The sign regulations derive from these concerns:

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The safe and efficient flow of motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic;

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The protection of public and private property values by assuring the compatibility of signs with surrounding land uses;

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The ability of property owners to enjoy or use their property without undue visual obstruction, distraction or hazard;

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The preservation and protection of properties and areas having historic, recreational, educational, cultural, religious values and environments;

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The elimination of potential hazards arising during times of inclement weather or other natural disaster;

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The control of the proliferation and placement of signs that pose a threat to the aesthetic and environmental values and quality of life.

The following regulations shall apply to all permitted signs:

9.001. A sign permit shall be required for the erection, alteration, or reconstruction of any sign unless otherwise noted.

9.002. Signs must be aesthetically pleasing and compatible with the surrounding area. In particular, permanent signs shall have a professional appearance instead of a homemade look. Signs on commercial lots bordering residential areas shall blend in with the neighborhood.

9.003. Signs must be constructed of durable materials maintained in good condition and not permitted to become dilapidated.

9.004. With the exception of temporary, special event or spectacular and window signs, all signs shall be constructed of permanent materials and permanently attached to the ground, building or other structure.

9.005. All signs must be designed to withstand winds of eighty (80) miles per hour.

9.006. All signs shall be maintained in good structural condition, aesthetically pleasing in appearance, and in compliance with all building and electrical codes. The following deficiencies reflect a lack of care: rust spots; loose boards; faded paint or lettering; chipped or faded lettering; burned out lights; missing, broken, faded, or damaged panels; loose or missing inspection plates; faded or tattered flags or banners; or overall appearance not consistent with other signs in the area.

9.007. If several lots of records, which are contiguous and adjacent, have been combined for a single purpose, then the lots shall be considered as a single lot in determining the size, height and use requirements.

9.008. When two sign faces are identical and back-to-back, so that both faces cannot be viewed from any one point at the same time, the sign's area shall be computed by the measurement of one of the faces.

The following signs are prohibited:

9.011. Signs imitating warning signals. No signs shall display intermittent lights resembling lights customarily used in traffic signals or in police, fire, ambulance, or rescue vehicles, nor shall any sign use the words "stop," "danger," or any other word, phrase, symbol, or character in a manner that might mislead or confuse an automobile or other vehicle driver.

9.012. Signs within street or highway rights-of-way. Except as herein provided, no sign whatever, whether temporary or permanent, except traffic signs, signals and information signs erected by a public agency, is permitted within any street or highway right-of-way.

9.013. Certain attached and painted signs. Signs painted on or attached to trees, fence posts, and telephone or utility poles or signs painted on or attached to rocks or other natural features or painted on the roofs of buildings are prohibited. Some signs painted onto roofs are permitted under the provisions of Section 9.03, Subsection 9.031b.

9.014. Pennants and ribbons. Pennants, ribbons, strings of lights (other than holiday lights), and similar devices are prohibited.

9.015. Off-site signs on roofs and walls. No off-site signs shall be hereafter erected in any permitted district except freestanding ground signs of sound construction and maintenance. All other signs shall become nonconforming uses upon the effective date of this ordinance.

9.016. Blinking or flashing signs. No sign shall be erected or maintained on which any word, symbol or design is displayed by means of electric lights which flash or blink or are otherwise illuminated intermittently.

9.017. Projecting or Swinging Signs. No projecting or swinging signs shall be permitted.

9.018. Portable Signs. No portable signs shall be permitted. Section 2.47 defines a portable sign as any sign, which is not permanently attached to the ground or other permanent structure, or a sign designed to be transported by wheels or trailer.

9.19. Beacons. No beacons shall be permitted.

9.019a. Adult Nudity. No sign depicting adult nudity shall be permitted.

A permit is not required for the following types of signs:

9.021. Traffic, directional, warning, or information signs authorized by any public agency.

9.022. Official notices issued by a court, public agency, or officer.

9.023. One non-illuminated construction project sign, real estate sign ("for sale", "for rent", "for lease"), or garage sale sign. The maximum height of such signs shall be five feet. In residential districts, such signs shall not exceed nine square feet. In nonresidential districts, such signs shall not exceed twenty (20) square feet. Such signs shall be removed when their temporary purpose has been served.

9.024. Three non-illuminated political signs not exceeding nine square feet each in residential districts. The maximum height of such signs shall be five feet. Such signs shall be removed when their temporary purpose has been served.

9.025. One permitted home occupation sign provided it is not illuminated, no larger than four square feet, and mounted against a wall of the principal building.

9.026. Seasonal or holiday lights and decorations.

9.027. Up to two flags or non-advertising banners on a lot. No flag or banner shall be displayed with dimensions larger than five feet in width and ten (10) feet in length. Except, the American flag has no maximum size.

9.028. Building markers, identification signs, and incidental signs of less than nine square feet.

9.029. Window signs provided they cover no more than fifty (50) percent of the window space.

The following regulations apply to the following specified types of signs:

9.031a. Roof signs. Not more than one on-site structure may be erected on the roof of any one building. No roof sign shall extend more than twenty (20) feet above the elevation of the roof:

9.031b. Signs painted onto roofs. A painted-on-roof sign may be permitted on a building sited in an H.O.C. zoning district (or in an LI zoning district within one hundred (100) yards of an H.O.C. boundary) only as a special exception to be considered by city council. The standards for approval shall include, but are not limited to the following:

1.

Compatibility. The sign shall be compatible with the architecture of the building on which the sign is placed and shall be complimentary to surrounding buildings, signs, and the natural environment. The sign shall be normally and customarily associated with the type of business on which it is to be located. The design and colors of the sign shall be approved by city council prior to placement.

2.

Size and surface requirements. Such sign shall comprise no more than forty-five (45) percent of the square footage of the roof elevation in which it is located. Moreover, all signage must be painted on the surface of the existing roof, and any additional elevation or extension to the roof is prohibited.

3.

Maintenance. The sign shall be maintained at all times and may not exhibit flaking paint.

9.032. Wall signs. On-site signs on the walls of a building, including signs attached flat against the wall, painted wall signs, and projecting signs shall meet the following requirements:

(a)

The total area of signs on the exterior front surface of a building shall not exceed twenty (20) percent of the front surface of the building.

(b)

The total area of signs on a side or rear surface of a building shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the exterior side or rear surface of the building respectively.

(c)

The combined sign area on the front, side, and rear surface of a building shall not exceed six hundred (600) square feet.

(d)

Wall signs attached flat against a wall may extend not more than twenty-four (24) inches beyond the wall.

(e)

Signs projecting from a wall may extend outward from the wall of a building not more than six and one-half feet and may be located not closer than eighteen (18) inches to a vertical plane at the street curb line. A projecting sign shall not extend above the roofline a distance greater than the height of the roof above the ground level. In no case shall signs project beyond property lines. The minimum height above grade of sidewalk level of such signs shall be no less than ten (10) feet.

Signs on a canopy, signs on a marquee, and projecting signs are considered wall signs when determining maximum size.

9.033. Freestanding signs. Not more than one freestanding sign shall be permitted on a lot.

Except if the lot faces more than one street, each street may have a freestanding sign.

In the H.O.C. zoning district, freestanding signs shall not exceed two hundred (200) square feet in area. In other zoning districts, freestanding signs shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet in area.

In the H.O.C. zoning district, freestanding signs shall not exceed forty-five (45) feet in height. In other zoning districts, freestanding signs shall not exceed thirty (30) feet in height.

Freestanding signs shall not be closer than ten (10) feet to a property line or right-of-way line.

Freestanding signs shall not be closer than one hundred (100) feet from another freestanding sign.

9.034. Temporary Signs. A temporary sign is any sign, which is not permanently erected, affixed, or maintained on a premise for a long period of time.

The maximum size of a temporary sign shall be one hundred (100) square feet.

If a temporary sign is freestanding, its maximum height shall be five feet.

Permits for temporary signs on private property shall be allowed upon issuance of a temporary sign permit.

Temporary sign permits shall be less complicated than normal sign permits. The fee shall be lower than the fee for a normal sign permit.

A temporary sign permit shall allow the use of a temporary sign for a specified thirty-day period. No more than three permits for temporary signs shall be issued to any applicant in any calendar year. No more than one permit shall be issued for each temporary sign per location.

Except as modified by this section, all temporary signs must comply with all other applicable regulations and conditions set forth in this ordinance governing their usage.

9.035. Special Event or Spectacular Signs. A special event or spectacular sign is a sign or device including, but not limited to:

a cloth/paper/canvas/plastic/similar material sign

a balloon

a parked vehicle/trailer/mobile device with a mounted sign

other attention-getting device.

Special event and spectacular signs require a temporary sign permit.

Special event and spectacular signs shall be displayed only for the purpose of advertising a special use or event. This includes, but is not limited to, grand openings, seasonal sales, liquidations, going-out-of-business sales, fire sales, give-a ways, and promotions.

The maximum size allowed for all special event and spectacular signs shall be three hundred (300) square feet.

The maximum number of special event or spectacular permits shall be four per year for a period of time not to exceed ten (10) days for each permit issued.

Except as modified by this section, all special event and spectacular signs must comply with all other applicable regulations and conditions set forth in this ordinance governing their usage.

9.036. Changeable Copy Signs. Changeable copy signs are permitted as an integral part of any sign, which meets all other requirements of this ordinance.

The changeable copy portion of a sign shall not exceed fifty (50) percent of the overall display surface area of the sign.

9.037. Banners and Flags. An advertising banner will be treated as a temporary sign under Section 9.034 or as a special event sign under Section 9.035.

Up to two non-advertising banners or flags are exempt from a sign permit.

More than two non-advertising banners or flags require a sign permit.

9.038. Suspended Signs. Suspended signs are allowed only if firmly attached to the supporting structure.

Swinging suspended signs are not allowed.

If the sign is suspended over a walkway, the bottom edge of the sign must be no lower than seven feet above the walkway.

The provisions of Section 9.04 are not applicable to off-site signs erected at Interstate 16. All provisions as may be in force and effect from time to time by the state department of transportation for off-site signs adjacent to an interstate apply.

9.041. Off-site advertising signs shall be permitted as conditional uses as shown in the table, Article VI.

9.042. Off-site signs shall not be spaced closer than three hundred (300) feet to any other advertising sign on the same side of any street or highway except back to back or end to end and no closer than one thousand (1,000) feet apart when located to be viewed by motorists from Interstate Highway 16.

9.043. Off-site signs shall not be erected which exceed three hundred seventy-eight (378) square feet in advertising area. No more than one sign per sign structure will be allowed to face the same direction. But no such size limitation shall apply to require the reduction in size of any advertising structure in place on the date of the enactment of this ordinance.

9.044. Off-site signs shall be set back at least ten (10) feet from the right-of-way.

9.045. The total height of an off-site sign shall not be greater than twenty-five (25) feet.

9.046. All illuminated signs shall use base or top mounted lights and shall be activated by photoelectric cells. Additional lighting, including but not limited to neon, animation, and running lights, is prohibited.

9.047. Off-site signs shall not obscure safe sight distances or conflict with official traffic signs or safety devices. Lighted signs shall be shielded so as to prevent rays of light from being directed at any portion of the traveled right-of-way and shall not be of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair the vision of the operator of any motor vehicle.

Signs in residential zones are prohibited except those exempted by Section 9.02 or specifically permitted by this Section 9.05.

Temporary and special event signs are allowed in residential zones if the sign receives a sign permit.

A residential development with several houses or apartments may have one freestanding sign (identifying only the name of the residential development) per entrance to the development. Such signs must be constructed of brick, stone, masonry, wood or equal architectural material. They shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet per sign and shall not be more than eight feet high.

No illuminated signs are allowed in residential zones.

If a conditional use permit has been granted by the city council for an area in a residential zone, signs are allowed in that area with the following conditions:

No roof signs allowed.

Wall signs are limited to the exterior front surface of a building and shall not exceed ten (10) percent of the front surface of the building.

Freestanding signs shall not exceed nine square feet in area and five feet in height.

No temporary signs, special event signs, spectacular signs, banners, or flags are allowed.

Illuminated signs are not allowed.

Signs must be constructed of brick, stone, masonry or equal architectural material.

Installing or maintaining a sign in a way that is inconsistent with this ordinance is a violation.

Installing or maintaining a sign in a way that is inconsistent with its sign permit is a violation.

Installing or maintaining a sign that requires a permit without a permit is a violation.

Failing to remove a sign after its sign permit has lapsed is a violation.

Each day of a continued violation shall be considered a separate violation when applying the penalties of this ordinance.

Each separate sign of a violation shall be considered a separate violation when applying the penalties of this ordinance.

This summary is just a guide. For actual regulations, please see the other sections of this ordinance.