Lafayette City Zoning Code
§ 13-17.1
Purpose.
[Ord. No. 2012-06 § 13-17.1 ]
Lafayette Township is a rural community, and in order to preserve the Township as a desirable area in which to live and do business, a pleasing, visually attractive rustic environment is of foremost importance. The regulation of signs within the Township is a highly contributive means by which to achieve this desired end. These sign regulations are prepared with the intent of enhancing the rural environment and promoting the continued well-being of the Township.
The purpose of this section is to protect the safety and orderly development of the community through the regulation of signs and sign structures. Lafayette Township has a legitimate interest in aesthetics and safety, justifying the regulation of signs. This section promotes the substantial governmental goals of safety and aesthetics, without burdening substantially more speech than necessary to further government's legitimate interests. It is also the function of this section to promote public health, safety, and general welfare through a comprehensive system of reasonable, consistent and non-discriminatory sign standards and requirements. These sign regulations are intended to:
a.
Enable the identification of places of residence and business.
b.
Allow for the communication of information necessary for conducting business.
c.
Lessen hazardous situations, confusion and visual clutter caused by proliferation, improper placement, illumination, animation and excessive height, area and bulk of signs that compete for the attention of pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
d.
Enhance the attractiveness and economic well-being of the Township as a place to live and conduct business.
e.
Protect the public from the dangers of unsafe signs.
f.
Permit signs that are compatible with their surroundings and aid orientation, and preclude placement of signs in a manner that conceals or obstructs adjacent land uses or signs.
g.
Encourage signs that are appropriate to the zoning district in which they are located and consistent with the category of use to which they pertain.
h.
Curtail the size and number of signs and sign messages to the minimum reasonably necessary to identify a residential or business location and the nature of any such commercial use.
i.
Establish sign size in relationship to the scale of the lot and building on which the sign is to be placed or to which it pertains.
j.
Preclude signs from conflicting with the principal permitted use of the site or adjoining sites.
k.
Regulate signs in a manner so as to not interfere with, obstruct vision of or distract motorists, bicyclists, or pedestrians.
l.
Require signs to be constructed, installed and maintained in a safe and satisfactory manner.
m.
Preserve and enhance the natural, rural, and scenic characteristics of the Township.
Any sign erected shall conform to the provisions of this section and the provisions of any ordinance or regulation within the Township of Lafayette.