Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following terms,
phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given
in this subsection:
ABANDONED SIGN
Any sign and/or its supporting sign structure which remains
without a message or whose display surface remains blank for a period
of six months or more, or any sign which pertains to a time, event
or purpose which no longer applies, shall be deemed to have been abandoned.
Signs applicable to a business temporarily suspended because of a
change in ownership or management of such business shall not be deemed
abandoned unless the property remains vacant for a period of six months
or more. Any sign remaining after demolition of a principal structure
shall be deemed to be abandoned. Signs which are present because of
being legally established nonconforming signs or signs which have
required a conditional use permit or a variance shall also be subject
to the definition of "abandoned sign."
ANIMATED SIGN
Any sign that uses movement or change of lighting, either
natural or artificial, to depict action or create a special effect
or scene. For the purposes of this article, a sign which consists
of an electronic or mechanical indication of time or temperature shall
be considered a time and temperature sign and not an animated sign.
For purposes of this article, a sign which consists of an electronic
or mechanical written message, including such messages as copy, art,
graphics, time, date, temperature, weather or information concerning
civic or charitable events or the advertising of products or services
for sale on the premises, shall be considered an electronic message
unit sign and not an animated sign.
BANNER
Any sign of lightweight fabric or similar material that is
mounted to a pole or a building at one or more edges. National flags,
state or municipal flags or the official flag of any institution or
business shall not be considered a banner.
BUILDING INSPECTOR
An agent of the City of Amery authorized to inspect construction
within the City.
BUILDING MARKER
Any sign indicating the name of a building and date and incidental
information about its construction, which sign is cut into a masonry
surface or made of bronze or other permanent material.
CANOPY SIGN
Any sign that is a part of or attached to an awning, canopy
or other fabric, plastic or structural protective cover over a door
entrance, window or outdoor service area. A marquee is not a canopy.
CHANGEABLE-COPY SIGN/READER BOARD
A sign or portion thereof with characters, letters or illustrations
that can be changed or rearranged without altering the face or the
surface of the sign. A sign on which the message changes more than
eight times per day shall be considered an animated sign and not a
changeable-copy sign for purposes of this article.
COMMERCIAL SPEECH
Any sign wording, logo or other representation that, directly
or indirectly, names, advertises or calls attention to a business,
product, service, sale or sales event or other commercial activity.
CONSTRUCTION SIGN
Any sign which alerts persons of construction or demolition
activities for a project or which describes the project or the contractors
involved.
DIRECTIONAL SIGN
A sign of a noncommercial nature which directs the reader
to the location of public or educational institutions or to the location
of historical structures or areas or to the location of public parks
or buildings.
DISPLAY SURFACE AREA
The net geometric area enclosed by the display surface of
the sign, including the outer extremities of all letters, characters
and delineations; provided, however, that display surface area shall
not include the structural supports for freestanding signs.
DISTRICT or ZONING DISTRICT
A section or sections of the incorporated area of the City
of Amery for which the then-effective zoning ordinance governing the
use of buildings and land is uniform for each class of use permitted
therein.
ERECT
To build, construct, attach, hang, place, suspend or affix.
FLAG
Any fabric, banner or bunting containing distinctive colors,
patterns or symbols, used as a symbol of government, political subdivision
or other entity.
FLASHING SIGN
An illuminated sign on which artificial or reflected light
is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color at
all times when in use.
FREESTANDING SIGN
A sign which is attached to or a part of a completely self-supporting
structure. The supporting structure shall be set firmly in or below
the ground surface and shall not be attached to any building or any
other structure, whether portable or stationary.
GARAGE/YARD SALE SIGN
Any sign which advertises a private sale of personal property
used to dispose of personal household possessions, not for the use
of any commercial venture.
ILLUMINATED SIGN
Any sign which has characters, letters, figures, designs
or outline illuminated directly or indirectly by electric lights or
luminous tube.
INCIDENTAL SIGN
A sign, generally informational, that has a purpose secondary
to the use of the lot on which it is located, such as "no parking,"
"entrance," "loading only," "telephone" and other similar directives.
No sign with a commercial message legible from a position off the
lot on which the sign is located shall be considered incidental.
JOINT IDENTIFICATION SIGN
A sign which serves as common or collective identification
for a group of persons or businesses operating on the same zone lot
(e.g., shopping center, office complex, etc.). Such sign may name
the persons or businesses included but carry no other advertising
matter.
LEASE
An agreement by which a property owner conveys, usually for
a specified rent, to other persons permission to erect and maintain
an advertising sign upon his or her property.
LEGALLY ESTABLISHED NONCONFORMING SIGN
Any sign and its support structure lawfully erected prior
to the effective date of this article which fails to conform to the
requirements of this article. A sign which was erected in accordance
with a previous edition of this article or a sign erected in accordance
with a variance granted prior to the adoption of this article and
which does not comply with this article shall be deemed to be a legal
nonconforming sign. A sign which was unlawfully erected shall be deemed
to be an illegal sign.
LOT
Any piece or parcel of land or a portion of a subdivision,
the boundaries of which have been established by some legal instrument
of record that is recognized and intended as a unit for the purpose
of transfer of ownership.
LOW-SLOPE ROOF
Any roof with a pitch less than three inches rise per 12
inches horizontal.
MANSARD ROOF
Any roof that has an angle greater than 45° and which
derives part of its support from the building wall and is attached
to (but not necessarily a part of) a low-slope roof and which extends
along the full length of the front building wall or 3/4 of the length
of a side building wall.
NONCOMMERCIAL SPEECH
Dissemination of messages not classified as "commercial speech"
which include, but are not limited to, messages concerning political,
religious, social, ideological, public service and informational topics.
NONCONFORMING SIGN
A sign existing at the effective date of the adoption of
the ordinance codified in this article which could not be built under
the terms of this article.
PENNANT
Any lightweight plastic, fabric or other material designed
to move in the wind, whether containing a message or not.
PERSON
Includes any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization, singular or plural, of any kind.
PORTABLE SIGN
Any sign not permanently attached to the ground or other
permanent structure and designed to be or used in a way that is movable
from one location to another, including, but not limited to, signs
designed to be transported by means of wheels; signs converted to
A- or T-frames; balloons used as signs; umbrellas used for advertising.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING
The building in which is conducted the principal use of the
zone lot on which it is located. Zone lots with multiple principal
uses may have multiple principal buildings, but storage buildings,
garages and other clearly accessory uses shall not be considered principal
buildings.
PROJECTING SIGN
Any sign that shall be affixed at an angle or perpendicular
to the wall of any building in such a manner to read perpendicularly
or at an angle to the wall on which it is mounted.
PUBLIC EVENT
Any event that is authorized by the City of Amery, whether
funded in part, total or not at all.
REAL ESTATE SIGN
A temporary sign placed upon property for the purpose of
advertising to the public the sale or lease of said property.
RESIDENTIAL SIGN
Any sign located in a district zoned for residential uses
that contains no commercial message except advertising for goods or
services legally offered on the premises where the sign is located,
if offering such service at such location conforms to the requirements
of the City of Amery.
ROOF SIGN
Any sign erected and constructed wholly on and over the roof
of a building, supported by the roof structure and extending vertically
above the highest portion of the roof.
ROOF SIGN, INTEGRAL
Any sign erected and constructed as an integral or essentially
integral part of a normal roof structure of any design, such that
no part of the sign extends vertically above the highest portion of
the roof and such that no part of the sign is separated from the rest
of the roof by a space of more than six inches.
SETBACK
The distance from the property line to the nearest part of
the applicable building, structure or sign, measured perpendicularly
to the property line.
SHOPPING CENTER
A cohesive unit of stores or other commercial businesses
arranged and constructed according to a plan and contained within
a separate parcel of land.
SIGN
Includes every device, frame, letter, figure, character,
mark, plane, point, design, picture, logo, stroke, stripe, trademark
or reading matter which is used or intended to be used to attract
attention or convey information, when the same is placed out of doors
in view of the general public, and, in addition, any of the above
which is not placed out of doors but which is illuminated with artificial
or reflected light, and also the above when near the inside surface
of a window in such a way as to be in view of the general public and
used or intended to be used to attract attention or convey information
to motorists.
SPOTLIGHT ILLUMINATION
Illumination which comes from lamps, lenses or devices designed
to focus or concentrate the light rays of the source.
STREET and SIDEWALK
A strip of land or accessway subject to vehicular traffic
and/or pedestrian traffic that provides direct or indirect access
to property, including but not limited to alleys, avenues, boulevards,
courts, drives, highways, lanes, places, roads, sidewalks, terraces,
trails or other thoroughfares.
STREET FRONTAGE
The distance for which a lot line of a zone lot adjoins a
public street, from one lot line intersecting said street to the furthest
distant lot line intersecting the same street.
SUSPENDED SIGN
A sign that is suspended from the underside of a horizontal
plane surface and is supported by such surface.
TEMPORARY SIGN
Any sign intended to be displayed for a period of not more
than 60 days in a twelve-month period or until construction or sale
of property is completed, including real estate, political or construction
site signs and banners, decorative-type displays or anything similar
to the aforementioned.
WALL SIGN
Any sign that shall be affixed parallel to the wall or printed
on the wall of any building in such a manner as to read parallel to
the wall on which it is mounted; provided, however, that said wall
sign shall not project above the top of the wall or beyond the end
of the building. For the purpose of this article, any sign display
surface that is affixed flat against the sloping surface of a mansard
roof shall be considered a wall sign. Any sign that is affixed to
the building marquee, building awning or a building canopy shall be
considered a wall sign.
WINDOW SIGN
Any sign, pictures, symbol or combination thereof designed
to communicate information about an activity, business, commodity,
event, sale or service that is placed inside a window or upon the
window.
YARD CARD
Any sign, pictures, symbol or combination thereof designed
to be temporarily placed in a residential or commercial lot for purposes
of commemorating a personal event, such as a birthday, graduation
or anniversary.
ZONE LOT
A parcel of land in single ownership that is of sufficient
size to meet minimum zoning requirements for area, coverage and use
and that can provide such yards and other open spaces as required
by the zoning regulations.
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR
An employee of the City of Amery authorized to permit, inspect,
approve or deny construction within the City.