Signs are permitted only as an accessory to a permitted use on a lot.

Unless exempted under § 108-24.5, all signs are subject to regulation under this chapter.

Prior to construction, all new regulated signs must obtain a sign permit; provided, however, that if signs are proposed in connection with any special permit or site plan application, such signs shall be reviewed and approved under applicable criteria for the permitted uses and shall not require a separate sign permit or building permit if constructed pursuant to an approved plan.

The Zoning Administrator is authorized to issue permits for temporary signs where approval for a permanent sign has not been granted to an applicant or property owner.

Each place of business or commercial activity may display signs consisting of the business name, name of the business owner, information lines (excluding any pricing information, except for gas stations) and/or a pictograph of the business activity conducted on the premises.

No sign shall be erected, constructed, or maintained in a manner that obstructs traffic movement or visibility or causes any hazard to motor vehicle or pedestrian safety.

No sign shall be placed, painted, or drawn on utility poles, bridges, culverts, or other road or utility structures or signposts, or on trees, rocks, or other natural features, except that signs not exceeding one square foot posting property boundaries may be placed on trees. No signs shall be placed on municipally owned property without the permission of the Town Board.

No freestanding sign shall be located so that any part of the sign or its supporting structure is less than: (a) 10 feet from the street curbing; (b) 10 feet from the paved portion of any street or highway if no curbing exists; or (c) 15 feet from the fog line if the road contains a fog line. In addition, no freestanding sign or its supporting structure shall be located less than 20 feet from the point where two or more streets or highways intersect, as measured at the nearest edge of curbing, or, if no curbing exists, the paved portion of the street or highway. In no case shall a freestanding sign be erected within the street or highway right-of-way.

All signs shall be kept in good repair. Painted surfaces shall be kept neatly painted at all times.

Commercial signs not in shopping centers.

Commercial signs within shopping centers.

Noncommercial signs.

Temporary signs. Unless exempt under § 108-24.5B, signs to be erected for short duration require sign permits which indicate the dates during which the signs may be displayed.

No illuminated sign or lighting device shall be placed or directed so that its light is directed or beamed toward a residence, or upon a public street, highway, sidewalk, or adjacent premises in a manner that causes glare or reflection sufficient to constitute a nuisance or a traffic hazard.

All illuminating devices for signs, displays or display areas shall employ only lights emitting a light of constant intensity and focused down on the sign, display or display areas or be focused on the surface behind the letters to create a backlit, silhouetted effect of a single color. No illuminating device shall include any flashing, intermittent, rotating or moving light, excluding time-and-temperature signs and those advertising gasoline prices. Time-and-temperature and gasoline price signs must have a steady illumination of a constant single color. No illuminating device shall produce a luminance greater than 100 footcandles (100 lumens per square foot) when measured at the face of the sign. At the Planning Board's discretion, in individual cases where it determines a more appropriate scheme of illumination would be ground-lit, the source of the illumination must be completely shielded so that no portion of the light source is visible from a public or private path or roadway, year-round.

Neon signs, where permitted under this article, shall be located only on the interior side of a window, unless a special permit is authorized under § 108-24.4B. Such signs shall emit a light of constant intensity. Neon signs are prohibited in the Greenbelt and Waterfront Districts.

The illumination of any sign from all sources shall be no greater than that necessary for legibility by an average person at a distance of 100 feet when walking.

For additional standards governing lighting, see § 108-4.5H(1).

All signs for a particular site shall be designed in accordance with a comprehensive signage plan in which the size, materials and color are appropriate to the dimensions and architectural details of the structure to which they are affixed or, in the case of freestanding signs, the structure(s) with which they are associated. Signs for any site shall have a design unity. Design unity may be achieved by such elements as coordinated font styles, coordinated colors, coordinated shapes or coordinated materials. Freestanding signs should be integrated with site landscaping where appropriate.

The size and graphic content of any sign shall be appropriate for its intended audience. Signs that are meant to attract pedestrian interest shall be smaller than those meant to attract the interest of persons traveling in vehicles with local destinations, which in turn shall be smaller than those meant to address persons traveling in vehicles comprising through traffic.

Color. The use of fluorescent or iridescent colors is prohibited.

Setting. The supporting structure and accessory components, such as planters, poles or brackets, shall provide a setting that enhances the purpose of the sign and contributes to the overall aesthetic quality of the surrounding environment. The post-and-panel and low-profile ground forms are the preferred construction of freestanding sign structures; single-post structures are discouraged, except for post-and-single-arm mountings; low-profile, two-post structures are allowed. Lower sign heights are encouraged.