(a)

The purpose of this article is to regulate signs and outdoor advertising within the village to protect public safety, health and welfare; recognize the different visual environments within the zoning districts; minimize abundance and size of signs to reduce motorist distraction and loss of visibility; promote public convenience; preserve property values; support and complement strategies of the village master plan and this chapter; and enhance the aesthetic appearance and quality of life within the village.

(b)

The regulations and standards of this article are considered the minimum amount of regulation necessary to achieve a substantial government interest for public safety, aesthetics, protection of property values, and are intended to be content neutral. These objectives are accomplished by establishing the minimum amount of regulations necessary concerning the size, placement, construction, illumination, and other aspects of signs in the city so as to:

(1)

Protect the public right to receive messages, especially noncommercial messages such as religious, political, economic, social, philosophical and other types of information protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

(2)

Recognize that the principal intent of commercial signs, to meet the purpose of these standards and serve the public interest, should be for identification of an establishment on the premises, and not for advertising special events, brand names, or off-premises activities; alternative channels of advertising communication and media are available for advertising which do not create visual blight and compromise traffic safety.

(3)

Recognize that the proliferation of signs is unduly distracting to motorists and nonmotorized travelers, reduces the effectiveness of signs directing and warning the public, causes confusion, reduces desired uniform traffic flow, and creates potential for accidents.

(4)

Prevent signs that are potentially dangerous to the public due to structural deficiencies or disrepair.

(5)

Enable the public to locate goods, services and facilities without excessive difficulty and confusion by restricting the number and placement of signs.

(6)

Prevent placement of signs which will conceal or obscure signs of adjacent uses.

(7)

Prevent off-premises signs from conflicting with land uses.

(8)

Preserve the small town atmosphere of the village by encouraging signs of consistent size which are compatible with and complementary to related buildings and uses, and harmonious with their surroundings.

(9)

Prohibit portable commercial signs in recognition of their significant negative impact on traffic safety and aesthetics.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.1, eff. 6-25-1991)

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Banner means a fabric, plastic or other sign made of nonrigid material without enclosing structural framework.

Billboard. See Off-premises sign.

Business center means a grouping of two or more business establishments on one or more parcels of property which may share parking and access and are linked architecturally or otherwise present the appearance of a unified grouping of businesses. A business center shall be considered one use for the purposes of determining the maximum number of pylon or ground signs. A vehicle dealership shall be considered a business center regardless of the number or type of models one makes available; however, used auto/truck sales shall be considered a separate use in determining the maximum number of pylon signs, provided that the used sales section of the lot includes at least 25 percent of the available sales area.

Canopy means a nonrigid fabric marquee or awning-type structure which is attached to the building by supporting framework, which includes a business identification message, symbol and/or logo.

Changeable message sign means a permanent reader board attached to a pylon sign or the exterior of a wall where copy is changed mechanically, electronically or manually, including time/temperature, signs.

Construction sign means a sign identifying the names of project owners, contractors, developers, architects, designers, engineers, landscape architects, and financiers of a project being constructed or improved; and not including any advertising of any product or announcement of availability of leasing space.

Directional sign means a sign which assists motorists in determining or confirming a correct route, specifically enter, exit and parking signs. Business identification or logo on such a sign is considered and calculated as part of the allowable square footage for a pylon or ground sign.

Off-premises sign means a sign which identifies a use or advertises products and services not available on the site or parcel on which the sign is located; a sign which directs travelers or provides a message unrelated to the site on which the sign is located, e.g., billboards.

On-premises sign means a sign providing the address and name of owner of a parcel of land; a sign advertising a business, service or product sold or produced on the same site or parcel.

Political sign means a temporary sign used in connection with local, state or national elections or referendums or expressing a political opinion.

Portable sign means a sign designed to be moved from place to place, whether or not it is permanently attached to the ground or structure. This includes hot-air and gas-filled balloons, pennants, streamers, ribbons, pinwheels, nongovernmental flags, searchlights and signs mounted on a portable structure. Prohibited portable signs shall not include signs which are expressly permitted in this article.

Projecting means a sign, other that a wall sign, that is affixed to any building or wall and whose leading edge extends more than 12 inches beyond such building or wall.

Pylon sign means a sign, pole or ground, supported on the ground by a pole, braces or monument, and not attached to any building or other structure.

Real estate sign means an on-premises temporary sign advertising the property or structures availability for sale or lease.

Regulatory sign means a sign installed by a public agency to direct traffic flow, regulate traffic operations and provide information in conformance with the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

Sandwich board sign means a hand carried sign with two halves that are hinged at the top and can be opened to stand on the sidewalk or in the front yard of a business.

Sign means any device, structure, fixture, figure, symbol, banner, pennant, flag, balloon, logo, or placard consisting of written copy, symbols, logos and/or graphics, designed for the purpose of bringing attention to, identifying or advertising an establishment, product, goods, services, or other message to the general public.

Wall sign means a sign placed flat, adjacent to the building, extending from the building as a canopy sign or projecting sign, or placed on a separate canopy such as over gasoline pumps.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.2, eff. 6-25-1991; Ord. eff. 4-24-1998; Ord. No. 116, eff. 5-25-2002)

Cross reference— Definitions generally, § 1-2.

The following signs are specifically exempt from the provisions of this article, provided that such signs are outside of the public street right-of-way and are located to ensure adequate sight distance:

(1)

Nameplate: address, owner or occupant nameplate and other signs of up to two square feet in area attached to a mailbox, light fixture or an exterior wall.

(2)

Integral signs: names of buildings, dates of erection, monumental citations, commemorative tablets when carved into stone, concrete or similar material.

(3)

Home occupation identification sign: provided that it is a legal home occupation in a residential district, that there is only one sign per parcel, attached to an exterior building wall and does not exceed one square foot in area.

(4)

Permanent signs of a religious institution, school, museum, library, community recreation facility or other nonprofit organization/institutional bulletin boards that are permanent signs which do not exceed 25 square feet in area, are a maximum of six feet in height, and meet the illumination standards of this chapter.

(5)

Construction signs: provided that there shall be only one such sign per development project; with a maximum height of six feet; not exceeding 16 square feet in area and that such signs shall be erected during the construction period only and shall be removed within 14 days of the date an occupancy permit is issued.

(6)

Garage sale and estate sale signs: announcing the sale of household goods; provided, however, that there is only one sign per premises; that they are on-premises only, entirely on private property; that they do not exceed six square feet in area; and that they are erected no more than ten business days before and are removed within one business day after the announced sale.

(7)

Historical marker: plaques or signs describing state or national designation as an historic site or structure and/or containing narrative, not exceeding 12 square feet in area.

(8)

Signs not exceeding a total of two square feet per business indicating acceptance of credit cards or describing business affiliations and are attached to a permitted sign, exterior wall, building entrance or window.

(9)

Signs on vending machines, gas pumps, and ice containers indicating the contents, provided that the sign on each device does not exceed two square feet in area.

(10)

Signs atop gasoline service station pumps announcing on-premises sales, provided that such signs not exceed two square feet in area and signs on gas station pump islands or their structural supports identifying "self-serve" and "full-serve" operations.

(11)

Noncommercial signs: signs containing noncommercial messages, such as those designating the location of public telephones, restrooms, restrictions on smoking and restrictions on building entrances, provided that such signs do not exceed two square feet in area.

(12)

Flags or insignia of any nation, state, the village, community organization, educational institution, noncommercial enterprise, college or university.

(13)

Identification of residential community: one permanent sign per vehicular entrance identifying residential developments such as subdivisions, apartment complexes, condominium communities, senior housing complexes, mobile home parks and similar uses, provided that the sign has a maximum height of six feet and does not exceed 24 square feet in area. The sign may be higher than six feet where it is integrally designed as part of an ornamental wall consisting of brick, stone, wrought iron or wood.

(14)

Political signs: provided that the property contains an occupied structure, signs are not placed within the public street right-of-way, and signs are spaced at least ten feet apart.

(15)

Real estate signs: provided that there shall be only one real estate sign per parcel for each public street frontage, that the maximum height of any such sign shall be six feet, and such signs shall not exceed six square feet in area within the residential districts, 12 feet in area for all other districts. Such sign shall be removed within five days of occupancy by purchaser or lessee.

(16)

Regulatory, directional and street signs erected by a public agency in compliance with Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices Manual.

(17)

Window signs within the building, provided that such signs do not occupy more than 50 percent of the window area and the clear window portion is located to allow security monitoring from the street.

(18)

Warning signs, such as no trespassing, warning of electrical currents or animals, provided such signs do not exceed two square feet in area.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.3, eff. 6-25-1991; Ord. eff. 4-24-1998)

The following signs shall be prohibited in any zoning district:

(1)

Signs which obstruct free access or egress from any building.

(2)

Signs which in any way simulate or could be confused with the lighting of emergency vehicles or traffic signals.

(3)

Signs which obstruct or impair the vision of motorists or nonmotorized travelers at any intersection, driveway, within a parking lot or loading area.

(4)

Signs having moving members or parts, or using high intensity or flashing lights, spinners or animated devices.

(5)

Nonregulatory signs placed in any public right-of-way, attached to a utility pole or affixed to a tree.

(6)

Portable signs, as defined, unless otherwise provided for in this chapter.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.4, eff. 6-25-1991)

Signs which are permitted as accessory uses serving a commercial or informational purpose may be permitted subject to the requirements of this section; provided, however, that no such sign shall be erected or altered until approved by the zoning administrator and until a permit has been issued.

(1)

Setbacks. All signs, unless otherwise provided for, shall be located outside any public street right-of-way line. Side yard setbacks for signs shall be the same as that required for the main structure or building. Signs may be placed in the required side yard setback where the village manager determines such placement will not interfere with views to adjacent signs, will not diminish adequate motorist sight distance, and that it is the most appropriate location on the site due to topography, parking lots, driveways, landscaping and other physical features.

(2)

Sign location. Sign location shall ensure adequate sight distance.

(3)

Illumination. Illumination of signs shall be provided through either internal illumination of the sign or external illumination that is directed or shaded downward. In either case, no direct ray from such illumination shall interfere with the vision of persons on the adjacent streets or of adjacent property owners. The use of colored lights which might be confused with traffic signals will not be permitted. Underground wiring shall be required for all illuminated signs not attached to a building.

(4)

Wall and canopy signs. The width of a wall or canopy sign shall not exceed 90 percent of the width of the building facade upon which it is located.

(5)

Hanging signs in the CBD district. Signs may be permitted on the face or underside of a canopy in the central business district, subject to the approval of the village building inspector who shall ensure that the location, size and type of such sign is consistent with other similar signs in the downtown. Hanging signs must provide a seven-foot clearance from the bottom of the sign to the sidewalk, and cannot exceed a maximum of six square feet in area.

(6)

Projecting or canopy signs. Projecting or canopy signs in the CBD district shall be set back at least two feet from any street curbline, shall not extend more than six feet over the public right-of-way, and shall leave a minimum clearance of eight feet above the ground. Projecting or canopy signs in all other districts shall have a minimum ground clearance of ten feet, shall be set back at least six feet from any adjacent public right-of-way, and shall not project over an alley or private access lane. No projecting sign shall extend for more than four feet from the building to which it is attached.

(7)

Directional signs. No more than one directional sign shall be permitted per approved driveway, with a maximum sign area of four square feet per sign, and a maximum height of four.

(8)

Extensions. No wall, canopy or projecting sign shall extend above the roof or parapet of the structure to which it is attached by more than one foot.

(9)

Permitted temporary signs (sandwich board) in the CBD district. Temporary sandwich board signs may be placed within the CBD district at the public entrance to businesses, on either private property or the public sidewalk, subject to the following requirements. Sandwich board signs are permitted within the CBD district because this area is a more pedestrian-oriented environment, traffic speeds are slower and the smaller lots in the CBD district limit the use of pole signs.

a.

There shall be only one sign at each customer entrance, regardless of the number of tenants on the premises.

b.

Each sign shall be placed outside only during the hours when the business is open to the general public and shall be stored indoors at all other times.

c.

Each sign shall be placed next to the building wall or adjacent to the curb in a manner which provides six feet of free passage for pedestrians and is safe for and does not interfere with normal pedestrian or automobile traffic.

d.

Each sign shall not exceed an area of 12 square feet, an overall height of 42 inches and an overall width of 30 inches.

e.

All sign frames shall be constructed of a weatherproof material and shall be kept in good repair.

(10)

Permitted temporary signs (sandwich board) in the general business district (GBD). Sandwich board signs may be placed within the GBD district at the public entrance to businesses, subject to the following requirements:

a.

There shall be only one sign per business.

b.

The applicant must demonstrate that a pylon sign or ground sign cannot be installed for the business. If the business is part of a shopping center, and a ground sign or pylon sign is provided for the shopping center a sandwich board is not permitted.

c.

Each sign shall be placed outside only during the hours when the business is open to the general public and shall be stored indoors at all other times.

d.

Each sign shall be placed next to the building or within ten feet of the road right-of-way and must provide six feet of free passage for pedestrians and is safe for and does not interfere with normal pedestrian or automobile traffic.

e.

Each sign shall not exceed an area of six square feet, an overall height of 36 inches and an overall width of 24 inches.

f.

All sign frames shall be constructed of a weatherproof material and shall be kept in good repair.

(11)

Special event temporary signs (sandwich board) in the general business district (GBD). Sandwich board signs for the purpose of advertising a special event hosted by the business may be placed within the GBD district at the public entrance to businesses, subject to the following requirements:

a.

The business owner must obtain a special event sign permit from the zoning administrator.

b.

There shall be only one special event sign per business.

c.

A special event sign may be permitted for up to a total of 36 days within the calendar year.

d.

The sign shall be placed outside only during the hours when the business is open to the general public and shall be stored indoors at all other times.

e.

Each sign shall be placed next to the building or within ten feet of the road right-of-way and must provide six feet of free passage for pedestrians and is safe for and does not interfere with normal pedestrian or automobile traffic.

f.

Each sign shall not exceed an area of six square feet, an overall height of 36 inches and an overall width of 24 inches.

g.

All sign frames shall be constructed of a weatherproof material and shall be kept in good repair.

(12)

Measurement of allowable pylon sign area. The allowable area for signs shall be measured by calculating the square footage of the sign face and any frame of other material or color forming an integral part of the display or used to differentiate it from the background against which it is placed as measured by enclosing the most protruding points or edges of a sign within a parallelogram or rectangle. Back-to-back sign faces shall be counted as one sign face for the purposes of measurement. For a pylon sign that is mounted on a solid masonry or wood monument, the area of the monument base and any wood or masonry frame shall not be included in the sign area.

(13)

Measurement of allowable sign area for wall signs. Wall sign square footage shall be determined by measuring a box which includes the portion of the canopy which contains a message, symbol and/or logo. When a sign consists solely of lettering or other unifying elements printed, painted or mounted on a wall of a building without any distinguishing border, panel or background, the calculation for sign area shall be measured by enclosing the most protruding edges of the sign elements within a box.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.5, eff. 6-25-1991; Ord. No. 98, eff. 12-22-1995; Ord. eff. 4-24-1998; Ord. No. 116, 5-25-2002; Ord. No. 129, 12-15-2003)

Standards for signs are provided in the following Table 18.6:

Table 18.6. Sign Regulations ^1,2

Footnotes:

1. Table provides summary of allowable signs. Refer to article VIII of this chapter for comprehensive list of regulations.

2. One of each sign is permitted per lot or parcel of property, unless otherwise noted.

3. Only one pylon, ground or projecting sign is permitted.

4. The maximum area of a pylon sign may be increased to 50 square feet in area for a multitenant business center, provided that the site has at least 90 feet of frontage provided: the sign base materials are brick or other durable material, the base of the sign is landscaped.

5. A second pylon sign is allowed for a business center on a lot with at least 200 feet of frontage, with a maximum cumulative sign area of 100 square feet for both signs.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.6, eff. 6-25-1991; Ord. eff. 4-24-1998; Ord. No. 116, eff. 5-25-2002; Ord. No. 129, 12-15-2003)

(a)

Nonconforming signs are those signs that do not comply with the size, placement, construction or other standards or regulations of this article, but were lawfully established prior to its adoption. The intent of this article is to encourage eventual elimination of nonconforming signs in a timely manner. This objective is considered as much a subject of public health, safety and welfare as the prohibition of new signs in violation of this article. Therefore, the purpose of administering this article is to remove illegal nonconforming signs while avoiding any unreasonable invasion of established private property rights.

(b)

A nonconforming sign may be continued and shall be maintained in good condition as described elsewhere in this section, except that a nonconforming sign shall not be structurally altered or repaired so as to prolong its life or so as to change its shape, size, type or design unless such change shall make the sign conforming; nor shall a nonconforming sign shall be replaced by another nonconforming sign.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.7, eff. 6-25-1991)

Sign permits shall be obtained from the village prior to the erection or replacement of any regulated sign. Applications for sign permits shall be submitted to the village administrator for review. Sign permit applications that meet the requirements of this article shall be forwarded to the building official for a permit and inspection of the sign following installation. The fee for a sign permit shall be established, and periodically changed, by resolution of the village council.

(Ord. No. 82, § 18.8, eff. 6-25-1991; Ord. eff. 4-24-1998)