§ 415-54 Purpose.
The purpose of this article is to establish minimum standards to safeguard life and property and promote public welfare and community aesthetics by regulating the appearance, construction, location and maintenance of all signs.
§ 415-55 Definitions.
See the "Signs" group on the Definitions page.
§ 415-56 Exclusions.
The following signs and related items shall not be included in the application of the regulations contained in this article:
A. Signs not exceeding one square foot in area and bearing only property numbers, post box numbers, or names of occupants or premises.
B. Flags and insignia of any government, except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion.
C. Legal notices, identification information, or directional signs erected by governmental bodies.
D. Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, except letters, trademarks, moving parts, or moving lights.
E. Signs directing and guiding traffic and parking on private property but bearing no advertising matter.
§ 415-57 Sign permit.
See "Sign Permit" on the Procedures page.
§ 415-58 Dangerous and abandoned signs.
A. Unsafe or abandoned signs. All signs shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises upon which the sign is located when a business which it advertises has not been conducted for a period of six months or when in the judgment of the Building Inspector such sign is so old or dilapidated or has become so out of repair as to be dangerous, whichever occurs first. If the owner or lessee fails to remove it, the Building Inspector may remove the sign at cost of the owner, following adequate written notice. The owner may appeal the Building Inspector's decision to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
B. Alterations. Any sign which was erected before the adoption of this article shall not be rebuilt or relocated without conforming to all of the requirements of this article.
C. Violations. All signs constructed or maintained in violation of any of the provisions of this article are hereby declared public nuisances with the meaning of this Code. In addition to the penalty provisions for violation of this chapter, the Building Inspector may bring an action to abate the nuisance in the manner set forth in the Wisconsin Statutes.
§ 415-59 Variances or exceptions.
Variances or exceptions may be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals, and decisions by the Building Inspector may be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
§ 415-60 Construction and maintenance.
A. Installation. All signs shall be properly secured, supported and braced and shall be kept in reasonable structural condition and shall be kept clean and well painted at all times. Bolts or screws shall not be fastened to window frames. Every sign and its framework, braces, anchors and other supports shall be constructed of such material and with such workmanship as to be safe and satisfactory to the Building Inspector.
B. General requirements.
(1) Awnings. The lowest part of any awning shall be eight feet above the sidewalk. Signs are allowed directly on the awning or hanging on the frame, but not below eight feet.
(2) Animated signs. Signs with any moving parts, beacon lights, or moving lights shall not be permitted, except revolving signs are permitted.
(3) Flashing signs. Flashing signs will be permitted, but the intensity of the bulb cannot exceed 25 watts. Bare reflecting-type bulbs of any kind are not allowed for a flashing or nonflashing sign unless they are properly shaded so as not to interfere with surrounding properties.
(4) Roof signs. No sign shall be located so as to project above the parapet line, unless approved by the Building Inspector.
(5) Illuminated signs. Any illuminated signs shall not interfere with surrounding properties or traffic.
(6) Projection. Signs including supports shall not project beyond five feet from the face of the wall to which attached.
(7) Blanketing. Blanketing of signs shall not be allowed.
(8) Maintenance. All signs, including supports and attachments, shall be properly maintained and have an appearance that is neat and clean.
C. Requirements per zoning district.
(1) Exceptions to height and setback requirements. Signs may be allowed in the setback area if they are below three feet or are pole-mounted and above 12 feet to the bottom of the sign. The pole diameter of pole-mounted signs shall not exceed 12 inches, and signs shall be located so as to project above the parapet line, unless approved by the Building Inspector.
(2) Prohibitions.
(a) No sign shall be erected so that any portion of the sign or its supports attaches to or interferes with the free use of any fire escape, exit, any required stairway, door, ventilator or window.
(b) No sign shall be erected that will interfere with, obstruct, confuse, or mislead traffic.
D. Residential development identification signs. Residential development identification signs shall not exceed 32 square feet in sign area. A maximum of two such signs is permitted per development after review and approval by the Building Inspector.
E. Searchlights. The Village Board may permit the temporary use of a searchlight for advertising purposes in any district, provided that the searchlight 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 traffic or adjoining properties. Searchlight permits shall not be granted for a period of more than five days in any six-month period.
F. Signs on public rights-of-way. Signs shall not be permitted on public rights-of-way except for traffic control, parking and directional signs and as otherwise specified in this chapter. A sign in direct line of vision of any traffic signal, from any point in the traffic lane from a position opposite the near sidewalk line to a position 150 feet before said sidewalk line, shall not have red, green, or amber illumination.
A. Temporary sign limitations.
(1) All temporary signs, such as real estate, construction site and political signs, shall be removed within 10 days after their use has discontinued.
(2) Temporary signs may be placed on a property but shall not be located on a right-of-way terrace and shall not interfere with driveway vision clearance.
B. Electronic message unit signs.
(1) Such signs may be used only to advertise activities conducted on the premises or to present public service information.
(2) Segmented messages must be displayed for not less than 1/2 second and not more than 10 seconds.
(3) Traveling messages may travel no slower than 16 light columns per second and no faster than 32 columns per second.
C. Portable signs.
(1) Such signs shall be limited in use to 30 days at a time and not more frequently than three times per year at any one location.
(2) The maximum size shall be 25 square feet, on each face, back-to-back.
D. Location by limited access highway. No advertising device shall hereafter be erected or relocated within 300 feet of the right-of-way line of any limited access highway if the face thereof is visible therefrom, and advertising devices located at a greater distance than 300 feet from the right-of-way line of any limited access highway and visible therefrom shall not exceed, in gross area of square feet, 1/200 times the square of the distance of such advertising device from said limited access highway. All outdoor advertising structures, post signs, accessory signs, or advertising statuary which is declared to be a traffic hazard by the Building Inspector after a recommendation from the Village Engineer, and which does not conform to the provisions of this section, shall be relocated or rearranged in accord with safety standards.
E. Location by a park. No advertising sign, when viewed from a public park of 10 or more acres in area, shall hereafter be erected or relocated within 300 feet of such public park of 10 acres or more in area, unless said sign is screened from said park by a building, wall or solid fence, and advertising devices located at a greater distance that 300 feet from such public park shall not exceed, in gross area of square feet, 1/200 times the square of the distance of such advertising sign from said park unless said sign is screened from said park by a building, wall or solid fence.
F. Location adjacent to residence district. No advertising sign shall be permitted within 75 feet of any residence district boundary line unless said sign is completely screened from said residence district by a building, solid fence, or evergreen planting, which planting shall be not more than two feet shorter than the height of the sign at the time said evergreens are planted, or said sign is facing away from the residence district and the back is screened as provided below. Said evergreens shall be spaced not more than 1/2 the height of the tree for regular varieties and 1/3 the height of the tree for columnar varieties of trees; said evergreen planting shall be continuously maintained.
G. Sign mounting. All signs shall be mounted in one of the following manners:
(1) Flat against a building or wall;
(2) Back-to-back in pairs, so that the back of the sign will be screened from public view;
(3) In clusters in an arrangement which will screen the back of the signs from public view; or
(4) Otherwise mounted so that the backs of all signs or sign structures showing to public view shall be painted and maintained a neutral color or a color that blends with surrounding environments.
§ 415-62 Nonconforming signs.
A. Signs eligible for characterization as legal nonconforming. Any sign located within the Village limits on the date of adoption of this article, or located in an area annexed to the Village hereafter, which does not conform to the provisions of this article is eligible for characterization as a legal nonconforming sign and is permitted, provided that it also meets the following requirements:
(1) The sign was covered by a proper sign or building permit prior to the date of adoption of this article.
(2) If no permit was required under the applicable law for the sign in question and the sign was in all respects in compliance with applicable law on the date of adoption of this article.
B. Loss of legal nonconforming status.
(1) A sign loses its nonconforming status if one or more of the following occurs:
(a) The sign is structurally altered in any way, except for normal maintenance or repair, which tends to or makes the sign less in compliance with requirements of this article than it was before alteration.
(b) The sign is relocated.
(c) The sign fails to conform to this article regarding maintenance and repair, abandonment, or dangerous or defective signs.
(2) On the date of occurrence of any of the above, the sign shall be immediately brought into compliance with this chapter with a new permit secured therefor or shall be removed.
C. Legal nonconforming sign maintenance and repair. This article shall not relieve the owner or user of a legal nonconforming sign or the owner of the property on which the sign is located from the provisions of this article regarding safety, maintenance, and repair of signs.
§ 415-63 Billboards prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for any person to erect, repair, alter, or relocate or maintain within the Village any billboard as defined in this article.
§ 415-64 Wind pressure and dead load requirements.
All signs and other advertising structures shall be designed and constructed to withstand a wind pressure of not less than 30 pounds per square foot area and shall be constructed to receive dead loads as required in the Building Code or other ordinances of the Village.
§ 415-65 Abandoned signs.
Except as otherwise herein provided, all sign messages shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises upon which an off-premises sign is located when the business it advertised is no longer conducted where advertised. If the owner or lessee fails to remove the sign, the Building Inspector shall give the owner 60 days' written notice to remove said sign and thereafter, upon the owner's or lessee's failure to comply, may remove such sign, any costs for which shall be charged to the owner of the property or may be assessed as a special assessment against the property, and/or the Building Inspector may take any other appropriate legal action necessary to attain compliance.