This chapter shall be known as the "Sign Law."
The purpose of these regulations is to:
A. Protect the public health, safety and welfare by regulating the number,
location, construction, installation, illumination and maintenance
of all signs in the Village.
B. Establish standards to permit adequate identification of the use
of property, to provide for free speech, to protect property values,
to avoid visual and lighting pollution, to create an attractive economic
and business climate, and to enhance and protect the physical appearance
of the community.
C. Reduce physical obstructions which may contribute to vehicular and
pedestrian accidents.
D. Recognize that the Village was formed on the banks of the Erie Canal
and its development was tied to early nineteenth-century waterborne
transportation and that the Village wishes to celebrate the best elements
of that early time and to build on the architectural heritage and
historic patterns of development.
E. Require that all signs shall be legible, attractive and compatible
with the sign's surroundings. The appearance, character and quality
of the community is affected by the location, size, construction and
graphic design of its signs. Therefore, such signs should convey their
information clearly and simply to enhance their surroundings.
The words listed below shall have the definitions listed below
when those words are used or referred to in these rules and regulations:
ABANDONED SIGN
Any sign advertising a business, other than a seasonal business,
which has ceased to operate on the premises for a period of more than
180 days.
AGGREGATE
Square footage; the total or collective amount of square
footage.
AWNING SIGN
A sign painted or sewn directly on a rooflike covering of
canvas that is often adjustable. It is supported entirely from the
exterior wall of a building and located over a window or door to provide
protection against the sun, rain, and wind. An awning sign is located
on an awning that has received prior and separate approval from the
ARB.
BRACKET
The supporting frame of a sign.
BUILDING FACE or FACADE
The side of a building where the main entrance is located.
The length along a ground-floor building front, parallel or substantially
parallel to the lot line of a street or traveled way accessible from
a street which is occupied by a separate and distinct use, or the
length along a building side, parallel or substantially parallel to
the line of a street or a traveled way accessible from a street that
is occupied by a separate and distinct use, or by the same use that
occupies the front of said building.
CORNICE
Any continuous molded projection that crowns or finishes
the part to which it is affixed, such as a wall or door opening; most
notably, the exterior trim of a structure at the meeting of the roof
and wall; in classical terms, the upper projecting part of the entablature.
The entablature is the horizontal member carried by the columns.
DIRECTORY SIGN
Any sign that contains listings of two or more commercial
establishments that share a common entrance.
FLAG SIGN
Any sign that is constructed of fabric (except for the flags
of the United States of America and other governmental authorities
immune from regulation by the Village).
FREESTANDING SIGN
A sign which is attached to or part of a completely self-supporting
structure, other than a building.
FRONT ENTRANCE
The entrance on the side of the building where the primary
entrance is located.
LINTEL
A horizontal architectural member supporting the weight above
an opening such as a window or a door.
MENU BOX
A weathertight box constructed of wood with a glass or Plexiglas® front used to display signs, bulletins, photographs,
or other information.
MONUMENT SIGN
A freestanding sign no higher than five feet above approved
grade.
OFF-PREMISES SIGN
A sign that advertises or announces a use conducted or goods
available elsewhere than the lot or building where the sign is located.
This definition includes but is not limited to signs which refer to
a business or service conducted from a lot or building other than
that where the sign is located, such as but not limited to a real
estate agent or office, architect, or a contractor.
ON-PREMISES SIGN
A sign that advertises or announces a person occupying the
premises, a use conducted, or goods available on the lot or in the
building where the sign is located.
PERMANENT SIGN
Any sign, as defined above, intended to be erected and maintained
for more than 30 days.
PERMITTING AUTHORITY
Refers to the Code Enforcement Officer or the Zoning Board
of Appeals when such individual or Board is charged with the review
of a sign permit application.
PLYWOOD
Permitted plywood types for sign construction when edge-banded
include APA medium-density overlay (MDO) (plywood manufactured with
a smooth, opaque, resin-treated fiber overlay providing an ideal base
for paint on one or both sides) or APA marine plywood.
PORTABLE SIGN
A freestanding sign not permanently affixed, anchored, or
secured to the ground or a structure on the lot it occupies, excluding
signs affixed to or painted on a vehicle whose primary purpose is
other than to be a sign; includes sandwich boards and blackboards.
PROJECTING SIGN
Any sign supported by a building wall, and not parallel to
it, that projects from the wall.
RESIDENTIAL SIGN
A sign, other than the name and address of the resident,
that identifies the residential premises on which it is located.
ROOF SIGN
Any sign erected, constructed, and maintained upon or over
the roof of any building, or which extends above any point in the
roof.
SIGN
Any privately owned, permanent or temporary structure, light,
color scheme, letter, word, model, banner, pennant, insignia, trade
flag, or representation, or any other device used to advertise, inform,
or attract the attention of the public and which is designed to be
seen from outside a building, including any sign in windows or on
doors but excluding window displays of merchandise and informational
material incidental to the display or sale of merchandise (such as
price tags and similar informational matter).
SIGN AREA
A.
The area shall be considered to include all lettering, wording,
and accompanying designs and symbols, together with the background,
whether open or enclosed, on which they are displayed, but not including
any supporting framework, decorative framing, or bracing that is incidental
to the display itself.
B.
For a sign painted upon or applied/attached to a building, the
area is considered to include all lettering, wording, and accompanying
designs or symbols together with any background of a different color
than the natural or primary color of the building.
C.
Where the sign consists of individual letters or symbols attached
to or painted on a surface, building, awning, wall, or window, the
area shall be considered to be that of the smallest rectangle that
encompasses all of the letters or symbols.
D.
Only one side of a double-faced sign will be counted in computing
the area of that sign.
E.
The area of a sign consisting of a three-dimensional object
(such as a symbol sign) shall be no more than 1/2 the allowable area
for a projecting sign. The area shall be calculated by measuring both
the front view and one side view of the object. The front and side
views are considered to be that which will fit into a rectangle or
other geometric shape.
F.
The area of a flat, irregularly shaped sign shall be the smallest
rectangle that will wholly contain it.
SIGN PACKAGE
A master plan for signs. The master plan shall establish
the standard size, shape, materials, color, lighting, location and
the maximum number of signs. The plan shall integrate the signs and
their lighting, into a unified architectural statement for a site.
SYMBOL SIGN
A three-dimensional representation of a product or service
that a business sells.
SYMMETRICALLY DESIGNED BUILDING
A building designed with the same architectural features
and fenestration on one side of the front facade as can be found on
the other side of the same front facade. Typically, a symmetrically
designed building has a central door entrance.
TEMPORARY SIGN
Any sign, including its supporting structure, intended to
be maintained for up to 30 days.
TRAVELED WAY
A road, public way, public path, or public body of water.
USE
The purpose for which land or building is arranged, designed,
or intended and for which either land or a building is or may be occupied
or maintained.
WALL SIGN
A sign securely affixed to a wall, or painted on a wall,
and not projecting beyond the building face fronting on a street or
parking lot, and not above the highest line of the building to which
it is attached.
WINDOW SIGN
Any sign affixed to the surface of the glass or visible through
a window on a permanent basis within one foot of the glass.
The permitting authority may waive one of more of the standards
contained in this chapter if the permitting authority finds that the
proposed sign advances the purposes of this chapter.
Any person aggrieved by an interpretation of the Code Enforcement
Officer of this chapter may appeal therefrom to the permitting authority
in the same manner as is provided for zoning appeals under the New
York State Village Law.
Any person convicted of a violation of any of the provisions
of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $250 or 15
days' imprisonment, or both. Each violation of a section or subsection
of this chapter, and each day that a violation continues, shall constitute
a separate offense.
The application fee for a sign application shall be established
by the Board of Trustees from time to time by resolution.