[Amended 2-9-2011 by Ord. No. 11-02-1787]
It is the intent and purpose of these sign regulations to qualify,
supplement or define the allowable uses of the several types of signs
allowed in the district regulations appearing elsewhere in this regulation.
Any sign shall, by definition, be a structure. No land, personal
property or structure shall be used for sign purposes except as specified
herein.
A.
A sign lawfully established before the effective date of this article,
but not conforming to the regulations of this article, may be continued
so long as its size, structure and surface materials remain the same
as they are at the time of the enactment of this article. Repair and
maintenance and change of display of a painted bulletin sign and change
of poster panel signs shall be permitted. In addition, any such sign,
which must be moved for reason of road repairs or utility work, may
be permanently or temporarily relocated within 500 feet of the first
location. If relocated beyond the term of construction work, the sign
shall meet the requirements of this article or be legally nonconforming.
Any sign removed for construction must be relocated within 120 days
within 300 feet of the subject site. If not relocated within the aforementioned
time period, the sign must adhere to a new permit application process.
B.
No sign shall be erected, enlarged, constructed or otherwise installed
without first obtaining a sign permit, and a sign permit shall be
legally issued only when in compliance with this sign regulation.
All signs shall be constructed in such a manner and of such material
that they shall be safe and substantial.
No sign or other advertising structure lawfully in existence
on the adoption of this article shall be altered or moved unless made
to comply with the provisions of this article, except as otherwise
provided for herein.
Should any nonconforming sign be damaged by any means to an
extent of more than 50% of its replacement cost at the time of damage,
it shall not be reconstructed except in conformity with the provisions
of these regulations.
A.
Removal of on-site nonconforming signs. All on-site nonconforming
signs not otherwise prohibited by the provisions of this regulation
shall be removed:
B.
Removal of signs upon destruction of principal structures. When a
principal structure is destroyed or removed due to natural or man-made
circumstances, all signs on the property shall be removed within 90
days, unless a building permit has been issued to replace the structure
within said time period.
No sign except those listed in § 400-76 may be erected or altered until a sign permit has been issued by the Director of Building and Zoning.
A.
Application. A complete application for a sign permit shall be submitted
to the Director of Building and Zoning on a form established by the
County. No application shall be processed until the application is
complete. Application for permits shall be accompanied by the following,
if required by the Director of Building and Zoning or if required
by the provisions hereof: Plans and specifications of an advertising,
elevated, ground, monument and elevated roof sign shall require an
engineer's certificate certifying the proposed sign and its construction
to be of safe design.
B.
Permit fees. Every applicant, before being granted a permit hereunder,
shall pay the permit fee as established by the Planning and Development
Committee.
C.
Review and action. The Director of Building and Zoning shall review
the sign permit application to determine whether the proposed sign
complies with all the applicable sign regulations of this article.
Within five days of the submission of a complete application for a
sign permit, the Director of Building and Zoning shall either:
D.
Inspection. Prior to installation of a sign, a stakeout inspection
may be required at the discretion of the Director of Building and
Zoning to see if the sign meets the requirements of this article.
The recipient of any permit shall notify the Building Inspector, who
shall inspect such stakeout sign and approve the same if it is in
compliance with the provisions of this article. The Building Inspector
may, from time to time, as he deems necessary, inspect all signs regulated
by this article for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same are
secure or insecure or whether they are in need of removal or repair.
A.
ADVERTISING SIGN/BILLBOARD
BULLETIN BOARD SIGN
BUSINESS SIGN
CHURCH IDENTIFICATION SIGN
IDENTIFICATION SIGN
MEMORIAL SIGN
NAMEPLATE SIGN
POLITICAL SIGN
TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION SIGN
TEMPORARY REAL ESTATE SIGN
TEMPORARY SIGN
Functional types.
A sign which directs the attention of the public to any goods,
merchandise, property, business, service, entertainment, political
candidate, event or amusement conducted or produced which is bought
or sold, furnished, offered or dealt elsewhere than on the premises
where such sign is located or to which it is affixed.
A sign that indicates the name of an institution or organization
on whose premises it is located and which contains the name of the
institution or organization, the name or names of persons connected
with it, and the announcement of persons, events or activities occurring
at the institution.
A sign which directs attention to a business or profession
conducted, or to products, services or entertainment sold or offered
upon the premises where such sign is located, or to which it is affixed.
A sign giving only the name and address of a church. Such
signs may be wholly or partly devoted to a readily recognized symbol.
A sign giving only the name and address of a structure, business,
development or establishment. Such signs may be wholly or partly devoted
to a readily recognized symbol.
A sign, monument or statue serving to help people remember
some person or event.
A sign giving the name and/or address of the owner or occupant
of a structure or premises on which it is located and, where applicable,
a professional status.
Any sign relating to a candidate, political party, election
or other issue.
A temporary sign indicating the names of the architects,
engineers, landscape architects, contractors and similar artisans
involved in the design and construction of a structure, complex or
project only during the construction period and only on the premises
on which the construction is taking place.
A temporary sign pertaining to the sale or lease of a lot
or tract of land on which the sign is located, or to the sale or lease
of one or more structures, or a portion thereof on which the sign
located.
A display sign as listed below that is limited in use by
the duration of an event, including real estate, construction, seasonal
sale of produce, and political campaign signs.
B.
AWNING, CANOPY OR MARQUEE SIGN
ELEVATED SIGN
GROUND SIGN
MONUMENT SIGN
PORTABLE DISPLAY SIGN
PROJECTING SIGN
ROOF SIGN, ELEVATED/PROJECTING
ROOF SIGN, VERTICAL
WINDOW SIGN
Structural types.
A sign that is mounted on, painted on, or attached to an
awning, canopy or marquee. No such signs shall project above, below
or beyond the awning, canopy or marquee. No such sign shall be illuminated,
and such signs shall indicate only the name and/or address of the
establishment.
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Any sign placed upon, or supported by, the ground independent
of the principal structure on the property, where the bottom edge
of the sign is 10 feet or more above the ground level.
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Any sign placed upon, or supported by, the ground independent
of the principal structure on the property, where the bottom edge
of the sign is less than six feet above the ground, and the base is
no less than 50% of the width of the face of the sign, presenting
a monolithic structure, with a maximum height of 10 feet.
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Any sign whose base is greater in width than the face of
the sign, and whose height is no greater than six feet.
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Any movable display structure capable of relocation under
its own power or towed by a motor vehicle. The display message of
the sign may be painted or nonpainted and capable of being readily
altered. Portable display signs may be with or without electrical
illumination and power, and with or without wheels.
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A sign that is wholly or partly dependent upon a structure
for support and which projects more than 12 inches from such structure
and shall have, at its lowest level, not less than seven feet above
the grade of the ground directly below it.
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A sign totally supported on the roof of a structure, not
including vertical roof signs. Elevated/Projecting roof signs shall
not project more than 12 inches beyond the face of the structure.
In no case shall an elevated/projecting roof sign project more than
10 feet beyond the highest point of the roof. (Compare with "roof
sign, vertical.")
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A sign totally supported on a vertical face of the roof of
a structure such as a mansard or parapet and which is mounted parallel
to such vertical surface. Vertical roof signs shall not project more
than 12 inches beyond the face of the structure nor the vertical surface
of the roof. In no case shall a vertical roof sign project above the
highest point of the roof. (Compare with "roof sign, elevated/projecting.")
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Any sign, pictures, symbol, or combination thereof, designed
to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity,
event, sale, or service, which is placed inside a window or upon the
window panes of glass and which is visible from the exterior of the
window.
A.
Property directly abutting a state or federal highway may have signage
as allowed by the State of Illinois Department of Transportation or
the Director of Building and Zoning.
B.
Gross area of sign. Gross area shall include the entire area within
a single continuous perimeter enclosing the extreme limits of the
sign, exclusive of the base on which it is mounted or from which it
is suspended. If more than one side of a sign is utilized as a sign,
then only the largest side shall be computed and shall be counted
as a portion of the gross area. For computing the gross area of any
wall sign which consists of letters mounted or painted on a wall,
the area shall be deemed to be the area of the smallest rectangular
figure which can encompass all of the letters.
C.
Sign height. Sign height shall be measured from the elevation of
the top of the nearest curb to the highest element of the sign.
D.
Illuminated signs are signs designed to give forth artificial light
or designed to reflect light derived from any source.
(1)
Illuminated signs shall be designed so that light is reflected or
directed away from any residential dwelling district. Any illuminated
sign located on a lot adjacent to or across the street from any residential
district shall not be illuminated between the hours of 11:00 p.m.
and 7:00 a.m., when such sign is visible from said residential district,
unless otherwise allowed by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
(2)
Illuminated signs which happen to lie in direct vision behind a traffic
signal shall not employ red, amber or green illumination.
E.
Flashing or multiple-message signs. For the purpose of this regulation,
any sign that is revolving, rotating, moving or animated, has moving
lights or creates the illusion of movement shall be considered a moving
sign.
(1)
Flashing
signs. Any illuminated sign on which the artificial light is not constant
in intensity and color at all times is considered a flashing sign.
(a)
Flashing signs shall not be permitted which are in any way similar
to traffic signals or emergency vehicle lights.
(b)
A sign which displays the current time and/or temperature by
use of intermittent lighting shall not be deemed a flashing sign if
the lighting changes are limited to text indicating time, temperature
or other public messages. Such sign shall not in any case exceed 64
square feet in area.
(2)
Multiple-message signs are signs that display a series of message
changes, regardless of the technology used. A multiple-message sign
provides for a fixed message of at least 10 seconds in length with
a transition time between message changes of three seconds or less.
Multiple-message signs contain a default design that will freeze the
message in one position if a malfunction occurs. These signs are commonly
known as "trivision signs" and shall not be considered a moving sign.
F.
Accessway or window. No sign erected in any district shall be erected,
constructed and maintained so as to obstruct any fire escape or any
window, or door, or opening as a means of egress or for fire-fighting
purposes, or so as to prevent free passage from one part of a roof
to any other part thereof. No sign shall be attached in any form,
shape or manner to a fire escape or be so placed as to interfere with
any opening required for legal ventilation.
G.
Signs on trees or utility poles. No sign shall be attached to any
utility pole or tree.
H.
Traffic safety.
(1)
No sign shall be maintained at any location where, by reason of its
position, size, shape or color, it may obstruct, impair, obscure or
interfere with the view of or be confused with any traffic or railroad
control sign, signal or device, or where it may interfere with, mislead,
or confuse traffic.
(2)
No sign, except for small directional signs, shall be located within
three feet of a driveway or within a parking area, and signs shall
have their lowest elevation at least 10 feet above the curb level;
however, in no event shall any sign be placed so as to project over
any public right-of-way, except in the B Commercial Districts, where
signs may project over a sidewalk.
I.
Lineal street frontage. In those district where gross sign area is
allocated based on lineal street frontage and the tract or parcel
is adjacent to more than one street, the lineal street frontage shall
be computed as the sum of all of the street frontages.
A.
Total exemptions. The following signs shall be exempt from the requirements of this article, except for the provisions of § 400-75A through I above, and except that such signs shall comply with appropriate setback requirements as specified in this chapter. Such signs shall not be illuminated, but may be of the beaded reflector type upon approval thereof by the Director of Building and Zoning. Such signs shall be of the types and contain only such displays as follows:
(1)
Permanent signs displaying the name and location of a city, town
or village, hospital, community center, private school, college, YMCA,
YWCA, church, or other place of worship; or the name or place of meeting
of an official or civic body such as a Chamber of Commerce, Rotary,
Kiwanis or other similar service club.
(2)
Temporary signs displaying the name, location and time of an event
of public interest such as a State or County Fair, public or general
election, or horse show, provided such sign shall not interfere with
the full view of traffic in all directions. Such sign shall be removed
not more than 10 days after the event.
(3)
Flags or emblems of a government or of a political, civic, philanthropic,
educational or religious organization, displayed on private property.
(4)
Signs of a duly constituted governmental body, including traffic
or similar regulatory signs, legal notices, warnings at railroad crossings
and other instructional or regulatory signs having to do with health,
safety, parking, swimming, dumping, etc.
(5)
Memorial signs displayed on public or private property.
(6)
Small signs, not exceeding three square feet in area, displayed on
private property for the convenience of the public, including signs
to identify entrance and exit drives, parking areas, one-way drives,
rest rooms, freight entrances and other similar signs.
(7)
Scoreboards in athletic stadiums.
(8)
Signs for the sale of household goods at a residence (for example,
garage sales or auctions) for a period not to exceed five days in
any calendar year.
(9)
Real estate signs not exceeding 32 square feet in area.
(10)
Construction signs not exceeding 32 square feet in area.
(11)
Political signs. Political signs shall be removed 10 days after
the date of the election.
B.
Exemptions from sign permit. Window signs not exceeding 25% of the
window surface in commercial and manufacturing districts shall be
exempt from the sign permit section of this article, but shall comply
with all of the other regulations imposed by this article:
A.
Signs on public property. Any sign installed or placed on public
property, except in conformance with the requirements, shall be forfeited
to the public and subject to confiscation, except that logo signs
on athletic fields shall be allowed. In addition to other remedies
hereunder, the County shall have the right to recover from the owner
or person placing such a sign the full costs of removal and disposal
of such sign.
B.
Obscene or indecent advertisement. No person shall display upon any
sign or other advertising structure any obscene, indecent or immoral
matter.
C.
Any sign located on public right-of way, except those signs required
by governmental authority.
Temporary signs shall be erected and maintained in a safe and
attractive manner and shall be subject to applicable regulations,
except as specifically modified herein.
A.
Real estate signs. Real estate signs shall be removed within one
week of the date of sale, rental, or lease.
B.
Construction signs. Development project (construction) signs shall
be no larger than 64 square feet. Such signs are subject to yard area
requirements and may be erected at the start of construction and shall
be removed upon project completion.
C.
Portable display signs may be displayed for a period not exceeding
14 days twice a year.
A.
All signs shall be maintained in a safe condition and in such a manner
that they shall not become a visual detriment to the community at
large. The Director of Building and Zoning shall be charged with the
responsibility and authority to inspect all signs and direct the maintenance
of said signs. Maintenance of signs is defined as keeping sign structures
in a safe condition, free of rust, with broken glass or plastic replaced,
electrical lights and other electrical operations in operable condition,
and letters and other sign components in the equivalent condition
as on the sign permit or as approved.
B.
Should the Director of Building and Zoning find an unmaintained sign
as defined above, he shall cause the owner of said sign to be notified
as to the deficiency and the corrective action that needs to be taken.
C.
Should the owner fail to exhibit evidence of compliance within 30
day after the mailing of the letter of notification, the Director
of Building and Zoning shall cause the owner to be cited for violation
of this regulation.
In office parks, industrial parks and shipping centers, identification
signs containing the name of the development, the address of the development,
the name or names of individual businesses and their addresses may
be erected in addition to the signage permitted for the individual
businesses. This identification sign may contain the names and addresses
of businesses that are not on the lot containing the identification
sign as long as they are in the same subdivision as the identification
sign. This identification sign must comply with the following regulations:
A.
One identification sign per street frontage.
B.
Content. Such sign shall advertise only the name and address of such
development and/or the name and address of the individual businesses
within the development.
C.
Area. The total sign area of an identification sign shall not exceed
64 square feet.
D.
Height. The height of such sign shall not exceed 25 feet.
E.
Setback. Such sign shall be set back a minimum of 10 feet for commercial
districts and 15 feet for manufacturing districts from the front lot
line of such center or individual use, except as may be provided by
special use.
The District Sign Regulation Table of this section provides
a tabular summary of the sign types allowed within each base zoning
district.
A.
Permitted signs. Signs identified in a zoning district column of
the District Sign Regulation Table below with a "P" are permitted
and shall be permitted in such zoning district, subject to such standards
as may be indicated in the "standards" row and all other requirements
of this chapter.
B.
Not permitted. Sign types not identified as permitted in a zoning
district column of the District Sign Regulation Table are not allowed
in such zoning district unless otherwise expressly permitted by other
regulations of this chapter.
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District Sign Regulation Table
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Zoning Districts
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A
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E
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R
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B
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T
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M
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Standards
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§ 400-57
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Functional Sign Types
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Advertising sign (billboard)
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P
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Bulletin board
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Business sign
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P
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P
|
P
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P
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P
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P
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Identification sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Church identification sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Nameplate sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Temporary sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Structural Sign Types
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Awning canopy or marquee sign
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P
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P
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P
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Elevated sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Ground sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Monument sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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Portable display sign
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Projecting sign
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P
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P
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P
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Roof sign
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P
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Wall sign
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P
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P
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P
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Window sign
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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P
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A.
A Agricultural Districts.
(1)
Number of signs permitted. There shall not be more than one sign
per lot, except that on a corner lot two signs, one facing each street,
shall be permitted.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area.
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Sign Type
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Maximum Gross Surface Area
(square feet)
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|---|---|---|
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Bulletin board
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50
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Business sign
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32
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Identification sign
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4
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Church identification sign
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32
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Nameplate sign
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4
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Temporary sign
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As regulated by § 400-78
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(3)
Maximum height: 35 feet, except when an elevated sign is located
within 3,000 feet of the center of a federal aid interstate highway
interchange, in which case said elevated sign shall not exceed 70
feet.
(4)
Required setback. No sign shall be placed closer to the front property line than one-half the distance of the front yard, except that church and subdivision identification signs may be two feet from any property line but may not encroach into or be located within a required sight triangle or stipulated in Article III, § 400-6, Definitions.
(5)
Projection. No sign shall project beyond the property line into a
public way.
B.
E-1 through E-3 Estate Residence and R-1 through R-6 higher density
Residence Districts.
(1)
Number of signs permitted. There shall not be more than one sign
per lot, except that on a corner lot two signs, one facing each street,
shall be permitted.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area.
|
Sign Type
|
Maximum Gross Surface Area
(square feet)
| |
|---|---|---|
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Bulletin board
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50
| |
|
Business sign
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32
| |
|
Identification sign
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32
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Church identification sign
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32
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Nameplate sign
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4
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Temporary sign
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As regulated by § 400-78
|
(3)
Maximum height: one story or 15 feet above curb level, whichever
is lower.
(4)
Required setback: 10 feet from all property lines, except real estate
signs with a minimum setback of eight feet from all property lines.
Church and subdivision identification signs may be two feet from the
property line but shall not encroach into or be located within a required
sight triangle.
(5)
Projection. No sign shall project beyond the property line into the
public way.
(6)
Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be permitted.
C.
Business districts.
(1)
Number of signs permitted.
(a)
All permitted functional sign types: one per zoning lot and two on a corner lot with one sign facing each street; except as modified for advertising signs in Subsection C(7) below.
(b)
Awning, canopy or marquee, and window signs: no limitations.
(c)
Projecting and wall signs: one per street frontage per establishment.
(d)
Ground or elevated monument signs: one per street frontage.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area. The square footage of all signs on a lot shall not exceed six times the lineal feet of street frontage of such lot, and on corner lots or through lots, each lot line abutting a street shall be considered a separate frontage; except as modified by § 400-78, Temporary signs.
(3)
Maximum height: except as otherwise limited in height by this article,
30 feet; except an elevated sign located within 3,000 feet of the
center of a federal aid interstate highway interchange shall not exceed
70 feet.
(4)
Required setback. A ground, monument, or portable display sign shall
be located not less than 10 feet from a lot line abutting a street,
or five feet from a rear or interior side lot line; otherwise, none.
(5)
Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be permitted.
(6)
Projection. A business sign attached to a building wall shall not
project therefrom more than six feet, and an advertising sign attached
to a building wall shall not project therefrom more than 18 inches.
(7)
Advertising signs (billboards).
(a)
Not more than five advertising signs may be located per linear
mile of street or highway regardless of the fact that such advertising
signs may be located on different sides of the subject street or highway.
(b)
No advertising sign shall be located within 1,000 feet of another
advertising sign abutting either side of the same street or highway.
(c)
No advertising sign shall be located within 200 feet of a residential
zone and/or existing residence. If the advertising sign is illuminated,
this required distance shall be increased to 300 feet.
(d)
No advertising sign shall be located closer than 20 feet to
a property line adjoining a public right-of-way or 10 feet to any
interior boundary lines of the premises on which the advertising sign
is located. Setbacks shall be measured from the surface display area
to the vertical extension of the property line.
(e)
The surface display area of any side of an advertising sign
may not exceed 400 square feet. In case of advertising sign structures
with tandem or staked advertising sign faces, the combined surface
display area of both faces may not exceed 400 square feet.
(f)
The height of an advertising sign shall not exceed 35 feet above
the grade of the ground on which the advertising sign sits or the
grade of the abutting roadway, whichever is higher.
(g)
No advertising sign shall be on top of, cantilevered, or otherwise
suspended above the roof of any building.
(h)
An advertising sign may be illuminated, provided such illumination
is concentrated on the surface of the sign and is so located as to
avoid glare or reflection onto any portion of an adjacent street or
highway, the path of oncoming vehicles, or any adjacent premises.
In no event shall any advertising sign have flashing or intermittent
lights, nor shall the lights be permitted to rotate or oscillate.
(i)
An advertising sign must be constructed in such a fashion that
it will withstand all wind and vibration forces which can normally
be expected to occur in the vicinity. An advertising sign must be
maintained so as to assure proper alignment of the structure, continued
structural soundness, and continued readability of message.
(j)
An advertising sign established within a business, commercial,
or industrial area, as defined in the Highway Advertising Control
Act of 1971 (225 ILCS 440/1 et seq., as amended), bordering interstate
highways, freeway or primary highways as defined in said Act shall,
in addition to complying with the above conditions, also comply with
all applicable provisions of the Act and the regulations provided
thereunder, as such may from time to time be amended.
D.
M-1 Limited Manufacturing District and M-2 General Manufacturing
District.
(1)
Number of signs permitted.
(a)
All permitted functional sign types: one per zoning lot and
two on a corner lot, with one sign facing each street.
(b)
Awning, canopy or marquee, and window signs: no limitations.
(c)
Ground, monument, projecting, wall, and roof signs: one per
zoning lot.
(d)
Elevated signs: one per business located on a platted lot which
is no more than 100 feet from the intersection of a federal aid highway
right-of-way and a perpendicular local street.
(2)
Maximum gross surface area. The total gross area in square feet of all signs on a lot shall not exceed six times the lineal feet of street frontage of such lot, except as modified by temporary signs in § 400-78 of this article.
(3)
Maximum height: 30 feet.
(4)
Required setback. No sign shall be placed closer to the front property
line than one-half the distance of the front yard; except that real
estate signs shall be exempt from setback requirements.
(5)
Projection. Projecting signs shall be affixed flat against the building
walls and may project therefrom not more than 18 inches.
(6)
Illumination. Illuminated signs shall be permitted.
