Rochester City Zoning Code
35-176 DISTRICT
REGULATIONS FOR SIGNS.
The following provisions are specific to the Zoning Districts of the Village.
A. Residential Districts. The following signs are allowed in Residential Districts. All signs not specifically allowed in this Chapter are prohibited in Residential Districts.
1. No Permit Required.
a. Signs not to exceed two square feet located on the premises.
2. Permit Required.
a. Single-family, two-family, and multi-family permanent residential development signs not to exceed 48 square feet in area on one side and 96 square feet in area on all sides, that are located at entrances to subdivisions or developments or along abutting streets or highways, identifying residential complexes or displaying the property addresses. Said signs must be located on an outlot, permanent easement, or other common area and they must be located not closer than 15 feet to any street right-of-way, nor closer than ten feet to any side or rear lot line. Such signs may not exceed 12 feet in height. No more than two such signs are permitted for any one subdivision or development.
b. Temporary development signs for the purpose of designating a new building or development or for promotion of a subdivision may be permitted for a period up to two years, and extensions may be granted for a period not to exceed five years total. Signs may not exceed 48 square feet in area on one side and 96 square feet in area on all sides; may not exceed 12 feet in height, and must be located not closer than 15 feet from any street right-of-way and 75 feet from any street right-of-way intersection, nor closer than ten feet to any side or rear lot line. Only one such sign is permitted per street frontage.
B. Business and Industrial Districts. The following signs are allowed in all Business and Industrial Districts, except for Adult Establishments, subject to the conditions specified. All of the signs listed require a permit.
1
1. Wall Signs placed against the exterior walls of buildings are allowed and shall not extend outside of a building's wall surface, and shall not exceed 500 square feet in area for any one premises.
a. Wall signs placed against the exterior walls of buildings may not extend more than 12 inches outside of a building’s wall surface, may not exceed 30 feet in height (measured from the existing grade below the sign to the top of the sign), and may not extend above the roofline of a flat roof, or the eave line of a building with a gambrel, gable, dome, or hip roof, or the deck line of a building with a mansard roof.
b. Total area of all wall signs may not exceed 500 square feet in area for any one premises; except that in multi-tenant shopping centers, the anchor tenant(s) may each have 500 square feet of allowable sign area, and the total area of individual wall signs for non-anchor businesses within such multi-tenant structures shall not exceed 50 square feet per tenant. An anchor tenant is defined as the major store or stores within a shopping center exceeding 40,000 square feet in total floor area.
2. Monument Signs (Ground Signs) 14 .
The top of a monument sign shall not exceed ten feet in height from the existing grade at the proposed sign location. The structural base below the sign shall maintain a minimum two feet in height measured from existing yard grade to the bottom of the sign. The structural base shall extend the full width of the sign face. Monument signs shall not be located closer than 15 feet to a street right of way or closer than ten feet to a side or rear lot line. A monument sign shall not exceed 100 square feet on one side nor 200 square feet on all sides for any one premises.
a. Required Landscaping at Base of Monument Sign. All monument signs shall provide a landscaped area with appropriate natural plant material groundcover and other landscape plantings located at the base of the monument sign equal in area to the area of the face of the sign.
b. When earthen berms are used as part of the landscaping, the earthen berms shall maintain a side slope of three to one with a maximum berm height of three feet above the surrounding grade. When earthen berms are used, earthen berms shall count towards the maximum permissible sign height.
3.
Private Property Hazard Signs.
4. Window Signs may be placed only on the inside of buildings and first floor windows and doors. No permit is required for window signs that are not readable from the street right-of-way. The total area of all window signs requiring a permit shall not cover more than 20 percent of the total window area to which they are applied, or 100 square feet, whichever is less.
5.
Marquee, awning, and canopy signs affixed flat to the surface of a marquee, awning, or canopy are permitted provided that the signs do not extend vertically or horizontally beyond the limits of such marquee, awning, or canopy. A marquee, awning, or canopy for a shopping center may not extend beyond a point one foot back from the vertical plane formed by the curbline in the shopping center. No marquee, awning, or canopy may project into a required street yard, side yard, or rear yard, unless such structure already exists as an existing legal nonconforming structure or was approved by variance and such sign does not increase the dimensional nonconformity. A name sign not exceeding two square feet in area located immediately in front of the entrance to an establishment may be suspended from a marquee, awning, or canopy. Any such sign must be located at least 12 feet above the sidewalk or 15 feet above a driveway or alley. The total area of all marquee, awning, or canopy signs may not exceed 60 square feet in area for any one premises.
6. Projecting Signs. Projecting signs placed against the exterior wall of the building may not extend more than three feet outside of a building wall surface; shall not be any closer than two feet from a street parking curb; shall maintain a minimum height of eight feet from a sidewalk and 15 feet above a driveway; a maximum height of 20 feet above the mean centerline grade of the public street; and shall not exceed 12 square feet in area. Projecting signs are only permitted in the B-1, Central Business District.
7. Signs on any one site are further limited as follows:
a. Shopping Centers and multi-tenant buildings may provide one ground sign for each street frontage. Such facilities may also provide one wall sign or one canopy sign for each business in the building.
b.
Gasoline stations, service stations, convenience stores with pumps, or any combination thereof may provide one ground sign. Wall signs and canopy signs may also be provided subject to total square footage limitations. Signs that are window signs or located on the gasoline pumps, are not readable from the street right-of-way, will not require permits or be regulated in number.
c. For all other uses, total signs are limited to two signs per street frontage.
C. Conservation and Park Districts. The following signs are allowed in Conservation and Park Districts, subject to the conditions herein specified.
1. No Permit Required.
a.
On-premises or off-premises recreational directory signs not to exceed two in number, indicating the direction and/or distance to a specific cottage, resort, residence, or recreation facility that is located within an agricultural, resource conservation or park district, not to exceed 12 square feet in display area on one side and 24 square feet on all sides, five feet in height and no closer than ten feet to any right-of-way or property line. Such signs are tantamount to governmental signs to assist in identification of property and in the provision of emergency services.
b. Government Signs.
c. Bulletin Boards for public, charitable or religious institutions not to exceed 24 square feet in area located on the premises.
2. Permit Required.
a. Public and private institutional and park names signs. Such signs may be erected as wall signs or ground signs and shall meet the requirements set forth for the business and industrial districts.
D. Agricultural and Urban Reserve Districts. The following signs are allowed in the Agricultural and Urban Reserve Districts with a permit:
1.
Historical marker designations, as defined herein, which may not exceed 24 square feet in area on one side and 48 square feet in area on all sides, limited to one sign or any one farm, and such signs are located at least ten feet from the outer limits of the street right-of-way or any property line, and such signs do not exceed ten feet in height. Such signs may be exempt from the aforementioned height limit if painted upon the wall of an accessory structure. The size of such wall signs may exceed 24 square feet if done in an aesthetically pleasing manner that is approved through a site plan review by the Plan Commission.
2.
Temporary, non-illuminated, off-premises signs not to exceed four in number, to serve a roadside stand operation, not to exceed 12 square feet in display area on one side and 24 square feet in area on all sides, a maximum of five feet in height, at least ten feet from the outer limits of the street right-of-way and five feet from any other property line. Such signs must be removed within ten days of discontinuing operation of a roadside stand. Provided the sign(s) are relocated per the issued permit and the permit holder remains the same, the issued permit continues to be valid for successive years.
3.
Signs pertaining to the sale of products actually grown on the farm or in connection with a roadside stand not to exceed 32 square feet in area on one side and 64 square feet on all sides for no more than two signs on any one farm, such signs are located at least ten feet from the outer limits of the street right-of-way or any property line, such signs do not exceed 15 feet in height, and such signs are located on the same premises as the products for sale.
4.
Signs for agricultural businesses that are approved by conditional use shall be treated as commercial/industrial signs are allowed.
(Ord. 2019-1, passed 4-8-2019)