[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Mendota as Ch. 32, §§ 32.04, 32.09 and 32.12, of the 1998 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A. 
On street. It shall be unlawful to distribute indiscriminately to the public any cards, circulars, handbills, samples of merchandise, or any other advertising matter on any public street or sidewalk or other public place in the City or on any vehicle. This does not prohibit the peddling or sale of any article or publication that may carry or be accompanied by advertising matter where a charge is made or a price paid for such article or publication.
B. 
House-to-house distribution. It shall be unlawful to distribute indiscriminately to the public, by leaving at stores, offices or houses or residences in the City, any cards, circulars, handbills, samples of merchandise, or any other advertising matter without a license therefor. This does not apply to the sale of articles by licensed peddlers.
(1) 
License application. Application for such license shall be made to the City Clerk by the advertiser of the article or cards or advertisement to be distributed, such application to contain a statement of the nature of the article, cards or advertisement to be distributed and the name of such advertiser of such article or service advertised.
(2) 
Fees. The fee for such license shall be set from time to time by the City Council.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
(3) 
Qualifications. No such license shall be issued to anyone but a person of good character. The Chief of Police shall make or cause to be made an investigation into the character of each applicant and shall report the results thereof to the City Clerk before any such license shall be issued.
A. 
Definition. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
BILLBOARD
Any signboard or similar structure, the primary purpose of which is to be used for the display of advertisements or notices.
B. 
Permit required. It shall be unlawful to construct or maintain a billboard within the City without a permit therefor from the City. No permit issued under the provisions of this section shall authorize the construction or maintenance of a billboard which extends over or any part of which extends over, on or above any public street, alley, sidewalk or public place. The fee for a permit to construct or maintain any such billboard shall be set from time to time by the City Council.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
C. 
Applications. Application for such permit shall be made in writing to the City Clerk. Each application shall state thereon the name of the owner of the premises; the name of the person or corporation constructing or maintaining the billboard; and specifications showing the size, materials and manner of construction of the billboard.
D. 
Wind pressure. Every billboard shall be firmly and solidly constructed so as to be able to bear a wind pressure of at least 30 pounds per square foot of area; provided that billboards which are placed upon roofs must be so constructed as to be able to withstand a lateral wind pressure of 40 pounds per square foot.
E. 
Fire escapes. It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any billboard in such position as to obstruct any fire escape or any window or door leading thereto, and no billboard shall be fastened to any fire escape.
F. 
Height above ground. Every billboard must be so constructed as to leave an open space of at least 2 1/2 feet between the bottom of the display area and the ground. This open area may be filled with latticework or other ornamental work or design which does not close off more than 2/3 of any square foot of such open area. Billboards constructed on property on which there is a properly established building line must be built entirely in back of this building line, and no permit shall be issued for the construction of any billboard on any lot which is subject to a proper building line restriction, if the billboard is to be constructed in violation of the building line restriction.
G. 
Fireproof construction. It shall be unlawful to construct any billboard of over 15 square feet in area anywhere in the fire limits unless the face of such billboard is constructed of noncombustible material.
H. 
Location; frontage consents.
(1) 
No person shall locate, build, construct, operate or maintain any billboard in any block in the City where a majority of the houses abutting on both sides of the street in the block are used exclusively for residence purposes without having first secured the written consent of the owners of a majority of the frontage abutting on such street on both sides within such block.
(2) 
Frontage consents, once secured and filed, shall not be withdrawn and need not be renewed except on the construction of a new billboard to replace the one for which the consents were granted; but where consents are required and have been obtained for the construction of one or more billboards on any particular lot, additional consents for any additional billboard on the same lot must be secured and filed in accordance with the provisions of this section.
I. 
Roof signs.
(1) 
It shall be unlawful to construct any billboard on the roof of any building or structure of any but noncombustible materials.
(2) 
The metal supports and parts of every roof sign shall be thoroughly and properly painted at least once each two years, unless they are galvanized or otherwise adequately protected against rust and corrosion.
J. 
Billboards against buildings. It shall be unlawful to construct any billboard, a majority of the display area of which is within four feet of any building unless such billboard is constructed of noncombustible materials.
K. 
Illuminated billboards. The wiring of illuminated billboards and signboards must comply with the provisions of this Code relating to electrical wiring.
L. 
Nuisances. Any billboard or signboard which is dangerous because of insecure construction or fastening with resultant danger of falling, or because it is an extreme fire hazard and in fact a nuisance, is hereby declared to be a nuisance and must be abated as such.
M. 
Enforcement. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police and every member of the Police Department to enforce the provisions of this section.
Any person violating this chapter shall be punished as set forth in Chapter 1, Article III, Penalties and Enforcement, of the City Code.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).