No sign shall hereafter be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted, or structurally altered without a permit, except those signs excepted in § 450-52, 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 are limited to one sign and not to exceed six 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 warnings signs not to exceed two square feet
located on the premises.
D.
Bulletin boards for public, charitable or religious institutions
not to exceed eight 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 Common Council
for a period not to exceed 30 days.
Signs are permitted in the C-1 Commercial and I-1 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.
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.
D.
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.
E.
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.
F.
Shopping center or industrial park. 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.
G.
Wall signs. Wall signs placed against the exterior walls of building
shall not extend more than six inches outside of a building's
wall surface, shall not exceed 200 square feet in area for any one
premises, and shall not exceed 20 feet in height above the mean center-line
street grade.
H.
Projected signs. Projected signs fastened to, suspended from, or
supported by structures shall not exceed 100 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 any public right-of-way,
shall not be less than 10 feet from all side lot lines, shall not
exceed a height of 20 feet above the mean center-line street grade,
and shall not be less than 10 feet above a sidewalk or 15 feet above
a driveway or an alley.
I.
Ground signs. Ground signs shall not exceed 30 feet in height above
the mean center-line street grade, shall meet all yard requirement
for the district in which they are located, and shall not exceed 200
square feet on all sides for any one premises, or 100 square feet
on one side.
J.
Roof and window signs. Roof signs shall not exceed 10 feet in height
above the roof, shall meet all yard and height requirements for the
district in which they are located, and shall not exceed 200 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.
K.
Combination signs. Combination of any of the above signs shall meet
all the requirements for the individual sign.
L.
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.
M.
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 Common Council.
N.
Lighting glare. 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 be
lighted by lighting of 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.
O.
Obstruction of openings. Any sign so erected, constructed or maintained
as to obstruct or be attached to any fire escape, window, or door
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.
P.
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.
Q.
Height. No sign shall be erected more than 30 feet from the ground.
R.
Billboards and off-site advertising signs. 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 signs 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 VI shall apply.
