Diamond Bluff Town City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
Signs
§ 240-58 Purpose.
The purpose of these requirements is to ensure that the outstanding visual resources of the county are protected and that traffic safety is enhanced by setting requirements for the size, number, placement and lighting of signs.
§ 240-59 Applicability.
A.
Signs restricted. Unless exempted under Subsection B, no sign shall hereafter be located, erected, structurally altered, moved or reconstructed except as permitted by this article.
B.
Signs exempted. The following shall be exempt from the requirements of this article:
(1)
Memorial signs and tablets displayed on public property or in cemeteries.
(2)
Official traffic and parking signs and informational, legal or directional notices erected by federal, state or local units of government.
(3)
Guidance signs authorized by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation under Section TRANS 200.03 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.
(4)
Official government entity flags.
(5)
Outdoor murals or other outdoor artwork determined by the Zoning Administrator not to be signs.
(6)
Temporary signs regulated under § 12.04, Wis. Stats.
[Amended 4-19-2016 by Ord. No. 15-07]
§ 240-60 General sign requirements.
[Amended 3-27-2001 by Ord. No. 00-14; 4-19-2016 by Ord. No. 15-07]
The following requirements shall apply to all permitted signs, unless exempted in § 240-59B:
A.
No undulating, swinging, rotating or otherwise moving sign shall be permitted.
B.
No sign shall obstruct clear visibility of traffic along any public highway or at the intersection of any highways with either driveways or highways.
C.
No signs, except signs erected by a unit of government, shall project over or be located within any pubic right-of-way.
D.
Signs shall not resemble, imitate or approximate the shape, size, form or color of traffic signs, signals or devices. Signs shall not obstruct or interfere with the effectiveness of traffic signs, signals or devices nor be lighted in such a way so as to cause glare or impair driver visibility upon public roads.
E.
Signs shall not be located or maintained in such a way that prevents free ingress or egress from any floor, window or fire escape, and no sign shall be attached to a fire escape.
F.
No sign shall contain or use audio speakers.
G.
No sign shall be placed on or over the roof of any building.
H.
Digital display and illuminated signs.
(1)
Any spotlights used to illuminate signs shall be shielded such that their light source cannot be seen from adjoining roads or properties.
(2)
No flashing, fluttering, intermittent or full-motion video or otherwise animated sign messages shall be permitted.
(3)
Malfunctions. A digital display sign must be designed to freeze the display in the event of a control malfunction.
(4)
Digital display signs with variable messages must maintain a static display for a minimum of eight seconds. The transition time between one display and the next shall be no longer than two seconds.
(5)
The brightness level of a digital display sign shall not exceed 300 nits between the hours of civil sunset and civil sunrise and 5,000 nits between the hours of civil sunrise and civil sunset.
(6)
Digital display signs and illuminated signs shall only be allowed in Commercial. Light Industrial and Industrial Districts.
(7)
Prior to issuance of a permit for a digital display sign, an applicant shall submit documentation demonstrating that the proposed sign can be automated to comply with the above requirements.
§ 240-61 Specific requirements for particular signs.
[Amended 4-19-2016 by Ord. No. 15-07]
A.
Permitted signs. All applications for permitted signs shall conform to the requirements set forth in § 240-74. The changing or altering of the sign face area on a previously permitted sign shall require a sign permit. The changing of text or logos or the repainting and routine maintenance of a sign shall not be deemed changes or alterations requiring a permit.
B.
Wall signs.
(1)
The sign face area of a wall sign shall not exceed 15% of the area of the side of the building to which it is attached. If more than one sign is present, the combined sign face area shall not exceed 15% of the area of the side of the building to which they are attached. The requirement shall be expanded to 20% of the area of the side of the building if such side is greater than 250 feet from the road right-of-way which is subject to a scenic easement, such as the Great River Road.
(2)
Wall signs shall not extend more than six inches from the building's wall surface or beyond the end of the wall.
C.
Freestanding and projecting signs.
(1)
The maximum size of on-premises freestanding and projecting signs shall be as follows:
(a)
Signs located in Commercial. Light Industrial and Industrial Districts shall not exceed 32 square feet in sign face area and shall be limited to three per parcel.
(b)
Signs located in the Primary Agriculture, General Rural, General Rural Flexible or Agriculture-Residential Zoning Districts shall not exceed 24 square feet in sign face area unless a conditional use permits issued in accordance with § 240-76; in such cases, sign face area shall not exceed 32 square feet. Such signs shall be limited to two per parcel.
(c)
Signs which are located in Rural Residential 8, Rural Residential 12 or Rural Residential 20 Zoning Districts shall not exceed 24 square feet in sign face area and shall be limited to one per parcel.
(2)
Off-premises signs shall be allowed only in the Commercial, Light Industrial and Industrial Districts and shall not exceed 32 square feet in sign face area and shall be limited to two per parcel.
(3)
Signs shall be located at least five feet from all side lot lines.
(4)
No sign shall be located closer to any other sign than a distance equal to 1/2 of the required minimum lot width for new lots in the zoning district in which the sign is located.
(5)
The top of a projecting sign shall not extend above the roof on the building to which it is attached and shall not extend more than five feet from the wall to which it is attached.
§ 240-62 Temporary sign requirements.
[Amended 4-19-2016 by Ord. No. 15-07]
A.
Basic requirements.
(1)
Temporary signs shall not be illuminated.
(2)
No temporary signs shall be located in the public right-of-way or on public property unless erected by the federal, state, or local government unit.
(3)
Temporary signs may not exceed 24 square feet in sign face area.
(4)
Temporary signs shall be placed and removed in a time appropriate manner in accordance with the designated purpose of the sign.
B.
Temporary signs that are found by the Zoning Administrator to be erected in violation of this chapter or signs that are erected in a manner which poses a threat to public health and safety may be removed 24 hours following notification of the property owner.
§ 240-63 Nonconforming signs.
A.
Except as specified in Subsection B, nonconforming signs may continue, but structural alterations or repairs are prohibited, unless the sign is brought into conformity with this chapter.
B.
Removal of signs; no increase in surface area square footage.
(1)
Signs that are nonconforming because they are in a public right-of-way; are flashing, fluttering, or moving signs; contain obscene language, symbols, or pictures; or which remain beyond a time limit specified by this chapter or by the sign permits shall be removed or brought into compliance. If such sign is not removed or brought into compliance, the owner or lessee of the property upon which the sign is located shall be subject to prosecution and penalties as provided in Article XII, Enforcement.
(2)
Nonconforming on-premise signs located in commercial or industrial districts may be repaired or replaced, but repair or replacement shall not result in an increase in surface area square footage.
[Added 3-27-2001 by Ord. No. 00-14]
§ 240-64 Abandoned signs.
A.
Abandoned signs shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the property upon which the sign is located, unless the sign's message is changed in compliance with this chapter. Such removal or change of message shall be completed within one year of the date upon which it becomes an abandoned sign.
B.
If the owner or lessee fails to remove the sign, the Zoning Administrator shall give the owner 60 days' written notice to remove said sign or change its message in compliance with this chapter. Upon failure to comply with this notice, the owner or lessee of the property upon which the sign is located shall be subject to prosecution and penalties as provided in Article XII, Enforcement.