No sign shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted, or structurally altered without a zoning permit except those signs excepted in § 390-65 and without being in conformity with the provisions of this chapter. The sign shall also meet all the structural requirements of the Building Code.
All signs are prohibited in all residential and agricultural districts except the following:
A.
Signs over show windows or doors of a nonconforming business establishment announcing without display or elaboration only the name and occupation of the proprietor and not to exceed two feet in height and 10 feet in length.
B.
Real estate signs not to exceed six square feet in area which advertise the sale, rental, or lease of the premises upon which said signs are temporarily located.
C.
Name, occupation, and warning signs not to exceed two square feet located on the premises.
D.
Bulletin boards of up to 16 square feet for public, charitable or religious institutions, provided that all such signs must be located directly on the premises involved and at least 15 feet from the nearest sidewalk or street.
E.
Memorial signs, tablets, names of buildings, and date of erection when cut into any masonry surface or when constructed of metal and affixed flat against a structure.
F.
Official signs, such as traffic control, parking restrictions, information, and notices.
G.
Temporary signs or banners when authorized by the Village Board for a period not to exceed 30 days.
Signs are permitted in the commercial and industrial districts, subject to the following restrictions:
A.
Signs prohibited in public ways. Except for traffic signs and signals, signs specifically permitted to project into the public way by this chapter, or any other sign so authorized by law, no signs shall be placed upon, over, or in any public way. Except for signs projecting from business structures located on the front property line, any signs located upon, or encroaching upon, any public way shall be removed within one year of the adoption of this chapter. Permits for signs projecting into the right-of-way of any street shall be revocable as provided in § 86.04, Wis. Stats.
B.
Lighting. No sign shall be illuminated by intermittent, rotating or flashing lights in any district.
C.
Ground signs. Ground signs will be permitted in lieu of signs mounted on building facades, subject to the size restrictions of the sign replaced, and must observe all applicable building setback lines, and shall not exceed 30 feet in height.
D.
Signs projecting into street. No sign shall project over any part of any street, except where a business structure is located on the front property line. In such case, a sign may not extend beyond the front face of curb.
E.
Termination of a business. At the termination of a business, commercial or industrial enterprise, all signs shall forthwith be removed from the public view. Responsibility for violation shall reside with the property owner, according to the latest official tax roll listings.
F.
Shopping centers or industrial parks. In a shopping center or industrial park, one freestanding identification sign may be permitted, showing the name of said center or park and the represented businesses or industries. The area of said sign shall not exceed 100 square feet on one face and 200 square feet on all faces. Said sign shall not be permitted within 20 feet of the right-of-way line of the street.
G.
Wall signs. Wall signs placed against the exterior walls of a building shall not extend more than six inches outside of a building's wall surface, shall not exceed 200 square feet in area for any one premises, and shall not exceed 20 feet in height above the mean center-line street grade.
H.
Projected signs. Projected signs fastened to, suspended from, or supported by structures shall not exceed 100 square feet in area for any one premises; shall not extend more than three feet into any required yard; shall not extend more than three feet into a public right-of-way; shall not be less than 10 feet from all side lot lines; and shall not exceed a height of 20 feet above the mean center-line street grade or 15 feet above a driveway or an alley.
I.
Ground signs. Ground signs shall not exceed 20 feet in height above the mean center-line street grade, shall meet all yard requirements for the district in which they are located, and shall not exceed 200 square feet on all sides for any one premises.
J.
Window signs. Window signs shall be placed only on the inside of commercial buildings and shall not exceed 25% of the glass area of the pane upon which the sign is displayed.
K.
Representations. All signs shall advertise, promote, or represent only establishments, goods, or services located, sold or manufactured within 100 feet.
L.
Combination signs. Combination of any of the above signs shall meet all the requirements for the individual sign.
M.
Number of signs. No more than one business or industrial sign shall be permitted on the front facade of any business or industrial building, including any advertisement permanently fastened to show windows or display cases. Only one business or industrial sign shall be permitted on each side or rear wall of a business or industrial building.
N.
Directional signs. Necessary directional ground signs, not exceeding four square feet in area, will be permitted. Permission to erect such signs must be obtained from the Village Board.
O.
Lighting glare. Business and industrial signs may be internally lighted or illuminated by a hooded reflector; provided, however, that such lighting shall be arranged to prevent glare, and no sign shall have lighting of an intermittent or varying intensity. Animated signs, or signs having moving parts, or signs which may be mistaken for traffic signal devices, or which diminish the visibility or effectiveness of such traffic signal devices, are prohibited.
P.
Obstruction of openings. Any sign so erected, constructed or maintained as to obstruct or be attached to any fire escape, window, door or opening used as means of ingress or egress, or for firefighting purposes, or placed so as to interfere with any opening required for legal ventilation is prohibited.
Q.
Street intersections. No sign or advertising device shall be erected or maintained at the intersection of streets in such a manner as to obstruct clear vision of the intersection.
R.
Height. No sign shall be erected above the roofline of a building or more than 30 feet from the ground.
Signs shall not resemble, imitate, or approximate the shape, size, form, or color of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices. Signs shall not obstruct or interfere with the effectiveness of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices. No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door, window, or fire escape, and no sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape. No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility.
A sign lawfully existing at the time of the adoption or amendment of this chapter may be continued although the use, size, or location does not conform to the provisions of this chapter. However, it shall be deemed a nonconforming use or structure and the provisions of Article V shall apply.