a permit therefor from the Superintendent of Buildings, as hereinafter provided.

A separate application for permit, as herein required, shall be made for each separate advertising structure, sign or device on a form furnished by the Superintendent of Buildings. Each application shall be accompanied by the written consent of the owner of the real property upon which such structure, sign, device or display is to be erected or maintained. Application shall be made in like manner for a permit to maintain any existing structure, sign, device or display, or to renew a permit.

No such advertising structure, sign or device, whether new or existing, shall hereafter be altered, rebuilt, enlarged, extended or relocated except in conformity with the provisions of this article, nor shall the wording on any such advertising structure, sign or device be changed without the approval of the Superintendent of Buildings.

The Superintendent of Buildings shall require that each advertising structure, sign, device or display for which a permit is required under the provisions of this article shall bear the permit number in accordance with rules established by the Superintendent of Buildings, and, if erected or maintained by an outdoor advertiser, shall also bear his name.

The Superintendent of Buildings shall have the right to issue permits, not transferable, for a period of time not exceeding one year or to refuse the same, and to revoke any permit issued by him under this article; and if the erection and display of any advertising device for which a permit is issued by the Superintendent of Buildings shall be prevented by any zoning board, commission or other public agency which has jurisdiction over the proposed device or its site, the permit shall be revoked.

All outdoor advertising structures, signs, devices or displays shall be removed by the outdoor advertiser or other person, firm, or corporation erecting, owning, maintaining or displaying the same, or, in default of removal by the person, firm or corporation thus primarily charged with such duty by the owner, or tenant, of the premises upon which the structure or display is maintained, within 30 days from the date of the expiration of revocation of the permit for same.

The erection and maintenance of ground signs, or pole signs, which are also classified as ground signs, are governed by the provisions of this section.

Ground signs shall not exceed 15 feet in height from the ground level. An open space of at least three feet in height shall be maintained between the bottom of the sign and the ground, provided that necessary supports may extend through such space, and the filling of such space with lattice or slats, leaving at least 50% of the space open shall not be permitted.

Signs attached to poles shall advertise only the business conducted on the premises or the products sold thereon. They shall not exceed a total area of 30 square feet. The total height of such sign structure shall be not more than 15 feet with a minimum distance of 10 feet between the bottom of the sign and the surface of the ground. Only one pole sign shall be permitted for each 100 feet or less of street frontage, and such pole signs shall be located so that no part thereof shall project outside the property line.

In residence districts, ground signs on undeveloped property shall not exceed 100 square feet in area, and they shall advertise only the sale or rental of premises upon which they are maintained. Such signs shall conform to the established front and side yard setbacks for the district in which they are maintained.

In business districts, all signs on undeveloped property, except pole signs, shall be set back at least 25 feet from any property line. Grass and weeds between a sign and the street line shall be kept cut by the owner of such sign.

Fees. At the time of making application for a permit for a ground sign or pole sign a fee as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees shall be paid to the Superintendent of Buildings. Such permits shall expire one year from date of issuance. Permits may be renewed on or before the expiration date by making application to the Superintendent of Buildings and payment of fee therefor, in an amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees.

Cash deposits. Before the issuance of any permit for the erection or maintenance of a ground or pole sign, there shall be paid to the Superintendent of Buildings, in addition to the fee mentioned in Subsection F, a cash deposit in an amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees to guarantee compliance by the owner or tenant with all of the provisions of this article or, in default thereof, to be forfeited to the Incorporated Village of Baxter Estates.

No person, firm or corporation shall engage in the business of outdoor advertising by erecting or maintaining billboards or poster panels for hire without first having procured a license from the Superintendent of Buildings to conduct such business.

Application for a license shall be made on forms to be furnished by the Superintendent of Buildings, who shall examine such applicant at such time and place as he shall designate as to his or its qualifications and competency to engage in the business. The examination shall be practical elementary in character but sufficient to test qualifications of the applicant in the most approved methods in connection with said business. Said license shall not be transferable and any license granted may be revoked by the Superintendent of Buildings if the licensee violates any provisions of this article. When a license is revoked a new license shall not again be granted to the same licensee for at least 30 days.

The initial fee for such license shall be as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees, and the license shall expire on the last day of the calendar year following the date of issuance. The fee for each yearly renewal of such license shall be as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees.

Said person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of outdoor advertising shall, before beginning operations under said license, file with the Village Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Baxter Estates a bond in an amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees, with sureties to be approved by said Board conditioned for the faithful observance of this article and to save and keep harmless the Incorporated Village of Baxter Estates from all damages, liabilities, losses or judgments that may be recovered against the Village by reason of the negligent erection or maintenance of any such billboard or poster panel, and/or to reimburse the Village for any removal expense caused by the failure of the licensee to remove any such sign.

The fee for the erection and maintenance of each billboard or poster panel for any person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of outdoor advertising and holding a license in the Incorporated Village of Baxter Estates shall be as set from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees.

All such billboards or poster panels shall be subject to the provisions of §§ 175-56, 175-57A and 175-57F, inclusive, and § 175-50A to D.

In residence districts:

In business districts: Signs permitted in residence districts are also permitted in business districts and, in addition thereto, the signs hereinafter described:

One ground sign on a plot where a retail business is conducted on undeveloped property, or one ground sign on developed property where a retail business is conducted in a building having a front yard setback, said sign to be set parallel to the street line, except on corner lots, where it may be set diagonally to the corner.

An open space between the bottom of such signs and the surface of the ground shall be maintained in accordance with the measurements hereinafter set forth:

Such signs shall advertise only the business conducted or products sold on the premises, and the maximum dimensions of such signs shall be the same as for those provided in Subsection B(1)(a) of this section.

Such signs shall also be subject to the provision as to height stated in Subsection B(1)(c) of this section.

No billboard or other structure, or advertising device, except directional and warning signs, or signs of civic and service organizations erected by or with the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Baxter Estates, Town Superintendent of Highways, County Commissioner of Public Works or State Superintendent of Public Works, or by or with the approval of the Long Island State Park Commission in control of a state park or parkways, shall be erected or maintained on the right-of-way of any public highway.

No billboard or other structure or advertising device shall be erected or maintained where, because of the size, location, shape, height, wording, designing or lighting, such sign might be confused as a traffic directional or "stop" sign, or might interfere with the vision or discernment of a traffic directional or "stop" and "go" sign, or might otherwise imperil the safety of travel on street and highways.[1]

No right-angle or projecting sign extending over the public right-of-way for more than 12 inches shall be permitted.

No sign, display or advertising device not heretofore classified in this article shall be permitted.

Signs shall only be permitted on the sides of buildings when such buildings have frontage on a public street; however, the side of the building on which such sign is placed need not face a public street.

The bottom edge of the sign shall not be less than 10 feet above the grade of the ground where it intersects the wall on which such sign is placed.

If there is more than one business conducted in a building and each of said businesses is conducted by a separate and distinct occupant, a separate sign may be placed on the side of such building by each such occupant; provided, however, no such occupant may place more than one sign on the side of such building. If only one sign is placed on the side of a building, it shall not exceed 20 square feet in area; if two signs are placed on the side of a building, the total combined area of the two signs shall not exceed 30 square feet; if three or more signs are placed on the side of a building, the total combined area of all signs shall not exceed 50 square feet.

A single sign may contain the name of more than one occupant of a building, provided the sign otherwise conforms to the requirements of this article, and the size limitations set forth in Subsection C hereof are observed.

Signs located on the sides of buildings shall advertise only the business conducted in that building or the products sold therein. Such signs may not be illuminated, either by direct or indirect means. Lettering on such signs shall be painted or applied to a wood, metal or plastic panel. No painting of letters directly on the side of the building shall be permitted, nor shall the affixing of letters of any kind or material on the side of the building be permitted.

The following signs are specifically prohibited: parking directions; temporary "sale" signs; lettering with directional arrows; lettering of an obviously amateur nature; all other signs except those specifically permitted under Subsection E of this section.

The owner of the building shall be the primary party responsible for compliance with the provisions of this article; however, nothing herein contained shall be deemed to relieve the tenant or occupant of a building from the responsibility of complying with the provisions of this article.

Permits for signs located on the sides of buildings shall be required and obtained in accordance with the provisions of § 175-57 of this article, and the fees required at the time of making application for such a permit shall be in accordance with the provisions of § 175-58F of this article. Before the issuance of any permit for the erection or maintenance of a sign located on the side of a building, there shall be paid to the Superintendent of Buildings a cash deposit as provided in § 175-58G of this article.

All applications for permits for signs located on the sides of buildings shall be accompanied by the written permission of the owner of the building. In the case of an application for a sign on the side of a building which already contains one or more signs, a sketch shall be included with the application, which sketch shall adequately and clearly show the location of the signs, relative to each other, and the dimensions of all signs, both existing and proposed.