The purpose of this article is to promote and protect public
health, safety and welfare in the Village of Cayuga Heights by regulating
existing and proposed outdoor signs and indoor window signs of all
types. The terms of this article are intended to protect property
values, create a more attractive economic and business climate, enhance
and protect the physical appearance of the community, preserve scenic
and natural beauty, reduce distractions and obstructions that may
contribute to traffic accidents, and to maintain public safety, consistent
with constitutional requirements protecting freedom of speech and
expression and allowing adequate business identification.
All outdoor signs and indoor window signs are subject to the
regulations of this article unless specifically excluded as follows:
A. Any sign owned and installed by a governmental agency or required
by any law, governmental order or regulation;
B. Government flags and insignia, except when displayed in connection
with commercial promotion;
C. Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, except
letters, trademarks, moving parts or moving lights;
E. Signage permanently painted, sealed, or adhered on motor vehicles
registered for commercial purposes and containing information pursuant
to the conduct of those commercial purposes, including, but not limited
to, the name, address, telephone number, website and e-mail address
of the business entity owning or utilizing the vehicle.
The provisions of this section shall apply in all zoning districts
unless noted otherwise.
A. The following signs are permitted in any zoning district of the Village without a sign permit, subject to the restrictions set forth above in §
305-64:
(1) Signs advertising the proposed sale, lease, or rental of the premises
upon which the sign is located, provided that:
(a)
The sign shall not exceed six square feet in area and four feet
in height;
(b)
The sign shall not be closer than three feet to any lot line;
(c)
The sign shall not be closer than 15 feet from any road or driveway;
(d)
The sign shall not be located in any public right-of-way;
(e)
The sign shall be removed within 24 hours after the sale has
closed or rental lease has been signed, as the case may be;
(f)
No more than one such sign is permitted per property;
(2) In the Residential Zone and in the Multiple Housing Zone, one professional
nameplate not exceeding one square foot in area and affixed to the
wall of a building;
(3) One sign denoting the name and address of the occupants of premises
used for residential purposes, such sign not to exceed one square
foot in area;
(4) One sign per building permit denoting the architect, engineer and/or
contractor, placed on the premises where construction, repair or renovation
is in progress, provided that:
(a)
The sign shall not exceed six square feet in area and four feet
in height;
(b)
The sign shall not be closer than three feet to any lot line;
(c)
The sign shall not be located in any public right-of-way;
(d)
The sign shall be removed within 24 hours after issuance of
a certificate of occupancy for the construction, repair or renovation.
(5) In the Commercial Zone, directional (entrance/exit) signs on premises,
each not exceeding two square feet in area, and which shall not include
any trademarks or names of businesses conducted or products sold;
(6) A sign or notice, having an area of 10 square feet or less, of a
public utility necessary for the direction, information, or safety
of the public.
B. Except for the signs specified in Subsection
A(1) through
(6) above, no other permanent sign shall be erected in any zoning district of the Village without first securing a permit to erect such signs from the Code Enforcement Officer.
C. Any modification or redesign of any existing nonexempt permanent
sign shall require a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.
D. In order to obtain a sign permit, the proposed sign shall be in compliance both with the restrictions set forth above in §
305-64 and with the design guidelines specified below in §
305-70.
Noncommercial temporary signs shall be allowed in all zoning districts in addition to any other signs permitted by this article, without a permit, subject to the restrictions set forth above in §
305-64 and to the following additional restrictions and specifications:
A. Not more than one temporary sign at any time may be erected or maintained
on any parcel by the property owner. Any such temporary sign may remain
on the parcel for a period not exceeding 60 calendar days.
B. After the elapse of four months following the last day that a temporary
sign had been erected, a second temporary sign may be erected on the
same parcel by the property owner for a second period not to exceed
60 calendar days. There shall be no more than two such periods of
60 calendar days within any twelve-month period.
C. No temporary sign shall be larger than six square feet in area or
more than four feet in height.
D. No temporary sign shall be closer than three feet to any lot line.
E. No temporary sign shall be located in the Village's public right-of-way.
F. No temporary sign shall be illuminated.
Temporary banners announcing community events held within the
Village are subject to the following regulations:
A. The banner will be limited to announcing community events approved
by the Village's Board of Trustees and held within the Village;
B. The banner will require a permit from the Code Enforcement Officer;
C. The banner shall be placed only within the Commercial Zone and the
design, location, and mounting shall be approved by the Code Enforcement
Officer;
D. Display of the banner shall be limited to 14 calendar days prior
to an event and shall be removed within two calendar days after the
event.
Historic signs designated by a recognized governmental agency
or authority and approved by the Village's Planning Board shall be
consistent in materials and size with other historic signs already
existing in the Village.
The following commercial signs require a sign permit. Said signs
shall denote only the name of the owner, street address, trade names,
trademarks, products sold and/or the business(es) or activity conducted
on the premises where such sign is located, and said signs may be
erected only in accordance with the following requirements.
A. The following commercial signs are permitted in the Multiple Housing
Zone and in the Commercial Zone:
(1) One sign and one bulletin board customarily incident to places of
worship, libraries, and museums, to be located on the premises of
such institutions, and such sign and bulletin board cumulatively not
to exceed 18 square feet in area.
(2) One sign for social clubs or societies, to be located on the premises
of such institutions, not to exceed six square feet in area.
B. The following commercial signs are permitted only in the Commercial
Zone:
(1) Each building may have one or two signs, whose total cumulative area
shall not exceed 20 square feet. Said signs may be attached to or
painted on the front or face of a building or one or both signs may
be indoor signs.
(2) Where more than one business occupies a single building, in place of the sign restrictions in §
305-69B(1) above, each business may have one or two signs whose total area shall not exceed 10 square feet. Indoor signs are included in the sign count and area calculation.
(3) If there are more than two businesses operated on any one parcel or contiguous parcels, which parcel or parcels are under the ownership, operation, management, or control of the same person, persons, firms, corporation, or other entity, such as a shopping center or other multi-use facility, one free standing sign which shall not exceed 20 square feet shall be permitted for the parcel, parcels, development, or shopping center as a whole, regardless of the number of separate businesses operated thereon. The signs for each individual business must comply with the requirements of §
305-69B(1) above.
(4) Signs advertising store hours and "rules" of conduct are exempt from
this section.
Commercial "off-premises" signs, including, but not limited
to, signs advertising a business not located on the premises where
the sign is located, or directional real estate or yard sale signs
not located on the premises where the real estate or yard sale is
occurring, are not permitted in any zoning district.
The owner of the premises upon which the sign is or is intended to be located, or the person responsible for the sign, may appeal a determination of the Code Enforcement Officer under this article to the Village's Zoning Board of Appeals in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article
XX.