This article is intended to control outdoor signs of all types and in all zoning districts by regulating size, location, quantity, quality, content and design to:
A. 
Protect the safety of the public.
B. 
Enhance the aesthetic environment of the Village.
C. 
Reduce motorist distraction.
D. 
Provide for uniform design standards.
E. 
Encourage excellence in sign design.
F. 
Improve business identification and sign comprehension.
G. 
Limit the use of energy in sign design and maintenance.
H. 
Amortize and replace signs which do not conform to the provisions of this article.
A. 
Permitted signs may only identify the person, establishment, the principle products and/or service available on the premises which contains the sign. At least one of the signs identifying a business or industrial establishment shall contain the street address number in the sign, using a minimum of four-inch numerals, or such number shall be displayed elsewhere on the building and be visible from the street.
B. 
The following signs are permitted in the zoning districts as specified in the Schedule of Sign Regulations (§ 177-93) and in conformance with all other provisions of this article:
(1) 
Address: a sign identifying the house number and/or name of the occupant of a dwelling.
(2) 
Public interest: a sign containing a cautionary message such as "beware of dog" or "no trespassing" or an information message such as "exit" or "parking."
(3) 
Home occupation: a sign which identifies only the name and/or occupation of a practitioner or one conducting a permitted home occupation in a dwelling.
(4) 
Place: a sign identifying a community, residential development, public facility or a historic facility.
(5) 
Institutional: a sign identifying a club, association, school, hospital, church, firehouse, nursing home, care facility, boardinghouse, institution or cemetery.
(6) 
Real estate: a sign indicating exclusively the sale, rental, lease or development of the premises upon which it stands.
(7) 
Contractor's: a sign identifying the contractor or contractors doing work on the premises or building which contains the sign.
(8) 
Office: a sign identifying any office building or mortuary.
(9) 
Business: a sign identifying an establishment which retails a product or provides a service or entertainment to the general public as distinguished from places, institutions or offices.
(10) 
Industrial: a sign identifying an establishment which produces or assembles a product or warehouses a product.
(11) 
Directory: a sign identifying two or more persons, agencies or establishments located in a place or location common to all. Any directory which identifies five or more establishments requires Village Board approval before installation.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
(12) 
Special event: a sign identifying a grand opening, parade, festival, fund drive or similar occasion. Such a sign requires Village Board approval.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
(13) 
Directional: a sign located outdoors which guides, instructs or directs viewers to a place or event not located on the same premises. Such a sign may only identify an establishment located in the Village of Islandia. Directional signs are only permitted if the location and quantity are approved by the Village Board.
(14) 
Gasoline price: a two-sided sign, limited to gasoline stations, which indicates the price or prices of gasoline. The cumulative total of a gasoline price or prices sign shall not exceed four feet in height and 18 inches in width. Such signs shall be limited to one sign per gasoline station.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
(15) 
Political. Temporary signs advertising political candidates and/or issues in any primary, general or special district election or referendum shall be permitted in any district election, provided that they are removed within one week after the election, as follows:
(a) 
No freestanding signs are permitted, except in accordance with § 177-92A.
(b) 
Window signs are allowed without a permit, but shall not cover more than 25% of the window area.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
(c) 
Facia signs are allowed by permit in accordance with § 177-92B, except in residential districts.
(d) 
Permits issued by the Village Board shall be valid for a period of six weeks.
(e) 
Political signs shall not be attached to fences, trees, shrubs, utility poles or the like and shall not be placed in a position that shall obstruct or impair vision or traffic or in any manner create a hazard or disturbance to the health and welfare of the public.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
Any sign not specifically permitted is prohibited and shall be removed. Prohibited signs include but are not limited to the following:
A. 
Any sign which is dangerous or hazardous to public safety by virtue of its maintenance, structure, projection or any other reason as determined by the Building Inspector.
B. 
Any sign which obstructs the visibility of drivers or which conflicts with or obstructs a traffic control device for any reason.
C. 
Any sign which obstructs a required window or door in such a manner as to prevent free egress or ingress.
D. 
Mobile or portable signs.
E. 
Flashing, revolving, moving, sound-producing or animated signs, including signs which have the capability of motion in whole or in part, except signs which display time and/or temperature exclusively.
F. 
A roof sign painted or supported upon or above any portion of a roof and which is visible anywhere from the ground, except when approved by the Board of Appeals.
G. 
A commercial billboard which is rented or used to advertise a product, service or establishment which is not the principle product, service or establishment found on the property containing the billboard.
H. 
Any sign attached to a tree, telephone pole, portable object or to the face of another sign.
I. 
Any sign which uses breakable glass in its construction, except glass used in illumination.
J. 
Any sign in any street right-of-way.
K. 
Immoral or obscene sign, as determined by the Village Board.
L. 
Any sign which requires a permit but does not have one.
M. 
The use of banners, whirling pennants or other novelties.
[Added 12-3-1998 by L.L. No. 13-1998]
Permitted signs may only be ground-, facia-, window- or awning-type and shall conform to all other provisions as specified herein as well as in the Schedule of Sign Regulations (§ 177-93).
A. 
Ground sign: a freestanding sign attached to a structure which is intended and designed only to support the sign and which is embedded in the ground or anchored in concrete.
(1) 
When permitted. A ground sign shall be permitted to identify a building or use within a building only if the building which it serves to identify is set back more than 25 feet from the street curb or edge of the street pavement.
(2) 
Quantity. Only one ground sign shall be permitted on any parcel containing one or more buildings, except public interest signs which are permitted as required to safely convey the message. Where two or more persons, agencies or establishments are located in a place or location common to all, such as a shopping center or an office complex, or where separate facilities share a common parking area, only one ground sign is permitted in the location common to all. One real estate sign may be attached to an existing sign as the need arises.
(3) 
Sign area. The area of a ground sign shall be the area of a rectangle, the sides of which completely enclose the sign, excluding structural supports, each of which may not exceed 12 inches in any horizontal dimension or 24 inches in combination unless approved by the Village Board. The maximum area of a ground sign shall not exceed 10 square feet plus one foot of sign area for every 10 feet of lot frontage (along one street only, if the lot has multiple frontages) or the maximum area listed in the Schedule of Sign Regulations,[1] whichever is smaller. For double-faced signs only one face shall be used in determining conformity to sign area limitation. If the distance between the faces exceeds 12 inches, all vertical faces of the sign shall be computed to determine sign area. The maximum sign area shall be as specified in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Schedule of Sign Regulations is included at the end of this chapter.
(4) 
Height. The maximum height of a ground sign shall be as specified in the Schedule of Sign Regulations and shall be measured vertically from the nearest street grade to the top of the sign or its structural support, whichever is higher.
(5) 
Setback. The setback of a ground sign is the shortest horizontal measurement from the property line to any part of the sign. A ground sign shall be set back from any street, right-of-way, property line or required buffer a horizontal distance equal to the height of the sign. A ground sign may be erected within one foot of a street right-of-way only if the sign is certified by a registered architect or engineer to be able to withstand one-hundred-mile-per-hour wind or if the height of the sign multiplied by the area of the sign does not exceed 100.
(6) 
Construction. All ground signs, except in residential areas, shall be protected from vehicular damage by a masonry curb or planter if required and as approved by the Building Inspector.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
(7) 
Illumination. Illumination of ground signs may be direct or indirect as specified in the Schedule of Sign Regulations and in accordance with § 177-95A.
B. 
Facia sign: a sign painted on, applied on or otherwise attached to a wall of a building or storefront and is designed as a unified message.
(1) 
Quantity.
(a) 
Only one facia sign is permitted per building in residence, professional, office, office/industrial and industrial districts but may be constructed in one or more parts, provided that it conveys one unified message. However, an additional facia sign, not to exceed 40 square feet, shall be permitted to identify a retail bank located on the ground floor of a building.
(b) 
In retail districts only one facia sign (primary) is permitted on the face of the storefront or establishment. Where an establishment has additional exterior walls which are visible from the main thoroughfare, each such wall may have one facia sign (secondary), but not more than two such additional facia signs are permitted.
(2) 
Area. The area of a facial sign shall be the area of a rectangle, the sides of which completely enclose the sign or letters which area shall be attached to the face of the building. The background area of a sign shall not be included in sign area limitation only when such background is an integral part of the design of the building. The area of a primary facial sign may not exceed the amount set forth in the Schedule of Sign Regulations. The area of a secondary facial sign may not exceed 50% of the area permitted for the primary sign, except that the area of each secondary sign may be increased in the amount that the area of the primary sign is decreased, but not in excess of the area permitted for the primary sign.
(3) 
Height. The maximum height of a facia sign shall be as specified in the schedule of Sign Regulations and shall be measured vertically from the first-floor elevation of the building supporting the sign to the top of the sign.
(4) 
Construction. A facia sign in a retail district shall not project more than 18 inches from the wall to which it is attached (except marquee); in all other districts, the projection shall not exceed 12 inches. Where one establishment shares a common wall with another, a facia sign shall not be placed closer than one foot to the adjoining establishment. A minimum head clearance of seven feet shall be required where a facia sign is located on a pedestrianway.
(5) 
Illumination. Illumination of facial signs may be direct or indirect as specified in the Schedule of Sign Regulations and in accordance with § 177-95A.
C. 
Window sign: a sign entirely contained inside a building and which is comprehensible from the street. Such signs are permitted to allow for the notification of products on the premises, merchandise sale, rental or sale of the premises or special events to be held within the building containing the window sign. Window signs are subject to the area limitations as set forth in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.
D. 
Awning sign: a sign painted on a retractable window awning which identifies only the name of the establishment. An awning sign may only have one row of letters not higher than 12 inches along the bottom edge of the awning.
To encourage design excellence, the maximum sign areas for certain business, industrial, marquee and directory signs as set forth in the Schedule of Sign Regulations may be increased by the percentages as provided for herein. A separate bonus is granted for compliance with each of the criteria and the area is cumulative, but the percentage increase is based on the original sign area limitation.
A. 
Ground signs may be increased as follows:
(1) 
Twenty percent when the sign is installed in a landscaped planter having an area four times the area of the resultant sign and the entire design is approved by the Building Inspector.
(2) 
Ten percent if the sign is not designed or used with illumination.
B. 
Facia signs may be increased as follows, but only if the projection of the sign does not exceed 12 inches:
(1) 
Ten percent if the sign is not designed or used with illumination.
(2) 
Ten percent if the facial sign is the only sign identifying the establishment or its principal product. This bonus provision is not applicable for stores in a shopping center.
(3) 
Ten percent if the sign is designed to contain only the identification of the establishment without advertisement of any products sold on the premises.
A. 
Illumination. Where illumination of signs is permitted, such illumination may only be between sundown and ll:00 p.m. or close of business. Illumination shall only be of an even intensity at all times and shall not use more than 15 watts per square foot of sign area being illuminated or as specified in the New York State Energy Conservation Construction Code, whichever is more restrictive. Illumination may be direct (giving forth light from the interior of the sign through translucent material) or it may be indirect (when the light source is not visible from any adjoining property or street and is directed upon the sign) as specified in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.[1] All illuminated signs, except in residence districts, shall be wired to a separate circuit, and, in addition, directly illuminated facia signs attached to combustible surfaces shall be approved by the New York Board of Fire Underwriters.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
[1]
Editor's Note: The Schedule of Sign Regulations is included at the end of this chapter.
B. 
All signs shall be maintained in a neat, safe and workable condition at all times.
C. 
In the Multifamily Residential District and all nonresidential districts, sign colors require Village Board approval.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
D. 
In the Multifamily Residential District and all nonresidential districts, all signs shall utilize uniform coloring and lettering for all establishments, except as otherwise approved by the Village Board.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
E. 
Review of sign variance petitions shall be subject to the provisions outlined under Chapter 70, Environmental Quality Review of the Code of the Village of Islandia, New York.
[Added 1-2-2003 by L.L. No. 2-2003]
A. 
Once a sign is removed for any reason, the replacement sign shall comply with all the provisions of this chapter.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
B. 
Immediate removal. A sign and/or its supports shall be immediately removed from a premises upon notification and as directed by the Building Inspector for the following reasons:
(1) 
If any sign becomes dangerous or hazardous to public health or safety.
(2) 
When a sign no longer serves its intended purpose.
A. 
Permits are required for all signs except as otherwise indicated in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.[1] Except for the content of a directory sign, no sign shall hereafter be erected or altered or the content changed unless a permit authorizing the same is issued by the Building Inspector. Such permit shall be valid for the length of time set forth in the Schedule of Sign Regulations.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Schedule of Sign Regulations is included at the end of this chapter.
B. 
Prior to the issuance of a permit to erect a sign, a fee shall be paid as established in the Village Fee Schedule.[2] If a permit is revoked by the Building Inspector for any reason, the applicant shall not be entitled to a refund of any fee paid in connection therewith.
[Amended 2-1-1996 by L.L. No. 2-1996]
[2]
Editor's Note: The Village fee schedule is on file in the office of the Village Clerk.
C. 
A permit may be revoked by the Building Inspector for any of the following violations if the owner of the sign neglects to comply with the Building Inspector's directives to correct the violations:
(1) 
If a sign constitutes a hazard to public health or safety.
(2) 
If a sign has been altered in a manner which would require a new permit.
(3) 
If illegal signs are erected or maintained on the same premises as a sign with a valid permit.
(4) 
If a sign has been altered in a manner which would render the sign prohibited.
For any and every violation of the provisions of this article, the owner or owners of the sign shall be held liable on conviction thereof for a fine or penalty of not less than $50 nor more than $250 for each and every offense. Each week of continued violation shall constitute a separate additional offense.