No sign shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted or structurally altered without a zoning permit, except those signs excepted in § 298-53, and without being in conformity with the provisions of this chapter. The sign shall also meet all the structural requirements of the Building Code.[1]
All signs are prohibited in all residential,
conservancy 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 four 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 for public, charitable or religious
institutions not to exceed 12 square feet in area located on the premises.
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 B-1, B-2 and I-1
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.
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.
Billboards on vacant lots. Vacant lots upon which
billboards now exist shall be maintained in an orderly fashion by
the frequent and periodic removal of rubbish and maintenance of any
verdure growing on the lot.
E.
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.
F.
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.
G.
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.
H.
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 100 square feet in
area for any one premises and shall not exceed 20 feet in height above
the mean center-line street grade.
I.
Projected signs. Projected signs fastened to, suspended
from or supported by structures shall not exceed 40 square feet in
area for any one premises; shall not extend more than six 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.
J.
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 120 square feet on all sides for any one premises or 60
square feet on one side.
K.
Roof and window signs. Roof signs shall not exceed
10 feet in height above the roof, shall meet all the yard and height
requirements for the district in which they are located and shall
not exceed 120 square feet on all sides for any one premises. 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.
L.
Representations. All signs shall advertise, promote
or represent only establishments, goods or services located, sold
or manufactured within 100 feet.
M.
Combination signs. Combination of any of the above
signs shall meet all the requirements for the individual sign.
N.
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.
O.
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.
P.
Lighting. 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.
Q.
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 fire-fighting
purposes, or placed so as to interfere with any opening required for
legal ventilation is prohibited.
R.
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.
S.
Height. No sign shall be erected above the roofline
of a building or more than 30 feet from the ground.
T.
Billboards. Billboards, outdoor advertising signs
and any business or industrial signs not located on the same property
as the business or industry advertised shall not be permitted in any
district.
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 VIII shall apply.
