This article shall be known and cited as the "Town of Ithaca
Sign Law."
This article is enacted to guide and regulate signs to promote
the public health, safety and welfare as follows:
A. Provide minimum standards by regulating and controlling the number,
size, design, quality of materials, construction, location, electrification,
and maintenance of all signs and sign structures.
B. Encourage signs and graphics that are compatible with the surrounding
natural and built environments.
C. Reduce the hazards of sign obstruction and distractions and improve
traffic safety.
D. Create a more attractive business climate.
E. Conserve the value of buildings and properties.
F. Protect and enhance the Town's aesthetic environment and appearance,
including scenic views.
G. Preserve the right of free speech and expression in the display of
signs.
H. Provide for the orderly and reasonable elimination of existing signs
that are not in conformance with this chapter.
The following signs and displays shall be prohibited in all zoning districts, as established pursuant to Chapter
270, Zoning, except as otherwise permitted in this article:
B. Animated signs and all electronic message centers (animated and nonanimated),
including signs with blinking, flashing, strobe, chasing or alternating
color lights or moving parts or messages.
C. Graphics that physically or visually impair vehicular or pedestrian
traffic by design, lighting, or placement.
D. Pennants, valances, ribbons, spinners, streamers, searchlights, string or festoon lights, exposed luminous or fiber optic tubing [except in windows as specified in §
270-256F(4)] neon lights, balloons or similar devices shall not be part of an exterior or window sign, or used for advertising or attracting attention.
E. Signs with phosphorescent, fluorescent, or reflective material or
paint.
F. Signs placed, wholly or in part, on, over, or above any roof, building,
marquee or other structure unless specifically permitted by this article.
G. Any sign which could be mistaken or confused with a traffic control
signal or device or official public information sign.
H. Copy-change signs, except as specifically permitted in this article.
I. Signs on surfaces that are not flat and are not attached to a building,
and sign symbols that are not attached to a building.
J. All signs not expressly permitted by this article.
After the effective date of this article, sign permits are required
for the following:
A. Signs listed in §
270-256A located in Commercial or Industrial Zones; and
B. The erection, relocation or alteration of signs that have a variance
by the Zoning Board of Appeals or that are included in a site plan
approved by the Planning Board.
The following are pictorial descriptions of the types of signs that are described in this article. Chapter
270, Article
III, Terminology, contains definitions of these types of signs.
Awning
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Banner
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Copy-Change Sign
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Freestanding/Monument Sign
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Projecting Sign
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Non-Flat Surface Signs
(e.g., 3-Dimensional)
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[Added 11-9-2020 by L.L.
No. 6-2020]
In an NT-3, NT-4, NT-4u, or NT-5 zone, New Neighborhood Code
requirements for signs apply. (See § 272-507.)
Unless otherwise specified in this article, all illuminations shall meet the requirements of the Outdoor Lighting Law, Chapter
173 of the Town of Ithaca Code.
A. Internally lit signs.
(1)
Internally illuminated signs must be constructed with an opaque
or dark-colored background and translucent or light-colored text and
symbols.
(2)
Illumination for all internally lit signs shall be turned off
between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., unless the business
is open or the activities are happening during those hours.
B. Externally lit signs (e.g., direct illumination or backlit).
(1)
Top-mounted fixtures are required for all externally lit signs except for backlit signs. Lighting fixtures used to illuminate an outdoor sign shall be mounted on the top of the sign structure. All such fixtures shall comply with the shielding requirements of §
173-6 of the Outdoor Lighting Law.
(2)
Backlit signs are permitted, but the background surface on which
the light shines shall not be reflective.
(3)
Illumination for all externally lit signs in the Commercial
and Industrial Districts shall be turned off between the hours of
9:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., unless the business is open during those
hours. For Residential and Agricultural Districts, illumination shall
be turned off when the activity or special event ceases.
The entire face of a sign on a flat surface, without supports,
shall be included in measuring sign area. When a sign on a flat surface
consists of individual letters, numbers, symbols, or other characters,
its area shall include the area of the smallest rectangle that can
encompass all of the letters, numbers, symbols, and characters. (See
Sign Area Computation Chart below.)
A. When a sign consists of two or more flat surface faces, only one
face of the sign shall be used in computing the sign area, if the
faces are parallel to and within 12 inches of each other. Otherwise,
all faces of the sign shall be used to compute the sign area.
B. The area of a sign on a surface that is not flat, and the area of
a sign symbol (e.g., a barber pole), shall be computed as the area
of the smallest rectangle that can encompass the largest viewable
surface that is visible from any one point of view (See Sign Area
Computation Chart below.) Supports and mounts shall not be included
in the computation.
C. The only permissible additions to a sign are hanging shingles or
smaller signs that extend or are located below and cumulatively are
less than the main sign area. The area of each hanging shingle or
smaller sign shall be measured separately from, and added to, the
area of the main sign to determine the total sign area. Spaces between
additions or between an addition and the main sign shall not be included
in the measurement of sign area.
D. The cumulative area of sign bases, supports, and decorative elements
shall not exceed 1.5 times the maximum allowable sign area for the
zoning district in which the sign is placed. Terracing or additional
stonework, pillars, or other structures that are not integrally part
of a sign are not considered supports.
E. The height of a sign and its supports shall be measured from the
highest point of the natural grade to the top of the sign.
Sign Area Computation Chart
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If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part of this
article shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to
be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the
remaining portions hereof, but shall be confined to the clause, sentence,
paragraph, section or part thereof directly involved in the controversy
in which such judgment shall have been rendered.