The purpose of this Chapter is to promote the public health, safety and welfare by establishing standards and criteria for the construction, installation, placement, maintenance and operation of off-premise outdoor advertising signs in the City of Lima. This Chapter is further intended to reduce sign blight and deterioration and encourage economic development within the community. More specifically, the Chapter is intended to:

   (A)   Enhance and protect the physical appearance of the City;

   (B)   Protect property values;

   (C)   Promote and maintain visually attractive, high value residential, retail, commercial and industrial districts;

   (D)   Promote the economic development of the community by creating a favorable physical image;

   (E)   Ensure that large outdoor advertising signs are located and designed to provide an effective means of communication, reduction of sign clutter and the distractions and confusion that may be contributing factors in traffic congestion and accidents, and maintaining a safe and orderly pedestrian and vehicular environment;

   (F)   Minimize the disruption of the distinctive character of historic buildings, landmarks, and areas, and ensure sign use is compatible with surrounding areas and uses;

   (G)   Afford businesses, individuals and institutions reasonable opportunities to use large outdoor signs as an effective means of communication;

   (H)   Discourage and abate sign blight and sign deterioration present in the city; and

   (I)   Create a Billboard Zoning Overlay Area to provide greater protection and regulation for the corridors into the City and areas of focused economic development.

(Ord. 065-07. Passed 3-26-07.)

   There is hereby adopted, for the purpose of prescribing the “Outdoor Advertising Code: Billboards,” for regulating the construction, maintenance, installation, and placement of Billboards, Chapter 10 of the 2003 International Zoning Code (IZC), published by the International Code Council, Inc., with all amendments, revisions, assertions, and changes provided for in Appendix A. Appendix A is hereby incorporated as part of these codified ordinances, with copyright permission granted by the International Code Counsel, Inc., as if fully rewritten herein.

(Ord. 155-07. Passed 7-23-07. Renumbered by Ord. 154-07. Passed 7-23-07.)

   If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this Chapter and/or the Outdoor Advertising: Billboard code shall be declared invalid for any reason whatsoever, such decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this Code which shall continue in full force and effect, and to this end the provisions of ths Code are hereby declared to be severable.

(Ord. 065-07. Passed 3-26-07.)

   If any portion of this Code is found to be in conflict with any other provision of any zoning, building, fire safety, property maintenance, or health ordinance of the City of Lima, Ohio, the provision which establishes the higher standard shall prevail.

(Ord. 065-07. Passed 3-26-07.)

   Note: This Appendix is best viewed as a PDF. Click CH. 1268 APPENDIX to view.