The sign regulations of this chapter are intended to protect and further the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the village; to maintain and improve the appearance of the village; to conserve community character; to prevent traffic hazards; to provide safer conditions for pedestrians; and to promote economic development by regulating the construction, alteration, repair, maintenance, size, location, and number of signs. It is further determined that to allow signs of excessive number and size in the village would unduly distract pedestrians and motorists, create a traffic hazard, and reduce the effectiveness of signs needed to direct the public. The regulations of this chapter are intended to provide reasonable identification for businesses and other uses within the community.

(Ord. No. 436, § 2, 12-16-2013)

1.

Sign setbacks and locations.

a.

All signs, unless otherwise provided for, shall be set back a minimum of ten feet from any public or private street right-of-way line or access drive in all districts. This distance shall be measured from the nearest edge of the sign, measured at a vertical line perpendicular to the ground to the right-of-way.

b.

No sign shall be placed in, upon or over any public right-of-way, alley, or other public place, except for permitted highway and government signs and those signs permitted in the BC district which may project from a building wall over a public way, or other signs for community events as approved by the village council.

c.

No light pole, utility pole, or other supporting member shall be used for the placement of any sign unless specifically designed and approved for such use.

d.

No sign shall be erected in any place where it may, by reason of its position, shape, color, or other characteristic, interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal, or device, or constitute a nuisance per se.

e.

No commercial vehicle, which in the opinion of the zoning administrator has the intended function of acting as a sign, shall be parked in any area abutting the street, unless no other parking area is available.

f.

All ground, freestanding, and wall signs may contain reader boards and changeable message signs, as permitted in section 2104.3, requirements for permanent signs.

g.

No wall sign shall extend beyond the edge of the wall to which it is affixed; nor extend above the roof line of a building; nor project more than 12 inches from the surface of the wall.

h.

All signs shall pertain only to the business or activity conducted on the premises, with the exception of political signs, special event signs, business center signs that are located on property containing one of the businesses that are advertised on the sign, and billboards.

2.

Measurement.

a.

The area of a sign shall be measured as the area within a single, continuous perimeter composed of any straight line geometric figure which encloses the extreme limits of writing, representation, emblem, logo, or any other figure of similar character, together with any frame or other material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate the sign from the background against which it is placed, excluding only the structure necessary to support the sign.

(1)

The area of wall signs that are located at least ten feet apart (measured at the closest point between them) may be measured separately. In no case may the sum of all wall signs per building wall exceed that which is permitted in this Chapter.

(2)

The area of a freestanding, ground, or projecting sign shall be considered the area of the largest sign face. Back-to-back signs are permitted (each allowed the maximum area as noted in Table 2104, Requirements for Permanent Signs. Where sign faces are of unequal size, the larger of the two sign faces shall be counted as the one face.

b.

The height of a sign shall be measured as the vertical distance from the highest point of the sign to the finished grade of the ground immediately beneath the sign, excluding any artificially constructed earthen berms.

c.

Wall signs for buildings with multiple tenants shall be distributed amongst the tenants and located so each tenant sign corresponds with their entrance or general location within the building.

3.

Illumination.

a.

Permanent signs may be illuminated, but only by steady, stationary, shielded light sources directed solely at the sign or internal to it.

b.

Use of glaring undiffused lights, bare bulbs, or flames is prohibited.

c.

Lighting shall be shielded and/or pointed downward so as not to project onto adjoining properties or thoroughfares.

d.

Underground wiring shall be required for all illuminated signs not attached to a building.

4.

Maintenance.

a.

Signs shall be maintained free of peeling paint or paper, fading, staining, rust, or other condition which impairs legibility or intelligibility.

b.

Sign supports, braces, guys and anchors shall be maintained in such a manner as not to cause a hazard.

(Ord. No. 436, § 2, 12-16-2013)

1.

Permit required. Any person wishing to erect, place, replace, or permit another to place a sign on their property must first obtain a sign permit, unless such sign is specifically exempted as provided in this chapter.

2.

Signs not requiring a permit. The following signs shall not require a sign permit, but shall be subject to all other applicable general requirements of this chapter:

a.

Government signs.

b.

Placards.

c.

Temporary sale signs of four square feet in size or less.

d.

Window signs, provided the total area of all signs within one foot of the window shall not obscure more than 50 percent of the window area.

e.

Political signs.

f.

Historical markers.

g.

Memorial signs or tablets.

h.

Murals.

i.

Signs not visible from any street.

j.

Signs for essential services.

k.

Signs with address, owner, or occupant name, of up to one square foot in area attached to a mailbox, light fixture or exterior wall.

l.

Flags or insignia of any nation, state, local government, community organization, or educational institution.

3.

Prohibited signs. All signs not specifically allowed under this chapter (unless exempted from regulation herein) are prohibited in the village. Further, the following types of signs are expressly prohibited.

(Ord. No. 436, § 2, 12-16-2013)

Permanent signs are permitted in combination (unless otherwise noted) in each district according to Table 2104, and are subject to the requirements described in this chapter.

1.

Projecting, awnings and marquee signs.

a.

Signs may not project more than four feet from the building wall.

b.

Signs projecting over the public sidewalk or right-of-way shall maintain an overhead clearance area of at least eight feet in height.

2.

Multi-tenant and shared business center signs.

a.

Gross ground sign area equals the cumulative size of the ground or freestanding signs that the subject properties would otherwise be allowed, based on one ground or freestanding sign per property (e.g. three businesses that would each be allowed a 60 square foot ground sign - totaling 180 square feet of Gross Ground Sign Area - may choose to forego individual signs and erect one Business Center Sign not to exceed 108 square feet).

b.

No ground or freestanding signs shall be permitted for individual businesses that are advertised on a Shared Business Center Sign.

c.

No more than 60 percent of the total sign area shall be occupied by one business.

d.

For purpose of enforcement, maintenance of the sign shall be considered the responsibility of the property owner, or in case of a condominium, that business that occupies the largest building area.

e.

Applications must be accompanied by a recordable agreement, in a form acceptable to the village attorney. The agreement must include acknowledgment by all businesses advertised on the sign that no additional ground or freestanding signs will be approved for any business that is advertised on the shared sign, regardless of any change of ownership.

3.

Changeable message signs.

a.

One changeable message sign shall be permitted per premise as part of a monument or wall sign in the I, Industrial; LI/R, Limited Research/Industrial; BC, Business Center; GB, General Business; and O, Office Districts.

b.

The area of a changeable message sign shall not exceed 40 percent of the total area of the sign.

c.

Electronic messages or gasoline prices shall be displayed for at least 15 seconds, and changes shall take less than one second to change. Electronic messages or gasoline prices shall not flash, fade in or out, or scroll.

d.

Electronic changeable message signs shall use only one color of lighting or bulbs to prevent nuisances and distractions upon adjoining properties and thoroughfares.

4.

Permanent directional signs.

a.

The village may, upon recommendation by the village planner, approve additional signage needed to facilitate safe movement within the site, upon determination that the following is met:

(1)

Freestanding directional signs may not exceed six square feet in size, nor four square feet in height.

(2)

Directional wall signs needed to identify accessory activities (such as service bays or drive-through lanes) may be approved provided they do not contain business advertising and are not visible from the public street in such a way that they may cause distraction or confusion to motorists.

5.

Sub-tenant wall signs.

a.

Where buildings contain more than one business, one additional wall sign may be installed for each sub-tenant in the building, up to a maximum of four additional signs. The signs shall be used to advertise the name of businesses within the building, not to provide additional advertisement for the primary business.

b.

The planning commission may allow additional sub-tenant signs in consideration of the following:

(1)

The number of sub-tenants in the building.

(2)

Area of lease space occupied by the sub-tenant within the building.

(3)

Size of the building façade(s).

(4)

Visibility of the building.

c.

Such wall signs shall not exceed 20 square feet each.

(Ord. No. 436, § 2, 12-16-2013; Ord. No. 449, § 1(Att.), 5-18-2015)

Temporary signs are permitted as shown in Table 2105, and are subject to the requirements described in this chapter:

Notes to Table 2105:

1.

Signs with a "removal" requirement may be erected up to five business days before the event and removed in the timeframe specified.

2.

Except for blade/bow flags signs or those allowed by village council, temporary signs shall be setback a minimum ten feet from all property lines.

3.

Signs placed in front windows may not obscure more than 50 percent of the window area.

4.

Pennants and banners may be used as a temporary sign, provided they are not displayed on any one lot or parcel for more than 30 consecutive days for any one permit period and no more than three additional permits shall be issued for any one lot or parcel during any 12-month period.

5.

Special event signs. The village council may allow additional temporary signs for recurring special events that either benefit the community, or are proposed by a public or non-profit agency. Such signs may be allowed according to the following:

a.

Temporary signs that will exceed the duration restrictions noted in the table above may be allowed by village council upon annual review and approval. The council may allow signs for a single event, or for a series of events which may be planned for the calendar year.

b.

Applications shall include the following information:

i.

Details regarding the location, number, size and design of any temporary signs.

ii.

The dates of proposed events, and the proposed schedule for erection and removal of signs.

iii.

The name and contact information of those responsible for the signs.

c.

Signs may be approved by the council if it is determined the following conditions are met:

i.

The proposed sign(s) are consistent with the purpose of this sign ordinance, as stated in section 2101, purpose.

ii.

The proposed sign(s) are in the benefit of the community in general. The sign must relate to a community event or promote a public purpose rather than a private interest.

iii.

The nature of the request is not to circumvent other provisions of this ordinance.

iv.

Approval of the sign(s) will not extend rights to one business or entity that is not extended to other similar businesses or entities.

d.

The village council shall review recurring temporary sign applications on an annual basis. Where a series of events is proposed, the village may grant approval for all or a portion of the year, if needed to monitor compliance with this chapter.

(Ord. No. 436, § 2, 12-16-2013)

1.

Every permanent sign which was erected legally and which lawfully exists at the time of the enactment of this chapter, but which does not conform to the height, size, area, or location requirements of this chapter as of the date of the adoption of these regulations, is hereby deemed to be nonconforming. This status shall not be granted to any temporary sign, banner, placard, or other non-permanent sign.

2.

Nonconforming signs may not be altered, expanded, enlarged, or extended, except as allowed in this ordinance; however, nonconforming signs may be maintained and repaired so as to continue the useful life of the sign.

3.

For the purposes of this chapter, a nonconforming sign may be diminished in size or dimension without jeopardizing the privilege of nonconforming use. The copy of the sign may not be amended or changed, except as provided in subsection 2110.4, unless specifically designed to be changed periodically as in reader board, without bringing such sign into compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

4.

Any business, whose sign is a legal, nonconforming sign, may change the face of a legal, nonconforming sign on the premises after the sale or change in tenant of the property provided that the use of the property at the time of sale or change in tenant is continued under the new ownership. Any change in the use of the property shall require conformance to the sign ordinance in its entirety.

5.

Any nonconforming sign destroyed by fire or other casualty loss shall not be restored or rebuilt if reconstruction will constitute more than 50 percent of the value of the sign on the date of loss.

6.

Any sign which for a period of one year or more no longer advertises a bona fide business conducted or product sold shall be removed by the owner of the building, structure, or property upon which such sign is located, within 30 days of receipt of written notice by the zoning administrator.

7.

A sign accessory to a nonconforming use may be erected in the village in accordance with the sign regulations for the district in which the property is located.

(Ord. No. 436, § 2, 12-16-2013)