Saukville Village City Zoning Code
ARTICLE VIII
Signs
§ 205-77 Purpose and intent.
The intent of this chapter is to provide for and regulate the location and safe construction of signs in a manner to ensure the that signs are compatible with surrounding land uses, are well maintained, and express the identity of individual proprietors and the Village as a whole. All sign permits, unless otherwise specified, shall be issued by the Building Inspector.
§ 205-78 Compliance required.
No sign shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, refaced, extended, enlarged, converted or structurally altered without conforming to the provisions of this chapter.
§ 205-79 Signs permitted without permit.
The following signs are permitted in all zoning districts without a permit, subject to the following regulations:
A.
Real estate signs, not to exceed eight square feet in area in a residential district or 32 square feet in other districts, which advertise the sale, rental, or lease of the premises upon which said signs are temporarily located. No real estate signs shall be allowed in a street right-of-way. Real estate signs shall not be closer than 10 feet to a side or rear lot line. Sign placement shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
B.
Personal name and warning signs not to exceed two square feet located on the premises. Personal name and warning signs shall be not less than 10 feet from any street right-of-way, or any side or rear lot line. Sign placement shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
C.
Home occupation and professional home office signs not to exceed two square feet in area and mounted flush against the dwelling.
D.
Election campaign signs, provided that permission shall be obtained from the property owner, renter or lessee. No election campaign sign shall be located in a street right-of-way. Election campaign signs shall not be closer than 10 feet to a side or rear lot line. Sign placement shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
E.
Rummage sale, garage sale, and real estate sale, directional or informational signs, provided that no such sign shall be erected more than 24 hours before the rummage sale and taken down no later than 24 hours after the rummage sale. Signs placed within the public right-of-way shall be subject to confiscation by the Zoning Administrator if he determines that the sign or its placement constitutes a public hazard or nuisance. Signs promoting business or commercial activity are prohibited within the public right-of-way. Signs serving informational or directional purposes of quasi-official intent for site specific traffic circulation in business districts are allowed, subject to review and approval by the Zoning Administrator. Sign placement shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
F.
Bulletin boards for public, charitable or religious institutions not to exceed eight square feet in area located on the premises. Bulletin boards shall be not less than 10 feet from any street right-of-way, or any side or rear lot line. Sign placement shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
G.
Memorial signs, tablets, names of buildings, and date of erection when cut into any masonry surface or when constructed of metal and affixed flat against a structure.
H.
Official signs, such as traffic control, parking restrictions, information and notices.
§ 205-80 Signs permitted residential districts with permit.
The following signs are permitted in any residential district and are subject to the following regulations:
A.
Permanent real estate development signs placed at the entrance to a subdivision or development shall contain only the name of the subdivision or development. The Plan Commission shall determine the appropriate size of the sign based on the design of the sign and its compatibility with adjacent land uses. Residential development signs shall be not less than 10 feet from any street right-of-way, or any side or rear lot line. Sign placement shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
§ 205-81 Signs permitted in business and manufacturing districts with permit.
[Amended 12-2-2025 by Ord. No. 844]
Signs are permitted in all business and manufacturing districts subject to the following restrictions:
A.
Wall signs placed against the exterior walls of buildings shall not extend more than 12 inches outside of a building's wall surface, shall not exceed 500 square feet in area for any one premises, and shall not exceed 20 feet in height above the mean center-line street grade.
B.
Projecting signs fastened to, suspended from, or supported by structures shall not exceed 100 square feet in area for any one premises; shall not extend more than six feet into any required yard; shall not extend more than three feet into any public right-of-way; shall not be less than 10 feet from all side lot lines; shall not exceed a height of 20 feet above the mean center-line street grade; and shall not be less than 10 feet above the sidewalk nor 15 feet above a driveway or an alley.
C.
Ground signs shall not exceed 10 feet in height above the mean center-line street grade, and shall not exceed 100 square feet on one side nor 200 square feet on all sides for any one premises. Ground signs in all business and manufacturing districts, except the B-1 Central Business District, shall be not less than 20 feet from the street right-of-way, and shall not be less than 10 feet from a side or rear lot line. Ground signs in the B-1 District shall not be located within the street right-of-way. Sign placement, except in the B-1 District, shall comply with the traffic visibility requirements set forth in § 205-63 of this chapter.
D.
Pole signs, except replacement billboards which are regulated under § 205-81G of this Code and not bound by this section, shall, except those pole signs facing Interstate Highway 43 (IH-43), shall meet the height requirements for the district in which they are located; shall not be less than 10 feet above the lot grade or sidewalk and not less than 15 feet above a parking lot, driveway or other area used by motor vehicles; shall not exceed 100 square feet on one side nor 200 square feet on all sides; and shall not exceed 35 feet in height. Pole signs in all business and manufacturing districts, except the B-1 Central Business District, shall be not less than 20 feet from the street right-of-way, and shall be not less than 10 feet from a side or rear lot line. Pole signs in the B-1 District shall not be located within the street right-of-way. There shall be no more than one pole sign on any property. Pole signs fronting on IH-43 shall not exceed 45 feet in height; shall not be less than 10 feet above the lot grade or sidewalk and not less than 15 feet above a parking lot, driveway or other area used by motor vehicles; shall not exceed 250 square feet on one side nor 500 square feet on all sides. Pole signs fronting on IH-43 shall be not less than 20 feet nor more than 150 feet from the freeway right-of-way or any other street right-of-way, and shall be not less than 10 feet from a side or rear lot line. There shall be no more than one pole sign on a property. No pole sign on IH-43 shall be located closer than 500 feet to another pole sign or billboard. Off-premise pole signs may be permitted on property fronting IH-43, provided that the business, industry or enterprise advertised is located within 1,500 feet of IH-43.
E.
Roof signs shall not exceed 10 feet in height above the roof, shall meet all the yard and height requirements for the district in which they are located, and shall not exceed 300 square feet on all sides for any one premises.
F.
Window signs, except for painted signs and decals, shall be placed only on the inside of commercial buildings.
G.
Billboards. No new billboards shall be placed or erected in the Village, except when replacing an existing billboard located along IH-43 in the B-4 District, subject to all of the following restrictions:
(1)
Existing billboards must be removed in conjunction with the building of the replacement billboard. The erection of the replacement billboard cannot start until the existing billboard is removed.
(2)
Replacement billboards facing IH-43 shall be no more than 65 feet in height from ground level to the upper edge of the sign face.
(3)
Replacement billboards signs must be rebuilt on the same property within 60 feet of the replaced billboard.
(4)
Billboards existing on a property when facing IH-43 shall have no bearing over the overall number of signs allowed on a premise even when a replacement billboard or off-premise sign is permitted.
(5)
Where sign faces are identical in size and oriented back-to-back in either a parallel manner or V-shape on the same structure they shall be considered as one sign for the purpose of sign face size calculation.
(6)
Replacement billboards must be set back no closer than 20 feet from the IH-43 right-of-way and any other street property line and cannot overhang into any right-of-way or adjacent property.
(7)
All replacement billboards shall be built with a shroud that encapsulates the entire support structure of the sign.
(a)
If a replacement billboard exceeds 672 square feet per face in addition to a shroud an identification panel of either the on-premise business(s) or the Village of Saukville must be included under the main sign's face on either one of the sides.
(b)
Identification panels shall be constructed of quality materials, and no less than 5% of the sign's face and no more than 10% of the sign's face.
(8)
Replacement billboards must be modernized with at least one digital face.
(a)
If the replacement billboard was originally built with one digital sign face one additional digital face may be permitted without permitting an entirely new structure.
(9)
Replacement billboards and existing off-premise signs shall incur permit fees as follows:
H.
Combinations of any of the above signs shall meet all the requirements for the individual sign. The total number of signs on any one premises shall be limited as follows:
(1)
Shopping centers may provide one ground or pole sign displaying the name of the shopping center, lists of individual stores, hours of operation, and/or special sales information for each 300 feet of street upon which the shopping center abuts. Where special considerations exist for shopping centers or planned retail districts that include retail/commercial single-use buildings on corner lots or tenant spaces configured as corner anchor spaces with double exposure to the public way, the inclusion of one additional wall/building sign may be permitted, one for each exposure. Signage on each exposure shall be considered a single sign. Design requirements for all wall/building signs will remain as defined in § 205-81A, including total square footage.
(2)
Gasoline and/or service stations may provide one pole sign displaying two signboards. One signboard may show the service station name and/or a product logo. The second signboard may display product prices and other services offered. The total aggregate area of signs on the pole sign shall not exceed 100 square feet on one side and 200 square feet on all sides. In addition, one wall sign may be provided. A maximum of two signs displaying the service station name and/or product logo may be placed on a service island canopy. The canopy signs shall not exceed 18 inches by 48 inches and shall not extend above or below the canopy. Product logos displayed on service pumps shall not be considered signs.
(3)
For all other freestanding businesses and industries, total signs shall be limited by the following table:
Floor Area (square feet) | Maximum Number of Signs Permitted | |
|---|---|---|
0 to 5,000 | 2 | |
5,001 to 20,000 | 3 | |
20,001 to 50,000 | 4 | |
More than 50,000 | 5 |
(4)
Window signs shall not be subject to the limitation on number of signs.
§ 205-82 Signs permitted in institutional and park districts with permit.
§ 205-83 Portable signs.
[Amended 10-11-2005 by Ord. No. 643]
A portable sign or display is not permanent. The use of portable signs and displays, such as wheeled signs, sandwich board signs, sign easels, banners, flags, tents and inflatable signs, for advertising or signaling special items, pricing or events may be allowed in all business districts, provided that the portable sign will not be located in any public right-of-way; will not be located closer than 10 feet to an adjacent property and will not cause a hazard to pedestrian or motorized traffic or adjoining properties. Portable signs may not exceed 36 square feet in total area. Flags, canopies and similar building effects or decor that are not used for advertising or signaling special items, pricing or events and are part of an approved building and/or site design are not subject to this chapter. The use of portable signs and displays shall be considered a temporary use subject to § 205-21 of this chapter.
§ 205-84 Facing residences.
§ 205-85 Construction, design and maintenance standards.
A.
Wind pressure and dead load requirements. All signs and other advertising structures shall be designed and constructed to withstand wind pressure of not less than 40 pounds per square foot of area, and shall be constructed to receive dead loads as required in the Village Building Code or other ordinance.
B.
Protection of the public. The temporary occupancy of a sidewalk or street or other public property during construction, removal, repair, alteration or maintenance of a sign is permitted, provided the space occupied is roped off, fenced off, or otherwise isolated.
C.
Maintenance. The owner of any sign shall keep it in good maintenance and repair which includes restoring, repainting, or replacement of a worn or damaged legally existing sign to its original condition; and shall maintain the premises on which the sign is erected in a clean, sanitary, and inoffensive condition, free and clear of all obnoxious substances, rubbish, weeds and grass. Banners, pennants, and balloons used for advertising shall be securely attached to a building or other stable sign support, and torn, deflated or damaged signs and related materials shall be promptly repaired or removed.
D.
Supporting members or braces of all signs shall be constructed of galvanized iron, properly treated wood, steel, copper, brass, or other noncorrosive incombustible material. Every means or device used for attaching any sign shall extend through the walls of the building should the Building Inspector determine that the safe and permanent support of such sign so requires and shall be securely anchored by wall plates and nuts to the inside of the walls in accordance with instructions given by the Building Inspector. Small flat signs containing less than 10 feet of area may be attached to a building by the use of lag bolts or other means to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector.
E.
No signs or any part thereof or sign anchors, braces, or guide rods shall be attached, fastened, or anchored to any fire escape, fire ladder, or standpipe and no such sign or any part of any such sign or any anchor, brace, or guide rod shall be erected, put up, or maintained so as to hinder or prevent ingress or egress through such door, doorway, or window or so as to hinder or prevent the raising or placing of ladders against such building by the Fire Department of the Village as necessity therefor may require.
F.
Lighting and appearance. Signs shall not resemble, imitate, or approximate the shape, size, form, or color of railroad, traffic or other official signs, signals, or devices. Signs shall not obstruct or interfere with the effectiveness of railroad, traffic or other official signs, signals, or devices. Signs shall not 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. Signs shall not be placed so as to obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility, nor be lighted in such a way as to cause glare, objectionable distraction, or impair driver visibility upon public ways. Signs may be illuminated but nonflashing. Signs shall not be revolving or mechanically animated; however, information on time, temperature, reader-board, electronically or digitally generated sign fields may be cyclical or sequential. Signs in residential districts shall not be illuminated.
§ 205-86 Existing signs.
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 to the provisions of this chapter. Nonconforming signs shall be kept in good repair. The Building Inspection Department of the Village of Saukville shall determine the viability, structural integrity, code compliance and service life of any sign in the Village of Saukville and shall enforce such determinations with orders for maintenance and compliance up to and including orders to remove if deemed necessary for conformance to this chapter or protection of the public interest. Signs or signage plans approved by the Village of Saukville prior to January 1, 2004, though subsequently found to exist in violation of the current ordinance, shall nevertheless be considered lawful, nonconforming signs, remaining subject to this chapter in all other respects.
§ 205-87 Sign permit.
[Amended 8-22-2017 by Ord. No. 777]
Signs requiring a permit and to be located in the A-1 Agricultural District and the R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 Residential Districts shall be reviewed and approved by the Architectural Review Board. Signs requiring a permit and to be located in the B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-4 Business Districts, the I-1 Institutional and P-1 Park Districts, the R-5 Multifamily Residential District and the RC Residential Condominium District shall be reviewed and approved by the Plan Commission. Signs requiring a permit and to be located in the M-1 and M-2 Manufacturing Districts and the B-P Business Park District shall be reviewed and approved by the Industrial Review Committee and/or Community Development Authority. Application for a sign permit shall be made on forms provided by the Village Clerk and shall comply with the submittal requirements attached thereto, including but not limited to the following:
A.
Name, address and telephone number of the applicant; location of building, structure, or lot to which or upon which the sign is to be attached or erected.
B.
Name of person, firm, corporation or association erecting the sign.
C.
Written consent of the owner or lessee of the building, structure, or land to which or upon which the sign is to be affixed.
D.
A scale drawing of such sign indicating the dimensions, the materials to be used, the type of illumination, if any, and the method of construction and attachment.
E.
A scale drawing indicating the location and position of such sign in relation to nearby buildings or structures.
F.
Copies of any other permit required and issued for said sign, including the written approval by the Electrical Inspector, in the case of illuminated signs, who shall examine the plans and specifications, re-inspecting all wiring and connections to determine if the same complies with the Village Electrical Code.
G.
Additional information as may be required by the Building Inspector or the reviewing body.
§ 205-88 Measuring signs.
In calculating the area of a sign to determine whether it meets the requirement of this chapter, the Building Inspector shall consider only the area of the sign face. Area of irregularly shaped signs or signs containing two or more detached elements shall be determined by the area of the smallest regular polygon that will encompass all elements of the sign. Linear dimensional measurements shall be based on the structural elements of the sign.