No sign shall be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted, or structurally altered without a zoning permit except those signs excepted in section 58-247 and without being in conformity with the provisions of this article. The sign shall also meet all the structural requirements of village building regulations.

(Code 1986, § 10-1-80)

All signs are prohibited in all residential and agricultural districts except the following:

(1)

Real estate signs not to exceed eight square feet in area which advertises the sale, rental or lease of the premises upon which the signs are temporarily located.

(2)

Name, occupation, warning signs not to exceed eight square feet located on the premises.

(3)

Bulletin boards for public, charitable or religious institutions not to exceed 24 square feet in area located on the premises.

(4)

Memorial signs, tablets, names of buildings, historical designations, and date of erection, when cut into masonry surface or when constructed of metal and affixed flat against a structure.

(5)

Official signs, such as traffic control, parking restrictions, information and notices.

(6)

The term "temporary signs or banners" means signs placed for less than six months, or apartment complex names placed at the entrance or in front of the complex which list the names of the apartment, name and phone number of manager for rental or sale information, not to exceed 32 square feet.

(7)

Political campaign signs are permitted as provided in Wis. Stats. § 12.04.

(Code 1986, § 10-1-81)

Signs are permitted in all business and industrial districts, subject to the following restrictions:

(1)

Signs prohibited in public ways. Except for traffic signs and signals, signs specifically permitted to project into the public way by this chapter, or any other sign so authorized by law, no signs shall be placed upon, over, or in any public way. Except for signs projecting from business structures located on the front property line, any signs located upon, or encroaching upon, any public way shall be removed within one year of the adoption of the ordinance from which this article is derived. Permits for signs projecting into the right-of-way of any street shall be revocable as provided in Wis. Stats. § 86.04.

(2)

Lighting. Signs that are illuminated by intermittent, rotating or flashing lights shall meet department of transportation and state regulations.

(3)

Ground signs. One ground sign will be permitted per lot (no exceptions). Multiple businesses are allowed on the sign, but the sign cannot exceed 200 square feet in any situation, or exceed 35 feet in height. All applicable setback lines must be observed

(4)

Billboards on vacant lots. Vacant lots upon which billboards now exist shall be maintained in an orderly fashion by the frequent and periodic removal of rubbish and maintenance of any verdure growing on the lot.

(5)

Signs projecting into street. No sign shall project over any part of any street, except where a business structure is located on the front property line. In such case, a sign may not extend beyond the front face of curb.

(6)

Termination of a business. At the termination of a business, commercial or industrial enterprise, all signs shall forthwith be removed from the public view. Responsibility for violation shall reside with the property owner, according to the latest official tax roll listings.

(7)

Shopping centers or industrial parks. In a shopping center or industrial park, one freestanding identification sign may be permitted, showing the name of the center or park and the represented businesses or industries. The area of the sign shall not exceed 200 square feet on one face and 400 square feet on all faces. The sign shall not be permitted within 20 feet of the right-of-way line of the street.

(8)

Surface display area. The total surface display area of business or industrial signs on the front facade of a building shall not exceed three square feet per linear foot of width of the building frontage. In the case of a building located on a corner lot, such display area on the side facing the secondary street may be increased by one square foot per linear foot of the length of the building which faces the secondary street. The increased permitted display area shall be used only for the erection of a permitted sign on the length of the building which faces the secondary street. Where the premises abut a parking lot, the total display area may be increased by 0.5 square foot per linear foot of width or length of the building fronting on such parking lot. Such increased display area shall only be utilized for the erection of a permitted sign on the part of the building which abuts the parking lot. In no case, shall the wall area usable for sign display be in excess of 200 square feet, and in no case shall more than one of the abovementioned criteria be used to calculate allowable sign area on any one building facade.

(9)

Projections beyond building line. Business and industrial signs mounted on buildings shall not be permitted to project more than 48 inches beyond the building line.

(10)

Number of signs. Where only one business occupies a building, no more than one business or industrial sign shall be permitted on the front facade of any business or industrial building, including any advertisement permanently fastened to show windows or display cases. In addition, where only one business occupies a building, only one business or industrial sign shall be permitted on each side or rear wall of a business or industrial building. However, in the event more than one business occupies a specific building, the standards set forth in subsection (8) of this section, dealing with surface display area for multiple businesses located in one location, the following guidelines will be used:

a.

One business may use 100 percent of allotted area.

b.

Two businesses may use 150 percent of the allotted area.

c.

Three or more businesses may use 200 percent of the allotted area.

(11)

Directional signs. Necessary directional ground signs, not exceeding four square feet in area, will be permitted. Permission to erect such signs must be obtained from the police department and from the plan commission.

(12)

Lighting. Business and industrial signs may be internally lighted or illuminated by a hooded reflector; provided, however, that such lighting shall be arranged to prevent glare, and no sign shall have lighting of an intermittent or varying intensity. Animated signs, or signs having moving parts, or signs which may be mistaken for traffic signal devices, or which diminish the visibility or effectiveness of such traffic signal devices are prohibited.

(13)

Obstruction of openings. Any sign so erected, constructed or maintained as to obstruct or be attached to any fire escape, window, door or opening used as means of ingress or egress, or for firefighting purposes, or placed so as to interfere with any opening required for legal ventilation is prohibited.

(14)

Street intersections. No sign or advertising device shall be erected or maintained at the intersection of streets in such a manner as to obstruct clear vision of the intersection.

(15)

Height. No sign shall be erected above the roof line of a building or more than 30 feet from the ground.

(16)

Billboards. Billboards, outdoor advertising signs and any business or industrial signs not located on the same property as the business or industry advertised, shall not be permitted in any district.

(17)

Hanging signs. Signs shall be permitted to hang from canopies or covered walks in business or industrial districts, provided that there shall be only one sign (not to exceed five square feet in area) for each business and that the sign shall be at least ten feet above ground level.

(Code 1986, § 10-1-82)

Signs shall not resemble, imitate, or approximate the shape, size, form, or color of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices. Signs shall not obstruct or interfere with the effectiveness of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices. No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door, window, or fire escape; and no sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape. No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility.

(Code 1986, § 10-1-83)

Signs lawfully existing at the time of the adoption or amendment of this chapter may be continued although the use, size, or location does not conform with the provisions of this chapter. However, it shall be deemed a nonconforming use or structure, and the provisions of article VII of this chapter shall apply.

(Code 1986, § 10-1-84)

Billboards shall be removed by the person owning such billboard, or the owner of the property on which such billboard is located within one year from the date of the passage of the ordinance from which this chapter is derived. Should the owner of the billboard or the owner of the property on which a billboard is located fail to remove such billboard within one year, the building inspector shall, following 60 days' written notice to the owner of the billboard and the owner of the property on which the billboard is located, cause the billboard to be removed at the expense of the owner of the billboard.

(Code 1986, § 10-1-85)