A. 
The owner or person in control of any Lot or other Premises on which exists a Sign for which there is no current and valid permit shall remove such Sign.
B. 
The owner or person in control of any Lot or other Premises on which exists a Sign without a permit but which or would otherwise comply with this chapter shall apply for a permit.
A. 
Signs legally in existence at the time of the adoption of this by-law that do not comply with the requirements of this by-law may be maintained without change pursuant to the issuance of a Sign permit for that purpose, and thereafter shall be considered Legally Noncompliant Signs. Signs that do not comply with this by-law and do not qualify for a Legally Noncompliant Sign permit shall constitute Illegal Signs and shall be subject to enforcement as such.
B. 
To determine the legal status of existing Signs, the Applicant shall submit the following information to the Building Commissioner in a Sign Permit Application:
(1) 
Type(s) of existing Sign(s) located on the Property.
(2) 
The area and height of all Signs.
(3) 
For freestanding Signs, the distance between the Lot line and the nearest portion of the Sign.
(4) 
Type of Sign illumination.
(5) 
The material of which the Sign is constructed.
(6) 
The building frontage.
C. 
All Legally Noncompliant permanent Signs and Sign structures shall be brought into conformance with the Sign regulations when and if the following occurs:
(1) 
The Sign is removed, relocated, or Significantly altered. Significant alterations include changes in the size or dimension of the Sign. Changes to the Sign copy or the replacement of a Sign face on a noncompliant Sign shall not be considered a significant alteration.
(2) 
If more than 50% of the Sign Area is damaged, it shall be repaired to conform to this by-law.
(3) 
An alteration in the structure, or significant damage of a Sign support.
(4) 
A change in the mechanical facilities or type of illumination.
(5) 
A change in the material of the Sign face.
(6) 
The Lot on which the noncompliant Sign is located is reduced in size.
The Lot on which the Legally Noncompliant Sign is located undergoes a change of land use requiring the issuance of either a use and occupancy permit or a change of use and occupancy permit by the Town of Dedham.
D. 
Prior to the events listed in § 237-25B, Legally Noncompliant Signs may be repainted or repaired up to 50% of the replacement cost of the Sign, the Sign copy may be changed, and Sign faces may be replaced provided that these actions do not increase the dimensions of the existing Sign, and do not in any way increase the extent of the Sign's noncompliance.
E. 
Legally Noncompliant Signs shall be exempt from the provisions of § 237-25C, under the following conditions:
(1) 
The Sign possesses documented historic value.
(2) 
The Sign is of a unique nature or type by virtue of its architectural value or design, as determined by the National Park Service, Massachusetts Historical Commission, or Town of Dedham Historic Districts Commission.
(3) 
The Sign is required to be moved because of public right-of-way improvements.
All noncompliant Temporary Signs, Portable Signs, and Banners must be permanently removed within 90 days of the effective date of this Article, unless specific approval is granted as provided for herein.
A Sign permit shall lapse and become void whenever there are modifications to a Legally Noncompliant Sign other than as described in § 237-25. Upon notification by the Building Commissioner of such modification, the owner shall, within 45 days, make the Sign conform to the prior permit, remove the Sign, or apply for a new Sign permit.
A Sign permit shall lapse and become void when the activities, business, goods, or services described on the Sign are discontinued. The owner shall remove a Sign within 30 days of discontinuance of the activities, business, goods, or services described on the Sign. A Freestanding Legally Noncompliant Sign structure shall be removed after 365 days have elapsed where all Signage on said structure has been or is required to be removed for discontinuance of the activities, business, goods, or services.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to make permissible a preexisting Sign which was constructed or displayed in violation of this chapter or any predecessor to this chapter and which continues not to be in conformance with the requirements of this chapter.
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, a Legally Noncompliant Sign with a Sign Area greater than allowable under this chapter and/or with a Setback from a public way less than allowable under this chapter may be replaced with a Sign erected on the same Lot with a Sign Area greater than allowable under this chapter or a Setback less than allowable under this chapter upon the issuance of a waiver by DRAB; provided that the maximum Sign Area of any Sign waived under this paragraph shall be no greater than 70% of the Sign Area of the noncomplying Sign being replaced and the minimum Setback of any Sign erected under this paragraph shall be no less than the current Setback of the noncompliant Sign being replaced.