No person shall paint, mark, or write on or post, hand or otherwise affix any handbill, sign or similar marking on the following property:
(a) 
Public sidewalk, crosswalk, curb, curbstone, lamp post, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake or guard, fire alarm or fixture, police facility or appurtenance, lighting system equipment or appurtenance, sewer vent pipe, public bridge, railroad trestle, railroad signaling device, drinking fountain, buoy, life preserver, life boat, street sign, traffic control sign or device, trash receptacle, parking meter or any public property substantially the same as property listed herein;
(b) 
Public walls, benches, pier structure, or any other public property located in the Harbor Pier area as defined in Section 12-1.108 of this Code;
(c) 
The confines of any public park, recreation, area, or other type of landscaped grounds, including parkways and medians owned or operated by the City;
(d) 
Nothing in this section shall apply to the painting of house numbers upon curbs under authorization by the City Council;
(e) 
Nothing contained in this section shall prevent any of the following:
(1) 
The posting or placing of any banner sign across any City managed banner poles;
(2) 
The posting or placing of any notice, sign or device used exclusively for giving public notice of the name, direction or condition of any public highway, street, lane, road, or alley;
(3) 
The posting or placing of any notice, sign or device used exclusively for giving public notice of a public hearing;
(4) 
Any sign promoting or evidencing sponsorship of any event for which a reservation from the Department of Parks and Recreation is required, provided such sign is located at the site which is reserved for use.
(§ 1, Ord. 1896 c.s., eff. December 1, 1965, as amended by § 1, Ord. 2628 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991)
No person shall paint, mark, or write on or post, hand or otherwise affix any handbill, sign or similar marking on any electric, power, telephone, or telegraph pole or wire appurtenance thereto or any other such object in a public right-of-ways.
(§ 1, Ord. 2629 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991)
(a) 
Directional signs advertising an open house of residential real estate for sale or lease may be placed in parkways on public streets on weekends and holidays during such time as such residential real estate is actually open to the public.
(b) 
A weekend shall commence at sunrise on Saturday and terminate at sunset of the following Sunday.
(c) 
The term "holiday" as used in this section shall mean:
(1) 
January 1st (New Year's Day);
(2) 
The last Monday in May (Memorial Day);
(3) 
July 4th (Independence Day);
(4) 
Labor Day;
(5) 
Thanksgiving Day;
(6) 
The day after Thanksgiving Day;
(7) 
The day before Christmas Day;
(8) 
December 25th (Christmas Day);
(9) 
New Year's Eve.
(d) 
The term "public street" as used in this section shall not include State highways.
(e) 
The term "parkway" as used in this section shall mean the area in a public street right-of-way between the curb and sidewalk adjacent thereto or, if no sidewalk exists, between the curb and five feet therefrom toward the adjacent private property, and shall mean and include the landscaped median strip, if any.
(f) 
Such signs shall not exceed six in number for any one open house location, regardless of the number of units being offered, unless it can be shown to the reasonable satisfaction of the Chief of Planning that a greater number are needed to direct the public to the open house.
(g) 
Such signs shall be unlighted, shall not exceed four square feet and shall be limited to one sign for each sign location with one pennant per sign.
(h) 
Such signs and pennants shall be staked to the ground or on a freestanding A-frame on the ground and shall not be attached to any street tree, traffic signal or traffic information sign, utility pole or appurtenance or other structure.
(i) 
Such signs and pennants shall not be placed in such a manner as to create any sight obstruction or safety hazard or interfere with entrance to or exit from private property.
(j) 
Placement of signs in any residential land use district is subject to the consent of the owner or occupant of the property abutting the location of the sign.
(§ 1, Ord. 2630 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991, as amended by §§ 1 and 2, Ord. 2634 c.s., eff. September 19, 1991)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, no sign shall block the public view of a traffic control sign or device or interfere with the ability of motorists or pedestrians to have clear visibility at street intersections.
(§ 2, Ord. 2628 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991)
Any sign installed, used or maintained in violation of this article may be removed to the City yard by the Police Department, the Public Services Department, the Community Development Department or the Business License Department by complying with the procedure contained in Section 4-1.203 of this article.
(Ord. 2631 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991, as amended by § 1, Ord. 3108 c.s., eff. February 8, 2013)
(a) 
Notification. Except as provided in subsections (e), (f), and (g) of this section, prior to removing any sign pursuant to the provisions of this article, the person removing any sign shall notify the owner of the sign and, if the owner cannot be ascertained, the firm, political candidate, individual or entity which installed, used or maintained the sign, of the provisions of subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section.
(b) 
Correction of violation. The owner and if the owner cannot be ascertained, the firm, political candidate, individual or entity which installs, uses or maintains any sign in violation of this article shall have 24 hours upon notice of the violation to correct said violation before that sign may be removed.
(c) 
Return of sign. Any sign removed to the City Yard shall be returned to the owner, and if the owner cannot be ascertained, the firm, political candidate, individual or entity which installed, used, or maintained the sign, upon payment of Sixty and no/100ths ($60.00) Dollars (the actual cost of removal, as determined by the Chief Building Officer). If any such sign is not recovered within 45 days of notifying the owner, and if the owner cannot be ascertained, the firm, political candidate, individual or entity who installed, used or maintained the sign, the sign may be destroyed.
(d) 
Protest of removal. Any person or entity who wishes to contest the fact that a sign was placed in violation of this section shall have the right to an administrative hearing before the Director of Public Services. If the Director finds that the sign was lawfully posted, he or she shall return the sign without imposing the cost of removal.
(e) 
Exception—Removal of dangerous signs. Any sign posing an immediate danger to the safety of persons or property may be removed immediately and the owner, and if the owner cannot be ascertained the firm, political candidate, individual or entity which installed, used or maintained the sign shall be informed as soon as possible of the provisions of subsections (c) and (d) of this section. For the purposes of this subsection any sign placed on any traffic control sign or device, sign used for giving notice of a street name, or public utility pole or obstructing a traffic control sign or device or which interferes with the ability of motorists or pedestrians to have clear visibility at street intersections shall be deemed to endanger the safety of persons and property.
(f) 
Exception—Removal of nominal value signs. Notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, signs which do not exceed twenty-two (22″) inches by twenty-eight (28″) inches in dimension, are constructed of paper or cardboard and are unframed, may be determined by the City Manager or designee to have nominal value and if posted in clear disregard of the provisions of this Code, may be removed without notice or hearing.
(g) 
Exception—No ownership designation. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent removal of a sign without prior notice to the owner and if the owner cannot be ascertained to the firm, political candidate, individual or entity which installed, used or maintained the sign or prevent destruction of the sign when it cannot be determined who owns, controls or placed the sign.
(Ord. 2631 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991, as amended by § 1, Ord. 2641 c.s., eff. October 31, 1991)
It shall be presumed that the organization, candidate, or persons identified in and advertised by the sign which is violative of the article, have authorized or participated in the placement of that sign. This presumption shall be applicable in criminal actions and civil actions to recover costs of sign removal and shall be a permissible and rebuttable presumption.
(Ord. 2631 c.s., eff. August 1, 1991)