[Ord. No. 2753 §1, 3-1-2006; Ord. No. 2756 §1, 3-15-2006; Ord. No. 2873 §§1 — 2, 1-16-2008; Ord. No. 3005 §1, 1-5-2011; Ord. No. 3789 §1, 11-19-2014; Ord. No. 3201 §1, 1-7-2015; Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
A. 
The following signs are prohibited:
1. 
Electronic message boards.
2. 
Any sign not permitted by this Code.
3. 
Off-site signs, except as may be otherwise allowed herein.
4. 
Pole signs.
5. 
Portable signs, except as provided herein.
6. 
Any sign constituting a traffic hazard, including, but not limited to, any sign that:
a. 
Obstructs or otherwise interferes with the effectiveness of an official traffic sign, signal or device;
b. 
Conflicts with, or may be confused with, any authorized traffic sign, signal or device;
c. 
Obstructs or interferes with a motor vehicle operator's view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic;
d. 
Produces a glare or otherwise interferes with a motorist's vision; or
e. 
Uses the words "stop," "look," "drive-in," "danger" or any other word, phrase, symbol or character in such manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic.
7. 
Any sign that by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, location, size, obsolescence or other circumstance creates a hazard to the public health, safety or welfare.
8. 
Any sign that directs attention toward a business, product, commodity, service or entertainment by means of a wind-operated mechanism, flashing lights, revolving sign, searchlight or any other type of fluttering, flashing, mechanical movement, including any person or animal used for such purpose.
9. 
Any sign using lighting that is not constant and fixed or on which colors change.
10. 
Any sign that is unpleasant, offensive or unattractive, including any pornographic, obscene or lewd sign that would offend the senses or sensibilities of a reasonable person.
11. 
Any sign with light levels exceeding those needed for the task and resulting in glare and indirect glare, where illuminated objects are too bright compared to their surroundings.
12. 
Any sign which physically projects more than eighteen (18) inches beyond the plane of the wall or structure on which the sign is erected or attached.
13. 
Any flashing, fading, moving sign (only fixed, non-moving, non-animated letters, characters may be utilized).
14. 
Any sign painted directly on a wall, window or structure.
15. 
Signs on public lands or rights-of-way.
16. 
Living signs.
17. 
Vehicles displaying signage (vehicle signs) may not be parked in parking areas nearest to the street or in a manner where the vehicle(s) serve(s) as a de facto advertisement or signage. Generally, vehicles with vehicle signs should be parked behind the building not visible from the street except for brief loading and unloading.
[Ord. No. 2753 §1, 3-1-2006; Ord. No. 2873 §§1 — 2, 1-16-2008; Ord. No. 3005 §1, 1-5-2011; Ord. No. 3789 §1, 11-19-2014; Ord. No. 3201 §1, 1-7-2015]
A. 
Signs shall be constructed, erected, maintained, altered, enlarged, relocated, illuminated and removed only as allowed by this Code and in compliance with the City's building, electrical and other applicable technical regulations.
B. 
Signs shall not be located closer than twenty (20) feet to any roadway unless otherwise provided in this Code. Signs greater than thirty (30) inches in height and located on lots or premises fronting intersecting streets shall maintain a minimum of twenty-five (25) feet of clearance along the intersection of the rights-of-way of said streets.
C. 
Lamps may not exceed a CCT of two thousand seven hundred (2,700) K.
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
D. 
Total outdoor light output, including proposed and existing street lights, pedestrian lights, building lights, landscape lights, any other lighting and signage shall not exceed five footcandles (5 fc). The applicant must submit sufficient information to enable the Director of Planning to determine compliance.
[Ord. No. 3536,[1] 11-16-2022]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordianance redesignated former Subsections (C) and (D) as (E) and (F).
E. 
Illuminated signs shall be shielded or contain lamps of such reduced intensity so as to not cause a glare on adjacent street or property or otherwise constitute a public nuisance or a traffic hazard.
F. 
Phone numbers are not permitted as part of permanent wall or monument signage. However, phone numbers may be included as part of permitted window signage, but such numbers shall not exceed four (4) inches in height unless otherwise allowed herein. Additionally, phone numbers may be included as part of temporary signage, without restriction to the letter/number height.
G. 
All signage, including temporary signs, must be professionally manufactured and installed.
H. 
Numbers depicting the official address of a building as determined by the U.S. Post Office and the Metro West Fire Protection District are permitted, provided that:
1. 
Business addresses are not greater than four (4) square feet in size;
2. 
Residential addresses are compatible with neighboring residences; and
3. 
All such addresses follow Metro West Fire Protection District guidelines.
I. 
All signs must be constructed of materials compatible and/or consistent with the main structure(s), as determined by the Code Enforcement Officer.
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
J. 
Any sign not in compliance with all the provisions of this Code is hereby declared to be unlawful and subject to abatement and prosecution as provided in Section 410.100 of this Code.
K. 
The City of Ellisville or its authorized agents may erect signage as it sees fit for the public health, safety or welfare, including, but not limited to, corporate boundary and population signs, traffic and parking regulation signs, warning signs, promotional signs and public information signs.
[Ord. No. 2753 §1, 3-1-2006; Ord. No. 2873 §§1 — 2, 1-16-2008; Ord. No. 3005 §1, 1-5-2011; Ord. No. 3789 §1, 11-19-2014; Ord. No. 3201 §1, 1-7-2015]
A. 
Legal Non-Conforming Signs. Any sign located within the City limits on the date of adoption of this Code or located in an area annexed to the City thereafter that does not conform with the provisions of this Code but which complied with applicable law on the date of adoption of this Code or at the time of annexation is a legal non-conforming sign. Any such sign required by a governmental body to be moved for any public purpose may be relocated and allowed to be maintained and used as it previously was.
B. 
Loss Of Legal Non-Conforming Status. A legal non-conforming sign shall immediately lose its lawful status if:
1. 
The sign structure is altered, replaced, relocated or moved [except as per Section 410.090(A) above].
2. 
More than forty percent (40%) of the sign structure is damaged by fire, explosion, collision, accident, vandalism or other act.
C. 
Maintenance And Repair. Nothing in this Section shall relieve the owner or user of a legal non-conforming sign, or the owner of the property on which the legal non-conforming sign is located, from the provisions of this Code regarding safety, maintenance and repair of signs. Any relettering, repainting, cleaning or other normal maintenance or repair of the sign or sign structure shall not constitute a forfeiture of the sign's legal non-conforming status.
[Ord. No. 2753 §1, 3-1-2006; Ord. No. 2873 §§1 — 2, 1-16-2008; Ord. No. 3005 §1, 1-5-2011 Ord. No. 3140 §1, 12-4-2013; Ord. No. 3789 §1, 11-19-2014; Ord. No. 3201 §1, 1-7-2015]
A. 
Permits. Permits shall be required for all signs so identified in the district regulations.
B. 
Application. No permit may be granted until after an application has been filed with and the appropriate fee paid to the City Clerk. An application for a sign permit shall be made in writing upon forms provided by the City. The permit request shall be accompanied by plans and specifications as required by the Code Enforcement Officer to determine compliance with this Code and may include the following:
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
1. 
The scale to which the plans are drawn;
2. 
A site plan illustrating the location of the subject sign within the project site, including dimensions of linear frontage, setback, landscape areas, right-of-way lines and easements;
3. 
Fully dimensioned architectural elevations, with total facade area, depicting the placement of the proposed signage and any existing signs;
4. 
Detailed drawings of the proposed sign, including total sign area, dimensions, colors, materials, proposed copy, letter style (exact type face) and size;
5. 
Method of any illumination and notes indicating:
a. 
Whether the sign is U.L. approved; and
b. 
That an electrical permit will be secured from St. Louis County prior to installation; and
6. 
Any other information deemed relevant by the Code Enforcement Officer to determine compliance with this Code.
C. 
Owner Signature Required. Before a permit can be granted for the installation of any sign, the applicant for the permit must submit an agreement signed by the owner(s) of the property:
1. 
Granting permission to the applicant to install the sign;
2. 
Allowing the City to enter on such real property for code enforcement purposes;
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
3. 
Holding the City harmless from any damage caused by code enforcement activity to such sign, the real property and any structures thereon; and
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
4. 
Acknowledging that such agreement shall bind the owner(s) and any successor or assign.
D. 
Fee. The fee for sign permits is as follows:
[Ord. No. 3423, 7-17-2019]
Application Fee
Inspection Fee
Temporary signs
$0.00
$0.00
Window signs
$0.00
$0.00
Wall and monument signs
$2.00 per square foot
2 at $25.00 each = $50.00
Tenant panels on a monument sign
$2.00 per square foot
$25.00
Permanent sign variance
$50.00
$0.00
Temporary sign variance
$0.00
$0.00
E. 
Permit Refusal/Revocation. The Code Enforcement Officer shall refuse a permit for any sign that does not comply with the requirements of this Code and may revoke any permit:
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
1. 
For a sign that violates any provision of this Code, the Zoning Ordinance or any applicable technical code or regulation; or
2. 
That has been secured by subterfuge or fraud; or
3. 
That has been issued by mistake, misunderstanding or error of the City.
F. 
Sign Repair And Removal And Code Enforcement.
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
1. 
The Code Enforcement Officer shall have the authority to take such action as may be necessary to enforce this Code, including the painting, repair, alteration, replacement, condition abatement or removal of any sign that:
a. 
Has not been properly maintained or repaired.
b. 
Has become faded, dilapidated or is abandoned.
c. 
Does not have the required permit.
d. 
Is unsafe, hazardous or constitutes a public nuisance.
e. 
Violates any of the provisions of this Code, the Zoning Ordinance or any technical code or regulation.
2. 
If any sign is deemed to require any such action, the Code Enforcement Officer shall issue an order to the applicant, the property owner and the business owner, if applicable, notifying such persons of the Code violation(s) or other deficiency and demanding that the offending condition be remedied within a prescribed time. If the order is not complied with on a timely basis, the Code Enforcement Officer shall take such action(s) as deemed necessary, at the expense of the property owner, and in such event all costs associated with the City's action(s) shall become a lien on the property, which such lien may be certified to the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds by the City Clerk.
3. 
The Code Enforcement Officer shall also have the authority to issue a court summons for any signs which do not have the required permit or are unsafe, hazardous or constitute a public nuisance and may remove such signs as deemed necessary at the expense of the property and/or sign owner.
4. 
Signs removed by the Code Enforcement Officer shall be retained for a period of fourteen (14) days and shall be returned to the owner upon payment of the expenses of removal. If not claimed within that time, they shall become the property of the City and may be destroyed or sold for the payment of the expense of removal. If sold, any excess from the proceeds of the sale shall be returned to the owner.
G. 
Appeals. The Code Enforcement Officer's rulings may be appealed to the Architectural Review Board. The Architectural Review Board shall have the authority to grant variances from the requirements and restrictions of this Chapter, provided that the Board determines that:
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
1. 
Compliance with the applicable provision of this Chapter would impose unnecessary non-economic hardship on a particular applicant; and
2. 
The requested modification will provide a result that is aesthetically equal to or superior to that which would be allowed through the strict application of the relevant provision; and
3. 
Strict compliance with the relevant provision is not necessary to promote the general spirit and intent of this Chapter.
H. 
Right Of Entry. Upon presentation of proper credentials, the Code Enforcement Officer may enter any building, structure, property or premises to perform any duty or to enforce any regulation imposed by this Code.
[Ord. No. 3536, 11-16-2022]
I. 
Violations — Penalty. Violations of this Chapter shall be punishable by fines not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per day for each day violations continue or by imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.