The regulations of this article shall apply to all signs in all zones.
A.
Traffic hazard. No sign shall be located in any manner which may cause a traffic hazard. A sign shall not be located where, by reason of the position, shape, or color of the sign, it may interfere with or obstruct the view of or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device, nor shall any sign make use of the words "Stop," "Look," "Drive-In," "Left" or "Right," or any other word or phrase, symbol, or character in such a manner as to distract, mislead or confuse traffic.
B.
Roof placement. No sign shall be placed on a roof or similar roof-mounted structure or on top of a parapet or similar architectural element of a building. See § 180-19E for gasoline service station canopies.
C.
Height above grade. Grading of a site for the purpose of raising the elevation of a sign contrary to this section is prohibited, except when such grading is approved by the Planning Commission.
[Amended 7-6-2015 by L.L. No. 3-2015]
D.
Property line change. If for any reason a property line is changed, any sign made nonconforming thereby must be altered, changed or relocated within 30 days to conform with these regulations.
E.
Flashing signs. No sign shall, nor have the ability to, stream content or be illuminated by or contain flashing, pulsing, intermittent, rotating or revolving lights. Time, temperature and gas station fuel prices are permitted to periodically change with no scrolling, fading, flashing or other imitation of movement.
F.
Temporary signs. When computing time restrictions for each temporary sign, any fraction of a day used shall be construed to be one full day.
G.
Maintenance of signs. The owner of any sign as defined and regulated herein shall be required to maintain said sign in a safe condition at all times. In the event there are any exterior parts of said sign which shall become rusted or deteriorated, they shall be properly coated or maintained.
H.
Wind pressure and dead loads. All signs and other advertising structures shall be designed and constructed to withstand a wind pressure of not less than 40 pounds per square foot of area; and shall be constructed to receive dead loads as required in the New York State Building Code.
I.
Sign illumination. Any illumination of a sign either at the time of installation or after installation shall be considered a part of such sign. Signs shall not be illuminated in such a manner that the illumination becomes an infringement to the adjoining properties. Sign illumination shall be not exceed 2,000 lumens.
J.
Moving signage.
(1)
Except as modified by this chapter, no sign shall consist of balloons, banners, flags, inflatables, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners or similar moving, fluttering, revolving devices, or wind-animated devices.
K.
New businesses. A new business or a business in a new location awaiting installation of a permanent sign may utilize an interim sign for a period of not more than 60 days or until installation of a permanent sign, whichever occurs first. A permit for such sign shall be required. Such interim sign shall be of any type permitted for that zone and may also be of the banner type.
L.
Representational signs. Any sign permitted in Tables 5-2 through 5-3 and 6-1[1] may be a representational sign. Representational signs shall require a permit, Design Review Committee approval, and Site Plan approval. Consideration by the Design Review Committee shall occur prior to site plan approval.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said tables are included as attachments to this chapter.
M.
Vehicle signs. No person shall park any vehicle or trailer on public property, or on private property so as to be visible from a public right-of-way, which vehicle has attached thereto or located thereon any sign or advertising device for the purpose of providing advertisements of products located on the same or another property or directing people to a business or activity located on the same or another property. This subsection is not intended to apply to standard advertising or identification practices where such signs or advertising devices are painted on or permanently attached to a business vehicle or commercial vehicle, provided that such vehicle remains principally in use upon public highways including current registration, inspection and insurance and is not placed or parked for the purpose of advertising.
N.
Egress. No sign shall be located as to prevent or obstruct ingress to or egress from any door, window or exit from a building.
O.
Removal of abandoned signs. Except for historically significant signs as approved by the Design Review Committee, any sign now or hereafter existing which no longer relates to the use conducted, or a product sold, shall be removed within 30 days of cessation of the use by the owner, agent, or person having the beneficial use of the lot upon which such sign may be found.
P.
Structure painting. The painting or repainting of any structure with corporate colors or in a similar manner shall be considered a sign. Structure painting shall require a permit, and shall require a site plan approval. Structure painting located in a recognized district shall require consideration by the Design Review Committee prior to site plan approval.
Q.
Prohibited signs. Unless specifically stated herein, billboards, off-premises, portable signs and any sign type not listed are prohibited in all zoning districts.
R.
Measurement of sign area. Sign area for all signs shall be measured by means of the entire area within any type of perimeter or border, which encloses the outer limits of all sign elements except the support structure, unless in the interpretation of the Code Enforcement Official, such support structure is considered part of such sign. The area of the sign having no such perimeter or border shall be measured by enclosing the entire area with a parallelogram or triangle of the smallest size sufficient to cover the entire area of the sign and computing the area of the parallelogram or triangle.
S.
Menu holders. A menu holder shall not be considered a sign, provided that such menu holder meets the requirements of this section. The menu holder shall be limited to the size of two pages of the menu utilized by the establishment and shall not exceed two square feet. The menu holder shall be located so that it does not impede pedestrians on the public sidewalk. The menu holder shall not be used for additional business identification signage.
T.
Signs on or over public property. Certain signs may be allowed to be located on or over public sidewalks in the Market Street and Bridge Street Districts; however, no civil action shall be maintained against the City of Corning or its officers, agents or employees, for damages for injuries to person or property sustained in consequence of any sign or display being placed on such public property.