This Article is adopted pursuant to KRS 100.

This Article regulates signs, as defined herein, when mounted, located, or displayed on property located within the incorporated limits of the City, on land that is either private land or public land over which the City Council has land use regulatory authority.

This Article shall apply to all signs erected, placed, painted, installed or otherwise made visible on private or public property in the City, except as otherwise provided herein. All signs displayed in the City shall comply with all requirements of this Article and all other applicable law. Permits shall be required for all signs in the City, except as specified herein. No sign, outdoor advertising, structure, billboard or display shall be erected, installed, located or maintained in any zoning district of the City, except in conformity with these regulations. New signs, additional signs, relocations or structural alterations of existing signs also require sign permits.

It shall be unlawful and a violation of this Article for any person to fasten, place, paint, or attach in any way: any sign, handbill, poster, advertisement, or notice of any kind, or cause the same to be done in or upon any curbstone, lamp post, utility pole, hydrant, bridge, culvert, public drinking fountain, public trash container, courtesy benches, restroom, bus stop kiosk or shed, bus stop station building, tree, or in or upon any portion of any public sidewalk, street, or sign, except as specifically allowed within this Article.

The following actions require a permit, unless a particular sign is exempt from obtaining a permit under this Article.

1. 1.
   New Sign: If any new sign is erected, a permit shall be obtained.
2. 2.
   Replacements: If any sign is removed and any new sign is erected in its place, a permit shall be obtained the same as if a new sign were erected at a new location, subject to all requirements of this Article.
3. 3.
   Relocation: If any sign is removed from one location and erected at a new location, a new permit shall be obtained.
4. 4.
   Alteration: Alteration or enlargement of any sign shall require a permit the same as for a new sign. Any change in technology for a sign shall be considered an alteration; this shall expressly apply but not be limited to the conversion of a sign to changeable copy technology of any type.

1. 1.
   Unless installed and maintained as permitted in this Article, illumination of signs is prohibited. The prohibition on separate illumination for a sign does not prohibit indirect, incidental illumination that spills over from a light serving another lawful purpose.
2. 2.
   In no case shall any sign illumination exceed one foot-candle at any property line.

The following signs or sign elements are exempt from the provisions of this Article but are subject to any other applicable laws and regulations.

1. 1.
   Any sign installed in a building or enclosed space and not legible from the public right-of-way or from private or public property other than the property on which it is located.
2. 2.
   Any sign with a sign area of less than four square feet in area and less than four feet in height (if freestanding), that is not separately illuminated and that is not legible from the public right-of-way or from private or public property other than the property on which it is located.
3. 3.
   Signs on mass transit vehicles operating in or passing through the jurisdiction.
4. 4.
   Signs on vehicles and watercraft which are regularly used in the operation of a business; signs on vehicles which are parked for long periods of time, which are not operational or which are not regularly used in the operation of a business at the same location where the vehicle is most frequently parked shall be considered detached signs and subject to regulation under this Article. For purposes of this subsection, a “long period of time” shall be a continuous period of 30 days or separate periods that total 40 days or more out of any 60-day period.
5. 5.
   Signs and plaques designating historic properties, events, or features provided such signs have been approved by the City.
6. 6.
   Flags representing governmental entities and institutions not used for commercial advertising.

Signs listed in this Section shall be exempt from the permit requirements of this Article, but shall, to the maximum extent allowed by law, be subject to the other standards of this Article. Where a sign is erected pursuant to a statute or a court order, the sign may exceed the size standards of this Article or otherwise deviate from the standards set forth in this Article to the extent that the statute or court order expressly required the larger size or other deviation. In all other respects, such signs shall conform to the standards of this Article. This subsection shall apply to all the following types of signs.

1. 1.
   Signs conforming to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and bearing no commercial message.
2. 2.
   Signs installed by employees or officials of the City, a state, or federal agency in the course of their governmental duties.
3. 3.
   Signs required by a state or federal statute.
4. 4.
   Signs required by an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
5. 5.
   Signs installed by public utilities in their rights-of-way or on their facilities and bearing no commercial message other than such message is necessary to identify the use and provide contact information regarding the facility or provide contact information regarding the facility.
6. 6.
   Signs installed by a transit company with a franchise or other right to operate in the City, where such signs are installed along its routes and relate to schedules or other information about the transit route.

1. 1.
   Nothing in this Article shall prohibit or limit the outdoor display of products where allowed under the zoning ordinance, although a particular product may be a thing which would be prohibited by this Article if used as a sign and although one or more such products may have on them permanent labels that might otherwise fall under this Article. This Article shall, however, apply to any sign, banner, pennant, or other attention-attracting device affixed to a product displayed outdoors. For example, the label “Chevrolet” on an automobile or “John Deere” on a tractor shall not be considered a sign for purposes of this Article, but a separate sign attached to such a product shall be considered a sign and subject to regulation.
2. 2.
   Signs on gasoline pumps, vending machines, news racks and similar machines and devices used for the sale or dispensing of products shall be allowed without a sign permit if they do not flash and if they are either not legible from any public right-of-way, public property or private property other than the site on which the sign is located; or they consist entirely of letters, numerals or symbols that are less than four inches in height. All other signs on vending machines, gas pumps, news racks and similar machines and devices shall be considered “signs” and shall be subject to all of the regulations of this Article.
3. 3.
   In districts where drive-through and drive-up facilities are allowed, drive-thru signs or other instructional or informational devices related to the drive-through or drive-up facilities shall be allowed without a sign permit, provided that such device is less than 12 square feet in size, and that the only words, numerals, symbols or pictures on such device that are legible from any location other than the site on which it is located shall include no commercial message but shall simply identify the device as a “menu,” “directory,” “instructions,” “information” or something similar or a logo that is no larger than one foot in any dimension. In such districts, directional information and logos installed on drive-through canopies and clearance bars are also permitted and are not considered signs.

1. 1.
   No sign shall be located so that it obstructs access to or from a doorway, fire escape or required escape window.
2. 2.
   No sign shall be located so that it blocks the free air flow through windows in residential units.
3. 3.
   No sign located within a clear sight triangle (see Section 6.07 Clear Site Distance Required) shall obstruct the vision of motorists or pedestrians between a height of 30 inches and 108 inches off the ground.
4. 4.
   No wall sign shall extend above the top of the wall of the building, including parapets and architectural extensions.
5. 5.
   No sign shall be located so that it obstructs access to or from a doorway, fire escape or required escape window. No sign shall be located so that it blocks the free air flow through windows in residential units.
6. 6.
   No sign located within a clear sight triangle (see Section 6.07 Clear Site Distance Required) shall obstruct the vision of motorists or pedestrians between a height of 30 inches and 108 inches off the ground.
7. 7.
   No wall sign shall extend above the top of the wall of the building, including parapets and architectural extensions.
8. 8.
   No sign shall be located within eight vertical feet or four horizontal feet of overhead electrical or other wires.

1. 1.
   The property owner shall be liable to maintain such sign, including its illumination sources, in neat and orderly condition and good working order at all times and to prevent the development of any deterioration in the safety of such sign. The property owner may assign such responsibility to a tenant or other party, but the property owner shall remain accountable for the maintenance.
2. 2.
   Nothing in this Article shall prohibit the routine maintenance of any nonconforming sign or the changing of the copy or content of any nonconforming sign, except where such maintenance or change in copy would increase the degree of its nonconformity.
3. 3.
   If a business no longer operates on a premises that contains a cabinet wall sign and/or freestanding cabinet sign, those sign faces shall be obscured with a blank panel within 30 days of the business closing its operation on premises.

1. 1.
   General Rule. Signs that move, flash or simulate movement are prohibited except as allowed under this section. A changeable copy sign is considered a different classification of sign under this Article; conversion of an existing sign to a changeable copy sign or to add changeable copy elements to it is allowed only if the modified sign will conform with all standards in this Section and with all other applicable standards related to the location, height, size and other characteristics of the sign.
2. 2.
   Rules for Automatic Changeable Copy Signs Allowed under this Article. Automatic changeable copy signs shall be allowed only in those districts in which “automatic changeable copy sign” is listed as a permitted sign type. The term automatic changeable copy sign does not include signs that change less than four times per day. All automatic changeable copy signs and programmable signs shall be subject to all the following additional restrictions.

   1. a.
      Signs shall be programmed so that the message or image on the sign changes no more often than every eight seconds.
   2. b.
      There shall be no effects of movement, flashing, scintillation, or similar effects in the individual images.
   3. c.
      Changes of image shall be substantially instantaneous as seen by the human eye and shall not use fading, rolling, window shading, dissolving or similar effects as part of the change.
   4. d.
      Video technology in signs shall use automatic level controls to reduce light levels at night and under cloudy or other darkened conditions, in accordance with all the following standards.

      1. 1.
         All electronic or digital display unit message boards shall have installed ambient light monitors and shall at all times allow such monitors to automatically adjust the brightness level of the electronic board based on ambient light conditions.
      2. 2.
         Maximum brightness levels for electronic or digital display boards shall not exceed 5,000 nits when measured from the sign’s face at its maximum brightness, during daylight hours and 500 nits when measured from the board face at its maximum brightness between dusk and dawn, i.e., the time of day between sunrise and sunset.
   5. e.
      Any sign using electronic or electro-mechanical technology for changeable copy message boards, which malfunctions, fails, or ceases to operate in its usual or normal programmed manner causing therein motion, movement, flashing or any other similar effects, shall be repaired or disconnected within 48 hours by the owner or operator of such billboard.
   6. f.
      The area of a sign consisting of electronic or electro-mechanical message board elements shall not constitute more than 200 square feet of a sign.
   7. g.
      The following limitations shall apply to the location of signs using electronic or electro-mechanical technology for a message board.

      1. 1.
         A sign on which the electronic or electro-mechanical message board includes 100 or more square feet of sign area shall not be erected within 500 feet of property falling in one of City or other jurisdiction’s residential zoning districts, although this restriction shall not apply to mixed use districts and commercial districts allowing residential uses.
      2. 2.
         A sign on which the electronic or electro-mechanical message board includes 20 or more square feet of sign area but less than 100 square feet of sign area shall not be erected within 200 feet of property falling in one of the City or other jurisdiction’s residential zoning districts, although this restriction shall not apply to mixed-use districts and commercial districts allowing residential use.
      3. 3.
         A sign on which the electronic or electro-mechanical message board includes less than 20 square feet of sign area shall not be erected within 100 feet of property zoned and used exclusively for single-family uses; it is the express intent of this provision to allow the use of such technology on signs for institutional uses located in residential districts, provided that the required separation is maintained between the sign and any property zoned and exclusively used for a single-family use.

The following table contain relevant regulations for signs within each district. A sign permit is required, unless identified in Section 11.06 as a sign allowed without a permit. 

The purpose of this section is to establish minimum standards for the provision, installation, maintenance, and repair of murals to ensure compatibility with building environment and protect public safety.  These regulations for murals are intended to:

1. 1.

   Create and preserve original artwork;

2. 2.

   Encourage artistic expression and neighborhood pride;

3. 3.

   Increase community cultural assets;

4. 4.

   Foster community engagement;

5. 5.

   Deter vandalism; and

6. 6.

   Enhance environment and quality of life through cultural resources.

1. 1.

   The aggregate area of all words or written messages on a static display shall comprise no more than 20% of the area of the display.  The mural may contain the signature of the artist and date but not to exceed 1% of total mural area.

2. 2.

   Murals are allowed in NC, CC, HC zoning district(s).

3. 3.

   Design, construction, installation, repair, and maintenance of such displays will not interfere with traffic or public safety.

4. 4.

   No part of a mural shall exceed the height or width of the structure to which it is tiled, painted, or affixed.

5. 5.

   No part of a mural shall extend more than six (6) inches from the plane of the wall upon which it is tiled, painted, or affixed and shall not project over a public right of way.

6. 6.

   No mural may consist of, or contain, electrical or mechanical components, or changing images.

7. 7.

   No murals shall be placed over the exterior surface of any building opening, including, but not limited to, windows, doors, and vents.

8. 8.

   No mural shall be arranged and illuminated in a manner that will produce a light intensity of greater than three foot candles, as measured at the property line of the nearest commercial property or one foot candle, as measured at the property line of the nearest residential property.

1. 1.
   The gross surface area of a sign, except wall signs, is the entire area contained within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of such sign. For detached signs composed of more than one sign cabinet or module, the gross surface area shall include the sum of the area in each cabinet or module only. If a sign has more than one face, the gross surface area shall be equal to the maximum area of the sign face or faces visible from any ground position along any public right-of-way at any one time.
2. 2.
   The perimeter of a sign will not include lighting fixtures, pole covers, landscaping, framing, decorative roofing, moldings or aprons or other architectural or decorative embellishments, provided they contain no written copy, logos or symbols.