The intent of this article is to provide for
and regulate the location and safe construction of signs in a manner
to ensure that signs are compatible with surrounding land uses, are
well maintained and express the identity of individual proprietors
and the Town as a whole.
No sign shall hereafter be located, erected,
moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted or structurally
altered without conforming with the provisions of this Zoning Code.
The following signs are permitted in all zoning
districts without a permit, subject to the following regulations:
A.
Real estate signs not to exceed eight square feet
in area which advertise the sale, rental or lease of the premises
upon which said signs are temporarily located.
B.
Name and warning signs not to exceed two square feet
located on the premises.
C.
Home occupation and professional home office signs
not to exceed two square feet in area.
D.
Election campaign signs, provided that permission
shall be obtained from the property owner, renter or lessee and provided
that such sign shall not be erected prior to the first day of the
election campaign period as defined in § 12.04, Wis. Stats.,
and shall be removed within four days following the election.
E.
Rummage sale and garage sale signs, provided that
no such signs shall be erected or placed within a public right-of-way
and further provided that such signs are removed within 24 hours following
the sale.
F.
Bulletin boards for public, charitable or religious
institutions not to exceed 32 feet in area located on the premises.
G.
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.
H.
Official signs, such as traffic control, parking restrictions,
information and notices.
I.
Farm identification signs showing the name of the
owner or corporate affiliation or membership not to exceed 16 square
feet in area.
The following signs are permitted in any residential
district and are subject to the following regulations:
A.
Permanent real estate signs placed at the entrance
to a subdivision or development shall contain only the name of the
subdivision or development and shall meet all the yard requirements
of the district in which they are located. The Plan Commission shall
determine the appropriate size of the sign based on the design of
the sign and its compatibility with adjacent land uses.
B.
Temporary development signs for the purpose of designating
a new building or development or for the promotion of a subdivision
may be permitted for a limited period of time, provided that the sign
shall not exceed 48 square feet in area and shall meet all the yard
requirements of the district in which it is located. The Plan Commission
shall specify the period of time the sign may remain based on the
size of the development, allowing a reasonable time to market the
development.
The following signs may be permitted in all
agricultural districts and are subject to the following regulations:
A.
Wall signs affixed to or painted on farm buildings
advertising farm products produced on and/or sold on the premises
or displaying the owner's name shall not exceed 200 square feet.
B.
Ground signs advertising farm products produced on
and/or sold on the premises shall not exceed 15 feet in height above
the ground surface, shall meet all yard requirements for the district
in which they are located and shall not exceed 100 square feet on
one side or 200 square feet on all sides for any one premises.
C.
Directional signs indicating the name of a business
or other establishment and the direction and distance to the establishment.
No directional sign shall be placed within the road right-of-way or
within the vision clearance triangle of any intersecting roads. No
directional sign shall exceed 12 square feet in area.
[Amended 2-6-2007 by Ord. No. 2-1-2007]
Signs are permitted in all business and industrial
districts subject to the following restrictions:
A.
Walls signs placed against the exterior walls of buildings
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 extend above the roofline of the building.
B.
Projecting signs fastened to, suspended from or supported
by structures shall not exceed 20 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,
shall not be less than 10 feet from all side lot lines and shall not
be less than 10 feet above the sidewalk nor 15 feet above a driveway
or an alley.
C.
Monument and ground. There shall not be more than
one freestanding monument or ground sign for each principal building.
[Amended 1-20-2015 by Ord. No. Z2015-01-02]
(1)
Area
of monument and ground signs. The area of a monument or ground sign
shall be proportional to the size of the building and the distance
back from the right-of-way. Monument and ground signs shall not exceed
100 square feet on one side nor 200 square feet on all sides for any
one premises.
(2)
Location.
Monument or ground signs shall meet the following setback requirements:
Front yard setback: 10 feet; side yard setback: 10 feet; setback from
driveways: 10 feet. Under no condition shall a sign be allowed within
the street right-of-way.
(3)
Height.
Ground or monument signs shall not exceed 20 feet in height as measured
from preconstruction grade at the base of the sign except that decorative
finials attached to the top of the supports may be up to six inches
above the six feet height maximum for the supports. A monument sign
base shall not project higher than three feet, as measured from preconstruction
grade at the base of the sign. The face of a monument sign may not
exceed three feet in height.
D.
Marquee, awning or canopy signs affixed flat to the
surface of the marquee, awning or canopy are permitted provided that
the sign does not extend vertically or horizontally beyond the limits
of said marquee, awning or canopy. A marquee, awning or canopy may
extend to within one foot of the vertical plane formed by the curb.
A name sign not exceeding two square feet in area located immediately
in front of the entrance to an establishment may be suspended from
a canopy, provided that the name sign shall be at least 10 feet above
the sidewalk.
E.
Roof signs are prohibited within the Town of Trenton.
F.
Window signs, except for painted signs and decals,
shall be placed only on the inside of commercial buildings.
G.
Combinations of any of the above signs shall meet
all the requirements of the individual sign. The total number of signs
on any premises shall be limited as follows. Window signs shall not
be subject to the limitation on number of signs.
|
Floor Area
(square feet)
|
Maximum Number of Signs Permitted
| |
|---|---|---|
|
0 to 5,000
|
2
| |
|
5,001 to 20,000
|
3
| |
|
20,001 to 50,000
|
4
| |
|
More than 50,000
|
5
|
The following signs are permitted in the institutional
and park districts and are subject to the following regulations:
The Town Board may permit the temporary use of a portable sign for advertising purposes in any district, provided that the portable sign will not be located on 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. Portable sign permits shall not be granted for a period of more than five 30 days in any three-hundred-sixty-five-day period. The permit required in § 380-81 shall be required for portable signs. Portable signs mounted on trailers are prohibited.
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. Signs shall not
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. Signs shall not be placed
so as to obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility nor be lighted
in such a way as to cause glare or impair driver visibility upon public
ways. Signs may be illuminated but nonflashing. Signs shall not be
revolving or animated; however, copy on time and temperature devices
may be cyclical. Signs in residential districts may be illuminated
only with Plan Commission approval.
A.
Wind pressure and dead load requirements. All signs
and other advertising structures shall be designed and constructed
to withstand wind pressure of not less than 40 pounds per square foot
of area and shall be constructed to receive dead loads as required
in the Town Building Code or other ordinance.[1]
B.
Protection of the public. The temporary occupancy
of a sidewalk or street or other public property during construction,
removal, repair, alteration or maintenance of a sign is permitted,
provided that the space occupied is roped off, fenced off or otherwise
isolated.
C.
Maintenance. The owner of any sign shall keep it in
good maintenance and repair, which includes restoring, repainting
or replacement of a worn or damaged legally existing sign to its original
condition, and shall maintain the premises on which the sign is erected
in a clean, sanitary and inoffensive condition, free and clear of
all obnoxious substances, rubbish, weeds and grass.
D.
Construction standards for supports. Supporting members
or braces of all signs shall be constructed of galvanized iron, properly
treated wood, steel, copper, brass or other noncorrosive incombustible
material. Every means or device used for attaching any sign shall
extend through the walls of the building should the Zoning Administrator
determine that the safe and permanent support of such sign so requires
and shall be securely anchored by wall plates and nuts to the inside
of the walls in accordance with instructions given by the Zoning Administrator.
Small flat signs containing less than 10 feet of area may be attached
to a building or by use of lag bolts or other means to the satisfaction
of the Zoning Administrator.
E.
Improper bracing. No signs or any part thereof or
sign anchors, braces or guide rods shall be attached, fastened or
anchored to any fire escape, fire ladder or standpipe and no such
sign or any part of any such sign or any anchor, brace or guide rod
shall be erected, put up or maintained so as to hinder or prevent
ingress or egress through such door, doorway or window or so as to
hinder or prevent the raising or placing of ladders against such building
by the Fire Department of the Town, as necessity therefor may require.
Signs lawfully existing at the time of the adoption
of amendment of this Zoning Code may be continued although the size
or location does not conform to this Zoning Code. However, all nonconforming
signs shall be deemed to have exhausted their economic life after
seven years from the time they became a nonconforming use. Nonconforming
signs, after this seven-year period, shall either be made to conform
to the terms of this Zoning Code or shall be removed by the owner,
agent or person having beneficial use of the property. Nonconforming
signs, during the seven-year grace period, shall be kept in good repair;
but the cost of maintenance shall not be considered grounds for their
continued use beyond the seven-year period. The Zoning Administrator
shall, after the seven-year grace period, notify the owner, agent
or person having beneficial use of the property of the expiration
of the grace period. After 30 days, if the sign has not been made
to conform to this Zoning Code or removed, the Zoning Administrator
shall initiate appropriate punitive action. Signs which are not repaired,
painted or maintained pursuant to written notification and orders
by the Zoning Administrator shall also be subject to punitive action.
A.
Applications for a sign permit shall be made on forms
provided by the Zoning Administrator or Town Clerk and shall contain
or have attached thereto the following information:
(1)
Name, address and telephone number of the applicant
and location of the building, structure or lot to which or upon which
the sign is to be attached or erected.
(2)
Name of person, firm, corporation or association erecting
the sign.
(3)
Written consent of the owner or lessee of the building,
structure or land to which or upon which the sign is to be affixed.
(4)
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.
(5)
A scale drawing indicating the location and position
of such sign in relation to nearby buildings or structures.
(6)
Copies of any other permit required and issued for
said sign, including the written approval by the Electrical Inspector,
in the case of illuminated signs, who shall examine the plans and
specifications, reinspecting all wiring and connections to determine
if the same complies with the Town Electrical Code.[1]
(7)
Additional information as may be required by the Building
Inspector or Town Plan Commission.
B.
Sign permit applications shall be filed with the Building
Inspector, 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. 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.
C.
Bond. Every applicant for a sign permit shall, before
the permit is granted, execute a cash bond or other appropriate surety
in a sum fixed by the Plan Commission upon recommendation of the Building
Inspector, but not to exceed $25,000. The form of the cash bond or
other surety shall be approved by the Town Attorney, indemnifying
the Town against all loss, cost of damages or expense incurred or
sustained by or recovered against the Town by reason of the erection,
construction or maintenance of the sign. A liability insurance policy
issued by an insurance company authorized to do business in the State
of Wisconsin and conforming to the requirements of this subsection
may be permitted by the Town Attorney in lieu of a bond.
In calculating the area of a sign to determine
whether it meets the requirement of this Zoning Code, the Zoning Administrator
shall include the sign copy and any border or frame surrounding that
copy. Supporting members of a sign shall be excluded from the area
calculation. Area of irregularly shaped signs or signs containing
two or more detached elements shall be determined by the area of the
smallest regular polygon that will encompass all elements of the sign.
