§155.01 Purpose

This Comprehensive Sign Code has been prepared by and for the citizens of the city in order to provide a safe, consistent, equitable and legal system of signing. The regulations of such factors as size, location, construction, etc., will encourage the communication of information and orientation for both visitors and citizens, provide for the effective identification and advertisement of business establishments, eliminate visual blight and provide standards to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare.

(Ord. 1689, passed 1-8-90)

§155.02 Definitions

For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.

• Building Frontage. The linear frontage of a building measured along a street or alley between two lines projecting perpendicular from the street to the corners of the building.
• Canopy. A structure made of cloth, metal or other material with frames affixed to a building.
• Construction Sign. Any informational sign which identifies the architect, engineers, contractors and other individuals or firms involved with the construction of a building, or announcing the character of the building or enterprise, which is erected during the building construction period.
• Electronic Changing Sign. An electronic sign upon which the entire copy or message may appear or change from time to time, upon a lamp bank, such as time and temperature displays, which by its nature and intensity is not a flashing sign.
• Flashing or Moving Sign. Any sign which contains or is illuminated by a light source which produces a brilliant flash and darkness on an alternating basis, which results in a pulsating effect designed primarily to attract attention, or any sign which produces apparent motion of the visual image, including but not limited to illusion of moving objects, moving patterns or bands of light, expanding or contracting shapes, rotation or any similar effect of animation which is designed or operated in a manner primarily to attract attention.
• Free-Standing Sign. Any sign set apart with no structural attachments to a building structure and is meant to include ground-mounted or pole signs for the purpose of these regulations.
• Grade. The relative ground level in the immediate vicinity of the sign.
• Ground Sign. A sign which is mounted on the ground and supported by one or more uprights, poles, or braces in or upon the ground other than a pole sign as defined. The bottom of such signs shall be no higher than three feet, and they shall extend no higher than eight feet.
• Height or Height of Sign. The vertical distance from the average grade within 20 feet of the structure to the highest point of a sign or any vertical projection thereof, including its supporting columns.
• Incidental Sign. Small signs, less than two square feet in surface area, of noncommercial nature, intended primarily for the convenience of the public. Included are signs designating restrooms, address numbers, hours of operation, entrances to buildings, directions, help wanted, public telephone, etc. Also included in this group of signs are those designed to guide or direct pedestrians or vehicular traffic to an area or place on the premises of a business, building or development by means of a directory designating names and addresses only.
• Lighting, Indirect or Internal. Any illuminated sign constructed so that the immediate source of illumination is not visible when the sign is lighted and which does not exceed ten candle power per square foot measured at ten feet from the sign.
• Plaza. Two or more commercial or industrial uses that share common accesses and common private off-street parking.
• Pole Sign. A single- or multiple-faced sign eight or more feet above grade, supported by one or more uprights in the ground and detached from any building or structure.
• Political Sign. A sign advertising a candidate or candidates for public elective office, or a political party, or a sign urging a particular vote on a public issue decided by ballot.
• Portable Sign. Any sign not meeting the anchorage requirements of the Uniform Sign Code.
• Projecting Sign. A single- or multiple- faced sign which is designed, and constructed to be mounted to the a building and which will extend more than 12 inches wall.
• Property Line. The line denoting the limits of ownership of property.
• Readerboard. A sign or part of a sign on which the letters are readily replaceable so that the copy is changed from time to time at will.
• Roof Sign. Any sign erected upon, against, or directly above a roof or on top of or above the parapet of a building, including a sign affixed to any equipment attached to the building.
• Sandwich (“A”) Board. A double-faced sign hinged or connected at the top which is spread for stabilization and set upon the ground.
• Sign. Any medium, including its structure and component parts, other than paint on a building, which is used or intended to be used to attract attention to the subject matter for communication purposes. Sign Area. The surface contained within a continuous perimeter which encloses the entire sign cabinet but excluding any support or framing structure that does not convey a message. Where signs are of a three-dimensional, round or other solid shape, the largest section cross-viewed as a flat projection shall be used for the purpose of determining the Sign Area. Signs visible from more than one direction or without clearly defined sign shall be considered as having two faces and each face calculated in the total allowable area.
• Street Frontage. Street(s), alley(s) or right(s)-of-way parallel to the property line used to compute the area of sign(s) intended to be located in such a manner as to have primary exposure on that street or right-of-way.
• Temporary Sign.Any sign, banner, pendant, valance or advertising display constructed of cloth, canvas light fabric, cardboard, wallboard or other light material intended to be displayed for a period of less than 60 days in any calendar year.
• Vision Clearance Area. A triangular area on at the intersection of two public rights-of-way, a street and a railroad, or point of vehicular access and a right-of-way, two sides of which are lines measured from the corner intersection to a distance of 30 feet in residential districts, 15 feet in commercial districts and ten feet at all alleys. The third side of a triangle is a line across the corner of the lot connecting the lines of the other two sides. The Vision Clearance Area contains no signs higher than 2½ feet or lower than eight feet measured from the grade of the street centerline, though a single pole having a diameter of 18 inches or less is permitted.
• Wall Sign. A single-face sign which does not extend more than 12 inches from the wall and the copy of which runs parallel to the wall to which it is attached.
• Window Sign. A sign which is applied to or located within three feet of the interior of a window, which sign may be seen through the window from the exterior of the structure.

(Ord. 1689, passed 1-8-90; Am. Ord. 1930, passed 6-9-97)