Outdoor signs of all types are to be regulated to protect property
values, create a more attractive economic and business climate, enhance
and protect the physical appearance of Stratford, and preserve the
scenic and natural beauty of the Village. It is further intended to
reduce sign or advertising distraction and obstructions that may contribute
to traffic accidents, to reduce hazards that may be caused by signs
overhanging or projecting over public rights-of-way, and to provide
more open space.
The following definitions are used in this article:
A temporary hood or cover which projects from the wall of
a building, which can be retracted, folded or collapsed against the
face of a supporting structure.[1]
Any sign designed to give any artificial light directly through
any transparent or translucent material from a source of light originating
within or on such sign.
Any sign on which the names and locations of occupants or
the use of a building is given. This shall include office and church
directories.
Any sign whose message may be changed by electronic process,
including such messages as copy, art, graphics, time, date, temperature,
weather or information concerning civic or charitable events or the
advertising of products or services for sale on the premises. This
also includes traveling or segmented message displays.[2]
Any directly or indirectly illuminated sign on which artificial
light is not maintained stationary and constant in intensity and color
at all times when in use.
Any sign which is supported by structures or supports in
or upon the ground and independent of support from any building. (Also
referred to as "freestanding sign.")[3]
Any sign which carries only the name of the firm, major enterprise,
institution or principal products offered for sale on the premises
or combination of these.
A sign that is illuminated from a source outside of the actual
sign.
A permanent roof-like structure projecting beyond a building
wall at an entrance to a building or extending along and projecting
beyond the building's wall and generally designed and constructed
to provide protection against weather.
Any sign attached to and made part of a marquee.
Any sign which does not conform to the regulations of this
article.
Any sign not permanently attached to the ground which is
designed to be easily moved from one location to another.
Any sign extending more than 18 inches but less than five
feet from the face of a wall or building.
Any sign which is used to offer for sale, lease or rent the
property upon which the sign is placed.
Any sign erected upon or over the roof or parapet of any
building.
Includes anything that promotes, calls attention to or invites
patronage of (or anything similar to the aforementioned) a business,
location or product.
Any sign intended to be displayed for a short period of time,
including real estate, political or construction site signs and banners,
decorative-type displays or anything similar to the aforementioned.
Any sign attached to, erected on or painted on the wall of
a building or structure and projecting not more than 18 inches from
such wall.
Any sign located completely within an enclosed building and
visible from a public way.
[1]
Editor's Note: The definition of "billboard" which immediately followed this definition was deleted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II). See § 590-72E(1).
A.
Regulations apply to all districts. The requirements of this article
apply to all signs in all districts, unless specifically exempted
or excluded.
B.
Governmental signs excluded. For the purpose of this chapter, "sign"
does not include signs erected and maintained pursuant to and in discharge
of any governmental function or required by law, ordinance, or governmental
regulations. All other signs and outdoor advertising are hereby regulated.
A.
Signs eligible for characterization as legal nonconforming. Any sign
located within the Village of Stratford limits on the date of adoption
of this article or located in an area annexed to the Village of Stratford
hereafter which does not conform to the provisions of this article
is eligible for characterization as a legal nonconforming sign and
is permitted, provided that it meets the following requirements:
B.
Loss of legal nonconforming status.
(1)
A sign loses its nonconforming status if one or more of the following
occurs:
(a)
The sign is structurally altered in any way, except for normal maintenance
or repair, which tends to or makes the sign less in compliance with
requirements of this article than it was before alteration.
(b)
The sign is relocated.
(c)
The sign fails to conform to the Village requirements regarding maintenance
and repair, abandonment or dangerous or defective signs.
(2)
On the date of occurrence of any of the above, the sign shall be
immediately brought in compliance with this article with a new permit
secured therefor or shall be removed.
C.
Legal nonconforming sign maintenance and repair. Nothing in this
article shall relieve the owner or user of a legal nonconforming sign
or the owner of the property on which the sign is located from the
provisions of this article regarding safety, maintenance and repair
of signs.
A.
Illumination. Any illuminated sign or lighting device shall employ
only light emitting a light of constant intensity, and no sign shall
be illuminated by or contain flashing, intermittent, rotating, or
moving light or lights. In no event shall an illuminated sign or lighting
device therefrom be directed or beamed upon a public street, highway,
sidewalk, or adjacent premises so as to cause glare or reflection
that may constitute a traffic hazard or nuisance as determined by
the Zoning Administrator. All signs shall be screened from beaming
on residential windows. Rotating or moving time and temperature signs
shall not be restricted by this subsection.[1]
B.
Awnings. Awnings containing printed messages or advertising shall
be considered projecting signs and subject to the same requirements
as other signs. For purposes of interpretation, only that portion
of the awning containing the advertising or lettering shall be treated
as a sign.
C.
Height limitation. No sign shall exceed 30 feet in height above the
street pavement or sidewalk grade nearest to the sign.
D.
Rooftop signs. Rooftop signs shall be allowed as a conditional use
only.
E.
Banners. No permanent sign or part thereof shall contain or consist
of banners, strings of lights, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners,
or other similar moving devices. The use of such devices may be allowed
as temporary signs subject to approval by the Zoning Administrator
and exhibited for a period not to exceed 30 days.[2]
F.
Name of owner. All signs hung and erected shall be plainly marked
with the name of the person, firm or corporation hanging or erecting
the sign, and should any sign be or become unsafe or in danger of
falling, the owner thereof or the person maintaining the same shall,
upon receipt of written notice from the Zoning Administrator, proceed
at once to put such sign in a safe and secure condition or remove
the sign.[3]
G.
Signs in public right-of-way prohibited. No sign shall be placed
in any public right-of-way or publicly owned property except publicly
owned signs, such as traffic control signs and directional signs,
and projecting signs in the B-1 General Commercial District which
may extend over a sidewalk portion of a public right-of-way to a point
no closer than three feet to the curb.
H.
Exceptions for certain signs in parks. The only exceptions to the
prohibition of signs in public rights-of-way are signs promoting community,
service, fraternal, or youth organizations which are specifically
approved by the Plan Commission for a specific period of time.
A.
Permit required. Except as provided in § 590-71, no person shall erect, relocate, reconstruct or maintain any sign or cause any sign to be erected, relocated, reconstructed or maintained within the Village of Stratford without first having obtained and having in force and effect a permit therefor from the Zoning Administrator.[1]
B.
Permit fees. A permit fee as set by the Village Board shall be paid
to the Zoning Administrator for each sign permit issued under this
chapter; provided, however, that a fee shall not be charged for putting
an existing sign in conformance with this chapter or for a copy change
when no change in business name is involved.
C.
Sign applications.
(1)
Applications for a sign permit shall be made on forms provided by
the Zoning Administrator or Village Clerk and shall contain or have
attached thereto the following information:
(a)
Name, address and telephone number of the applicant.
(b)
Location of building, structure or lot to which or upon which the
sign is to be attached or erected.
(c)
Name of person, firm, corporation or association erecting the
sign.
(d)
Written consent of the owner or lessee of the building, structure,
or land to which or upon which the sign is to be affixed.
(e)
A scale drawing of such sign indicating the dimensions, the
materials to be used, the type of illumination, if any, and the method
of construction and attachment.
(f)
A scale drawing indicating the location and position of such
sign on the property and in relation to nearby buildings or structures.
(g)
Copies of any other permit required and issued for said sign,
including the written approval by the Zoning Administrator. In the
case of illuminated signs, the Zoning Administrator shall examine
the plans and specifications, inspecting all wiring and connections
in regard to the sign to determine if the same complies with the State
Electrical Code.
(h)
Additional information as may be required by the Zoning Administrator
or Plan Commission, if involved.
(2)
Action. Sign permit applications shall be filed with the Zoning Administrator,
who shall review the application for its completeness and accuracy
and approve or deny, in writing, the application within 30 days of
receipt from the applicant unless the time is extended by written
agreement with the applicant.
(3)
Time limitation. A sign permit shall become null and void if work
authorized under the permit has not been completed within six months
of the date of issuance.
The following types of signs do not require the issuance of
a sign permit:
A.
Real estate for sale and for rent signs. A sign advertising the sale,
lease, or rental of the premises upon which the sign is located not
to exceed 32 square feet in area, except in the R-1 through R-4 Districts,
where the area of the sign shall not be more than six square feet,
except that signs up to 32 square feet may be used to advertise undeveloped
lots in a new subdivision for a period no longer than two years after
the issuance of a sign permit and where such signs are located at
least 150 feet from the nearest dwelling.
B.
Professional nameplates. Professional nameplates not to exceed one
square foot in area.
C.
Address signs. Signs denoting the name and address of the occupants
of the premises and not to exceed two square feet in area.
D.
Garage sale signs. Garage or porch sale signs of less than four square
feet which are removed within two days after the event.
A.
Noncommercial and bulletin boards. On-premises signs or bulletin
boards customarily incidental to places of worship, libraries, museums,
social clubs, societies, public institutions and apartment buildings
shall be permitted when they do not exceed 25 square feet in area
and when they are located on the premises of such institution or building.
Each premises shall be permitted only one sign which shall not exceed
10 feet in height.
B.
Residential districts. No sign shall be erected in any residential
district except as provided herein:
(1)
One unlighted professional, commercial or announcement sign or nameplate
only and not over six square feet in area with maximum height of five
feet.
(2)
Public, semipublic, religious or charitable institutions (holding
a tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service) may have an
identification or directory sign not over 24 square feet in area.
C.
On-premises commercial and institutional signs.
(1)
In a commercial, industrial, or institutional district, each business
or institution shall be permitted two signs and one changeable letter
signboard, except that a business located on a corner lot may be allowed
one additional building wall-mounted sign or lettering on a side street
building wall.
(2)
Only one of the permitted signs may be a freestanding or post sign.
(3)
The area of all permanent advertising signs shall not exceed two
square feet of sign area for each linear foot of lot frontage. In
the case of a corner lot, the lot street frontage for purpose of this
subsection shall be considered the longest width. However, the total
on-premises sign area of all signs for a single business shall not
exceed 300 square feet.
(4)
In the case of a multi-tenant business such as a shopping center,
each tenant shall be allowed two square feet of outdoor advertising
sign per linear foot of tenant space frontage.
(5)
Interior advertising within a shopping mall shall not be subject
to this article.
D.
Shopping center signs.
(1)
A shopping center or shopping mall may erect one freestanding or
post sign, except that if such shopping center is located on a corner
lot or a through lot and if the least dimension of such lot is 500
feet or more, two freestanding or post signs may be permitted.
(2)
No more than one sign may be located on the same street frontage.
E.
Off-premises signs and billboards.
(1)
Off-premises signs and billboards are hereby defined as advertising signs advertising goods or services not provided on the parcel in which the sign is located. Further, off-premises signs can be used for public service messages, political messages and for public awareness messages. The off-premises signs are subject to the same maximum size and setback restrictions as in Subsection E(3) and (6) below.
(2)
Off-premises signs may be allowed only within the B-3 Highway Commercial
District, and further off-premises signs may be allowed only on streets
or highways designated as part of the state trunk highway system.
(3)
The maximum size for off-premises signs is 300 square feet, with
a maximum of 600 square feet per structure in cases of back-to-back
signs, and the maximum height shall be 30 feet.
(4)
Off-premises signs shall be no less than eight feet off the ground
at their lowest point.
(5)
Off-premises signs shall not be located within 200 feet of a residential
dwelling that is properly zoned residential nor within 100 feet of
another off-premises sign.
(6)
All types of off-premises advertising structures must be set back
a minimum of 15 feet from any public road right-of-way.
(7)
Existing off-premises signs that become nonconforming as a result
of this article shall not be subjected to maximum limits of repair
in the event they are damaged.
(8)
All off-premises signs shall be kept in good condition through proper
maintenance and periodic painting of the signs and structures.
No billboards shall be erected within 100 feet of the intersecting
right-of-way of signalized intersections, and no billboards shall
be erected within 50 feet of the intersecting right-of-way of all
other streets.
A.
Post signs.
(1)
Post signs are signs in excess of six feet in height supported by
a single pole or support structure.
(2)
The maximum area of the face of any post sign shall be 100 square
feet.
(3)
The maximum height shall be 30 feet.
(4)
The minimum clearance over driveways and parking areas shall be 15
feet.
(5)
The pole support of a post sign shall not be less than 40 feet from
any lot in any residential district.
(6)
More than one sign may be attached to one or more posts and be classified
as one sign when a group of businesses occupies one or more than one
building on one lot. The total sign surface area on the face of the
post sign, including the individual sign, shall not exceed 100 square
feet. The individual businesses signs attached to posts shall be included
in the total allowable signage for each individual business.
B.
Freestanding signs.
(1)
Freestanding signs must be set back 30 feet from any residentially
zoned lot or existing single- or two-family residence, except in situations
where the dwellings are on the same lot as the business placing the
sign.
(2)
Freestanding signs must be set back 15 feet from any street or driveway
intersection or at their lowest point be six feet above grade to permit
proper corner traffic vision.
(3)
Within the I-1 Industrial District all freestanding signs shall have
a minimum setback of 15 feet from any public road right-of-way and
shall not be placed in any side or rear yard, except those necessary
for traffic control, directional or safety purposes. (For the I-2
District see the Protective Convents Deeds Restrictions for Stratford
Business/Industrial Park.[1])
C.
Projecting and nonprojecting building wall-mounted signs and wall
or mounted sign lettering.
(1)
Each business shall be allowed one building wall-mounted sign or
one set of sign lettering except as allowed elsewhere in this section.
(2)
The total size of all building wall-mounted signs and building lettering
for each business shall not exceed the maximum signage area allowed
for each business.
(3)
For purposes of this chapter, the size of building lettering without
a defined border shall be calculated as the average height of the
letters times the total width of all letters.
A.
General. Temporary signs not exceeding 50 square feet in area announcing
special public or institutional events, the erection of a building,
the architect, the builders, or the contractors may be erected for
a period of 60 days plus the construction period.
A.
Size limitations. Portable trailer signs or signboards shall not
exceed 50 square feet in area.
B.
Temporary use only. Trailer signs and signboards shall not be located
in a residential district for a period exceeding 48 hours or in a
nonresidential district for a period exceeding 90 days in any calendar
year, except when stored outside the view from public rights-of-way,
on the owner's lot in a nonresidential district.
C.
Lighted portable signs. Lighted portable trailer signs shall require
both an electrical permit and a sign permit. Such signs may not project
over the public right-of-way or include flashing lights or lights
that may be confused with traffic or emergency lights. They may not
be allowed to use projector lamps, inside silvered lamps, or exterior
exposed lamps. Such signs must also be labeled by a recognized testing
laboratory and shall include a ground fault interrupter (GFI) device.[1]
All signs considered to be obsolete or to be abandoned, such
as signs identifying or advertising businesses, services or products
no longer available, shall be removed within 90 days of notice by
the Village at the owner's expense or at the expense of the sign contractor
to whom the last permit was issued. Signs that normally employ changeable
copy shall not be subject to this provision except in cases where
the sign went with no copy or obsolete copy for a period exceeding
six months.
Exceptions from the sign requirements in this article may be
authorized by the Plan Commission and approved by the Village Board
after specific finding by the Plan Commission that such exception
is reasonable and necessary under special circumstances for which
the exception is requested and that such exception will not violate
the intent of these provisions. Exceptions shall be processed as conditional
uses subject to necessary public hearings and all of the other provisions
of this chapter with respect to conditional uses. The Plan Commission
may stipulate conditions it deems necessary to protect the public
health, safety and welfare.
A.
Installation. All signs shall be properly secured, supported and
braced and shall be kept in reasonable structural condition and shall
be kept clean and well painted at all times. Bolts or screws shall
not be fastened to window frames. Every sign and its framework, braces,
anchors and other supports shall be constructed of such material and
with such workmanship as to be safe and satisfactory to the Zoning
Administrator.
B.
Exceptions to height and setback requirements. Signs may be allowed
in the setback area if they are below three feet or are pole-mounted
and above 10 feet to the bottom of the sign. The pole diameter of
pole-mounted signs shall not exceed 12 inches and such signs shall
not interfere with reasonable vision clearance.
C.
Prohibitions.
D.
Searchlights. The Zoning Administrator may permit the temporary use
of a searchlight for advertising purposes in any district, provided
that the searchlight will not be located in any public right-of-way,
will not be located closer than 10 feet to an adjacent property and
will not cause a hazard to traffic or adjoining properties. Searchlight
permits shall not be granted for a period of more than five days in
any six-month period.
All billboards, signs and other advertising structures shall
be designed and constructed to withstand a wind pressure of not less
than 30 pounds per square foot of area and shall be constructed to
receive dead loads as required in the Building Code or other ordinances
of the Village of Stratford.
