Hamiltonban Township
City Zoning Code

Place reasonable standards on the erection and maintenance of signs within the Township of Hamiltonban.

Promote the safety, welfare, and convenience of uses of rights-of-way, relative to signs, while maintaining and enhancing the rural character of the Township of Hamiltonban.

Promote commerce while identifying places of business and cultural and social activity in a visually attractive manner compatible with the rural character of the Township of Hamiltonban.

Avoid excessive use of large or multiple signs, so that permitted signs can provide identification and direction while minimizing clutter, confusion, and hazardous distractions to motorists and pedestrians.

No sign shall be erected, enlarged, or relocated until a zoning permit for doing so has been issued by the Zoning Officer, or unless specifically exempted from permitting by § 375-87 below. Applications shall be on forms provided by the Township. All applications shall include a scale drawing specifying dimensions, materials, illumination, letter sizes, colors, location on land or buildings, means of installation on land or building, and all other relevant information.

Signs, and the structure and equipment used in the erection and/or installation of such signs, shall be comprised of durable materials requiring little maintenance. All signs shall be permanently affixed to the ground or building, as appropriate, using generally accepted construction practices.

No sign shall be located so as to interfere with the clear sight distance regulations of Chapter 320, Subdivision and Land Development.

No sign shall be located within the right-of-way of any public or private street.

Signs may be illuminated in accordance with the following standards:

Official street and traffic signs and any other signs required by law.

Trespassing signs, signs indicating private ownership of roads and/or property, and similar signs, provided that such signs are spaced at intervals of no less than 100 feet and do not exceed two square feet in area.

Temporary, nonilluminated real estate signs advertising the sale or rental of the premises upon which they are erected, provided that the maximum area on any side of the sign shall not exceed six square feet, that the total area of the sign shall not exceed 12 square feet, that not more than two signs are placed on a property under single ownership, and that such signs are removed not more than five business days following the sale or rental of the premises.

Temporary, nonilluminated signs of contractors, painters, or similar artisans, erected on the premises where the work is being performed, provided that the maximum area of any one side of the sign shall not exceed eight square feet, that the total area of the sign shall not exceed 16 square feet, that not more than one such sign for each contractor, painter, or similar artisan shall be erected on any property under single ownership, and that the sign shall be removed within one day of the completion of the work.

Temporary, nonilluminated yard or garage sale signs, provided that such signs shall not be displayed for more than 48 hours of each calendar month, that the total area of such signs shall not exceed four square feet, and that not more than two signs shall be displayed for any sale event.

Freestanding signs designating the entrances and exits to commercial and industrial establishments, provided that sign illumination shall be limited to external illumination and that each side of the sign shall not exceed four square feet.

Legal notices, identification, informational, or directional signs erected or required by governmental bodies.

Window signs, directly affixed to the exterior or interior of a window, or placed in inside a building in a manner that can be seen through a window.

Flags indicating that the use is open for the business day. Such flags shall be installed in a manner that provides a minimum of seven feet of clearance between the flag and any pedestrian walkway, including but not limited to public sidewalks. Such flags shall be removed at the end of the advertised business day.

Flashing signs.

Flashing and/or rotation lights.

Signs using the words "stop," "caution," or "danger." Signs using red, yellow, and/or green lights resembling traffic signals. Signs that resemble traffic control signs in terms of size, shape, or color.

Revolving, rotating, or otherwise moving signs. This prohibition shall not include feather signs.

Animated signs, where a component of the sign is designed to physically move.

Portable signs, whether mounted on a trailer, vehicle, temporary base, or similar such devise. A vehicle, painted or decorated so as to display an advertising or related message, and parked in a visible location, shall be considered a portable sign.

Roof signs.

Streamers, pennants, inflatable, or lighter-than-air signs. This prohibition shall not include feather signs.

Strings or light bulbs, searchlights, or other lighting intended to attract attention to a nonresidential use, other than traditional holiday decorations.

Off-premises directional signs shall be permitted in accordance with the following requirements:

Community welcome signs. Signs erected by municipal, civic, or community organizations, and designed to welcome visitors to the Hamiltonban Township community and notify the public of community events may be erected in any zoning district, provided that the following standards are met:

Signs for places of worship, service clubs, fraternal organizations, schools, municipal, emergency services, public and noncommercial parks and recreation, and similar uses that perform civic or community serving functions.

Historical markers shall be permitted in accordance with the following requirements:

Signs advertising a home occupation are permitted, provided that the following requirements are met:

For individual nonresidential uses of property other than home occupations, the following sign standards shall apply:

For individual nonresidential uses of property, the following sign standards shall apply:

For shopping plazas, the following sign standards shall apply:

The signs authorized in § 375-91A and B above may include an electronic message center component, provided that such component complies with the electronic message center standards established in § 375-949.

For individual nonresidential uses of property, the following sign standards shall apply:

A maximum of one billboard sign may be erected on a property in accordance with the following requirements:

The total maximum area of the billboard sign shall not exceed 400 square feet.

The maximum height of the billboard sign shall not exceed 20 feet.

The billboard sign, including its support structure, shall be placed at least 25 feet from any street right-of-way line and at least 50 feet from any side or rear property line.

The billboard sign shall be located along a minor arterial street as identified by the Southwest Adams Joint Comprehensive Plan.

The billboard sign shall be located at least 500 feet from any other billboard sign.

The billboard sign shall be located at least 500 feet from any residential zoning district.

Billboard signs shall be limited to external illumination. Any illumination of a billboard sign shall comply with the sign illumination standards of § 375-86E(1).

For every nonresidential use of property, one freestanding or one projecting sign shall be permitted in accordance with the following requirements:

For every nonresidential use of property, one wall sign or one awning sign shall be permitted in accordance with the following requirements:

The signs authorized in § 375-93A and B above shall be subject to the following general requirements:

Where the nonresidential use is located at the intersection of two public streets, excluding alleys, one sign meeting the requirements of § 375-93A and one sign meeting the requirements of § 375-93B may be erected along each street.

Where an electronic message center is authorized, the electronic message center shall be incorporated into an existing or proposed sign that complies with the sign type, sign height, and sign area requirements of the underlying zoning district. Under no circumstances shall an electronic message center be permitted to be incorporated into a nonconforming sign.

The electronic message center shall not exceed more than 50% of the total sign area of the sign into which the electronic message center is being incorporated.

No more than one electronic message center shall be permitted per property.

The electronic message center shall not employ animated graphics or streaming video. The electronic message center shall not employ text or images which flash, pulsate, move, or scroll. Each complete message must fit on one screen.

Any message on an electronic message center shall have a minimum hold time of eight seconds.

Message transitions on an electronic message center shall occur instantly, and no transition graphics (for example, fades or dissolves) may be employed.

The electronic message center shall be equipped with a default mechanism that will freeze the message when a malfunction in the electronic programming occurs.

Audio speakers on electronic message centers are prohibited.

Electronic message centers shall not exceed a maximum illumination of 5,000 nits (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours and a maximum of 500 nits (candelas per square meter) between dusk to dawn. The sign shall be equipped with an automatic dimmer control that produces a distinct illumination change from the higher allowed illumination level to the lower allowed illumination level for the time period between a half hour before sunset and a half hour after sunrise.

The owner of every electronic message center shall coordinate with local authorities to display, when appropriate, emergency information important to the traveling public, including, but not limited to, Amber Alerts or alerts concerning terrorist attacks or natural disasters. Emergency information messages shall remain in the advertising rotation according to the protocols of the agency that issues the information.