Effective on: 1/1/1901

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. A.
   Any sign, handbill, poster, advertisement, or notice of any kind that is fastened, placed, painted, or attached in any way to a curbstone, lamp post, utility pole, hydrant, bridge, culvert, public drinking fountain, public trash container, courtesy bench, restroom, bus stop kiosk or shed, bus stop station building, tree, or in or upon any portion of any public sidewalk, street, or sign, except as specifically allowed within this Article. Such signs may be removed and destroyed without notice if located on a public structure.
2. B.
   Any sign placed on, in, or over any public property, including the public right-of-way, without the written consent of the public authority having jurisdiction over the property and in full compliance with this Ordinance. Such signs may be removed and destroyed without notice.
3. C.
   New billboards.
4. D.
   Any freestanding sign of which the area exceeds 10 percent of the area of the site or parcel on which it is located; or two percent of the lawful, as-built floor area of the principal building on the site; note that this is intended as a circuit-breaker and that all signs are subject to other size and dimensional requirements in this Ordinance.
5. E.
   Portable signs, including folding portable signs and flashing portable signs. This does not pertain to sidewalk signs when they are specifically permitted.
6. F.
   Pennants, banners, streamers, balloons, and similar devices.
7. G.
   Animated, projecting, revolving, and moving signs, including those which create the appearance of animation, projection, revolving or other movement, or use flashing or intermittent lights, or lights of changing degrees of intensity; automatic changeable copy signs that conform with this Article are not subject to this limitation.
8. H.
   Signs which are not traffic, control or safety signals, but by their shape, color, or manner of mounting or display, appear to be traffic, control or safety signals, and thus create confusion for drivers and pedestrians, as well as signs which create or constitute traffic hazards.
9. I.
   Signs for which a separate structure is mounted on a roof or parapet; this provision does not prevent signs which are integral to the building; and
10. J.
    Signs which emit or transmit audible sound, odor, or visible matter.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. 1.
    It shall not exceed 16 square feet in area;
2. 2.
   It shall be attached at all four corners or otherwise firmly affixed to a wall of the principal building or it may be freestanding;
3. 3.
   If it is freestanding, it shall be supported by one or more posts or similar devices in the ground and shall not exceed six feet in height:
4. 4.
   In no case shall such a sign be affixed to a tree or other natural feature, a fence, a utility pole, or a fixture or structure on the property other than the principal building;
5. 5.
    If freestanding, it shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet from any property line;
6. 6.
   It shall not be separately illuminated;
7. 7.
   Signs related to the sale of personal property shall be removed within twenty-four hours after the end of the sale. Signs related to the sale, lease or rental of the premises shall be removed no later than the date on which the deed, lease, or other document representing the transaction is completed. If a message relates to an election or special event, such sign shall be permitted no more than sixty (60) days prior to such event and shall be removed within seven (7) days following the conclusion of such election or other event.
8. 8.
   Such a sign may bear any commercial or noncommercial message.

[Ord. No. 13-2024, Setting timelines for temporary sign removals including elections and special events, 10/14/2024] 

Effective on: 10/14/2024

1. A.
   Address Numbers used for the purpose of identifying the address of any building shall not be counted toward allowed sign area.
2. B.
   Detached signs smaller than four square feet in area and less than four feet in height, of which not more than 25 percent may be used for a commercial message (e.g., “Enter” or “Exit” signs).

3. C.
   Detached signs smaller than six square feet, allowed in residential, conservation, and agricultural zoning districts in accordance with this Article.

4. D.
   Temporary signs not greater than 12 square feet located in non-residential zones.
5. E.
   Wall signs containing no commercial message and not larger than four square feet in area.
6. F.
   Cultural decorations or displays of noncommercial nature, mounted on private residential property, which pertain to cultural observances.
7. G.
   Building marker signs such as cornerstones, foundation stones and memorial signs or tablets, when cut into any masonry surface or inlaid so as to be part of the building or when constructed of bronze or other incombustible material, provided that no such sign shall exceed six square feet in area nor shall any such sign be separately illuminated.
8. H.
   Symbols that do not bear or include any commercial message and that are integrated into the architecture of a building.
9. I.
   Gravestones when erected in a lawful cemetery or graveyard.
10. J.
    Graphic images which are visible only from aircraft flying above.

Effective on: 1/1/1901

1. A.
   Discretionary Review

   When one or more signs are part of a project or development, or a variance, conditional use permit, exception or special use permit is sought for sign(s), which requires discretionary review, then the sign shall be reviewed without regard to the graphic design or visual image on the display face of the sign, and discretion shall be restricted to structural, location and other non-communicative aspects of the sign. This provision does not override the billboard policy.

2. B.
   Message Neutrality

   It is the policy of this City to regulate signs in a constitutional manner.

3. C.
   Regulations for Offsite Messages

   This Article distinguishes in some cases between commercial messages that relate to products or services not offered at the location of the sign (“off-site commercial messages”). The purpose of that distinction is to acknowledge the need of businesses for identification and notice of their businesses at a business location while limiting the proliferation of commercial messages generally. There is no intent to limit noncommercial messages in any way with this distinction.

4. D.
   Billboard Policy

   New billboards, as defined herein, are prohibited. The City Council completely prohibits the construction, erection or use of any billboards, other than those which legally exist within the regulatory zoning jurisdiction of the City Council, or for which a valid permit has been issued and has not expired, as of the date on which this provision is first adopted. No permit shall be issued for any billboard which violates this policy, and the City Council will take immediate enforcement or abatement action against any billboard constructed or maintained in violation of this policy. In adopting this provision, the City Council affirmatively declares that it would have adopted this billboard policy even if it were the only provision in this Article. The City Council intends for this billboard policy to be severable and separately enforceable even if other provision(s) of this Article may be declared, by a court of competent jurisdiction, to be unconstitutional, invalid or unenforceable.

5. E.
   Message Substitution

   Subject to the property owner’s consent, a noncommercial message of any type may be substituted in whole or in part for the message displayed on any sign for which the sign structure or mounting device is legal without consideration of message content. Such substitution of message may be made without any additional approval or permitting. The purpose of this provision is to prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over noncommercial speech or favoring of any particular noncommercial message over any other noncommercial message. In addition, any on-site commercial message may be substituted, in whole or in part, for any other on-site commercial message, provided that the sign structure or mounting device is legal without consideration of message content. This provision does not create a right to increase the total amount of signage on a parcel, lot or land use; does not affect the requirement that a sign structure or mounting device be properly permitted; does not allow a change in the physical structure of a sign or its mounting device, and does not allow the substitution of an off-site commercial message in place of an on-site commercial message or a noncommercial message.

6. F.
   Regulatory Interpretations

   All regulatory interpretations of this Article are to be exercised in light of the message neutrality and message substitution policies. Where a particular type of sign is proposed in a permit application, and the type is neither expressly allowed nor prohibited by this Article, or whenever a sign does not qualify as a “structure” as defined in the building code then in effect, then the Zoning Administrator shall approve, conditionally approve or disapprove the application based on the most similar sign type that is expressly regulated by this Article, in light of the policies stated in this Article.

7. G.
   Noncommunicative Aspects

   All rules and regulations concerning the non-communicative aspects of signs, such as location, size, height, illumination, spacing, orientation, etc., stand enforceable independently of any permit or approval process.

8. H.
   Mixed-Use, Overlay, and PUD Zones

   1. 1.
      In any zone where both residential and non-residential uses are allowed, the sign-related rights and responsibilities applicable to any particular parcel or land use shall be determined as follows: (1) if specific sign regulations are provided in the zoning district, those regulations shall be applied; or (2) if no sign regulations are provided in the zoning district, residential uses shall be treated as if they were located in a zone where a use of that type would be allowed as a matter of right, and nonresidential uses shall be treated as if they were located in a zone where that particular use would be allowed, either as a matter of right or subject to a conditional use permit or similar discretionary process.
   2. 2.
      Signs within a PUD district are established during plan approval and must be installed in conformity with the plan.
9. I.
   Property Owner’s Consent

   No sign may be displayed without the consent of the legal owner(s) of the property on which the sign is mounted or displayed. For purposes of this policy, “owner” means the holder of the legal title to the property and all parties and persons holding a present right to possession, control or use of the property. The signature of the property owner or authorized agent will be required on all applications for sign permits.

10. J.
    Legal Nature of Sign Rights

    As to all signs attached to real property, the signage rights, duties and obligations arising from this Ordinance attach to and travel with the land or other property on which a sign is mounted or displayed. This provision does not modify or affect the law of fixtures, sign-related provisions in private leases regarding signs (so long as they are not in conflict with this Article or other law), or the ownership of sign structures. This provision does not apply to hand held signs or other images which are aspects of personal appearance. Nonconforming signs are regulated by Section 2.07, H.

11. K.
    Severability

    1. 1.
       Generally

       If any part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term, or word of this Article is declared unconstitutional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, the declaration of such unconstitutionality shall not affect any other part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article, except as limited by this Article.

    2. 2.
       Severability Where less Speech Results

       Without diminishing or limiting in any way the declaration of severability set forth above in subsection A of this Section or elsewhere in this Article or this Ordinance, if any part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article is declared unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect any other part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article, even if such severability would result in a situation where there would be less speech, whether by subjecting previously exempt signs to permitting or otherwise additional standards.

    3. 3.
       Severability of Provisions Pertaining to Prohibited Signs

       Without diminishing or limiting in any way the declaration of severability set forth above in subsection A of this Section, or elsewhere in this Article or in this Ordinance, if any part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article or any other laws declared unconstitutional by valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, the declaration of such unconstitutionality shall not affect any other part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article that pertains to prohibited signs, including specifically those signs and sign types prohibited and not allowed under this Article. Furthermore, if any part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article or of any part of this Ordinance is declared unconstitutional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, the declaration of such unconstitutionality shall not affect any other part, section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article, except as expressly provided in this Article.

    4. 4.
       Severability of Prohibition on Off-premise Signs

       If any part section, subsection, paragraph, subparagraph, sentence, phrase, clause, term or word of this Article or other provisions of this Article, this Ordinance, or this Ordinance are declared invalid or unconstitutional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, the declaration of such unconstitutionality shall not affect the limitations on off-premise signs as contained herein.

Effective on: 1/1/1901