The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
ACCESSORY USE
A use incidental to the principal use of the building.
AWNING
A shelter supported entirely from the exterior wall of a building. Any signage located on an awning must first be approved by the Village through the application process described below. Any regulation regarding the awning structure or support may be found in another section of this Code.
BILLBOARD
Any display sign which contains a message unrelated to or not advertising a business transacted or goods sold or produced on the premises on which the sign is located.
CONSTRUCTION SIGN
A ground or wall sign erected on a site designated on a building permit issued by the Building Inspector as the site for construction of a new building, which advises the public of pertinent facts regarding the construction, management and leasing of the new building.
DECORATIVE DISPLAY
A temporary display designated for the entertainment or cultural enrichment of the public and having no direct or indirect sales or advertising content.
DISPLAY SIGN
A structure or device that is arranged, intended, designed or used as an advertisement, announcement or direction.
ELECTRONIC CHANGEABLE COPY SIGN
A sign made of lights or LED to create a changeable electronic image, design, words, emblems or other such displays. An electronic digital changeable copy sign may not change more than once every five seconds. The five-second hold time is for the entire display and must be followed by either a swipe or instant screen change. Scrolling text from side to side is exempt from this provision.
ERECT
To build, construct, attach, hang, place, suspend or affix.
GROUND SIGN
A sign erected on a freestanding frame, mast or pole and not attached to any building.
INCOMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL
Any material which will not ignite at or below a temperature of 1,200° F. and will not continue to burn or glow at that temperature.
MARQUEE SIGN
A display sign attached to or hung from a marquee, canopy or other structure projecting from and supported by the building and extending beyond the building wall, building line or street lot line.
NEON SIGN
Any sign visible to the general public in or on the interior or exterior of a window or on an exterior wall that is illuminated by bulbs, tubes or other lighting segments.
OFF-PREMISES SIGN (THIRD PARTY OR OUTDOOR ADVERTISING), INCLUDING BILLBOARDS
Restricted to the I-2 or I-3 Zone District. They shall not be permitted on wall or roof locations.
OUTDOOR ADVERTISING SIGN
Any sign or billboard which is freestanding, unsupported by any building or structure and is attached to a frame, column, post or pole.
OVERHANGING SIGN
Any sign which projects from any angle more than six inches from the side of a building to which it is attached or is freestanding and is attached to a frame, column, post or pole and projects from any angle more than six inches away from its supporting structure.
POLITICAL SIGN
A sign announcing the candidacy of a person running for public office or issues to be voted upon at an election.
PORTABLE SIGN
Any sign less than 16 square feet in area and less than 50 pounds in weight, supported on a base.
PROJECTING SIGN
See overhanging sign regulations.
PUBLIC SERVICE INFORMATION SIGN
Any sign intended primarily to promote items of general interest to the community, such as time, temperature and date, atmospheric conditions, traffic control, etc.
ROOF SIGN
A display sign which is erected, constructed and maintained above any portion of the roof or external wall of a building. Roof signs shall be prohibited.
SHOPPING CENTER
A group of three or more stores, offices or shops selling merchandise or services and served by a common off-street automobile parking area which is located on private property. All stores, offices, and shops served by one parking area shall be considered one shopping center.
SIGN
Announcement, declaration, and illustration insignia when designed and placed so as to attract general public attention. Such shall be deemed to be a single sign whenever the proximity, design, content or continuity reasonably suggests a single unit, notwithstanding any physical separation between parts. "Sign" shall include banner, bulbs or other lighting devices, streamer, pennant, balloon, propeller, flag (other than the official flag of any sports team, nation or state), and similar devices of any kind, whether bearing lettering or not.
STRUCTURAL TRIM
The molding, battens, capping, nailing strips, latticing and platforms which are attached to the sign structure.
SURFACE
That part of the sign upon, against or through which the message is displayed or illustrated. The "total surface area of a sign" is the sum total of all exterior surfaces of the sign computed in square feet. In the case of a broken sign (a sign with open spaces between the letters) the total surface area shall be measured by multiplying the height of the individual letters or combination of letters by the distance between the outer edges of the two furthermost letters.
TEMPORARY POLITICAL SIGN
Includes any and all temporary signs, designed and intended to advertise or contain information about or soliciting votes for a candidate, political party, proposal or issue of any sort, or any other matter relating to or at issue in one specific and particular upcoming election, and further designed and intended to be temporarily placed on lawns, trees or posts and not permanently affixed to any structure. Billboards are specifically excluded from this definition. Portable or wheeled signs, including those mounted to or attached in any manner to trucks, trailers or motor vehicles are included within this definition.
TEMPORARY SIGN
A display sign, banner or other advertising device constructed of cloth, canvas, fabric, plastic or other light temporary material, with or without a structural frame, or any other sign intended for a limited period of display, but not including decorative displays for holidays or public demonstrations.
WALL SIGN
A display sign which is attached directly to a building wall or structure and the horizontal sign surface is parallel to the building wall or structure.
WINDOW SIGN
Any sign which is applied with paint, film or similar substance which simulates paint on the exterior surface of an interior or exterior surface of a window or glazing surface; or any sign which is visible to the general public either on or against the interior or exterior surface or within 36 inches of a window or glazing surface.
In order to promote and protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the Village and to facilitate an easy and pleasant communication of ideas between people and still maintain a pleasant environment for people to live and work, a comprehensive system of regulation of signs and outdoor advertising structures is hereby established. It is intended that this chapter shall:
A. 
Permit public and private sign displays that are compatible with their surroundings; aid orientation; identify activities; promote the interests of persons, products or services; express local history and character; or promote educational purposes.
B. 
Encourage public and private signs that are appropriate to the zoning districts in which they are located.
C. 
Encourage public and private signs that are readable.
D. 
Reduce competition between public and private signs.
E. 
Control the number, size and location of signs to reduce visual clutter.
F. 
Regulate the signs so that they do not obstruct vision or interfere with the operation of motor vehicles.
G. 
Require signs to be properly constructed and installed.
A. 
No signs shall be erected on or over public property.
B. 
No signs shall be erected which will in any way interfere with any fire hydrant, traffic light, fire alarm box or streetlight, nor shall any sign be erected in any location where, by reason of traffic conditions or fire or explosion hazards, it would imperil public safety or interfere with the functions of the Village Police or Fire Department.
C. 
No sign shall be erected at the intersection of any streets in such a manner as to obstruct free and clear vision or at any location where, by reason of position, shape or color it may interfere with, obstruct the view or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device or which makes use of the words "Stop," "Look," "Danger" or any word, phrase, symbol or character in such manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.
D. 
At street intersections, no signs, other than municipal traffic control signs, shall be located within the triangle formed by the property lines paralleling the streets and extending for a distance of 20 feet each way from the intersection of the right-of-way lines at the corner lot. No sign, signal, marking, device, blinking, oscillating or rotating light or lights shall be erected so as to create a traffic hazard
E. 
In no event shall any sign or outdoor advertising structure have flashing or intermittent lights or be permitted to rotate or oscillate. Where the use of reflectors and lights are generally permitted, the use of string electric light bulbs which illuminate products which are stored outdoors for sale is prohibited.
F. 
No sign or any part thereof shall move, nor shall the illumination of any sign or any part of such illumination be anything other than a steady, continuously burning bulb or light.
G. 
No sign of any type shall obstruct or be attached to a fire escape.
H. 
No sign shall be attached to any door or window casing.
I. 
No signs which swing free from their supporting structure shall be erected over a street, alley or public space.
J. 
No sign shall be constructed or maintained which does not advertise a business transacted or goods sold or produced on the premises on which the sign is located, except in the I-1, I-2 or I-3 Zone District.
K. 
Electronic changeable copy signs shall be prohibited in all residential zone districts. They shall also be prohibited at any property along Prairie Street from Michigan Avenue to Kalamazoo Avenue. Additionally, they shall be prohibited from properties along Main Street from Washington Street to a point 500 feet north of the intersection of Main and Prairie Streets. Any commercial or industrial zoned property where digital on-premises signs are allowed may not exceed 50% of the total sign area. This shall mean actual existing sign area, not possible sign area allowed per the ordinance.
L. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to display upon any sign or other advertising structure any obscene, indecent or immoral matter.
A. 
Obsolete signs. No person shall maintain, for more than 30 days, a sign which has become obsolete because of discontinuance of the business, service, or activity which it advertises; removal of the business from the location to which it directs; or for any other reason. The fact that an obsolete sign is nonconforming shall not be construed as modifying any requirements of this section.
B. 
Hazardous signs. All signs located in the Village shall be maintained in a safe condition. No person shall maintain a sign which is deteriorated or defective to a point of causing a hazardous condition which threatens the health, safety or general welfare of the public, as determined by the Building Inspector.
C. 
Nonconforming signs. Nonconforming signs shall meet the following restrictions:
(1) 
A lawfully erected sign, the maintenance of which is made unlawful by this chapter, may continue to be maintained exactly as it existed at the time when the maintenance became otherwise unlawful under this chapter.
(2) 
No nonconforming sign shall:
(a) 
Be changed to another nonconforming sign;
(b) 
Have any change made in the words or symbols used or the message displayed on the sign, unless the sign is a non-accessory advertising sign or a bulletin board or similar type of sign specifically designed for periodic changes of message;
(c) 
Be structurally altered so as to prolong the life of the sign or design of the sign;
(d) 
Be reestablished after the activity, business or use to which it relates has been discontinued for 30 days or longer; or
(e) 
Be reestablished after damage by accident, vandalism or an act of God if the damage is in excess of 50% of the sign's replaceable value, as determined by the Building Inspector.
All signs shall be inspected by the Building Inspector. Signs which are unsafe shall immediately be ordered removed or repaired, depending wholly upon the condition of the sign. It shall be unlawful for any person to fail to comply with such an order to repair or remove any sign.
A person who violates any provision of this chapter is responsible for a municipal civil infraction, subject to payment of a civil fine as set forth in § 55-8. Repeat offenses under this chapter shall be subject to increased fines as set forth in § 55-8.