Mclean County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code
City Zoning Code
ARTICLE X
Sign Regulations
§ 350-70 Intent and purpose.
It is the intent and purpose of these sign regulations to qualify, supplement or define the allowable uses of the several types of signs allowed in the district regulations appearing elsewhere in this chapter.
§ 350-71 Applicability.
Any sign shall, by definition, be a structure. No land, personal property or structure shall be used for sign purposes except as specified herein.
A.
A sign lawfully established before the effective date of this chapter, but not conforming to the regulations of this chapter, may be continued. Repair and maintenance and change of display of a painted bulletin sign and change of poster panel signs shall be permitted. In addition, any such sign which must at any time be moved by reason of road repairs or utility work may be permanently or temporarily relocated within 500 feet of the first location. If relocated beyond the term of construction work, the sign shall meet requirements of this chapter or be nonconforming. Any sign removed for construction work must be relocated within 120 days or it may not be relocated or replaced thereafter.
B.
No sign shall be erected, enlarged, constructed or otherwise installed without first obtaining a sign permit, and a sign permit shall be legally issued only when in compliance with this sign regulation. All signs shall be constructed in such a manner and of such material that they shall be safe and substantial.
§ 350-72 Nonconforming signs.
Every sign or other advertising structure lawfully in existence on the adoption of this code shall not be altered or moved unless it be made to comply with the provisions of this article, except as otherwise provided for herein.
§ 350-73 Removal of nonconforming signs.
Should any nonconforming sign be damaged by any means to an extent of more than 50% of its replacement cost at the time of damage, it shall not be reconstructed except in conformity with the provisions of these regulations.
A.
Removal of on-site nonconforming signs. All on-site nonconforming signs not otherwise prohibited by the provisions of these regulations shall be removed or shall be altered to conform to the provisions of this regulation:
B.
Removal of signs upon destruction of principal structures. When a principal structure is destroyed or removed due to natural or man-made circumstances, all signs on the property shall be removed within 90 days, unless a construction permit has been issued to replace the structure within said time period.
[Amended 2-17-2015]
§ 350-74 Permit required.
No sign except those listed in § 350-77 may be erected or altered until a sign permit has been issued by the Director of Building and Zoning.
A.
Application. A complete application for a sign permit shall be submitted to the Director of Building and Zoning on a form established by the County. No application shall be processed until the application is complete. Application for permits shall be accompanied by the following, if required by the Director of Building and Zoning or if required by the provisions hereof:
B.
Permit fees. Every application, before being granted a permit hereunder, shall pay the permit fee as established by the County Board.
C.
Review and action. The Director of Building and Zoning shall review the sign permit application to determine whether the proposed sign complies with all the applicable sign regulations of this article. Within five days of the submission of a complete application for a sign permit, the Director of Building and Zoning shall either:
D.
Inspection. Prior to installation of a sign, a stakeout inspection shall be required to see if the sign meets the requirements of this article. The permittee shall notify the Building Inspector, who shall inspect such stakeout sign and approve the same if it is in compliance with the provisions of this article. The Building Inspector may, from time to time, as he deems necessary, inspect all signs regulated by this article for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same are secure or insecure or whether they are in need of removal or repair.
§ 350-75 Classification of signs.
Signs shall be classified as follows:
A.
Functional types.
(1)
Advertising sign/billboard: a sign which directs the attention of the public to any goods, merchandise, property, business, service, entertainment or amusement conducted or produced which is bought or sold, furnished, offered or dealt in elsewhere than on the premises where such sign is located or to which it is affixed.
(2)
Bulletin board sign: a sign that indicates the name of an institution or organization on whose premises it is located and which contains the name of the institution or organization, the name or names of persons connected with it, and announcement of persons, events or activities occurring at the institution. Such sign may also present a greeting or similar message.
(3)
Business sign: a sign which directs attention to a business or profession conducted or to products, services or entertainment sold or offered upon the premises where such sign is located or to which it is affixed.
(4)
Identification sign: a sign giving only the name and address of a structure, business, development or establishment. Such signs may be wholly or partly devoted to a readily recognized symbol.
(5)
Church identification sign: a sign giving only the name and address of a church. Such signs may be wholly or partly devoted to a readily recognizable symbol.
[Amended 6-18-2002]
(6)
Memorial sign: a sign, monument or statue serving to help people remember some person or event.
(7)
Nameplate sign: a sign giving the name and/or address of the owner or occupant of a structure or premises on which it is located and, where applicable, a professional status.
(8)
Off-premises directional sign: a sign which gives direction to an establishment in the Agriculture District. Such sign is not allowed for a home occupation.
[Amended 6-17-2008]
(9)
Political sign: any sign relating to a candidate, political party, election or other issue.
(10)
Temporary sign: a display sign as listed below that is limited in use by the duration of an event, including real estate, construction, seasonal sale of produce, and political signs.
[Amended 6-18-2002; 2-17-2015]
(11)
Temporary real estate sign: a temporary sign pertaining to the sale or lease of a lot or tract of land on which the sign is located, or to the sale or lease of one or more structures, or a portion thereof, on the land on which the sign is located.
(12)
Temporary construction sign: a temporary sign indicating the names of the architects, engineers, landscape architects, contractors and similar artisans involved in the design and construction of a structure, complex or project only during the construction period and only on the premises on which the construction is taking place.
B.
Structural types.
[Amended 6-18-2002]
(1)
Awning, canopy or marquee sign: a sign that is mounted on, painted on, or attached to an awning, canopy or marquee. No such signs shall project above, below or beyond the awning, canopy or marquee. No such sign shall be illuminated, and such signs shall indicate only the name and/or address of the establishment.
 |
(2)
Elevated sign: any sign placed upon, or supported by, the ground independent of the principal structure on the property where the bottom edge of the sign is 10 feet or more above the ground level.
 |
X | = | 1/2 of the sign face (preferred) | |
Y | = | 1/4 of width of base | |
Z | = | 30 feet |
(3)
Ground sign: any sign placed upon, or supported by, the ground independent of the principal structure on the property, where the bottom edge of the sign is less than six feet above the ground, and the base is no less than 50% of the width of the face of the sign, presenting a monolithic structure; maximum height of 10 feet.
 |
(4)
Monument sign: any sign whose base is greater in width than the face of the sign, and whose height is no greater than six feet.
 |
(5)
Portable display sign: any movable display structure, capable of relocation under its own power or towed by a motor vehicle. The display message of the sign may be painted or unpainted and capable of being readily altered. Portable display signs may be with or without electrical illumination and power, and with or without wheels.
(6)
Projecting sign: a sign that is wholly or partly dependent upon a structure for support and which projects more than 12 inches from such structure and shall have, at its lowest level, not less than seven feet above the grade of the ground directly below it.
 |
(7)
Roof sign, elevated/projecting roof sign: a sign totally supported on the roof of a structure, not including vertical roof signs. Elevated/projecting roof signs shall not project more than 12 inches beyond the face of the structure. In no case shall an elevated/projecting roof sign project more than 10 feet beyond the highest point of the roof (compare with "roof sign, vertical").
 |
(8)
Roof sign, vertical: a sign totally supported on a vertical face of the roof of a structure, such as a mansard or parapet, and which is mounted parallel to such vertical surface. Vertical roof signs shall not project more than 12 inches beyond the face of the structure nor the vertical surface of the roof. In no case shall a vertical roof sign project above the highest point of the roof (compare with "roof sign, elevated/projecting").
 |
(9)
Window sign: any sign, pictures, symbol, or combination thereof, designed to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity, event, sale, or service, that is placed inside a window or upon the window panes or glass and is visible from the exterior of the window.
 |
§ 350-76 General standards.
A.
Property directly abutting a state or federal highway may have signage as allowed by the State of Illinois Department of Transportation, and the applicant shall provide a copy of approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation to the Director of Building and Zoning.
B.
Gross area of sign. Gross area shall include the entire area within a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of the sign, exclusive of the base on which it is mounted or from which it is suspended. If more than one side of a sign is utilized as a sign, then only the largest side shall be computed and shall be counted as a portion of the gross area. For computing the gross area of any wall sign which consists of letters mounted or painted on a wall, the area shall be deemed to be the area of the smallest rectangular figure which can encompass all of the letters.
C.
Sign height. Sign height shall be measured from the elevation of the top of the nearest curb to the highest element of the sign.
D.
Illuminated signs: a sign designed to give forth artificial light or designed to reflect light derived from any source.
(1)
Illuminated signs shall be designed so that light is reflected or directed away from any residential dwelling district. Any illuminated sign located on a lot adjacent to, in front of or across the street from any residential district shall not be illuminated between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., when such sign is visible from said residential district, unless otherwise allowed by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
(2)
Illuminated signs which happen to lie in direct vision behind a traffic signal shall not be in red, amber or green illumination.
E.
Flashing or moving signs. For the purpose of this regulation, any sign that is revolving, rotating, moving, animated, has moving lights or creates the illusion of movement shall be considered a moving sign. Any illuminated sign on which the artificial light is not constant in intensity and color at all times is considered a flashing sign.
(1)
Flashing signs which are in any way similar to traffic signals or emergency vehicle lights shall not be permitted.
(2)
A sign which displays the current time and/or temperature by use of intermittent lighting shall not be deemed a flashing sign if the lighting changes are limited to text indicating time, temperature or other public messages. Such sign shall not in any case exceed 64 square feet in area.
(3)
Signs designed to change sign faces periodically throughout the day, commonly known as "trivision signs," shall not be considered moving signs.
F.
Accessway or window. A sign erected in any district shall not be erected, constructed and maintained so as to obstruct any fire escape or any window, or door, or opening as a means of egress or for fire-fighting purposes, or so as to prevent free passage from one part of a roof to any other part thereof. No sign shall be attached in any form, shape or manner to a fire escape or be so placed as to interfere with any opening required for legal ventilation.
G.
Signs on trees or utility poles. No sign shall be attached to any utility pole or tree.
H.
Traffic safety.
(1)
No sign shall be maintained at any location where, by reason of its position, size, shape or color, it may obstruct, impair, obscure, interfere with the view of, or be confused with any traffic or railroad control sign, signal or device, or where it may interfere with, mislead, or confuse traffic.
(2)
No sign, except for small directional signs, shall be located within three feet of a driveway or within a parking area or shall have its lowest elevation at least 10 feet above the curb level; however, in no event shall any sign be placed so as to project over any public right-of-way, except in the C Commercial District, where signs may project over a sidewalk.
(3)
Under no circumstances shall any sign be placed in the sight triangle as defined by this regulation.
I.
Lineal street frontage. In those districts where gross sign area is allocated based on lineal street frontage and the tract or parcel is adjacent to more than one street, the lineal street frontage shall be computed as the sum of all of the street frontages.
§ 350-77 Exemptions.
A.
Total exemptions. The following signs shall be exempt from the requirements of this article, except for the provisions of § 350-77A through I above, and except that such signs shall comply with appropriate setback requirements as specified in this chapter. Such signs shall not be illuminated, but may be of the beaded reflector type upon approval thereof by the Director of Building and Zoning. Such signs shall be of the types and contain only such displays as follows:
[Amended 6-18-2002]
(1)
Permanent signs displaying the name and location of a city, town or village, hospital, community center, private school, college, YMCA, YWCA, church, or other place of worship; or the name or place of meeting of an official or civic body such as a Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis or other similar service club.
(2)
Temporary signs displaying the name, location and time of an event of public interest such as a state or County fair, public or general election, or horse show, provided such sign shall not interfere with the full view of traffic in all directions. Such sign shall be removed not more than 10 days after the event.
(3)
Flags or emblems of a government or of a political, civic, philanthropic, educational or religious organization, displayed on private property.
(4)
Signs of a duly constituted governmental body, including traffic or similar regulatory signs, legal notices, warnings at railroad crossings and other instructional or regulatory signs having to do with health, safety, parking, swimming, dumping, etc.
(5)
Memorial signs displayed on public or private property.
(6)
Small signs, not exceeding three square feet in area, displayed on private property for the convenience of the public, including signs to identify entrance and exit drives, parking areas, one-way drives, rest rooms, freight entrances and other similar signs.
(7)
Scoreboards in athletic stadiums.
(8)
Signs for the sale of household goods at a residence (for example, garage sales or auctions) for a period not to exceed six days in any calendar year.
[Amended 2-17-2015]
(9)
Real estate signs not exceeding 32 square feet in area.
(10)
Construction signs not exceeding 32 square feet in area.
(11)
Political signs.
B.
Exemptions from sign permit. Window signs not exceeding 25% of the window surface in commercial and manufacturing districts shall be exempt from the sign permit section of this article, but shall comply with all of the other regulations imposed by this article.
§ 350-78 Prohibited signs.
The following signs are prohibited:
A.
Signs on public property. Any sign installed or placed on public property, except in conformance with the requirements, shall be forfeited to the public and subject to confiscation, except that logo signs on athletic fields shall be allowed. In addition to other remedies hereunder, the County shall have the right to recover from the owner or person placing such a sign the full costs of removal and disposal of such sign.
B.
Obscene or indecent advertisement. No person shall display upon any sign or other advertising structure any obscene, indecent or immoral matter.
C.
Elevated/Projecting roof signs.
D.
Any sign located on a public right-of-way, except those signs required by governmental authority.
§ 350-79 Temporary signs.
Temporary signs shall be erected and maintained in a safe and attractive manner and shall be subject to applicable regulations, except as specifically modified herein.
A.
Real estate signs. Real estate signs shall be removed within one week of the date of sale, rental, or lease.
B.
Construction signs. Development project (construction) signs shall be no larger than 64 square feet. Such signs are subject to yard area requirements and may be erected at the start of construction and shall be removed upon project completion.
C.
Portable display signs: display not exceeding 14 days twice a year.
§ 350-80 Maintenance.
A.
All signs shall be maintained in a safe condition and in such a manner that they shall not become a visual detriment to the community at large. The Director of Building and Zoning shall be charged with the responsibility and authority to inspect all signs and direct the maintenance of said signs. Maintenance of signs is defined as keeping sign structures in a safe condition, free of rust, with broken glass or plastic replaced, electrical lights and other electrical operations in operable condition, letters and other sign components in the equivalent condition as on the sign permit or as approved.
B.
Should the Director of Building and Zoning find an unmaintained sign as defined above, he shall cause the owner of said sign to be notified as to the deficiency and the corrective action that needs to be taken.
C.
Should the owner fail to exhibit evidence of compliance within 30 days after the mailing of the letter of notification, the Director of Building and Zoning shall cause the owner to be cited for violation of this regulation.
§ 350-81 Office park, industrial park, and shopping center identification signs.
Identification signs containing the name of the development, the address of the development, the name or names of individual businesses and their addresses may be erected in addition to the signage permitted for the individual businesses. This identification sign may contain the names and addresses of businesses that are not on the lot containing the identification sign as long as they are in the same subdivision as the identification sign. This identification sign must comply with the following regulations:
A.
One identification sign per street frontage.
B.
Content. Such sign shall advertise only the name and address of such development and/or the name and address of the individual businesses within the development.
C.
Area. The total sign area of an identification sign shall not exceed 64 square feet
D.
Height. The height of such sign shall not exceed 25 feet.
E.
Setback. Such sign shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet for commercial districts and 15 feet for manufacturing districts from the front lot line of such center or individual use, except as may be provided by special use.
§ 350-82 District regulations.
The District Sign Regulations Table of this section provides a tabular summary of the sign types allowed within each base zoning district.
A.
Permitted signs. Signs identified in a Zoning District column of the District Regulations Table below with a "P" are permitted and shall be permitted in such zoning district, subject to such standards as may be indicated in the "Standards" row and all other requirements of this chapter.
B.
Not permitted. Sign types not identified in a Zoning District column of the District Regulations Table as permitted are not allowed in such zoning district unless otherwise expressly permitted by other regulations of this chapter.
[Amended 6-18-2002; 6-17-2008; 2-17-2015]
Zoning Districts | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | R-1 | R-2 | C | M-1 | M-2 | |
Standards | § 350-83A | § 350-83B | § 350-83B | § 350-83C | § 350-83D | § 350-83D |
Functional Sign Types | ||||||
Advertising sign (billboard) | P | |||||
Bulletin board | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Business sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Identification sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Church identification sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Name plate sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Off-premises directional sign | P | |||||
Temporary sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Structural Sign Types | ||||||
Awning, canopy or marquee sign | P | P | P | |||
Elevated sign | P | P | P | P | ||
Ground sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Monument sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Portable display sign | P | |||||
Projecting sign | P | P | P | |||
Roof sign | P | P | P | |||
Wall sign | P | P | P | |||
Window sign | P | P | P | P | P | P |
§ 350-83 Sign standards.
A.
A Agriculture District.
(1)
Number of signs permitted. There shall not be more than one sign per lot, except that on a corner lot two signs, one facing each street, shall be permitted.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area.
[Amended 6-18-2002; 6-17-2008]
Sign Type | Maximum Gross Surface Area (square feet) | |
|---|---|---|
Bulletin board | 50 | |
Business sign | 32 | |
Identification sign | 4 | |
Church identification sign | 32 | |
Nameplate sign | 4 | |
Off-premises directional sign | 24 | |
Temporary sign | As regulated in § 350-79 of this article |
(3)
Maximum height: 35 feet; except when an elevated sign is located within 3,000 feet of the center of a federal aid interstate highway interchange, in which case said elevated sign shall not exceed 70 feet.
(4)
Required setback. No sign shall be placed closer to the front property line than 1/2 the distance of the front yard, except that exempt signs, off-premises directional signs, church signs, and subdivision identification signs may be two feet from any property line but may not encroach into or be located within a required sight triangle or as yard requirements stipulated in §§ 350-45 and 350-48.
[Amended 6-18-2002; 6-17-2008]
(5)
Projection. No sign shall project beyond the property line into a public way.
B.
R-1 Single Family Residential and R-2 Two-Family Residential Districts.
(1)
Number of signs permitted. There shall not be more than one sign per lot, except that on a corner lot two signs, one facing each street, shall be permitted.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area.
[Amended 6-18-2002]
Sign Type | Maximum Gross Surface Area (square feet) | |
|---|---|---|
Bulletin board | 50 | |
Business sign | 32 | |
Identification sign | 32 | |
Church identification sign | 32 | |
Nameplate sign | 4 | |
Temporary sign | As regulated by § 350-79 of this article |
(3)
Maximum height: one story or 15 feet above curb level, whichever is lower.
(4)
Required setback: 10 feet from all property lines, except real estate signs with a minimum setback of eight feet from all property lines; except that exempt signs, church signs, and subdivision identification signs may be two feet from the property line but shall not encroach into or be located within a required sight triangle or as yard requirements stipulated in §§ 350-45 and 350-48.
[Amended 6-18-2002; 6-17-2008]
(5)
Projection. No sign shall project beyond the property line into the public way.
(6)
Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be permitted.
C.
C Commercial District.
(1)
Number of signs permitted.
(a)
All permitted functional sign types: one per zoning lot and two on a corner lot with one sign facing each street; except as modified for advertising signs in Subsection C(7) below.
(b)
Awning, canopy or marquee, and window signs: no limitations.
(c)
Projecting, wall and roof signs: one per street frontage per establishment.
(d)
Ground, monument or elevated signs: one per street frontage.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area. The gross surface area of all signs on a lot shall not exceed six times the lineal feet of street frontage of such lot, and on corner lots or through lots, each lot line abutting a street shall be considered a separate frontage; except as modified by temporary signs in § 350-79 of this article.
(3)
Maximum height: except as otherwise limited in height by this article, 30 feet; except an elevated sign located within 3,000 feet of the center of a federal aid interstate highway interchange shall not exceed 70 feet.
(4)
Required setback. A ground, monument, or portable display sign shall be located not less than 10 feet from a lot line abutting a street, or five feet from a rear or interior side lot line; otherwise, none.
(5)
Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be permitted.
(6)
Projection. A business sign attached to a building wall shall not project therefrom more than six feet, and an advertising sign attached to a building wall shall not project therefrom more than 18 inches.
(7)
Advertising signs (billboards). Advertising signs (billboards) may be established in the C Zoning District, provided that they meet the following conditions:
(a)
Not more than five advertising signs may be located per linear mile of street or highway regardless of the fact that such advertising signs may be located on different sides of the subject street or highway.
(b)
No advertising sign shall be located within 1,000 feet of another advertising sign abutting either side of the same street or highway.
(c)
No advertising sign shall be located within 200 feet of a residential zone and/or existing residence. If the advertising sign is illuminated, this required distance shall be increased to 300 feet.
(d)
No advertising sign shall be located closer than 20 feet to a property line adjoining a public right-of-way or 10 feet to any interior boundary lines of the premises on which the advertising sign is located. Setbacks shall be measured from the surface display area to the vertical extension of the property line.
(e)
The surface display area of any side of an advertising sign may not exceed 400 square feet. In the case of advertising sign structures with tandem or stacked advertising sign faces, the combined surface display area of both faces may not exceed 400 square feet.
(f)
The height of an advertising sign shall not exceed 35 feet above the grade of the ground on which the advertising sign sits or the grade of the abutting roadway, whichever is higher.
(g)
No advertising sign shall be on top of, cantilevered, or otherwise suspended above the roof of any building.
(h)
An advertising sign may be illuminated, provided such illumination is concentrated on the surface of the sign and is so located as to avoid glare or reflection onto any portion of an adjacent street or highway, the path of oncoming vehicles, or any adjacent premises. In no event shall any advertising sign have flashing or intermittent lights, nor shall the lights be permitted to rotate or oscillate.
(i)
An advertising sign must be constructed in such a fashion that it will withstand all wind and vibration forces which can normally be expected to occur in the vicinity. An advertising sign must be maintained so as to assure proper alignment of the structure, continued structural soundness, and continued readability of the message.
(j)
An advertising sign established within a business, commercial, or industrial area, as defined in the Highway Advertising Act of 1972 (1972 P.A. 106, as amended) bordering interstate highways, freeways or primary highways as defined in said Act shall, in addition to complying with the above conditions, also comply with all applicable provisions of the Act and the regulations provided thereunder, as such may from time to time be amended.
D.
M-1 Restricted Manufacturing District and M-2 General Manufacturing District.
(1)
Number of signs permitted.
(a)
All permitted functional sign types: one per zoning lot and two on a corner lot, with one sign facing each street.
(b)
Awning, canopy or marquee, and window signs: no limitations.
(c)
Projecting, wall, and roof signs: one per establishment.
[Amended 6-17-2008]
(d)
Ground, monument, or elevated signs: one per street frontage.
[Amended 6-17-2008]
(2)
Maximum gross surface area. The total gross area in square feet of all signs on a lot shall not exceed six times the lineal feet of street frontage of such lot, except as modified by temporary signs in § 350-79 of this article.
(3)
Maximum height: 30 feet.
[Amended 6-17-2008]
(4)
Required setback. No sign shall be placed closer to the front property line than 1/2 the distance of the front yard; except that real estate signs shall be exempt from setback requirements.
(5)
Projection. Projecting signs shall be affixed flat against the building walls and may project therefrom not more than 18 inches.
(6)
Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be permitted.