The following signs shall be exempt from regulation under the Zoning Ordinance. The following signs shall be allowed without a sign permit and shall not be included in the determination of the type, number, or area of permanent signs allowed within a zoning district, provided such signs comply with the regulations in this section, if any.

   (A)   Official traffic signs.

   (B)   Government/regulatory signs (public signs). Signs erected or required by government agencies or utilities, including traffic, utility, safety, railroad crossing, and identification or directional signs for public facilities.

   (C)   Any public information sign and any other notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state or local law, regulation or resolution, or grant.

   (D)   Any sign inside a building, or other enclosed facility, not attached to a window or door which are not meant to be viewed from the outside that is not legible from a distance of more than three feet beyond the building in which such sign is located.

   (E)   Works of art that do not include a commercial message.

   (F)   Scoreboards for athletic fields.

   (G)   Religious, holiday lights and decorations, and seasonal decorations containing no commercial message when displayed during the appropriate time of the year.

   (H)   Vehicular signs, including but not limited to the use of business logos, identification or advertising on vehicles primarily and actively used for business purposes and/or personal transportation.

   (I)   Personal expression signs of any sign type, including flags, provided that they do not exceed three square feet in area per side, are non-commercial in nature, and not illuminated.

   (J)   Signs or emblems of a religious, civil, philanthropic, historical or educational organization that do not to exceed four square feet in area.

   (K)   Private drive signs. One sign per driveway entrance, not to exceed two square feet in area.

   (L)   Address signs. Up to two signs stating address, number and/or name of occupants of the premises and do not include any commercial advertising or other identification.

      (1)   Residential districts. Signs not to exceed three square feet in area.

      (2)   Non-residential districts. Signs not to exceed five square feet in area.

   (M)   Security and warning signs. These limitations shall not apply to the posting of conventional "no trespassing" signs in accordance with state law.

      (1)   Residential districts. Signs not to exceed two square feet in area.

      (2)   Non-residential districts. Maximum of one large sign per property, not to exceed five square feet in area. All other posted security and warning signs may not exceed two square feet in area.

   (N)   Flags of the United States, the state, foreign nations having diplomatic relations with the United States, and any other flag adopted or sanctioned by an elected legislative body of competent jurisdiction. These flags must be flown in accordance with protocol established by the Congress of the United States for the Stars and Stripes. Any flag not meeting these conditions shall be considered a sign and shall be subject to regulations as such.

      (1)   Location. Flags and flagpoles shall not be located within any right-of-way. Height: Flags shall have a maximum height of 30 feet.

      (2)   Number. No more than three flags per lot in residential districts; no more than four flags per lot in all other districts; public spaces have no number restriction.

      (3)   Size. Maximum flag size is 24 square feet in residential districts, 35 square feet in all other districts; public spaces have no size restriction.

   (O)   Flags - other. Flags containing commercial messages may be used as permitted freestanding or projecting signs, and, if so used, the area of the flag shall be included in, and limited by the computation of allowable area for signs on the property.

   (P)   Flags - other. Flags up to three square feet in area containing noncommercial messages are considered personal expression signs and are regulated in accordance with § 5.E.

   (Q)   Legal notices.

   (R)   Vending machine and ATM signs.

   (S)   Memorial signs, public monument or historical identification sign erected by the village, including plaque signs up to three square feet in area.

   (T)   Signs which are a permanent architectural feature of a building or structure, existing at the time of adoption of this section.

   (U)   Signs advertising the variety of crop growing in a field. Such signs shall be removed after the growing season.

   (V)   Incidental signs, including incidental window signs.

   (W)   Directional signs provided they do not contain any commercial messaging.

      (1)   Area. No single directional sign shall exceed four square feet in area.

      (2)   Height. Directional signs shall have a maximum height of five feet.

      (3)   Illumination. Directional signs shall be non-illuminated.

   (X)   Art and murals provided such signs do not contain any commercial messaging.

(Ord. 10-2020, passed 2-18-2020)

   (A)   All signs not expressly permitted in this chapter, or exempt from regulation pursuant to § 153.220 are prohibited in the village. Such signs include but are not limited to the following:

      (1)   Any signs that imitate, resemble, interfere with, or obstruct official traffic lights, signs, or signals, including but not limited to any signs containing any words or symbols that would cause confusion because of their resemblance to highway traffic control or direction signals.

      (2)   No sign other than a safety sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape.

      (3)   Abandoned signs.

      (4)   Snipe signs. Snipe signs shall only be attached to utility poles in conformance with state and utility regulations and the requirements of this chapter.

      (5)   Mechanical movement signs, including revolving signs.

      (6)   Signs which emit smoke, visible vapors, particulate matter, sound, odor or contain open flames.

      (7)   Reflective signs or signs containing mirrors.

      (8)   Signs which prevent free ingress or egress from any door, window, fire escape, or that prevent free access from one part of a roof to any other part.

      (9)   Any banner or sign of any type suspended across a public street, without the permission of the owner of the property and the village.

      (10)    Roof signs.

      (11)   Signs erected without the permission of the property owner, with the exception of those authorized or required by local, state, or federal government.

      (12)   Any sign containing information which states or implies that a property may be used for any purpose not permitted under the provisions of the Village's Zoning Ordinance.

      (13)   Signs that exhibit statements, words, or pictures of obscene or pornographic subjects as determined by the village.

      (14)   Any sign that promotes illegal activity.

      (15)   Merchandise, equipment, products, vehicles or other items not themselves for sale and placed for attention getting, identification or advertising purposes.

      (16)   Signs shall not be located on trees, utility poles, public benches or any other form of public property or in the public right-of-way.

      (17)   Signs advertising goods or services not available on the property, except for short term signs identifying an entity performing work on the premises.

      (18)   Animated signs, flashing signs, or signs that scroll or flash text or graphics except as permitted under changeable copy signs.

      (19)   Inflatable devices or balloon signs, with the exception of balloons used in temporary, non-commercial situations.

      (20)   Pennant strings and streamers, festoon lighting, and searchlights.

      (21)   Animated, flashing, blinking, racer type, moving or revolving signs, whirligig devices, inflatable signs and tethered balloons, streamers, exposed light bulbs, strings of lights not permanently mounted to a rigid background, except those exempt under the previous section, and other similar features.

      (22)   Portable temporary signs with a chassis or support designed to be transported to a site on wheels.

      FESTOON LIGHTING. A type of illumination comprised of either: (a) a group of incandescent light bulbs hung or strung overhead or on a building or other structure, or (b) light bulbs not shaded or hooded or otherwise screened to prevent direct rays of light from shining on adjacent properties or rights-of-way.

(Ord. 09-2020, passed 2-18-2020)