Fennville City Zoning Code

Public safety. To promote the free flow of motorized and nonmotorized traffic and protect motorists, passengers, and pedestrians from injury and property damage caused by, or which may be fully or partially attributable to, cluttered, distracting, or illegible signage that results in confusion and hindrance of vision. Also, to protect public safety by prohibiting or removing signs that are structurally unsafe or poorly maintained.

Community aesthetic quality and character. To protect and enhance the physical appearance of the community and property values by preventing blight, visual clutter, excessive lighting, and out-of-scale signage that degrade the aesthetic views and/or property values of the community. To promote signage that contributes to the streetscape element and aids in creating a "sense of place."

Free speech. To ensure that the constitutionally guaranteed right of free speech is protected and to allow signs as a means of communication.

Effective communication. To encourage the appropriate design, scale, and placement of signs in a manner that communicates effectively to the intended reader.

Economic development. To allow for adequate and effective signage for businesses to inform, identify, and communicate effectively.

Ease of administration. To have standards and administrative review procedures that are simple for property owners, tenants, and sign installers to understand and follow.

Exemptions.

Right-of-way prohibited. Unless otherwise permitted, no sign, except those established and maintained by the City, county, state, or federal governments, shall be located in, project into, or overhang a public right-of-way or dedicated public easement. For signs within the right-of-way, a sidewalk use permit shall be required. Signs within the right-of-way along M-89, or any other state-owned roadway, shall require a permit from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

Clear vision triangle area prohibited. No sign shall be located in the clear vision triangle area. Clear vision triangles on M-89 are subject to MDOT approval.

Projections. Unless otherwise permitted, no sign shall project beyond or overhang the wall or any permanent architectural feature (e.g., awning, canopy, or marquee) by more than 36 inches and shall not project above or beyond the highest point in the roof or parapet.

Safety. No sign shall be permitted at any location that, in the sole discretion of the Zoning Administrator, or their designee, creates any type of safety hazard or visual impediment to pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

Single-faced signs. Single-face sign's total area shall be computed as the number of square feet within lines drawn at the outer perimeter forming any single and/or combination of geometric shapes, such as a square, rectangle, triangle, oval, or circle encompassing the extreme limits of an individual letter(s), word(s), message(s), representations, emblem or any similar figure, including open space(s), together with any frame or other material forming an integral part of display used to differentiate such sign from the background against which it is placed.

Double-faced signs. Double-face signs having two faces of equal size arranged and/or positioned back-to-back and parallel or with the faces shall be computed as 1/2 of the total area of the two faces. When the faces of such a sign are not of equal area, then the area of the sign shall be computed as the total area of the largest face.

Signs with three or four faces. When signs have three to four faces of equal size arranged and/or positioned with the faces in the plain or vertical view, the area of the sign shall be computed as the total area of the largest two faces. The area of three-dimensional signs shall be measured by computing the total area of the largest two faces measured at a two-dimensional view.

Wall sign area measurements. When two single-face wall signs are arranged and/or positioned within 36 inches of each other, the area of the two signs shall be computed as one single face sign and total area shall include the open space between the two separate faces.

Sign height. The height of the sign shall be measured from the sign grade. The maximum sign height shall be measured from the sign grade to the top of the sign. The minimum height, if applicable, shall be measured from the sign grade to the bottom of the sign.

An electronic display shall not consist of more than 50% of the total sign area.

The sign shall only convey a single product or message at any one time.

Except for the change from one display to the next, each individual sign shall be static. No element of the static display may move, flash, change color, dissolve or scroll, except to change from one display to the next.

Displays may change not less than six seconds apart.

Voids or burned bulbs shall be replaced within 10 business days.

Internal illumination shall be shielded in such a manner that it is not visible from the street or any adjoining property, and the light source shall be of a warm, non-glare type.

Lumen not to exceed 270 per square foot.

Internal illumination shall be static and stationary in nature. There shall be no movement, appearance of movement, intermittent illumination, blinking at any interval, or changing color.

External direct lighting shall be directed to not cause glare onto traffic or adjacent properties.

Signs in the B-1 and E Districts. Each business may use any combination of the following dimensions not to exceed 100 square feet for all signs.

Signs in the R-1, R-2, and RM Districts. Each business may use any combination of the following dimensions not to exceed 100 square feet for all signs. The Planning Commission may permit other sign types not listed in the Table below, provided that the intent of this article is met by using the special land use decision criteria in Article 20.

Signs in the CBD. For signs in the CBD, the following standards shall apply:

Any sign which incorporates any manner of flashing, moving or rotating lights (although signs may be illuminated if the source of light is not visible).

Any sign which has light strings, blinking lights, visible moving or revolving parts, or other similar devices used to attract the attention of the public.

Any sign which is structurally unsafe or constitutes a hazard to safety or health, or which is not kept in good repair.

Any sign which, by reason of its size, location, coloring, manner of illumination, or any other reason, may interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with an authorized traffic sign, signal, or device.

Any sign which obstructs visibility at street intersections.

Any sign painted on or attached to any vehicle, trailer, farm or industrial machinery, airplane or railroad locomotive or car which is permanently fixed to the ground, whether or not operable. This provision shall not prohibit lettering or advertising on operable commercial vehicles which are not fixed to the ground.

Billboards having more than one face, including billboards with tandem (side-by-side) or stacked (one-above-the-other) faces, shall be considered as multiple billboards and shall be prohibited in accordance with the minimum spacing requirements set forth below. A billboard's surface display area containing or able to contain advertising shall be considered to be the billboard's face(s).

Not more than three billboards may be located per linear mile of street, regardless of the fact that such billboards may be located on different sides of the street. The linear mile measurement shall not be limited to the City's boundaries if the particular street extends beyond such boundaries.

No billboard may be located within 1,000 feet of another billboard. The 1,000-foot measurement shall not be limited to the City's boundaries.

No billboard may be located within 200 feet of any residential zoning district, a pre-existing dwelling, a pre-existing church, or a pre-existing school. If the billboard is illuminated, the required distance shall be increased to 300 feet.

No billboard may be located closer than 75 feet from a property line adjoining a street. No billboard may be located closer than 10 feet from any other property line of the lot on which the billboard is located.

A billboard's face may not exceed 300 square feet. Double-faced billboards and V-shaped billboards may have two faces, but neither one may exceed 300 square feet.

A billboard's height may not exceed 20 feet above the grade of the ground upon which the billboard sits, or above the grade of the abutting street, whichever is higher.

No billboard may be placed on top of, cantilevered from, or otherwise suspended above the roof of any building.

A billboard may be illuminated, but only if such illumination is concentrated on the billboard's face(s) and is located so as to avoid glare or reflection onto any portion of an adjacent street, the path of oncoming vehicles, or any adjacent lot. No rotating or oscillating beam, beacon, flashing illumination, or intermittent lights may obscure or interfere with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, signal, or device.

A billboard shall be securely anchored and otherwise adequately constructed in order to withstand all wind and vibration forces, which can normally be expected to occur in the vicinity. A billboard shall be adequately maintained to assure its continued structural soundness and the continued readability of its message.

A billboard adjacent to the interstate highway, freeway, and primary highway systems of the State of Michigan, as such terms are defined in the Highway Advertising Act of 1972 (Michigan Public Act 106 of 1972, as amended),[1] shall comply with all of the above requirements as well as the applicable regulations promulgated thereunder, as such provision and/or regulations may be amended from time to time.