§ 42-8. Sign permit not required.
(a)
Nonresidential districts. Within all nonresidential zoning districts, the following signs shall be considered as permitted signs and shall be exempt from the requirement to obtain a sign permit as set forth within section 42-9 of this chapter:
(1)
Decals, limited to those as required by law, which are affixed to or painted upon store windows, store equipment, fuel pumps or other types of vending equipment used for dispensing retail products.
(2)
Lettering only, for the purpose of providing ownership, licensing and emergency contact information, when placed upon doors and windows of lawfully licensed businesses, with letters not exceeding three inches in height and limited to a maximum area of two square feet.
(3)
Structures shall have address numbers a minimum of six inches in height and conspicuously located so as to be visible from the street upon which the structure fronts.
(4)
Signs within a building that are not visible from the exterior of the building. This shall not include window signs affixed to the interior of windows, which are visible for the exterior.
(5)
Building signs, historical markers, memorial signs, tables or plaques, or the name of a building and the date of erection, when the same are cut into any masonry surface or when constructed of bronze or other similar noncombustible material.
(6)
A sign used by a governmental or public agency or utility in the performance of their official duties, such as controlling traffic, identifying streets, warning of danger, etc.
(7)
A sign displayed in connection with the observance of a holiday, provided such is place no more than 45 days prior to the holiday and must be removed within 30 calendar days after the holiday. Any lighting or electrical component must be in compliance with building codes.
(b)
All zoning districts. Within all zoning districts, the following signs shall be considered as permitted signs and shall be exempt from the requirement to obtain a sign permit as set forth within this chapter:
(1)
Not more than one real estate sign advertising the sale, rental or lease of only the premises on which the sign is located. Such signs shall not exceed six square feet in area, and five feet in height. Signs advertising the sale, rental or lease of property exceeding this size and height shall not be considered as exempt signs and are allowed with proper sign approvals and permits.
(2)
Signs noting the architect, engineer or contractor for a development project when placed upon work under construction, provided the sign shall be removed within 15 days of completion of construction. Such signs shall not exceed six square feet in size or eight feet in height but may be allowed with proper sign approvals and permits.
(3)
Signs as required by law to display building permits or other similar required public notices.
(4)
Traffic signs, street name signs, legal notices of public meetings, danger signs and temporary emergency, when erected by town, county, state or federal authorities.
(5)
No trespassing and private property signs not exceeding two square feet in area. Such signs shall not be displayed from or attached to trees, utility poles or any type of utility structure or equipment, including lift stations, fire hydrants and the like.
(6)
Vacancy or no vacancy signs not exceeding two square feet in area.
(7)
Temporary political campaign signs announcing the candidacy of a candidate for public office not exceeding four square feet in area in residential zoning districts and 32 square feet in all other zoning districts may be placed wholly within the boundaries of any property, at the discretion or consent of the legal owner and/or occupant of the property, provided such signs conform with all traffic, electrical, maintenance, fire and safety regulations of the town. The placing of political campaign signs on town property, other public property or on public rights-of-way shall be prohibited. Political campaign signs displayed within motor vehicles conducting routine business activities on town or other public property shall not be prohibited, provided that no such vehicle shall be parked on town property, other public property or on public rights-of-ways for the sole purpose of displaying political campaign signs. Illegally placed political campaign signs shall be removed by the code enforcement officer without notice to the candidate or abutting property owner or occupant. Political campaign signs shall be displayed a maximum of 60 days prior to the primary, general, or special election and shall be removed within 72 hours after the last election. If such signs are not removed within this period of time, the town may remove such signs and may charge the candidate the actual cost of such removal. Collected funds shall be deposited into the town's general revenue. Failure to remove signs is a violation of this chapter and is enforceable pursuant to section 1-9 of this Code.
(8)
Personal expression signs limited to one per lot or parcel, or in the case of multifamily uses, one per dwelling unit, expressing personal views or opinions not exceeding four square feet in area, providing such signs are otherwise in compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws. A personal expression sign can include a pole flag no larger than 20 square feet on a pole no taller than 25 feet. For other types of flags, see subsection (b)(19), below.
(9)
Religious symbols.
(10)
Garage sale signs or open house signs within residential zoning districts, not exceeding four square feet in size, limited to two per site and located only at the location of such event. Such signs may be displayed one day before the garage sale or open house and shall be removed immediately after conclusion of the event. No garage sale sign or open house sign may be erected upon any public right-of-way.
(11)
Signs placed within interior courtyards, the inside fence line of recreational fields and on golf courses, provided such signs are visible only to those persons visiting such place and are otherwise in compliance with this chapter.
(12)
Address and street number signs not exceeding two square feet. Single-family and multifamily dwellings shall have address numbers a minimum of four inches in height and conspicuously located on the building so as to be visible from the street on which the structure fronts.
(13)
Holiday and seasonal decorations shall not be construed as signs, providing that these contain no commercial advertising message.
(14)
A sign that is not more than four square feet and part of a newspaper tube delivery container.
(15)
A sign warning the public about trespass, danger, or safety considerations.
(16)
A sign that is an integral part of a dispensing mechanism, such as a beverage machine, newspaper rack or gasoline pump.
(17)
Signs denoting the location of underground utilities with a maximum size of one square foot.
(18)
Instructional or directional signs intended to provide direction to pedestrians or vehicular traffic and control of parking on private property. Signs must be located entirely on the property to which they pertain and shall not exceed three square feet in area per side and be no more than 30 inches in height. Entrance and exit signs are limited to one sign per direction per entrance, and may contain a business or corporate logo or similar identifying insignia not exceeding one square foot, but any other advertising message, logo, or symbol is prohibited. Signs may be increased to six square feet per side if clearly necessary for safety reasons, and on such signs the permitted logo may be two square feet. Directional signs shall not count toward the total signage permitted in this chapter.
(19)
Flags bearing the official design of a government, educational institution, church, fraternal organization or ornamental/decorative in design shall be allowed. A commercial establishment or residence may have four flags depicting these official designs, plus one additional ornamental or decorative flag. Ornamental or decorative flags shall not contain any commercial message such as the name or logo of the business; however, generic words or terms such as "open" or "gallery" are permitted. Any ornamental/decorative flag shall not exceed a maximum of 15 square feet of design area per side and a total aggregate of 30 feet of design area for both sides. Flag poles for nonresidential use over 50 feet will require the approval of the town planner/zoning administrator or designee. Spot lighting of flags at nonresidential uses may be permitted by the town planner/zoning administrator or designee so as long as lighting is not intrusive to surrounding properties.
(Ord. No. 2010-11-13, 5-23-2011)