The purpose of this article is to provide regulations
governing erection of signs in various districts within the Town of
Cortlandville.
A.
No sign in any district may extend over a sidewalk
or other public way, or interfere with safe visibility for pedestrians
and vehicles.
B.
No sign in any district shall be located nearer than
15 feet to a street line or lot line, as measured from the sign's
nearest edge.
C.
No sign shall be erected within the view of the edge
of the right-of-way of any Interstate System Highway at a distance
of greater than 660 feet from the edge of said right-of-way. Interstate
system highways are to be designed in accordance with the national
standards for regulation by states of advertising signs and devices
adjacent to the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways
as promulgated by the United States Secretary of Commerce.
D.
Signs shall be regarded as structures within the meaning of this chapter, except that no permit is required for signs meeting requirements of § 178-112A.
E.
Advertising display upon any structure shall be regarded
as a sign subject to this chapter.
F.
No sign attached to a building in any district shall
project above the height of the wall of the building upon which it
is attached.
G.
Advertising letters or symbols on opposite sides of
a material or structure less than two feet thick shall be considered
only one sign.
H.
No illuminated sign shall be erected or used so that
its light will directly reflect toward residences on adjoining lots
or toward residential districts within 1,000 feet or toward public
highways so as to create a traffic hazard.
I.
If a sign is irregular in shape or consists of independent,
detached letters or symbols, the area of the sign shall be determined
by measuring the area within a polygon completely enclosing the sign
or such independent letters or symbols.
J.
All signs shall be properly painted and maintained
in structure, mechanical operation and appearance. If such maintenance
or painting is not provided by the owner within six months of written
notice, the Town Board may order removal of the sign by the owner.
K.
Animated
signs are prohibited.
[Added 12-16-2009 by L.L. No. 3-2009]
[Amended 10-2-2019 by L.L. No. 2-2019]
A.
No permit shall be required for the following signs:
(1)
Signs required by law and official signs required
by a governmental agency.
(2)
Temporary signs for construction: one in number, not
exceeding 32 square feet, announcing purpose of construction to be
removed following construction; nonilluminated; detour and traffic
control signs during construction.
(3)
Nonilluminated temporary sign, not more than six square
feet, in Residential R-1, R-2 and R-3 Districts, or 32 square feet
in Business, Industrial and Agriculture Districts, advertising sale
or rental of the property upon which it is located; one in number;
two if on a corner lot, one facing each street.
(4)
Temporary signs, in Business, Industrial and Agricultural
Districts, nonilluminated, less than 32 square feet announcing candidacy
for election; no more than one per parcel; such signs shall be erected
no more than 45 days prior to an election and are to be removed within
14 days from the election. For purposes of this section, “election”
shall mean the earliest date by which a vote total can be tabulated
exclusive of absentee ballots.
[Amended 3-4-2020 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
(5)
Temporary signs, in R-1, R-2 and R-3 Districts, nonilluminated,
less than six square feet per sign announcing candidacy for election.
No more than five signs per parcel. Such signs shall be erected no
more than 45 days prior to an election and are to removed within 14
days from the election. For purposes of this section, “election”
shall mean the earliest date by which a vote total can be tabulated
exclusive of absentee ballots.
[Amended 3-4-2020 by L.L. No. 1-2020]
(6)
Signs less than two square feet announcing the name
of the owner of a parcel.
(8)
Temporary signs in Residential R-1, R-2 and R-3 Districts
announcing sales (garage, house, tag, etc.) no more than seven days
in any three-month period and no larger than six square feet.
B.
Requiring building permit.
(1)
All uses permitted by this chapter are allowed signs
if meeting the requirements of Table 2.
(2)
For the purposes of Table 2, "nonflashing" shall mean
nonrotating, not animated or in motion, and/or no flashing or blinking
lights.
(3)
Nonilluminating shall mean no lights of any kind,
nonrotating, not animated or in motion.
(4)
Advertising, off-premises signs in Business and Industrial
Districts shall not exceed 75 square feet. An advertising sign is
one that directs attention to a business, industry, profession, commodity
or service not necessarily sold or offered upon the same premises
as the location of the sign. This shall include poster panels. Such
signs may either be ground signs or wall signs.
(a)
Ground signs shall not exceed eight feet in
height above existing terrain. Only one ground sign is permitted for
each lot having frontage on a public street right-of-way. For large
lots having in excess of 300 feet of frontage, an additional ground
sign may be erected for each 300 feet of frontage. For corner lots
fronting on more than one public street right-of-way, each frontage
shall be considered to constitute a separate lot.
(b)
Wall sign size shall not exceed 25% of the wall
area or 75 square feet, which ever is smaller. Advertising wall signs
shall not extend over the roofline, nor may they be sloping roof signs.
Table 1
Permitted Sign Requirements
| ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
District
|
Use
|
Maximum Size
|
Maximum Number
|
Remarks
| ||
All
|
Single-family residence
|
2 sq.
|
1
|
Nonilluminated ft.
| ||
R-2, B, I
|
Multifamily
|
32 sq.
|
2
|
Nonflashing ft.
| ||
All
|
Customary home occupations
|
4 sq. ft.
|
1
|
Bear only name of occupant and type of business
conducted
| ||
B, I
|
Business uses If freestanding, as follows:
|
8% of wall if attached
|
2
| |||
1.
|
Retail less than 15,000 square feet
| |||||
a.
|
Not in shopping center
|
75 sq. ft.
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
b.
|
Within shopping center
|
40 sq. ft.
|
2
|
All freestanding signs for businesses within
shopping centers to be of uniform height, size and type; nonflashing
| ||
2.
|
Shopping centers
|
160 sq. ft./ea
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
3.
|
Professional offices
|
20 sq. ft.
|
1
| |||
4.
|
Gasoline station
|
32 sq. ft./ea
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
5.
|
Motels, hotels
|
100 sq. ft./ea
|
2
| |||
6.
|
Automobile sales, warehousing, building supplies
|
90 sq. ft. aggregate
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
I
|
Industrial uses
|
15% of building wall facing road less than 325
sq. ft.
|
3
|
Nonflashing
| ||
AG1, B2, I
|
Agriculture-related uses
|
16 sq. ft./ea
|
3
|
Nonflashing
| ||
AG, R-1, R-2, B, I
|
Educational facilities
|
40 sq. ft.
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
AG, B, I
|
Recreational and social activities
|
20 sq. ft./ea
|
2
| |||
AG, R-1, R-2, R-3
|
Religious institutions
|
20 sq. ft.
|
1
| |||
B, I
|
Religious institutions
|
20 sq. ft.
|
1
|
Nonflashing
| ||
All
|
Health-related facilities
|
40 sq. ft./ea
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
All
|
Transportation facilities
|
40 sq. ft./ea
|
2
|
Nonflashing
| ||
1Agriculture
| ||||||
2Business
|
Regulations for permitted signs shall be as
set forth in the following table.
Table 2
Regulations for Permitted Signs
| ||
---|---|---|
Zoning District
|
Type of Use
|
Maximum Number, Type and Sign Area Permitted
|
Residential and Agriculture
|
Single-family residences
|
1 nonilluminated free- standing or building-
mounted sign of 2 square feet
|
Multifamily
|
1 ground sign of 32 square feet residential
| |
Customary home occupations
|
1 nonilluminated sign of any type of 4 square
feet
| |
Commercial and Industrial
|
Commercial or Industrial
|
1 freestanding or ground sign per lot of 100
square feet (see note No. 2)
|
Plazas for more than one business or industry
may have one such sign per entrance
| ||
2 building-mounted signs with a total sign area
of 2 square feet for each linear foot of building facade facing the
major street
| ||
All zones
|
Other agricultural or nonresidential uses
|
1 ground or building- mounted sign of 40 square
feet
|
NOTES:
| |||
---|---|---|---|
1.
|
If the amount of signage allowed by the zoning
district exceeds that which is allowed for the use, the district's
regulations will supersede.
| ||
2.
|
The maximum height permitted is:
| ||
a.
|
Freestanding sign: eight feet.
[Amended 1-16-2008 by L.L. No. 1-2008] | ||
b.
|
Ground sign: eight feet.
| ||
c.
|
Building-mounted - roofline; not above height
of the wall of the building upon which it is attached.
|